Globalization: One More Reason Not to Try And Time The Mortgage Markets
So far this week, mortgage rates are generally up. But last week, they were down because of the threat of Greece defaulting on its debts. Everyone knows that even the experts are terrible at market timing, but in today’s global economy, where tiny blips on the other side of the world can impact things here…
Read MoreDot Your ‘i’s, etc…, or Your Mortgage May Suffer!
It may seem unnecessary to point out that any information you submit on your mortgage application needs to be accurate — nevertheless, it bears repeating. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out, seemingly trivial errors (the dot your ‘i’s and cross your ’t’s sort) can not only impact the success of your mortgage application, they…
Read MorePreparing for Summer Guests
Now that it’s officially summer, and the kids are all on vacation, people are starting to travel. And traveling people means one thing for sure — house guests! Good Morning America has put together a list of 5 expert tips for providing great hospitality to your guests. On the one hand, they’re fairly self-explanatory, but…
Read MoreHow Much of A Rate Hike Would It Take for You to Stop Shopping?
Yesterday, Laura Kusisto wrote a fairly extensive piece on the current and projected state of the housing market in light of the likelihood that interest rates will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. It’s a good read, and this is oversimplifying, but, to put it in a nutshell — consensus seems to be that,…
Read MoreHow Much of A Rate Hike Would It Take for You to Stop Shopping?
Yesterday, Laura Kusisto wrote a fairly extensive piece on the current and projected state of the housing market in light of the likelihood that interest rates will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. It’s a good read, and this is oversimplifying, but, to put it in a nutshell — consensus seems to be that,…
Read MoreLife or Death: Do You Have Sprinklers in Your Home?
If not, you may want to consider having them installed. These days, the world changes so quickly, things can become “normal” before we even know that they’re a thing at all. This article was written in St. Pete, Florida, but the changes they’re talking about are things that homeowners love everywhere nowadays — open concept…
Read MoreLife or Death: Do You Have Sprinklers in Your Home?
If not, you may want to consider having them installed. These days, the world changes so quickly, things can become “normal” before we even know that they’re a thing at all. This article was written in St. Pete, Florida, but the changes they’re talking about are things that homeowners love everywhere nowadays — open concept…
Read MoreGet Out Into Your Backyard!
One of the great things about owning a home is the ability to go out in the back yard, grab your favorite beverage, and watch the sky do amazing things. Over the next two weeks, Venus and Jupiter are converging, and you’ll have a chance to watch them get closer and closer. Tomorrow night is…
Read MoreWomen, Are You Being Treated Fairly by Your Lenders?
Later today, the Woodstock Institute is scheduled to release a report which claims that in the Chicago Area, women are less likely to receive a mortgage than men. But since the report isn’t out, it’s hard to say either how credible it is, or how much one can generalize from it — so, the search…
Read MoreA Simpler View on Bonds, Mortgage Rates, and The Fed
Following on to yesterday’s article about changes in bond yields, mortgage interest rates, and the likely future of Fed decisions, it’s worth taking a look at this article by Consumer Affairs. It does two things well. First, it summarizes recent trends in mortgage interest rates for a variety of different types of loans; second, it…
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