Housing Market & Mortgage Rates

I recently attended a private presentation on the housing market by renowned Economist Dr Edward Leamer of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. His focus was on how the groundwork was established for the start of the decade long housing boom to the ultimate meltdown and the lessons learned. The “easy credit” and the market’s insatiable appetite for mortgage-backed securities fueled the boom that ultimately went bust. On the flip side, it is quite remarkable to currently be in an environment where home prices are at or near the bottom coupled with historically low interest rates . . . . the “perfect combination”. Like many experts, he foresees interest rates moving up this year but home values to remain depressed until early 2012. One key point he discussed was the rapid growth in the rental market increasing demand for Multi family housing (1- 4 units) and decreasing demand for single family housing

It is a good time to buy your first home or that investment property you have been considering (Get Pre-Approved it only takes minutes) or if you are thinking of refinancing your current loan….jump on it.  

Interest rates ticked up this week on strong corporate earnings. Outlined below are today’s rates. We continue to expand our product offerings and recently added Super Jumbo products up to $20,000,000 including fixed interest only loans.

Current Conforming Rates–Primary residences only (Pmyts based on a average loan amount of $250,000) for a historical perspective on rates please visit my blog
Loan Program	Monthly Pmyt	Rate	APR	Points
30YF	$1304	4.75%	4.79%	0
20YF	$1581	4.50%	4.62%	0
15YF	$1833	3.875%	3.92%	0
5/1 ARM	$1070	3.125%	3.25%	0
7/1 ARM	$1140	3.625%	3.69%	0
10/1 ARM	$1211	4.125%	4.25%	0
FHA-30YF	$1248	4.375%	4.45%	0
FHA-15YF	$1833	3.875%	3.98%	0

 

Current High Balance Rates – (Pmyts based on a average loan amount of $550,000)
30YF	$2910	4.875%	4.92%	0
15YF	$4102	4.125%	4.25%	0
5/1 ARM	$2413	3.375%	3.50%	0
7/1 ARM	$2547	3.75%	3.87%	0
FHA-30YF	$2786	4.50%	4.62%	0

  We appreciate the opportunity to work with you on your next refinance or home purchase transaction.  Please use the Social Media buttons above to pass this along if you think we can help any of your close friends or family

Mortgage Rates (11/06/2010) and more….

Turn on your radio, TV, smart phone or iPad and you are likely to hear/see home loan rates are again at historic lows. How historic? Try almost 50 years! That’s right, not since the 60s have rates been this low and that means if you have a home loan, now is the time get a free loan review from us. As we have seen in the past, rates could change quickly based on economic news and market conditions.

You may be wondering – I just refinanced last year and my current rate is above 5%, does it make sense for me to refinance again?  I know a lower rate will give me a lower payment, but I’m not sure if it’s worth refinancing my mortgage again? Let’s talk numbers so you can make an educated decision…
 
For example purposes, let’s say you have a $250,000 balance on your loan and your interest rate is 5.375%.  Your current payment (principal and interest) is $1,400. You will pay a total of  $254,000 in interest over the life of the loan. If you were to lock in today’s rates (Our current rates) the grid below gives you an idea of how much you will save on average compared to your current loan terms. These rates are for conforming loan amounts up to $417,000. If you have a high balance loan (Up to $729,750) gives us a call for a rate quote, these rates are pretty close to the conforming rates.

 By the way our underwriting turn times are at 5 days compared to 3-4 weeks at big banks!

Current Rates
Loan Program	Monthly Pmyt	Rate	APR	Total Int Paid	Int Saved	Points
30YF	$1230	4.25%	4.37%	$192,745	-$61,228	0
20YF	$1499	3.875%	4.04%	$109,649	-$61,228	0
15YF	$1787	3.50%	3.70%	$71,697	-$182,276	0
5/1 ARM	$1070	3.125%	3.24%	$135,537	-$118,436	0
7/1 ARM	$1070	3.125%	3.24%	$135,537	-$118,436	0

 

There are a number of ways to make a mortgage refinance work in your financial favor.  Shortening the term or simply lowering your interest rate can result in immediate monthly savings and huge annual interest charge savings.  With so many options and so many different scenarios, its sometimes overwhelming. Give us a call and one of our experts can help and guide you through the process.

If you are in the market to buy a new home, please consider becoming Pre-Approved through Trulending prior to your home search as most Realtors now require a Pre-Approval letter prior to showing any properties.  If you need a knowledgeable Realtor, please call me and I can recommend one of our trusted colleagues who has a strong understanding of today’s complicated market place.

Update from Trulending….

We constantly research the mortgage banking industry looking for competitive advantages and market niches to provide you with the best products and pricing available.  Our boutique approach to lending has been a successful business strategy as big banks continue to lose customers to us and other smaller efficient lenders.

 We are proud and excited to announce that we have forged new partnerships to expand our current product offering and provide you with even better rates and pricing by comparing our Retail (Direct lending arm) vs. our Broker (Wholesale lending arm). Some days Retail pricing is better than Wholesale and vice versa. We are now able to compare both sides and provide you the best rate and price available on that particular day. After all, your goal is to obtain the best rate at the lowest cost with the best customer service possible.

 What We Are Currently Working On?

