Blog – Page 767 of 772

27 Feb 2013

Is Downsizing The Next Big Trend In Homes?

Real Estate Trends

The real estate market has started to recover from the downturn over the last few years in many areas of the country, and more people are thinking about buying a new place to live. With this new energy in home buying, an interesting trend seems to be developing. Instead of going for larger homes, which was an overwhelming trend in years past, many people are choosing micro-dwellings. What is a micro-dwelling? There are a number of different styles of micro dwellings being built. This is a relatively new concept for homes in the United States and individual creativity abounds…

26 Feb 2013

By Mark Feder

Fed Considers Future of Quantitative Easing

Federal Reserve

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) released minutes from its January meeting last Wednesday, as it generally does three weeks following the most recent meeting. The FOMC is a committee within the Federal Reserve System tasked with overseeing the purchase and sale of US Treasury securities by the Fed. The Federal Reserve makes key decisions regarding interest rates and looks to this committee for advice on how and when to take action. The Future Of Quantitative Easing One of the main topices that Fed leaders discussed was the future of its ongoing program of quantitative easing (QE). Currently, the…

25 Feb 2013

By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week: February 25th, 2013

Mortgage Rates

A quiet past week in economic news caused mortgage rates to worsen slightly. This week, however, will be packed with economic reports which may have an impact on interest rates going forward. Freddie Mac reported that the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose by 3 basis points from 3.53 percent to 3.56 percent with borrowers paying 0.8 in discount points and all of their closing costs. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage was unchanged from last week at 2.77 percent with borrowers paying 0.8 in discount points and all of their closing costs. In…

22 Feb 2013

By Mark Feder

Will You Need Private Mortgage Insurance on Your Mortgage Loan?

Mortgage Guidelines

Have you heard the term Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) when looking to finance real estate? You may be wondering what PMI is and how you know when you need to purchase it. These answers can be hard to find among all the real estate jargon you might be hearing lately. Below is the short version of what you need to know. What is Private Mortgage Insurance? Private Mortgage Insurance is an insurance premium required by some lenders to offset the risk of a borrower defaulting on their home loan. When you put down less than 20 percent of the…