New construction buyers in Sacramento , look out. The nation’s home builders are predicting a strong 2012 for new home sales. It may mean higher home prices as the spring buying season approaches.
It’s not time to bring out the balloons and good china yet, as the housing market’s health has a long way to go. To put this in perspective, the current pace is less than half the rate in which those homes went up during the 1990s. Hopefully, this is emblematic of a gradual and sustained growth (and recovery). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: california, dan tharp, dan the planner, Homebuilder Confidence, Housing Market Index, mortgage, NAHB, sacramento
This is a big deal — especially today. Mortgage rates are at an all-time low and millions of U.S. homeowners have been unable to take advantage. HARP aims to change that.
The government’s new, revamped HARP program is 6 weeks from release. Homeowners in California and nationwide are gearing up to refinance. Email me at dtharp@comstockmortgage and get on my First Call Reservation List. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: best rates, dan tharp, du refi plus, HARP, Home Affordable Refinance Program, i want the best rate, Making Home Affordable, sacramento, trapped, upside down
Are you in the process of buying a home or refinancing your current mortgage? Are you getting an FHA loan, or a Conventional loan? What is your credit score? Before a loan officer quotes a rate, these are the questions they will ask.
Tags: sacramento, dan tharp, lower interest rate, mortgage, i want the best rate, dan the planner, NBC, The Today Show, FICO
Traditionally, federal income taxes must be filed with the IRS on, or before, April 15 each year. The date has become such a part of U.S. culture that many people simply call it “Tax Day”.
This year, however, for the 3rd time in 7 years, your federal income taxes will not be due April 15. Instead, because of a combination of the calendar, a holiday, and tax law, Tax Day 2012 is delayed until Tuesday, April 17. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1040s, dan tharp, dan the planner, Federal Income Tax, IRS, last day, sacramento, tax deadline
- Click on Picture to watch the President’s speech.
By now, I am sure you have all heard about the President’s latest directive this week to help troubled homeowners refinance their mortgages, even if their loans are far higher than the value of their homes.
The bigger question should be - Will the big banks adopt the presidents plan? Polls show a majority of Americans are in favor of his plan but we know that means nothing unless the banks and congress make it so. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: dan tharp, i want the best rate, loan modification, lower interest rate, obama, president, principal balance, responsible homeowners, sacramento, write down
I can’t believe I am posting this - once again rates dropped last week, setting near all-time lows set earlier this year.
Mortgage markets improved last week as news from the Federal Reserve, the U.S. economy, and Europe combined to spur new demand for mortgage-backed bonds. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: best rates, buy, Comstock, dan the planner, Eurozone, FOMC, lower interest rate, mortgage rates, Non-Farm Payrolls, refinance, sacramento
Wednesday, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. To add impact, the Fed has indicated that they will “likely not raise interest rates until at least late 2014″.
The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. To be fair, on Jan 13th we saw rates at their lowest mark in over a year, only to see them deteriorate over the last week and a half. With the Fed news today, we are seeing a marked improvement – but not to the levels we saw January 13th.
For the third consecutive month, the Fed Funds Rate vote was nearly unanimous. Just one FOMC member dissented in the 9-1 vote, objecting only to the language used in the Fed’s official statement.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: announcement, Ben Bernanke, dan tharp, dan the planner, Fed Funds Rate, FOMC, i want the best rate, mortgage, sacramento
The outlook for the U.S. economy improved last week, taking the mortgage bond market with it. For the first time this year, conforming mortgage rates rose throughout California from one week to the next.
Data was strong across all categories last week.
Tags: best rates, dan tharp, dan the planner, Eurozone, Existing Home Sales, FOMC, higher mortgage fees, mortgage rates, sacramento
Foreclosure filings are fewer these days, according to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac. As a mortgage lender in Sacramento, and living in a state that has been hit hard by massive equity losses, this news is promising.
In December 2011, the number of foreclosure filings nationwide fell 9 percent from the month prior. Not since November 2007 has foreclosure activity been this sparse across the country.
The drop does not appear to be seasonal, either. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Comstock, dan tharp, Existing Home Sales, Existing Home Supply, Foreclosures, mortgage, paying too much, RealtyTrac, rent or buy, REO, sacramento
