Mortgage Rates & Trends

While refinance closings are less stressful than purchase closings because there is no seller and no moving involved, following a few simple rules can help make your refinance closing successful and hassle free. The primary goal of refinancing is to obtain a new mortgage to lower your rate, take ...

We have learned that the House of Representatives is due to vote on the Homebuyers Assistance and Improvement Act of 2010 and the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act. (Hat tip to commenter David B. who alerted us to this in the comments today). It appears as though these are tw...

Today the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index came out, and it showed a small improvement in home prices in April 2010. The data showed a seasonally unadjusted 0.8 percent rise over March 2010, coming in ahead of expectations. From the report: “Home price levels remain close to the April 2009 lows ...

Last week’s financial regulatory reform bill was passed with much fanfare in Congress*. Many observers in the press felt that the bill was diluted and would be weak and ineffectual. It did not seem to adequately address many of the issues that caused the financial crisis (it is especially weak in...

According to the National Association of Realtors, 180,000 home sales could fall apart if the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit closing date is not extended past the June 30th deadline. We have written about this topic extensively over the last several weeks, as amendments to extend the clos...

A bill that would have extended unemployment benefits, as well as extended the closing date for the first time home buyer tax credit to September 30th, and extended a variety of other tax credits, failed to garner enough votes to defeat a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate yesterday. The Dem...

With current mortgage interest rates near all-time lows, most home owners who can qualify for a mortgage refinance are either in the process of refinancing their mortgage or thinking about it. With all of the upheaval in the mortgage markets because of the credit crisis, many of the places where ...

Yesterday Fannie Mae announced a new set of policies designed to deal with strategic defaulters – those who have the means to pay their mortgage but choose not to pay because they are so far underwater it no longer makes financial sense to pay the mortgage. People who strategically default will b...

Learn about the mortgage refinance process in Connecticut. Refinancing in Connecticut is easier and costs less than in many states The refinance process in Connecticut is relatively simple: 1. Select a mortgage lender. 2. Submit your application 3. Lock in your interest rate 4. Select an attorney...

Another week, another gloomy housing report.  Today the National Association of Realtors reported that purchases of existing homes dropped unexpectedly 2.2 percent in May. The deceleration of the housing market can be largely attributed to the expiration of the first time home buyer tax credit on...