8.31.2009

Mortgage Monday BigJobs Report this Friday - How will rates react?

From:MortgageMonday

Jobs Report Friday - How will rates react? MortgageMonday.com

Watch Video

This week rates will be unpredictable with the non-farm payroll report coming out Friday and Wall Street being under staffed on Friday for Labor Day Weekend. Enjoy our weekly video blog about mortgage rates- follow us on twitter at MortgageMonday.
91 Days
Until $8,000 Tax Credit Expires



FREE Home Search


Real Estate Professionals Please Sign...




If you have received this indirectly and would like to be added to my distribution list, Register Now


Mortgage Monday
   Email us
770-792-7979 107 - Work

Mortgage Rates


Posted: 31 Aug 2009 07:45 AM PDT
Mortgage rates will react to the non-farm payrolls report Sept 4 2009Mortgage markets were flat last week overall, although mortgage rates were somewhat volatile from day-to-day.
For rate shoppers, the best pricing was available Monday morning and Friday afternoon -- everything in between was slightly elevated.
It's the second consecutive week in which rates finished unchanged.
There was a string of good news last week about the economy, led by housing. New Home Sales, Existing Home Sales, and the Case-Shiller Index all surprised to the high-side and consumer confidence numbers came in higher-than-expected, too.
In prior weeks, strong data like this would have caused mortgage rates to rise. Last week, however, it didn't. Mostly because foreign demand for mortgage-backed bonds has remained strong.
This week, there's only one major data release and its timing may prove to be problematic.
Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the August Non-Farm Payrolls report. With housing's rebound seemingly underway, the jobs report takes on added significance. Joblessness can undermine consumer confidence and spending and cause harm to the recovering U.S. economy.
This is one reason why rate shoppers should be cautious toward the end of the week -- the jobs report will move markets. The other reason to be cautious is because Friday is the day before Labor Day and Wall Street will be short-staffed.
Fewer traders means more volatility -- if rates start to pop, they'll really pop. 

Also some lenders now moving up to 660 and a minimum credit score so if you have clients that need help call 770-792-7979 x 107 or visiit MortgageMonday.com

8.30.2009

FREE Leads for Real Estate Agents

Close more transactions and get FREE LEADS!

Do you have any clients that can't purchase due to their credit scores?

Securely register your clients in need of credit treatment and we return them to you all healthy and ready to close.

The more clients you send to the credit ICU the more FREE LEADS you get.

Many buyers are preparing for purchases before they contact a Realtor. So many of our "patients" who are now healthy need a good agent to help them find and purchase a home. The more patients that you sendto us the more healthy leads we can send your way.

Realtor Slide Show Presentation


Click HERE to get started

8.28.2009

From MortgageMonday.com The New Conforming Mortgage Guidelines, Effective September 1, 2009




Here our New Conforming Mortgage Guidelines, Effective September 1, 2009

Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:45 AM PDT

New mortgage guidelines due September 1 2009FROM ATLLOANS.com: As a reminder, Fannie Mae is rolling out new lending guidelines Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

Starting next week, being approved for a home loan could be much more difficult.

The new rules mark the first major underwriting update since April of this year. The changes are mostly geared at fraud prevention. President of Capital City Mortgage Investments ,Peter Bright shared the updates below:

  1. Stock options are no longer eligible for "reserves"
  2. Relocating families can't use the "trailing" spouse's projected income
  3. "Tip" income must be documented and verified
  4. Lenders must call employers to verify employment
  5. Lenders must verify tax transcripts against IRS records

But there are other changes, too. As examples:

  1. Owners and buyers of 2-unit homes are subject to new minimum FICOs with larger downpayment and equity requirements.
  2. Only 70% of stock, bond and mutual values may be used as reserves
  3. Only 60% of retirement assets may be used as reserves

Consider this post to be your advance warning. Not everyone that qualifies for a mortgage on Monday, August 31 will qualify on Tuesday, September 1.

Therefore, if you have a pending need for a mortgage -- for either a purchase or a refinance -- it's probably best to talk with a lender as soon as possible. The deadline is based on the date of application -- not the date of closing.

