Jeffrey Samuels's Blog

As the weather turns warmer and the days grow longer, it's time to pack away your winter clothes to make room for spring and summer things -- just make sure to store your cold-weather clothes properly. They'll look better, wear longer, and will be ready to go when winter rolls around again next y...

After a series of months during which foreclosure volume was low, total filings have started to rise again, says RealtyTrac.  In February, 21 states posted a year-over-year increase in monthly foreclosure filings, according to the national foreclosure-tracking firm. This is nearly twice as many ...

The U.S. economy is expanding, fueled by a renewed consumer optimism and increased consumer spending. As reported by the Census Bureau, Retail Sales in February, excluding cars and auto parts, rose 1 percent to $335 billion as 11 of 13 retail sectors showed improvement last month. February market...

Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. For the fourth consecutive month, the Fed Funds Rate vote was nearly unanimous. Just one FOMC member dissented in the 9-1 vote. The Fed Funds Rate has bee...

The Federal Open Market Committee meets today, its second of 8 scheduled meetings this year. As a home buyer or would-be refinancing household , get ready for changing mortgage rates. The Federal Open Market Committee is the 12-person sub-committee within the Federal Reserve that votes on the nat...

The FHA is making more changes to its flagship FHA Streamline Refinance program. Beginning mid-June 2012, certain current, FHA-backed homeowners will be able to refinance their existing FHA mortgage into a new one, without having to pay the government-backed group's new, costly mortgage insurance...

With home affordability at an all-time high, buoyed by the lowest mortgage rates ever, it's been a terrific time to buy or refinance a home using a mortgage. The good times may not last, though, so today marks an ideal time to lock a mortgage rate. Friday brings risk. Here's why. Since 2010, weak...

According to Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate survey, for 13 straight weeks, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage has held below 4.000% for mortgage applicants willing to pay up to 0.8 discount points plus a full set of closing costs. These are the lowest mortgage rates in history and now --...