27 Oct 2014
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – October 27, 2014

Market Outlook
Last week's economic news included a few developments connected with housing and mortgage industries. While no economic reports were released on Monday, the rest of the week provided good news for existing home sales, home prices and mortgage rates. The National Association of REALTORS® reported that existing home sales in September exceeded expectations and the prior month's reading with a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.17 million sales. Three of four U.S. regions posted higher sales of previously owned homes with only the Midwest region reporting a decline in existing home sales. Analysts said that consistent job growth and improved…
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24 Oct 2014
By Mark Feder

Good News! Existing Home Sales Up And FHFA Home Prices Rise

Market Outlook
After months of reports of slowing home price momentum and forecasts of a lagging housing market, we are pleased to report an increased volume of existing home sales as reported by the National Association of REALTORS®. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reported rising prices for homes connected with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages. Here are the details. Pedal to the Metal: Existing Home Sales Achieve Fastest Rate in a Year September sales of previously owned homes reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.17 million sales against expectations of 5.10 million…
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20 Oct 2014
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – October 20, 2014

Market Outlook
Last week's economic highlights included the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Market Index for October. The Commerce Department also released Housing Starts for September. Freddie Mac reported that the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped below four percent. The Fed released its Beige Book report, and Weekly jobless claims came in lower than expected. Here are the details: Homebuilder Confidence Slips in Spite of Lower Mortgage Rates U.S. Homebuilder confidence in housing market conditions slipped by 5 points to October's reading of 54 as compared to September's reading; this was also lower than the expected…
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17 Oct 2014
By Mark Feder

NAHB Reports: Home Builder Confidence Drops in October

Market Outlook
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported that home builder sentiment lost its momentum in October and posted a seasonally adjusted reading of 54 in its Home Builder Market Index. This reading was five points lower than expected and also five points lower than September's reading. October's reading was the first time in five months that builder confidence has fallen. To put October's reading in perspective, things aren't all that bad. A reading over 50 indicates more builders are confident about housing market conditions than not. Also, October's lower reading of 54 after the HMI reading reached a nine-year…
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