Mortgage rates closed last week the same as they opened – no movement up or down. Halloween marked a far different story. On Halloween, the bond markets traded + 84 bps – pushing mortgage rates and pricing significantly lower.
The long term outlook still indicates a bearish market where rates look likely to rise. Most experts recommend locking in pricing on any days with improvement.
Below are rates available today paying a point or less:
30 year fixed:4% paying 1 point, 4.25% paying 0 points
20 year fixed:3.75% paying 1 point, 4% paying 0 points
15 year fixed:3.375% paying .85 points, 3.75% paying 0 points
Mortgage rates improved slightly last week with the bond market closing + 28 bps on the week. We are still seeing a lot of volatility to in the markets where rates/costs can change a lot in a very short period of time.
My recommendation is to lock in pricing if you looking into a mortgage. The stock market is gaining momentum and I think rates will rise during the last quarter of 2011. In the 4th quarter of 2010, mortgage rates went from 4% to 4.75% in a very short period of time. While I don’t see that much of a change coming, I do feel that mortgage rates will continue to slowly move upwards.
Below are rates available today paying a point or less:
30 year fixed:4.125% paying 1 point, 4.375% paying 0 points
20 year fixed:3.875% paying .74 points, 4.25% paying 0 points
15 year fixed:3.5% paying .74 points, 3.875% paying 0 points
Today’s Mortgage Interest Rates. Current Mortgage Rates and APRs for refinancing and purchasing in Arizona, California, and Colorado. Mortgage Rates Sheets for fixed mortgages, ARM mortgages, Variable Mortgages, Interest Only Mortgages, HARP mortgages, VA mortgages, FHA mortgages, Conforming mortgages, Conventional Mortgages, High Balance Mortgages, Fannie Mae mortgages, Freddie Mac Mortgages, and Jumbo Mortgages.
When the government released the Homeowner Affordability Refinance Program (HARP) product two years ago, they envisioned helping 4 million homeowners get into a better mortgage. As of August, only 894,000 people were able to utilize the HARP product to get into a better mortgage.
The basics of the current HARP product allow homeowners in a FANNIE MAE or FREDDIE MAC loan to refinance their current loan at up to 125% Loan to value (though most lenders only do 105% LTV). The original loan had to be taken out before March of 2009. This product was meant to help homeowners with little or no equity refinance their current loan with at a lower rate with no mortgage insurance.
President Obama is scheduled to release revisions to the HARP program this week. The new program is said to uncap the max loan to value of 125%. The new HARP loan will allow more under water homeowners to refinance their current loan at a lower rate with no mortgage insurance.
Many consumers owe much more than 125% of their home’s value. The updated HARP product is meant to help the homeowner’s that the first HARP product could not.
Check below to see if your current loan is backed by FANNIE MAE or FREDDIE MAC.
Last week saw a continuation of the stock market rally from the week before. Stocks were trading higher, increasing the flow of investments from bonds to stocks. The bond market closed -75 bps down – which should have pushed rates a little bit higher. Even so, most rates have stayed the same. Of the 10 business days in October – the bond market has closed down 9 of them.
As of the writing of this email on Monday morning, the stock market is trading down over 100 points – and the bond market is trading up + 42 bps. This should help regain some of the losses from last week. This week should be another volatile week as many companies will be reporting their 3rd quarter earnings.
Below are rates available paying a point or less:
30 year fixed:4.25% paying .5 points, 4.375% paying 0 points
20 year fixed:3.875% paying .9 points, 4.25% paying 0 points
15 year fixed:3.5% paying .74 points, 3.875% paying 0 points
Today’s Mortgage Interest Rates. Current Mortgage Rates and APRs for refinancing and purchasing in Arizona, California, and Colorado. Mortgage Rates Sheets for fixed mortgages, ARM mortgages, Variable Mortgages, Interest Only Mortgages, HARP mortgages, VA mortgages, FHA mortgages, Conforming mortgages, Conventional Mortgages, High Balance Mortgages, Fannie Mae mortgages, Freddie Mac Mortgages, and Jumbo Mortgages.
Many clients who have gone through a short sale or foreclosure after 2007 are now asking me the question, “When will I qualify for a mortgage?” Housing is once again affordable and people want to take advantage of rock bottom deals. Prices in Phoenix, Arizona are hovering around the bottom. You can see from this chart that there haven’t been any drastic plunges or spikes over the past 9-12 months as shown in previous years. Now is the time to buy a house and become a homeowner once again. Now is the time to relocate, invest in a winter home, buy a retirement home, and invest in rental properties and fix-n-flips.
Another reason people are asking if they qualify to purchase a home again is because the FHA loan limits are said to be dropping significantly October 1, 2011. That means the buying power in the 3.5% down payment price range is much lower. In Maricopa County Arizona, the loan limit is currently $346,250. As of October 1st, it will be $271,050. That’s a decrease of $75,200 in buying power!
