MJbanner2

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

New Home Sales Increase in May

According to HUD and the Census Bureau, the month of May saw an increase in the sales of newly built homes. The sales rose by 7.6% which amounts to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369.000 homes. While there was an increase overall throughout the country, these sales were very regional. The Northeast had new home sales increase by 36.7% while the Midwest actually declined by 10.6%. This all indicates that more potential home buyers are being drawn to the housing market because of the current low mortgage rates. The steadying and slowly recovering economy is lending more confidence to home builders and home buyers alike. Despite the increase in new home sales, however, the inventory of new homes for sale remains at a low 145,000 units in May. Compared to March and April, though the month of May proved to have solid growth which will eventually lead to an increased need for the construction of new homes.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Weekly Average Mortgage Rate is at 3.66%

The Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) from Freddie Mac has been released. This states that the average mortgage rates are continuing to fall despite other economic factors worsening. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged at 3.66% which is down from 3.71% last week; and it has an average of 0.7 point. The 15-year FRM averaged at 2.95%, down from 2.98% last week; a year ago, it was at 3.69%. It has an average 0.6 point. Treasury bond yields have also eased.

The Federal Reserve has noted that growth in employment rates has been slow in recent months, which leads to household spending also being slower. On a positive note though, construction on one-family homes has been rising for the past three months. The confidence of homebuilders is at its highest reading in 5 years.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

FHFA's 2012 Foreclosure Prevention Report

Since 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have completed more than 2.3 million foreclosure prevention actions. This includes 1.1 million permanent loan modifications. All of their activities have been detailed in the FHFA's first quarter 2012 Foreclosure Prevention Report. It is known as the Federal Property Manager's Report and we'd like to share that with you. The report shows information about states with the biggest 5-year decline in house prices, as well as the states with the highest number of delinquent loans. Take a look at it for even more statistics and information.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Vote in Greece buys Eurozone More Time

The Greek vote has been cast. However, the most that it has done is buy more time for the eurozone to figure out what to do next in their 2-year long financial struggle. The Greeks also agreed to remain under Berlin's harsh terms in order to continue collecting bailout money. For now, Greece will stay attached to the eurozone in hopes of sparking economic growth. There is hope that Athens will form a government that will negotiate with Berlin over the financial situation. Berlin and its allies are what is keeping Greece from hitting rock bottom into economic chaos and leaving the euro behind. Many agree that leaving the euro would only bring financial collapse at an accelerated rate. As part of the deal, Berlin has forced austerity measures upon the Greek citizens that has lowered their standard of living and require harsh sacrifices.

Right now, Germany has the largest and most prosperous economy. They are having to deal with the financial burden of their weaker neighbors. The Greek vote was important because, while it helps their weak economy, it also has an affect on Germany by involving them more into this crisis.

This vote has only provided temporary relief. The banks in the weak economies of Greece, Italy and Spain took a beating last week when investors pulled out due to worries about a government default. Spain is currently in the midst of recovering from a painful housing bust, forcing them to monitor their home mortgage policies.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Spain's Aid Package Impacts Market

The stock market was impacted this morning in light of Spain's aid package and Greece's upcoming election. Spain has received 100 billion euros ($125 billion) in an aid deal to help their struggling banks. Since this aid package was larger than expected, it gives the financial markets a bit of breathing room for now. The size of this aid package points to a big commitment from the euro zone to stabilize the economy. However, this also suggests that the EU is nervous about the Greek election since the vote could potentially lead to Greece leaving the euro zone. All of this uncertainty in Europe is causing U.S. companies more difficulties in growing their revenue. Overall, there remain worries concerning the global growth outlook in light of the European debt crisis, but things have taken a step in the right direction.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Obama Adminstration's May Housing Scorecard

The May Housing Scorecard has been released, courtesy of HUD, the Department of the Treasury and the Obama Administration. It is a comprehensive report on the status of the nation's housing market. All indicators point to signs of stability. There's been an overall increase in the sale of existing homes across the nation. The inventory of newly constructed homes has also increased. The only slight hindrance right now comes in the form of delinquencies and underwater mortgages. However, the economy is continuing to recover. More than 180,000 borrowers have taken advantage of the Home Affordable Refinance Program to secure mortgage relief. This has helped foreclosure starts to decline.

The Obama Administration has many programs in place to aid homeowners with the woes of the housing market. So far, these programs have established some critical standards and accountability for mortgage servicers. These have forced the industry to provide struggling homeowners with more effective assistance than ever before. Millions of American homeowners have received relief from these foreclosure programs, and the Administration hopes to continue providing it. It is very important that the nation's housing market crisis can recover.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Shorter-Term Refinancing to Prep for Mortgage-Free Retirement

The newest trend in the home-buying game is refinancing into 15-year loans. More homeowners than ever are going down this route due to mortgage rates consistently falling to record lows. According to Freddie Mac's most recent mortgage rate survey, the 30-year fixed-rate loan averaged at 3.75% which is down from 3.78% last week. On that note, the 15-year fixed loan's average is currently at 2.97%, down from 3.04% a week ago. Unfortunately, most of the homeowners who are able to benefit from the low refinancing rates in this troubled housing market are those who have significant home equity. Many homeowners are considering shorter-term loans so they can have the payoff coincide with their retirement plans. Despite having to pay more per month for these shorter-term loans, having their homes paid in full when retirement comes around would be ideal for any homeowner. Those that are able to do this have statistically been people in their 40s and 50s whose incomes now allow them to pay off more principal every month. If you are interested in refinancing your home to take advantage of these great rates, Quest Loans can set you up with a professional lender today! Call 1-888-883-5252.

Friday, June 1, 2012

U.S. Job Market Staggers

The U.S. economic recovery has had a bit of a slowdown in May. According to the Labor Department's Job Report for May, only 69,000 jobs were created. This is a much lower number than experts had expected for the month. With that said, the unemployment rate has also climbed up to 8.2%, which is the first time it has increased in the past 11 months. This all comes at a time when Americans are worried about the European crisis, higher gas prices and the constant problems that the housing market faces. It is important, therefore, that the U.S. economy continues to grow, especially since Europe is declining. If the U.S. has frequent slowdowns like the one in May, it could bring about a global slowdown. It had enough of an impact on the economy for the Obama administration to comment that this jobs data was unacceptable and that Congress needs to do something to strengthen the nation. Time will tell if they take action to make a difference in the lives of Americans or not.

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More