For the first time that we can remember the 30 year Jumbo rate is lower than the average for the 30 year conventional.  The jumbo is at 4.71% and the 30 year conventional is 4.73%.  Why is this?   1. Rate volatility   2. Government policies   3. Low fund costs.   Thank you CNBC for this information.   Visit www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County home search or sales needs.     The Day Ahead: ADP Employment, Jobless Claims , Factory Orders             ADP Employment reports a slowing rise for private payroll growth, to 176,000 in August vs July's downwardly revised rise of 198,000. This is right on Economist expectations for sizable slowing. to 177,000 vs ADP's initial July reading of 200,000Jobless Claims are moving lower to indicate health in the employment sector.... 09/05/2013

Want to find a home or investment property in Arroyo Grande or the rest of San Luis Obispo County? www.myslohomefinder.com       Go to www.myslohomefinder.com to search the cities of San Luis Obispo County to find that special home.  We are known for our special treatment of people, and being able to help you find that special home. 09/01/2013

Want to find a home or investment property in Arroyo Grande or the rest of San Luis Obispo County? www.myslohomefinder.com       Go to www.myslohomefinder.com to search the cities of San Luis Obispo County to find that special home.  We are known for our special treatment of people, and being able to help you find that special home.   08/14/2013

Termite Control 101 Termite Control 101By Jim HaileyWhy worry about termites? Because termites cause billions of dollars in damage to homes each year. While buildings may become infested at any time, being aware of termite infestations is of particular importance when buying or selling a home since a termite inspection report is normally a condition of sale. Aside from the monetary impact, having thousands of winged termites emerge inside your client's home can be emotionally trying, as is the thought of termites silently feasting on their largest investment. Why are infestations often discovered between March and May? Spring is typically when large numbers of winged termites, known as "swarmers," emerge inside homes. In nature, termites swarm to disperse and start new colonies. Trigge... 08/07/2013

I was talking to a couple of mortgage loan officers yesterday.  One told me that things have been really slow the last 2 weeks.  She blamed the higher mortgage rates, and uncertainty about the economy.  The other said he had slowed down a lot especially with re-fi applications. I talked to one of my buyer clients and he and his wife decided not to buy now.  His company just laid off a couple hundred employees, and he may be in the next wave.  He said he doesn't want to put down $25,000 in down payment and expenses to lose his job and face foreclosure.  Also he said that the 29% increase in mortgage payments due to the interest rate increasing made renting a better option for his family. Go to www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo home search needs.   What's up today?  No ... 08/07/2013

  The Week Ahead:Very Light Week               June's slowdown in new orders and business activity proved a one-month outlier as the ISM's non-manufacturing report shows a surge for both in July that drove the composite index up a very substantial 3.8 points to 56.0 for the best reading since February.       Tuesday:International Trade, Prior -45.0 B, Consensus -43.0 B.   Wednesday:No Economic Data   Thursday:Jobless Claims, Prior 326 K, Consensus 336K.   Friday:No Economic Data       Dow is trading at 15,619  -38  the 10 yr bond is at 2.65 from 2.61 Friday, . Currently point structure is unchanged fromFriday       Conv. – 4.375%   FHA. _ 4.25%           Have a super week!     08/05/2013

Would you like to be part of the sale of a $100 million property!  Of course!  But let's look at the commission! $100 million and a 3% commission is $3 million!  Don't need many of those in a year to make ends meet! Check out this great video from CNBC about the mega properties for sale.  And by the way Gionni Vesages mansion in Florida has been dropped down to only $75 million!  What a deal! http://realestate.msn.com/video/video.aspx?from=gallery_en-us&videoid=fa32ab67-6863-4413-b19f-6000ef64c7b7&sf=Relevancy#3   07/24/2013

June new home sales were up 8.3% in June.  The median home price was up 7.4% in June year over year.  The fixed 30 year mortgage was down from last week to an average of 4.58%, a drop on 10 basis points. Check out my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County home search needs.       What's up today-  New Home Sales, PMI                       Most of the fundamentals right now for the new home market are very favorable especially low supply which, despite perhaps keeping current sales down, points to rising construction and rising sales ahead. New Home Sales are at a new recovery high, at a higher-than-expected 497,000 annual rate in June vs Economist expectations for 481,000. But the 16,000 difference between the result and expectations is offset, to a degr... 07/24/2013

