30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM)averaged 4.12 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending September 8, 2011, down from last week when it averaged 4.22 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.35 percent. 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.33 percent with an average
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09/09/2011
Foreign National Loan Program includes Non-Resident and Non-U.S. Citizens borrowing for second homes, extended to all countries, not just Canada. The following are required guidelines: Maximum loan amount $417,000 30-year fixed rate mortgage 30% down payment required from borrower’s own funds and
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09/07/2011
Data through June 2011, released today by S&P Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices...show that the U.S. National Home Price Index increased by 3.6% in the second quarter of 2011, after having fallen 4.1% in the first quarter of 2011. With the second quarter's data, the National Ind
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08/30/2011
“…Pending home sales declined in July but remain well above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors…all regions show monthly declines except for the West, which continues to show the highest level of sales contract activity…” The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-loo
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08/29/2011
The short sale system has been simplified by the Obama Administration. The Treasury Department unveiled rules requiring banks to respond to homeowner short sale requests within 45 days. Short sale sellers are also eligible for up to $3,000 in aid to move. By some estimates up to 275,000 foreclosu
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08/22/2011
Typically with a short sale, the homeowner is underwater and has experienced a financial hardship such as a job loss. To limit the damage to his credit rating, a homeowner may attempt to work with his lender to negotiate a short sale. Not only must the bank approve of the short sale itself, it
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08/19/2011
“…The employed remain worried about their own job security, which they see tied to overall U.S. economic health…” 41% of respondents in the Housing Market Index indicated that they had lost sales contracts due to buyers’ inability to sell their current homes This is an example of the unemployed i
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08/18/2011
Employment was up 117,000, the best showing since April, and the unemployment rate edged down a tenth to 9.1 percent. Over the first half of 2011, growth was figured to be about 0.8 percent at an annual rate, far too weak to generate enough jobs to keep pace with labor force growth. Compared wit
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08/17/2011
Consistent with previous findings, most Americans think it would be difficult for them to get a home mortgage today (53 percent) and increases to 71 percent among renters. Twenty-six percent of American workers report being concerned about losing their job in the next twelve months. While 44 per
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08/16/2011
Financial market turmoil has been pushing mortgage rates lower. 30-Year fixed-rate mortgages have now fallen to about 4.3 percent, which is very close to the lowest level on record. But many homeowners can't qualify for those low rates, and analysts say these historic interest rates aren't likely
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08/15/2011