Read the complete Fannie Mae announcement online. See ATLLOANS.com for more information on how to apply.

Home Supplies Plummet, Putting Pressure On Home Prices To Rise

Posted: 27 Aug 2009 07:45 AM PDT

New Homes supply July 2009It's no wonder that builder confidence is soaring -- their inventory of homes for sale is depleting at a furious pace.

For the 4th straight month, New Home Sales gained, posting the best numbers since last September's meltdown and handily beating economist expectations.

The available supply of homes is down to 7.5 months nationwide.

It's further evidence that the housing market may have bottomed at some point this past spring.

To be sure, the strong housing data is, in part, a reaction to three outside factors:

  1. Low mortgage rates
  2. An expiring government tax credit
  3. Hefty builder incentives

But, buyers are buyers and the clearing out of outstanding inventory provides terrific support for home prices. It also gives them reason to rise.

Coupled with the blowout Existing Home Sales numbers from July, therefore, this months' New Homes Sale report may be a signal that the Buyers' Market is ending and the Sellers' Market is beginning.

If you're planning to buy a home this year or next, it may be time to get a move on. Wait too long, and prices may be up. see ATLLOANS.COM for help today

8.27.2009

Latest From : Atlanta RE 5 by 5

Latest From : Atlanta RE 5 by 5


Home Prices Keep Rising, Rising, Rising

Posted: 26 Aug 2009 09:43 AM PDT

Case-Shiller June 2009

18 of 20 markets tracked by the Case-Shiller Index showed rising home values in June. It's the 5th consecutive month with strong numbers and the best showing for the benchmark housing index since home values began deflating in 2006.

Some would argue it's a sign that housing has finally bottomed out. Even Case-Shiller representatives acknowledge that home prices are "on an upswing".

Despite the Case-Shiller Index's popularity with economists and the press, though, it's falls short of being a perfect housing indicator. As examples:

  1. Its data is reported with a 2-month lag
  2. Its sample set includes just 20 U.S. cities
  3. Real estate isn't a "national" market -- it's local

Nevertheless, flaws aside, Case-Shiller is still important. It helps identify broader trends in housing and many people believe the housing is the keystone of the economy right now.

This is why June's Case-Shiller Index gives cause for hope. The nascent housing recovery has a long road ahead but June's Case-Shiller data shows that we're heading in the right direction.

8.26.2009

Home Prices Keep Rising, Rising, Rising

Home Prices Keep Rising, Rising, Rising

Case-Shiller June 2009

18 of 20 markets tracked by the Case-Shiller Index showed rising home values in June. It's the 5th consecutive month with strong numbers and the best showing for the benchmark housing index since home values began deflating in 2006.

Some would argue it's a sign that housing has finally bottomed out. Even Case-Shiller representatives acknowledge that home prices are "on an upswing".

Despite the Case-Shiller Index's popularity with economists and the press, though, it's falls short of being a perfect housing indicator. As examples:

  1. Its data is reported with a 2-month lag
  2. Its sample set includes just 20 U.S. cities
  3. Real estate isn't a "national" market -- it's local

Nevertheless, flaws aside, Case-Shiller is still important. It helps identify broader trends in housing and many people believe the housing is the keystone of the economy right now.

This is why June's Case-Shiller Index gives cause for hope. The nascent housing recovery has a long road ahead but June's Case-Shiller data shows that we're heading in the right direction.

8.25.2009

Latest From : Atlanta RE 5 by 5

Latest From : Atlanta RE 5 by 5


The Long-Term Trendline For Existing Home Sales Points To A Housing Recovery

Posted: 25 Aug 2009 07:45 AM PDT

Existing Home Sales July 2009The housing market continues to surprise. Last week, the latest good news came in the form of the monthly Existing Home Sales report.

An "existing home" is a home sold by an existing owner as opposed to a developer. It's non-new construction property.

The data on Existing Home Sales was noteworthy for its trends:

  1. Sales volume rose over four straight months for the first time in 5 years
  2. Sales volume rose year-to-year for the first time in 4 years
  3. Median home prices fell for the first time since April

Furthermore, first-time home buyers and buyers of "distressed" homes accounted for nearly one-third of the market activity each.