Others questioning, “When will I qualify for a mortgage?” are homeowners who elected to do a strategicdefault because the equity is so upside down. These homeowners are hundreds of thousands upside down in a property and are well aware that the value will never rebound in their lifetime to what they originally paid, so they cut their losses short. They are now looking to invest in properties. Interest rates are low, prices are at bottom and there are several opportunities to fix up a foreclosed house and flip it – or buy and hold it to take advantage of the booming rental market.
Finally, the answer to the question: When will I qualify for a mortgage after a short sale or foreclosure?
The Waiting Period to Qualify for a Home Mortgage after a Short Sale, Foreclosure or Bankruptcy
Call Kelli Grant to set up your custom web portal of MLS listings that match the property criteria, location and price range you’re interested in researching. You’ll receive notification emails up to once a day when there are price changes or new listings to see.
Kelli Grant specializes in short sales, pre-foreclosure options such as the HAFA program, and strategic default options in the cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Anthem, Glendale, and Peoria. Kelli Grant is the neighborhood specialist for Sonoran Foothills and Tramonto. If you need to speak to a reputable, reliable real estate attorney or CPA about the legal and tax consequences of a short sale or strategic default, contact Kelli Grant.
Kelli Grant, Personal Realtor® “Moving People Through Inspiration and Good Deeds”
Call or Text 602-799-5420
When will I qualify for a mortgage after a short sale or foreclosure?
October 2011 has been a great month for the stock market and a bad month for interest rates. The DOW JONES average is up 500 points in October. This recent surge in optimism has taken investors out of the safety of the bond market and into the thriving stock market. The bond market closed last week down (-134 bps) – causing a large jump in mortgage rates/pricing.
The bond market passed certain technical indicators that could make it difficult for rates to drop back down to their record low levels. The stock market is not stable, but there has been some temporary resolutions to the debt crisis in Europe that could keep the market up for the time being.
My lock recommendation is to lock in pricing if a loan is beneficial to you. Many customers get caught waiting for a pie in the sky rate and end up losing a good rate that was beneficial to them. If I lock your loan and rates drop significantly, I can typically float down your rate. If they drop after your loan closes, you can always refinance again. There is no rule to the amount of times you can refinance.
Below are current rates available paying a point or less.
30 year fixed High Balance Loan:4.5% paying .88 points, 4.875% paying 0 points / 4.61% APR
Today’s Mortgage Interest Rates. Current Mortgage Rates and APRs for refinancing and purchasing in Arizona, California, and Colorado. Mortgage Rates Sheets for fixed mortgages, ARM mortgages, Variable Mortgages, Interest Only Mortgages, HARP mortgages, VA mortgages, FHA mortgages, Conforming mortgages, Conventional Mortgages, High Balance Mortgages and Jumbo Mortgages.
CLINE / 21321 East Ocotillo Road B105 / Queen Creek, AZ 85142
This summer was a record summer for Single Family Residence leases. There were 6,892 single family leases signed compared to 5,664 in the summer of 2010. The numbers reflect the increasing amount of potential homeowners that can not buy due to foreclosures or short sales on their credit.
Hopefully something is done to lower the amount of time needed to elapse to qualify for a new loan after a foreclosure or short sale. There are a very large number of possible home owners that have these on their records due to the large drop in home prices. If the credit requirements do not change, we will continue to see Arizona residents in leases that would typically own a home.
Even though leases are up, sold inventory continues to post impressive numbers. 8,817 sales were recorded in Maricopa County in August of 2011. This compared to 7,358 for August of 2010. Median home prices are still slightly down compared to this time last year.
Overall, August was a great month for the Arizona housing industry. The more sales we have, the more the industry is turning over the vast amounts of REO and short sale homes on the market. These need to sell and we need to move to a more traditional market for the prices to rise again.
The beginning of last week started off bad for interest rates. After hitting their lowest levels ever on the previous Thursday, mortgage pricing took big hits on Friday, Monday and Tuesday. The stock market was up and the secondary bond market was down pushing mortgage rates higher.
Luckily, the higher interest rate levels did not last long. The bond market closed slightly higher on Wednesday and Thursday, and then really rallied on Friday. Overall on the week – the bond market closed Friday unchanged – (0 bps).
Below are current rates available paying a point or less.
30 year fixed:3.75% paying .86 points, 3.875% paying 0 points
20 year fixed:3.75% paying 0 points
15 year fixed:3.25% paying .66 points, 3.375% paying 0 points
30 year fixed High Balance Loan:4.125% paying .88 points, 4.375% paying 0 points
Today’s Mortgage Interest Rates. Current Mortgage Rates and APRs for refinancing and purchasing in Arizona, California, and Colorado. Mortgage Rates Sheets for fixed mortgages, ARM mortgages, Variable Mortgages, Interest Only Mortgages, HARP mortgages, VA mortgages, FHA mortgages, Conforming mortgages, Conventional Mortgages, High Balance Mortgages and Jumbo Mortgages
October 3rd, 2011 – 30 Year Fixed Rates Down to 3.75%