The city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy on Thursday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation about a possible such move. Kevyn Orr, the city's emergency manager, handed over a 3,000 page document detailing all the money which the city is unable to pay. The list of those owed includes the names of all of the city’s active employees and its retirees, a list of properties that have tax claims with the city, numerous bondholders, business creditors and companies that insured Detroit debt. The largest creditor is the city's general pension scheme, which is owed $2 billion. A plan devised in June called for city-employed retirees to accept less than 10 per cent of what they were owed under pension plans. But earlier this week the city's two pension funds sued Detroit's state-appointed emergen... 07/19/2013

Ben Bernanke was speaking in front of Congress again.  He mentioned that the Fed would raise rates when the unemployment rate is in the 6.5% range.  It's now 7.5% and it was 8.2% last year in July.      The Day Ahead: Initial Jobless Claims, Philly Fed Index           Initial Jobless Claims, at 334,000, fell 24,000 in the July 13 week vs the prior week which saw a revised 14,000 rise that the Labor Department is now attributing to summer layoffs in the auto industry. Summer retooling in the auto industry always plays havoc with week-to-week jobless claims data during July, a factor that puts extra emphasis on the 4-week average which is down 5,250 in the latest week to 346,000. Despite the decline, this level is just about even with the month-ago trend in a reading that does not point t... 07/18/2013

  Mortgage rates are going up and so is the inflation rate.  Last month PPI was up .8% from a .4% the month before.  If the .8% is extrapolated over a 12 month period we would have a 9.6% year of year increase.  We are hoping that this monthly increase is just a rise due to petroleum prices spiking up due to the unrest in Egypt and they will level off!  We will continue to monitor this and give you further updates.   An inflation rate around the 10% area would devastate our economy!  Can any remember the 1970's!    Check out our web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your real estate needs in San Luis Obispo County.   The past week and the week ahead: Producer Price Index, Consumer Sentiment               Inflation worsened in June at the producer level. The June Producer Price In... 07/13/2013

Jodie Foster's Hollywood Hills California home is for sale.  It's a 6,000 sq. ft., with 5 bedrooms and 6 baths.  It has a gourmet kitchen, a grand pool and privacy hedges.  The price tag is $6.5 million.  See the attached link http://www.bankrate.com/lite/real-estate/celebrity-house-for-sale-jodie-foster-1.aspx     07/03/2013

Mortgage rates are heading higher!  We will see the high 4% range in the next month or two, and the Fed. is going to start tapering in the latter part of the year.  They have already promised this!  All those fence sitters and refi's need to get on the ball! Go to our web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County home search needs.    What's up next week? Absence of Data, Presence of Hope           Now it is a waiting game to see where the support in treasuries will be.     Dow is trading at 14,800  +42.32the 10 yr bond is at 2.42 from 2.38 Yesterday, . Currently point structure is slightly higher from Yesterday   Conv. – 4.25% FHA. -  4.125%    Last year - 3.86%    Have a great week!     06/23/2013

Big news coming up from the Fed meeting!  What are they going to say this time? Visit our web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your search needs in San Luis Obispo Ca.  We specialize in homes for sale in arroyo grande ca, homes for sale in san luis obispo ca, homes for sale in atascadero ca, homes for sale in paso robles ca, homes for sale in morro bay ca, homes for sale in cayucos ca, homes for sale in pismo beach ca   What's up today! FOMC All Day               Watch for a tale of two market reactions. First to the FOMC statement, which will include input from the hawks, then to the Chairman's Press Conference where Ben Bernanke will have the stage to himself.The FOMC Announcement at 2:00 p.m. ET for the June 18-19 FOMC policy meeting is expected to leave policy rates unchanged... 06/19/2013

