Posts (page 2)
(funny how we've turned into our own "networking gourp"! With all you amazing experts from so many different Industrys! Very cool!)
Mortgage rate movement: I will not be getting very technical here and you'll find out why at the end. One of you asked about the Fed's affect. Thy Fed controls the "Fed Funds" rate. This is the rate that banks pay when they borrower amongst themselves. The only way this really affects us is with Prime. The Prime rate is 3% over the Fed Funds Rate, always! Prime is 5% now, and the Fed Funds is 2%. This affects Home Equity Lines, because they are almost always based on Prime. Prime was 8.25% last year! So the Fed has no direct affect on the 30 year fixed Mortgage rate. Still might see some bounces, like what happened with Clinton-sex-gate, but not as much! Unless of course Bernanke knows Monica as well!
The Bonds guys control the fixed rates. Which really happens when the stock market is tanking, which really happens because of all the crap around the US and the World we have no control over!!! (Confused?) In general, when the stock market tanks, the Bond market does well (because people are moving their money from Stocks to Bonds, "Mortgage Backed Securities"). Considered a "safer" vehicle for your money! ( At least used to be!) When the Stock Market rally's , money moves out of the Bond side back to stocks and the rates go up.
These are all generalizations now. Too many things affect the Mortgage Rates, as noted in the previous Blog! To that end, WHO CARES! If it makes sense for you to buy a home today, for whatever your reasons are....buy it! Get the best rate at that time. You will never guess the rate bottom...and you can always refinance if they drop significantly! Normally we are worried about this issue when the values of homes are rising..(not an issue now)...and in that market you will lose more waiting for the rates to fall, because you will end up paying more for the same house...as you "wait"! You only get "one" shot at the price, you have numerous shots at the rate!
PS. If you do find a way to predict the rates, I will pay you a billion dollars now and you can retire to an island of your choice...I will sell the idea for ten times that amount and buy the country around your island!
I was minding my own business at the office a few years back and was getting ready to lock in a loan at 6.375%, 30 year fixed interest rate. I faxed the lock sheet into the Lender, patiently waiting for the "confirmation" (because back then without that confirmation you didn't have a "valid" lock)! What I got back was not a "confirmation". It was a fax stating "LOCKS NOT ACCEPTED AT THIS TIME"! I had just said to my borrower they could get this rate....what the hell was going on! I made some calls, no one knew...! Can you guess! "cigar" , "free willy" "I did not have sexual relations with that woman"!.............
You guessed it, "slick willy" was being a "naughty, naughty boy" and the market got the news, before the rest of us...this is what usually happens by the way! President Clinton was caught with his pants down! Rates were locked up the rest of that day. The next day they were 7.25%! WOW! "Clinton was UP and so were our rates"! The market did settle down over the next few weeks, but you can see that occassionaly something other than "market" conditions can have a serious impact on our world!
PS next we'll talk about what "usually" moves the Rates! I'm done talking about what "usually" moves, the Clinton Meister! Hillary might be will to comment though!
Say ya'll across the "Pond", do you get CNBC?
10 months of housing inventory, 18 months in Florida (probably some great buys soon!)
50% of those who bought in '06 are upside down with their Equity!
25% drop in value in Vegas
15% in LA
8% average across the US
Lenders seem more willing to lend
Boston may have hit bottom....
So confusing....where is that "crystal ball " when you need it!
Ride your Harley to work, but wear your helmet! April, no more standing up when we're going over 90, please!
"King" Bush's "new" program to save the Mortgage World! I will state ahead of time, FHA has always been a great vehicle for home buyers, first time and others. You even used to be able to do investment loans, and that was really great. But now that "King" bush has gotten ahold of it to save the "mortgage" world, I'm concerned about "its" survivability!
FHA "Secure" is meant for those that have kept their payments on-time before their ARM's (adjustable rate mortgage) adjusted. Than they went "late" ,but no more than two 30 day lates (this criteria is a moving target, obviously credit score will go down!). They can apply to refinance on an FHA 30 year fixed (around 6%), with less stringent approval guidelines ( mostly credit scores), they can get approved, get fixed in, get their payments lowered and go forward saving their "investment"! You still have to qualify, still have to have 5% or better equity (very tough, because most of the people needing this program bought their homes at "ZERO" down, "BEFORE" the values dropped!) Now FHA is asking the lenders to take losses and write down the mortgage to get more loans refinanced! Fat chance!
