Building Permits Rising Nationwide; Housing Starts To Follow
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Building Permits Rising Nationwide; Housing Starts To FollowSeptember 23, 2011 By jeffcost. Single-Family Housing Starts fell for the second consecutive month, dropping to a seasonally-adjusted, annualized 417,000 units in August 2011.. A "Housing Start" is defined as a home on which ground has broken.. We...

Choosing A 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Over A 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Choosing A 15-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Over A 30-Year Fixed Rate MortgageSeptember 16, 2011 By jeffcost. It's not just 30-year fixed rate mortgages that are posting all-time lows these days. The 15-year mortgage has been plunging, too.. If you've ever considered a 15-year loan term, it's a...

What Perks Does Your Favorite Credit Card Offer?
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
What Perks Does Your Favorite Credit Card Offer?August 18, 2011 By jeffcost. Click here to Wach Video. Last week, the Federal Reserve pledged to leave the Fed Funds Rate near 0.000 percent until at least mid-2013. For credit card holders in Kentucky who carry a monthly balance, this is good news. Because of the...

Mortgage Rates Don't Move With The Fed Funds Rate
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Mortgage Rates Don't Move With The Fed Funds RateAugust 19, 2011 By jeffcost. Last week, at its 5th scheduled meeting of the year, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate in its target range near zero percent.. The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008 and, in...

EXTREMES THIS YEAR vs EXTREMES LAST YEAR
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Enjoy today's issue of By The Number$,1. FOUR ROTTEN DAYS - The 4 worst days on a total return basis for the S&P 500 during calendar year 2011 (so far) have occurred in the last 2 weeks. The S&P 500 lost 2.6% on 8/02/11, dropped 4.8% on 8/04/11, fell 6.6% on 8/08/11 and then tumbled 4.4% on 8/10/11. In fact, the...

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 15, 2011
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 15, 2011August 15, 2011 By jeffcost . Mortgage markets improved again last week. The combination of global economic uncertainty plus a dour outlook from the Federal Reserve pushed mortgage bonds to highs for 2011, and drove mortgage rates below their...

Homebuilders Expect A Soft Winter Housing Market
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Homebuilders Expect A Soft Winter Housing MarketAugust 16, 2011 By jeffcost. Two months after posting their worst confidence reading of 2011, home builders say they foresee no improvement in the immediate- or medium-term market for new homes nationwide.. In August, for the second straight month, the Housing...

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 22, 2011
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 22, 2011August 22, 2011 By jeffcost. Mortgage markets improved again last week, pushing mortgage rates in Kentucky to an all-time low; lower than the lows set last November, even.. Last week's low mortgage rate drivers are primarily European. Joining...

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 29, 2011
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : August 29, 2011August 29, 2011 By jeffcost. Last week was another volatile week for mortgage rates. Wall Street alternately sought risk and shunned it, causing mortgage-backed bonds to rise and fall rapidly.. There was a lot to move markets, too, including banking...

Happy Labor Day!
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
A little Labor Day video to entertain you. Remember how hard you work and take a day to relax.. If you know anyone looking for mortgage assistance, let them know about me so I can help them succeed.. Hope you have a great Labor Day.. Click Here to Enjoy!. ENG Lending, A Division of Bank of England, always puts your best...

After A Pause, Mortgage Guidelines Resume Tightening
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
After A Pause, Mortgage Guidelines Resume TighteningSeptember 8, 2011 By jeffcost. Mortgage guidelines appear to be tightening with the nation's largest banks.. In its quarterly survey to senior loan officers nationwide, the Federal Reserve uncovered that a small, but growing, portion of its member...

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : September 12, 2011
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : September 12, 2011September 12, 2011 By jeffcost. Mortgage markets improved last week as a weakening Eurozone and questions about the U.S. economy sparked a global flight-to-quality. Conforming and FHA mortgage rates improved for the second week in a row.. The...

Case-Shiller Index : 85% Of Tracked Cities Showed Home Price Improvement In July
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Case-Shiller Index : 85% Of Tracked Cities Showed Home Price Improvement In JulySeptember 29, 2011 By jeffcost . Standard & Poors released its monthly Case-Shiller Index this week. The Case-Shiller Index measures home price changes from month-to-month, and year-to-year, in 20 select U.S. cities. It also...

Freddie Mac : Mortgage Rates Sub-4 Percent
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Freddie Mac : Mortgage Rates Sub-4 PercentOctober 7, 2011 By jeffcost. Mortgage rates have dropped past 4 percent.. For the first time in more than 40 years, data from Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage falling below 4 percent, dropping to 3.94...

Retail Sales Expected To Rise; Mortgage Rates Should Rise, Too
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Retail Sales Expected To Rise; Mortgage Rates Should Rise, TooOctober 13, 2011 By jeffcost. The American Consumer is alive and well, it seems.. Friday morning, the Census Bureau will release its Retail Sales figures for September. The report is expected to show an increase in gross receipts for the 15th straight...

Homebuilder Confidence Rises on Surging Sales Volume, Foot Traffic
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Homebuilder Confidence Rises on Surging Sales Volume, Foot TrafficOctober 19, 2011 By jeffcost. Homebuilder confidence is rebounding sharply.. Just one month after falling to a multi-month low, the Housing Market Index rebounded four points to 18 for October. It's the highest reading for the HMI since...

Finding Truth In September's Housing Starts Report
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Finding Truth In September's Housing Starts ReportOctober 20, 2011 By jeffcost. Headlines in newspapers can be misleading -- especially with respect to housing figures. Media coverage of the most recent Housing Starts data serves as an excellent illustration.. Wednesday, the Census Bureau released its...

Despite 18% Contract Failure Rate, Home Resales Stay Strong
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Despite 18% Contract Failure Rate, Home Resales Stay StrongOctober 21, 2011 By jeffcost. Despite fewer homes for sale nationwide, the number of home resales remains steady.. According to data from the National Association of REALTORS(R), on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis, September's...

Tips For Maximizing Your Home's Appraised Value
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
Tips For Maximizing Your Home's Appraised ValueNovember 8, 2011 By jeffcost. A home appraisal is an independent opinion of your home's value, performed by a licensed home appraiser. Appraisals are part of the traditional home purchase process, and lenders require them for most refinances, too.....

This Holiday Season, Think Twice Before Saving 15 Percent At The Register
Updated Oct. 9, 2013
This Holiday Season, Think Twice Before Saving 15 Percent At The RegisterNovember 9, 2011 Byjeffcost . With Halloween behind us, retailers are in the Holiday Spirit. Businesses know that consumers spent a median$556 on holiday gifts last year and they want this year to be just as strong.. That's why...