Category: General Mortgage Info.

Rates remain low, home prices continue to rise

Posted on by Evan in Rate Update, Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

Happy National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day.  I wish I had more time to celebrate but my schedule is JAM packed!

Mortgage Rates

Home loan rates continue to hover at 13 month lows.  Although economic data out on Monday was relatively strong there are still concerns over Brexit and future growth which is helping US interest rates remain low.

Home Prices

Earlier today CoreLogic released its monthly Home Price Insights Report.  It showed that nationwide home prices increased by 4% from last year.  This marks a slowdown from prior years but they also foretasted that for the next 12 months home prices would increase by 4.7%.

Idaho lead all states with +10.2% year-over-year appreciation.

Interest Rate Forecast

Embedded in the aforementioned report CoreLogic Chief Economist Frank Nothaft said, “….the Federal Reserve’s announcement to keep short-term interest rates where they are for the rest for the year, we expect mortgage rates to remain low and be a boost for the spring buying season.”

The Week Ahead

Being that it is the first week of a new month we will get the all-important jobs report this Friday.  Analysts are expecting +179,000 new jobs for the month of March and the unemployment rate to remain at 3.8%.

I am a little concerned that interest rates are overdue for a reversal so am going to recommend locking ahead of Friday.

Current Outlook: locking

Should I buy or rent?

Posted on by Evan in Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

Tired of paying rent and wondering if homeownership is right for you?  There is no doubt that owning your home can significantly improve your financial standing in the long-term.

In fact, a recent survey showed that homeownership was a greater predictor of net worth than age or education (see HERE).

In this video I talk about some of the benefits and risks of owning a home:

If you’d like to learn about your options for buying a home in a no pressure environment please contact me today to schedule an initial conversation.

Thanks!

6 home loan details to prepare prior to making an offer

Posted on by Evan in Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

Have you found the home you love and now you’re ready to make an offer?  There are six details you should be prepared to communicate to your Realtor to insure the transaction goes smoothly.

Watch this short video to learn what they are:

If you are wanting to work with a lender that is dedicated to delivering home loans without surprises please contact us today!

Thanks!

Mortgage rates improve to best levels in over 12 months

Posted on by Evan in Rate Update, Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

If fruit grows on a fruit tree then what does chicken grow on?….A poultry.

Today is National Poultry Day which means that turkey sandwich you consume for lunch is actually your way of celebrating.

Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates continue to improve reaching the best levels in over a year.  Whether or not they continue to improve or reverse higher will likely depend on the Fed’s comments due out tomorrow.

The Fed

The Federal Open Market Committee meets every six weeks and generally speaking their announcements tend to fall in line with analysts’ expectations.  In other words, there is typically not much uncertainty headed into a Fed announcement.

However, that is not the case for tomorrow when the Fed concludes its regularly scheduled two-day meeting.  For many months the Fed has allowed $4 trillion to fall off its balance sheet in an effort to unload assets it acquired during the economic recovery.

However, the Fed announced earlier this year that it may decelerate the pace at which its balance sheet shrinks by reinvesting some of the proceeds it receives back into the fixed-income markets.

Translation: If the Fed begins to buy up treasuries and mortgage-backed securities they would create significant demand that could help drive yields lower.

What to Expect

If the Fed announces tomorrow that they will immediately begin to reinvest into the fixed income markets I would expect mortgage rates to improve.

However, I fear that the markets have already priced an aggressive announcement from the Fed.  If the Fed delivers a more gradual message then we could actually see mortgage rates rise.

The Week Ahead

Aside from the Fed’s announcement due out on Wednesday the remainder of the economic calendar is light.  I recommend a locking bias headed into tomorrow.

Current Outlook: locking

Part 2: How to Buy a Home Without a Sale Contingency – Down Payment

Posted on by Evan in Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

Over 60% of homebuyers in the United States are repeat buyers.  This means they often have a home to sell concurrently with buying a home.  In today’s competitive housing market it can be a challenge to get an offer accepted when it includes a home sale contingency.