We are considering a partnership with a “Portfolio Lender” for those loans that just don’t comply with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or FHA guidelines. Portfolio lenders have their own guidelines and risk tolerances for loans that regular lenders, including big banks, don’t wish to purchase at this time. Stay tuned…..

 Interest Rates:

Interest rates are still at all time lows driven by global events and the sluggish US Economy. Recent positive economic news pushed rates up slightly this week from their lows – it doesn’t take much to reverse the current trend. Historical trends show rates take longer to go down but rise at a much faster pace. Contact us and we can quickly customize a Good Faith Estimate based on your needs before we move forward with an application.

 If your current interest rate is an adjustable or a fixed around five percent or above, it may make financial sense to refinance to a lower rate and save. If you don’t have  20% equity in your property; there are several programs (up to 100% LTV) that we can recommend including a “cash-in” refinance where you lock in today’s historic low rates by bringing the required funds to the closing table in order to cover the difference between your mortgage balance and the new loan amount.

 Purchasing a new home:

If you are in the market to buy a new home, please consider becoming Pre-Approved through Trulending prior to your home search as most Realtors now require a Pre-Approval letter prior to showing any properties.  If you need a knowledgeable Realtor, please call me and I can recommend someone we have worked with before that knows and understands today’s complicated market place.

 Call us today for a no obligation free consultation. Our job is to educate and guild you through the process regardless of whether you choose to go with us or not. All we ask is for an opportunity to compete for your business.

 For our clients in California , don’t forget about the California tax credit of up to $10,000 for newly built homes, and up to a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyer of existing homes. These credits were available beginning May 1 and be good through Dec. 31, 2010, or when funding is exhausted, whichever comes first.  

 SERVICE GUARANTEE 

 WE GUARANTEE A SMOOTH LOAN ORIGINATION PROCESS OR WE WILL REFUND UP TO $495 OF YOUR CLOSING COSTS

 As always you will continue to receive industry expertise, highest level of integrity and service. We appreciate the opportunity to work with you on your next refinance or home purchase transaction.  Please pass this along if you think we can help any of your close friends or family.

Choosing a Lender

Thinking about buying a new home or refinancing your current mortgage…but don’t know who to turn to?  Torn between going to a “big bank” and going to a small broker?  You aren’t alone – many customers aren’t sure where they are going to get the best loan terms, the lowest fees and the fastest service.  

With us, you get the best of both worlds.  We aren’t “too big to fail” and we aren’t a small mortgage broker – we are a Direct Mortgage Lender.  Our goal is simple – leverage our years of mortgage lending experience to provide you with both world class service and loan terms that you can appreciate.  

To further highlight our competitive advantages, I put together our Top 5 advantages.   

Top 5 Advantages:

1. We can close your loan quickly.  If speed and accuracy is important to you, we are confident we will exceed your expectations!  We have closed loans in as little as 7 days!

2. Process appraisals in 1 to 2 days.  Every loan needs an appraisal, and you can go to a big bank and wait 2 weeks or more – or let us handle it in 2 days or less!

3. Experience: We can’t say enough about the difference an experienced direct mortgage lender can make on your loan.  Whether you are a salaried employee or a self-employed borrower, your circumstances are unique.  We are experts in reviewing tax returns and maximizing self-employed income.  Don’t spend countless hours working with a loan originator that isn’t supporting your

requests.  Let us turn a difficult situation into your new peace of mind.

4. Control over the process. Your basic mortgage broker processes your loan, and sends it to the bank to be underwritten. This takes a lot of time and is generally inefficient. We have our own highly experienced underwriters and processors, and we close our own loans!  Don’t waste your time with middle men – work with a direct lender and you will immediately appreciate the difference!

5.Many loan and rate options.  If you are looking for the best rate and the lowest fees, you need to work with a direct lender.  We will find you the very best loan terms, and fund your loan with our money!  We can close as quickly as you want. 

NEW SERVICE GUARANTEE 

WE GUARANTEE A SMOOTH LOAN ORIGINATION PROCESS OR WE WILL REFUND UP TO $400 OF YOUR CLOSING COSTS

Improving My Credit Score-Do’s and Don’ts When Trying to Buy a Home

Buying a home is an exciting process. It opens up a new canvas for furnishing, decorating or otherwise accessorizing your life. This also opens up many potential opportunities to damage your credit score. By following these few simple rules, you can streamline the process:

1. We have all heard that if your credit score report is run too many times, it will drop your score. There is some truth to this. If you are having it run by one or two mortgage companies, there will not be a major impact. The credit bureaus will understand that you are looking to compare lenders. However, if you also try to open a Home Depot, Best Buy, and a furniture store charge account your score will plummet, as the bureaus will fear that you will overburden yourself with new debt.
2. Do not close any accounts. If you close any credit accounts, it will reduce the amount of available credit and increase the percentage of outstanding balances to available credit.
3. Do not buy a new car. The affect of that on your mortgage is incalculable. What changes will be made in the payment? What documents will be required to prove that the old auto loan is paid off?

Why are these so important? Your credit was run at application right? Well many lenders will re-run your credit the day before or the day of closing to determine whether there have been any material changes in your financial situation. If you follow these few steps, it will make the closing much smoother.