March 28, 2009
The Fed Surprises Us Again and Lowers Mortgage Rates…
Thanks to a Fed announcement which exceeded all expectations, it was a big week for mortgage markets.*
Mortgage rates ended the week down significantly, falling near the lows reached in January. The stock market and Treasury market also performed well during the week. Following Wednesday’s meeting, the Fed shocked investors with an aggressive expansion of its mortgage-backed securities (MBS) purchase program.
In addition to the previously announced $500 billion in MBS purchases which began in January, the Fed will buy an additional $750 billion this year, bringing the total to $1.25 trillion. To put this in perspective, $1.25 trillion represents more than half of the estimated total mortgage issuance in 2009.
Similar to its November announcement about the initial $500 billion MBS purchase program, the Fed achieved its desired reaction with an immediate decline in MBS yields. Since mortgage rates are largely based on MBS yields, mortgage rates moved lower as well. The Fed has identified the stabilization of the financial system and the housing market as key elements of an economic recovery, and lower interest rates will help achieve these goals. Inflation data released during the week contained no reason for inflation to be a concern in the short-term. With yet another increase in government spending, though, investors will be keeping an eye out for signs of higher future inflation.
Simply put, mortgage interest rates have NEVER been lower!
Can it REALLY get any better for Atlanta Home buyers???
*Thanks to Scott Lindon from ERA Mortgage for providing this quick summary of financial information!
March 21, 2009
Don’t Be the Last of the Firsts!!!
Don’t Be the Last of the Firsts!!!
Wow!! Can it get ANY better for first time home buyers?? The tax credit that USED to be a $15,000 credit deducted off your income taxes that was basically a LOAN to be repaid within 15 years, has now become an $8000 overall TAX CREDIT! What does that mean??? FREE MONEY! So long as you don’t move within three years of the home purchase.
Furthermore, FHA loans have become so attractive and accommodating that buyers are crazy to not get off the fence right now. If you have an experience Atlanta buyers’ broker (which is FREE) and they know how to negotiate the contract to have the seller pay for closing costs (this can happen even in foreclosures too if you are working with an agent that knows the Atlanta Foreclosure process) then all you need is 3.5% down.
So on a $275,000 house, buyers who are qualified for FHA will only come out of pocket $9625 and can get into a home. Do you know what kind of home you can get into for that price in today’s market??
Obama’s plan has already started changing buyers’ perceptions and we are starting to see an influx of first time home buyers to the market. In turn, we will start to see a lot of the product get absorbed, which will cause the natural lifecycle of real estate to do what it had done for thousands of years—it will cause home prices to increase and economics of the real estate market will shift giving us higher demand and lower product.
So, to sum up just a FEW of the reasons why if you’ve ever considered buying a home, now is the PERFECT time:
1) $8000 Tax Credit
2) FHA Low Down Financing Options
3) Seller Motivations are at an all-time high
4) There is still ample product on the market (for now)
5) A new president is restoring the countries faith and their economic worries are lessening, causing an influx of buyers that will soon head to the market and if you don’t get in it before it all happens, you will have a lot more competition.
So, don’t be the LAST OF THE FIRSTS!! That will only put you in the “shoulda, woulda, coulda” group!
Winter Baserva's Atlanta Real Estate Weblog 