Therefore, it’s always worth trying to see if and how a homebuyer can be pre-approved for their home loan without the requirement of a home sale contingency.

There are two common hurdles that an applicant faces when trying to get pre-approved in this manner.

The second hurdle (HERE IS A LINK to the first hurdle) is cash flow.  Without the existing home sold the underwriter will require that the applicant be approved with both mortgage payments.  I cover that topic in the video below:

If you are seeking to get pre-approved to buy another home and would like to avoid a home sale contingency please reach out to us today!

Economic Headlines are Mortgage Rate Friendly

Posted on by Evan in Rate Update, Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

St. Patrick’s Day is this coming Sunday which may have you thinking if you should look at borrowing money from a leprechaun instead of your favorite mortgage lender?  Well, you can but last time I checked leprechaun’s are always coming up short……

Mortgage Rates

Home Loan interest rates remain at 10-month lows.  Might they go even lower?  Some of the current economic headlines are interest rate friendly.

Jobs Report

As I wrote in last week’s post I was very keen on seeing the results of Friday’s all-important employment report.  Initially when I saw the unemployment rate drop from 4.0% to 3.8% I was concerned that mortgage rates may rise (good news for the economy tends to be bad news for rates).

However, according to the report only 20,000 jobs were added to the US economy in February and analysts had been expecting +170,000.

Overall the results were disappointing which is favorable for mortgage rates.

Inflation Data

Earlier today the Labor Department released the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  Year-over-year prices increased by the slowest clip in over two years (+1.5%).  If you strip out volatile food & energy prices the core CPI increased by 2.1%.  These are considered “tame” price increases which is good for mortgage rates.

Outlook

The remainder of this week’s economic calendar is relatively light.  The highlights include the Producer Price Index and Durable Goods on Wednesday followed by New Home Sales and Consumer Sentiment on Friday.

I recommend maintaining a floating position.

Current Outlook: floating

How to Buy a Home Without a Sale Contingency – Down Payment

Posted on by Evan in Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

Over 60% of homebuyers in the United States are repeat buyers which means they often have a home to sell concurrently with buying a home.  In today’s competitive housing market it can be a challenge to get an offer accepted when it includes a home sale contingency.

Therefore, it’s always worth trying to see if and how a homebuyer can be pre-approved for their home loan without the requirement of a home sale contingency.

There are two common hurdles that an applicant faces when trying to get pre-approved in this manner.

The first hurdle is how the buyer will generate a down payment without the proceeds from the sale of their home.  I cover that topic in the video below:

The second hurdle is cash-flow and I will discuss that in next week’s video.

If you are seeking to get pre-approved to buy another home and would like to a void a home sale contingency please reach out to us today!

Might this Friday’s jobs report signal an imminent recession?

Posted on by Evan in Rate Update, Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

On this day in 1963 a toy company in California that initially experienced success by marketing the “Pluto Platter”, which later became known as a Frisbee, filed patent for their next big product.

25 million units were sold in the first four months and set off a huge fad across American culture.  What was the product?………the hula hoop.

Mortgage Rates

Interest rates continue to circle around 9-month lows but there are some signals which suggest interest rates could trend higher.

US-China Trade Talks

According to multiple sources US and Chinese negotiators are close to finalizing a new trade deal between the two economic powers.  For months there has been uncertainty about the economic impact of US-China trade relations.

Uncertainty tends to help US mortgage rates improve so by removing the uncertainty I think we will see upward pressure on US interest rates.

Jobs Report

It’s jobs week which means we’ll see the ADP employment report on Wednesday, jobless claims numbers on Thursday, and the all-important jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics this Friday.

The markets are currently expecting 175,000 new jobs created for February.  However, I will be paying special attention to the unemployment rate in this month’s release.

The unemployment rate hit a low of 3.7% in September and November of 2018.  Since then it has increased to 3.9% in December and 4.0% in January.

