Pros And Cons Of Making Biweekly Mortgage Payments

This is for sample purposes. Call me for your analysis.

This is for sample purposes. Call me for your analysis.

Have you ever considered paying off the mortgage on your home in two biweekly payments rather than one monthly payment? It might seem like this wouldn’t make a difference, but the truth is that biweekly payments really do add up more quickly.

Since there are 52 weeks in a year you will end up making 26 payments in total – which is equal to 13 months rather than 12. This means that your mortgage will be paid off more quickly and you will save money on interest payments in the long run. Continue reading

Should I Lock or Float? This Week- November 18, 2013

November_18th_2013_Mortgage_MarketThe Non-Farm Payroll numbers came in on the 8th of this month, well above expectations with 204K versus an estimate of 125K new jobs. In addition, revisions added 60,000 more jobs to the prior two month
releases and thus mortgage rates took a significant one-day beating – noted by the long red column shown on the far right of this graph. Prices are now almost back where they were before that report was announced.

For those of you shopping for a good mortgage rate, who did not lock at the time, may have just gotten your reprieve!

Continue reading

Should I Lock or Float? This Week- August 5, 2013

Todays_market_8-6-2013When the U.S. economy hit rock bottom a few years ago we called it the Great Recession, and saw the mortgage banking industry come to a screeching halt. A thankful by-product, after the dust settled – we were treated to some of the lowest interest rates in our lifetime. Those historically low rates may have run their course as the past week brought encouraging economic news from several sources, and with that, rates are rising.

For my clients of late, I have been in a “locking” mood, and based on the technical’s – I am not changing my mind anytime soon. As you can see from the graph on your right, Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) have traded below a ceiling of resistance going on 10 days now. The economic news this week shouldn’t have enough push, to get above that ceiling. Continue reading

Why The Sudden Change in Rates? Ask The Fed

Federal Open Market Committee Minutes Released 4-10-2013The minutes for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting held March 19 and 20 were released on Wednesday April 10, 2013. These periodic meetings by the FOMC cover a wide-ranging group of topics that impact the overall economy in the United States.

The decisions made and acted upon from the FOMC meetings often sway the real estate and residential financing markets. Some highlights of the recent FOMC minutes for the March meeting include: Continue reading

What Mortgage Rates Are Doing This Week: Shoud I Lock Or Float?

Freddie Mac 30-year fixed rate mortgage ratesMortgage-backed securities (MBS) improved a bit last week, and rates remain near all-time low’s, continuing this year’s Refinance Boom and giving fuel to the budding housing market recovery. Continue reading