Why Should My Clients Lock In Their Interest Rates

Interest rates fluctuate frequently, often depending on the news. If you are considering refinancing your home, your loan officer may suggest locking in the interest rate on your loan. There are some valid reasons why this is a good idea including: Saving Money For The Long-term Over the life of a loan, an increase of as little as one-quarter of a percent can cost thousands of extra dollars. Spending a small amount of money now to lock in a rate can save money over the life of the loan. Your loan officer will explain the difference in rate increases initially,…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 9, 2013

Last week brought several indicators of a strengthening economy. New home sales, private and federal employment and mortgage rates rose. The Department of Commerce released construction spending numbers for October with mixed results. Although public projects fueled an 0.80 percent increase in month-to-month construction spending, residential construction fell by 0.60 percent. Analysts had expected an increase of 0.50 percent and also noted that the negative effect of the government shutdown was a "blip." October's reading for construction spending was the highest since 2004. CoreLogic released data that home prices rose by 0.20 percent, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 2, 2013

The short holiday week brought a flurry of economic reports last week. Highlights included pending home sales, the S&P Case-Shiller Housing Market Indices and the FHFA home price index. No reports were released on Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The NAR released its Pending Home Sales report for October. Although pending home sales dropped by -0.60 percent, the decline was less than September’s reading of -4.60 percent. NAR cited higher home prices and mortgage rates along with concerns over the then-pending government shutdown as factors that contributed to fewer pending sales. Pending sales are determined by…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – November 25, 2013

Last week's scheduled economic news was varied, but mortgage rates fell and jobless claims were significantly lower than expected. The minutes for last month's FOMC meeting were released, and confirmed the Federal Reserve's intention to leave its quantitative easing program unchanged at least for the near term. The National Association of Homebuilders Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for November indicated that builder confidence, while still positive, dipped by one point to a reading of 54 as compared to an anticipated reading of 55, and October's revised reading of 54. Retail Sales for October Rose By 0.4 Percent NAHB noted that…
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