Mortgage rates are slightly better at the end of the week.  We will have to keep an eye out for the market conditions, and world economic outlooks. Visit my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your home search needs in San Luis Obispo County. The week ahead: Moderate Econ Data; Mostly Focused on Fed Next Week               Headline PPI inflation rebounded significantly more than expected due to both higher energy and food inflation. The core rate remained soft. The May producer price index posted a 0.5 percent increase after falling 0.7 percent prior month. Expectations were for a 0.2 percent rise. The core rate, which excludes both food and energy, held steady at 0.1 percent and matching the consensus forecast.Consumer Sentiment have been on a sharp climb the last couple of mon... 06/15/2013

  I recall a conversation I had with an Australian friend about the U.S. housing bubble as it was dropping like a rock in 2008.  I asked my friend how the Aussie housing market was holding up, and he responded,  "No global economic crisis here!  Our housing market is different than you Yanks!"  I thought to myself that he sounded like so many Americans in the early 2000s.  Well guess what, they are starting to see what we did.  The Aussie dollar is dropping like a rock, and so are the house prices.  China is slowing, and not buying all their raw material.  Here is a great article by Mike "Mish" Shedlock talking about the issue. Also below are the current mortgage rates.       Australian Dollar Plunges as Home Loans Dive; Australia Insolvencies Hit Record; Worst is Yet to Come       Post... 06/11/2013

Conventional mortgage rates for the 30 year have gone to 4%!  I looks like the Fed.  maybe slowing down their purchases of treasuries.  But one has to worry if this is too soon?  The IMS Manufacturing Report came in at 49 which shows a contraction from April and the lowest number since 6/2009!  We'll have to wait and see what the employment numbers are on Thursday and Friday!   Check out my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County real estate needs.   The Week Ahead: Payrolls Provide Reality Check for Tapering               The manufacturing sector showed a little life in May with strength weighted slightly to the second half, based on Market’sPMI which ended May at 52.3 vs a mid-month reading of 51.9 and vs a final April reading of 52.1. These readings ar... 06/03/2013

Rates are down slightly from yesterday! But the rates are still up for the week!  There is a lot of talk about the Fed. "tapering off", and I think this will have a greater impact on the housing market, stocks, and bonds than what people think! Visit my web  site a www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County home search needs. We specialize in Atascadero houses for sale, Paso Robles houses for sale, Templeton houses for sale, San Luis Obispo houses for sale, Arroyo Grande houses for sale, Pismo Beach houses for sale, Shell Beach houses for sale, Avila Beach houses for sale, Grover Beach houses for sale, Nipomo houses for sale, Morro Bay houses for sale, Cayucos houses for sale, Cambria houses for sale, and Oceano houses for sale. for sale.     The Day Ahead: GDP, Jobless... 05/30/2013

We have alot of ecomonic information that has rattled the market!  China and the Euro Zone's economies are faultering.  This shook the Asian and Euro markets.  It shook the U.S. market at first, but then traders realized that at least we aren't them!  We are doing better.  Our jobless rate improved and new housing prices and sales were up. But the Fed. threw a cold blanket on the "party" when they hinted and started to taper down asset purchases. Go to my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo home search needs.       What's up today!:Rates increase after Fed’s request to start tapering down asset purchases               There's been a few bright spots on the outlook for May's economic data, an outlook now led by a big decline in Jobless Claims during the May 1... 05/23/2013

  It looks like rates are heading higher.  In the last week we have had a spike up in rates!  We have had a drop in mortgage apps (-9.8%), Refi's down (-11.7%), Purchase apps (-3%).  Also in Spain, the government dropped the tax benefits for home ownership and property prices have dropped 22%.  In Madrid down 30% and the Basque Country down 40%!  Makes you wonder how much home prices would drop here if mortgage interest and property taxes deduction went away?   Visit my web site at www.myslohomefinder.com for all your San Luis Obispo County property and real estate seach needs.           The Day Ahead:Existing Home Sales, Ben Bernanke, FOMC Minutes               Activity in the housing sector caught fire in April with Existing Home Sales up 0.6 percent to an annual rate of 4.97 million... 05/22/2013