If the unemployment rate continues to trend higher then I think an economic recession is imminent.  As the graph above shows every time the unemployment rate has established a cyclical low a recession has followed.

The potential good news is that mortgage rates tend to improve during economic recessions.

Outlook

Although mortgage rates may benefit from a recession the current economic headlines are not interest rate friendly, so I am going to recommend a locking bias.

Current Outlook: locking

How much are buyer’s closing costs?

Posted on by Evan in Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

When preparing to purchase a home a buyer needs to not only prepare for the down payment but also the settlement charges.

Total Settlement Charges…

Settlement charges will vary for each buyer so it is difficult to forecast exactly how much a specific person should budget without a complete pre-approval application.  That said, please watch this short video which explains how much a homebuyer should plan for based on a median priced home in Portland, OR.

As the video states, on average we are accustomed to seeing homebuyers in Portland, OR pay about $10,000 in total settlement charges for a median priced home.

….includes non-recurring closing costs…

Included in that figure are the one-time non-recurring closing costs, such as the lender’s administration fee(s), appraisal, credit report, title & escrow company fees, and county recording.  On average these costs total between $4,000-$5,000 depending on multiple factors including the purchase price, loan amount, down payment, loan program, property type, credit score and others.

…as well as pro-rated and prepaid interest, taxes, and insurance…

In addition, the ~$10,000 total includes pro-rated and prepaid mortgage interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance.  This set of settlement charges will typically total ~$5,000-$6,000 but can vary greatly depending on whether or not the loan will have impounds for taxes and insurance, the amount of property taxes, the closing date, and whether the property has HOA dues.

…be careful in comparing

Unfortunately, Federal regulations do not guarantee that consumers receive a comprehensive and accurate disclosure of upfront settlement charges from lenders at the beginning of a loan application.  The result is that some consumers think they are getting the best deal on their home loan closing costs, but when they show up to closing they are faced with the unwelcome surprise of higher upfront charges than they expected.

There are a myriad of factors which can influence a homebuyers closing costs.  If you would like to avoid an unwelcome surprise then choose to work with a lender that is ethical and who will take the time to deliver an accurate and reliable disclosure of your settlement charges.

If you are looking for a home loan lender we would love to be a resource.  Please contact us today.

How long until an average home in Portland is worth $1.0 million?

Posted on by Evan in Rate Update, Swanson Home Loans Blog - Mortgage Rate Updates and More

Happy birthday Fats Domino who was born on this day in 1928.  This little-known musician is considered a pioneer of rock and roll music and started playing bars in New Orleans at the age of 10.

Domino’s single “Fat Man” was the first rock and roll record to sell more than 1,000,000 copies in the US.

Home prices in Portland

Speaking of one million, how long will it take for an average home in Portland to be worth $1,000,000?

According to today’s Case-Shiller Home Price index report home prices increased by 3.9% during 2018.  For a median priced home in Portland ($423,000) that appreciates by 3.9% it will take 23 years for the home to be worth $1,000,000 (2042).

According to the FHFA Home Price Index report, which only tracks home prices for homes with conforming (non-jumbo) mortgages, home prices increased by 4.92% during 2018.  For a median priced home in Portland ($423,000) that appreciates by 4.92% it will only take 18 years for the home to be worth $1,000,000 (2037).

Why is there a discrepancy between the two reports?  The discrepancy is likely related to the fact that higher priced homes, which are generally bought with jumbo mortgages, are not appreciating as much as median and lower priced homes which are secured by conforming loans.

The Federal Reserve

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill tomorrow.  The interest rate markets will be listening for clues on how monetary policy will evolve during 2019.  Last week, the Fed commented that they may slow rate hikes.

Outlook

From a technical perspective interest rates have been trading in a sideways pattern.  If rates continue without much volatility then we could set ourselves up for a “breakout” which is when interest rates move sharply lower or higher (we never know in advance).

 Current Outlook: cautiously floating