But, before we declare a bottom in housing, it's important that we remember the First Rule of Real Estate -- All Real Estate Is Local.

The Existing Home Sales report is not neighborhood-specific. It lumps cities like San Diego and Saint Paul into a giant sample set and fails to account for regional differences in real estate, let alone neighborhood ones.

This is the primary reason why on-the-ground real estate agents are better sources for a market pulse versus a report from a national trade group. The national group can't know the happenings of every street and every home in a market.

That said, however, the national data isn't completely useless.

Looking at the long-term patterns in the Existing Home Sales report, we can infer that ample supplies, low mortgage rates and tax credits are spurring home sales in a lot of U.S. markets.

Eventually, this will lead home prices higher.

8.24.2009

Latest From : Atlanta RE 5 by 5

Latest From : Atlanta RE 5 by 5


What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 24, 2009

Posted: 24 Aug 2009 07:45 AM PDT

Mortgage rates are riding a roller coasterMortgage markets finished the week unchanged last week but don't let that make you think the markets were flat. It was a bumpy five days and rates were volatile.

Friday was the worst day of the week by far.

An all-day deterioration, sparked by better-than-expected housing data, caused mortgage rates to tack on a quarter-percent by the noon hour and markets never recovered.

Rates closed out at their worst levels of the week and the unfavorable momentum figures to carry into this week's trading, too.

There are two major reasons why rates could rise higher this week:

  1. Fed Chairman Bernanke said Friday that the near-term growth prospects "appear good". Comments like this draw money from bond issues to the stock market -- a move that's bad for rates.
  2. Crude oil hit a 10-month high, a potentially inflationary development. Inflation often leads mortgage rates higher.

Furthermore, rate shoppers should take note that this week will feature the release of two key housing reports -- the Case-Shiller Index (Tuesday) and the New Homes Sales report (Wednesday). Both have handily beat expectations in recent months and should that trend continues, mortgage rates would likely rise because of renewed economic optimism.

What's good for the economy, lately, has tended to be bad for rates.

Whether you're shopping for a new home or looking to refinance an existing one, be wary of the ever-changing mortgage market. Rates move quickly and without warning. However, they tend to rise faster than they fall.

If you know you will need a rate lock this week or next, consider locking in at the first sign of trouble. Once rates spike, they likely won't be so quick to fall.

Why Free Credit Reports Are Worth What They Cost

Why Free Credit Reports Are Worth What They Cost

The ubiquity of "free" credit reporting services like FreeCreditReport.com, TrueCredit.com, and AnnualCreditReport.com have helped breed a new generation of credit-aware Americans.

Because credit ratings have more importance to everyday life than in years past, this is a welcome development. For example:

  • Lenders use credit ratings to determine borrowing rates
  • Insurers use credit ratings to determine premiums
  • Employers use credit ratings to make hiring decision

Unfortunately for Americans, though, not all credit reports are created equal. And when it comes to actually applying for credit in the form of a new credit card or mortgage, the free reports are worth precisely what they cost.

This is one reason why home buyers should have their credit reviewed by a mortgage lender as soon as possible in the home buying process -- the free reports offered by the major credit bureaus may be misleading and incomplete.

Free credit reports are useful for identifying identity theft and reviewing active accounts but do very little to help a potential creditor gauge your creditworthiness.

As the chart shows us, each industry's creditors has a way they like to do business and that way is the "standard" way.


See us at MortgageMonday.com to help you today!

Economic Calendar for this Week August 24th 2009

Monday Aug 24






Redbook
[Bullet
8:55 AM ET











New Home Sales
[Report][djStar]
10:00 AM ET


Dennis Lockhart Speaks
11:30 AM ET


Weekly Bill Settlement

52-Week Bill Settlement

GDP
[Report][Star]
8:30 AM ET

Jobless Claims
[Report][djStar]
8:30 AM ET







Money Supply
[Bullet
4:30 PM ET

James Bullard Speaks
5:00 PM ET