Blog – Page 753 of 773

23 May 2013

Fed Meeting Minutes Expose Rising Interest Rate Risk

Federal Reserve

Minutes of the April/May Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) recently released may have a significant impact on mortgage rates going forward. One significant development from the meeting suggests that the present quantitative easing (QE) program may be modified in the near future. The current QE program involves the Fed purchasing $85 billion per month in mortgage backed securities (MBS) and Treasury bonds. The Fed's goal with QE is keeping long-term interest rates, including mortgage rates, low. Considerations mentioned in favor of slowing the current QE program include concerns over “buoyant” financial markets as evidence of a developing economic “bubble”. FOMC…

22 May 2013

By Mark Feder

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Simple Tips To Help Your Flowerbeds Flourish This Spring

Around The Home

Flowerbeds can be a very attractive addition to any Solana Beach home -- if you have the time to set up and maintain them. Flowerbeds don't necessarily require a profusion of costly flowers that need to be fertilized, mulched, covered during severe weather, and possibly re-planted on a yearly basis. So put on your green thumb and brave the outdoors this spring. With the tips below, you'll keep your flowerbeds filled and your house looking cheery without a huge money or time commitment. Weed Eradication Before you even start picking out roses and tulips, take care of the weeds. Gardens…

21 May 2013

By Mark Feder

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Avoid These Common Mistakes When Pricing Your Home To Sell

Home Selling Tips

It can be very difficult to determine what your property is worth in the current marketplace, because you are biased by what the property is worth to you. These emotions can get in the way of impartially evaluating a property and often cause sellers to overprice their home. When pricing your property, you need to be objective and reasonable so you can come up with a selling price that will capture the interest of buyers. Here are a few examples of common mistakes people make when pricing their house for sale. Reading Too Much Into Online Comparable Properties Avoid relying…

20 May 2013

By Mark Feder

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – May 20, 2013

Mortgage Rates

Last week was jam-packed with economic news; here are some highlights with emphasis on housing and mortgage related news: Monday: Retail sales for April increased to -0.1 percent from the March reading of -0.5 percent and also surpassed Wall Street's downward forecast of -0.6 percent. Retail sales are important to economic recovery as sales of goods and services represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. economy. Tuesday: The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released its Small Business Optimism Index for April with encouraging results. April's index rose by 2.6 points to 92.1. A reading of 90.7 indicates economic recovery. This…