For those borrowers that were "on-time" with their payments but needed some of the less stringent approval guidelines, I was advised to tell them to let their mortgage to go "late" and this loan would save them! I just couldn't do it!.What if it didn't work? By the way the other creditors (credit cards, car loans...) can do "soft-pulls" (pulling your credit behind the scenes, just to monitor, doesn't affect your score) and if they see credit issues (like your mortgage payments late!) they can raise their rates! Read the fine print in your agreement with all your creditors!
This program has actually helped a few thousand compared to the few million going through this nightmare! I Don't think their recent changes will provide the CPR needed to revive more Mortgages!
Have an amazing week!
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Any ideas why I can't get my VOX blog on here?
John
Following up on Steve's blog about "what's important"! Having my twin sons back from spending 22 months in Iraq was one of if not "the " most importnat day of my life! Tears flowed freely (still do) and who cares? They got back late July '07. Ever since I have taken time daily to think about and acknowledge them. Not having them around made me realize the same commitment to my daughter. Never again will I take any of them for granted. They will always be in my thoughts. The boys may have to go back, but I will never be in a position to have to say "I wish I had ...."
Just do it, honor them daily! For those of you with a "significant other", consider the same !
Have an amazing "wash" day!, Right Sue!
Your friend, John
You bet! But it won't matter for a "normal" Fannie, Freddie, FHA mortgage! You can't offset 'bad" credit with "good" credit! You need to fix "your" credit! What you could do is have your parents buy the house (for cash!) and sell it to you on a Contract for Deed. They should file the Contract for Deed and than 12 months later (assuming you have the credit and income to qualify) you can "refinance" in your name with the Fannie, Freddie, FHA dudes...and get it out of your parents name!
Did you catch that I sugggested they pay "cash" for the house! If they take out a traditional mortgage and sell it to you on a Contract for Deed , they will be in violation of their mortgage! Every one has a "due on sale" clause, meaning if they sell it, they need to pay it off! Well the only reason they are probably selling it to you, instead of you getting your own "Mortgage" is because you can't! So if they can't buy it for cash than they can get an Investor Mortgage on it and do a rent to own with you. But when you can get your own financing it will be as a "Purchase" transaction not a "refinance"!
The only way around all these rules is to get a "Banker" to make a loan that they keep "in house" and don't sell to the FFF guys!
The Mortgage Guy
The second half of the credit card story is to keep each individual card at a 35% ratio or less as well! Be careful transfering credit card debt from one to another to play the "ratio" game. Most of them will charge a "balance transfer" fee, and its not worth it. Also did you know if you're late on one of your card payments and the others see it they might be able to raise the rates they charge you. It's all disclosed in that 1 point type that Superman can't read! Keep in mind this info is to get you into the 800's for a score. No one really needs to get there. If you have a score over 700 you should be getting the best rates available for any type of loan out there.
If some loan officer is screwing you over or saying its not true, have him call me. Nobody screws with "Hogan's Hero's" on my watch. Hope you all are having an amazing weekend!
John
PS. Some of the Credit services you can sign up with to get your scores (keep in mind the www.annualcreditreport.com doesn't give you scores) also offer recommendations on how to get your specific score "UP"! Based on your credit profile.
I paid off my credit card should I close it out? "NO", surprised? One of the more important items contributing to your score is total debt vs. available debt (as far as credit cards go). So if you have two credit cards and you have a $10,000 limit on each. You owe $5000 on one and none on the other. Your ratio is 25% ( 5,000/$20000). Anything below 35% is optimal. So now you pay off the zero balance one and you only have one card with a $5000 balance and $10,000 limit. Now your ratio goes to 50%! (5000/10000), "Not Good"!
Obviously making your payments on time and not having other bad info like a Foreclosure , Judgement or Bankruptcy is also very important. Also if you know someone who has done the BK thing, tell them to go out and get a couple of "secured" cards. (Secured means you deposit money with a credit card and they issue you a card with that limit!) After a BK you not only have to keep your existing credit "good" , you have to "re-establish" new, good credit history! The scores will come up sooner!
I think I updated everything correctly. Please check favorites and let me know. Also Please add www.mortgagecreditinfo.blogspot.com along with www.johnwadsworth.vox.com, thanks.
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