RECENT BLOG POSTS
Mortgage rates are surging. Over the last 7 days, conventional, 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates have jumped 24 basis points, or 0.24%, according to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey. It's the largest 1-week spike in mortgage rates in recent history. The 30-year fixed rate mor...
02/28/2011
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Foreclosure activity is slowing. According to foreclosure-tracker RealtyTrac, the number of foreclosure filings dropped 17 percent on an annual basis last month. Monthly filings ticked higher 1 percent after a combined 23 percent decrease through November and December 2010. The phrase "foreclosu...
02/27/2011
If your ARM is due to adjust this spring, your best move may be to allow it. Don't rush to refinance -- your rate may be adjusting lower. It's because of how adjusted mortgage rates are calculated. First, let's look at the lifecycle of a conventional, adjustable rate mortgage: There's a "starter...
02/21/2011
Home remodeling is back in vogue. With contractors dropping prices in most U.S. markets, and a resurgence in confidence among homeowners, home remodeling projects are expected to top $125 billion this quarter. Not all renovations will be "worth it", according to Remodeling Magazine's 2011 Cost vs...
02/20/2011
Americans are getting back to work. Sort of. This morning, at 8:30 AM ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Non-Farm Payrolls report for January 2011. More commonly called "the jobs report", the government's data showed a large decrease in the number of working Americans as compared to ...
02/20/2011
Mortgage lending appears to be loosening. At least for now. In its quarterly survey of member banks, the Federal Reserve asks senior loan officers around the country whether their "prime" residential mortgage guidelines had tightened within the last 3 months. A prime borrower is one with a well-d...
02/17/2011
In December, home sales reached an 8-month high, recovering from the losses of last summer. Market momentum is positive across California , but that doesn't mean every home is selling quickly -- only some of them are. So, if you're a home seller and want (or need) to get your home sold quickly, ...
02/17/2011
Another day, another strong report for housing. The Pending Home Sales Index climbed 2 percent in December, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. A "pending home sale" is an existing home under contract to sell, but not yet closed. Pending Home Sales are up for the fifth time in 6 m...
02/16/2011
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It doesn't take much effort to stand over a pot and "stir continuously", as called for in some recipes. It can be tedious, though, and once a chef stops stirring or leaves a pot unattended, the recipe is sure to ruin. Enter the automatic stirrer. With its self-adjusting, self-centering blades, th...
02/16/2011
Home values were reported unchanged in November 2010, on average, according to the Federal Home Finance Agency's Home Price Index. We say "on average" because the government's Home Price Index is a data composite for the country. The index doesn't measure citywide changes , nor does it get granu...
02/15/2011