According to a recent announcement by Freddie Mac, during the second quarter of 2009, refinancing borrowers overwhelmingly chose fixed-rate loans, despite of whether their original loan was an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) or fixed.
99% of major borrowers whose original loan was ARM now selected a new conforming fixed-rate mortgage. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages tended to be the preferred new product, 15-year fixed-rate mortgages gained favor among refinancers, with roughly a 2 percentage point increase in the proportion choosing this product for original ARM borrowers and nearly a 4 percentage point increase among original fixed-rate borrowers.
Both refinancing borrowers and families buying homes are getting away from ARMs in the current environment. During this period, the 5/1 hybrid ARMs carried an average rate of 4.9 percent while 30-year fixed mortgage rates were only at 5.0 percent on average. The small benefit from the lower rate is not enticing enough to cover the risk that rates will rise in the future from these historic lows.
These estimates come from a sample of properties on which Freddie Mac has funded at least two successive loans and the latest loan is for refinance rather than for home purchase.
Read more about the latest mortgage loan modification trends here.
30-year fixed mortgage rates increased to 5.38% last week. Before this it was 5.17% during the last week and 5.36% two weeks ago. Mortgage Bankers Association’s reported this fluctuation in their weekly survey of mortgage applications.
The index that measures new mortgage purchases rose by 1.1%, the third modest gain in the last month. Refinance activity returned to around 52% of all mortgage applications.
More borrowers turned to adjustable-rate mortgages as rates have ticked up. ARMs accounted for 5.8% of all mortgage originations last week, up from 5.4% in the previous week and from lows of 3% when mortgage rates dropped below 5% in April and May.
Being first time home buyer, it’s always difficult to pick the lender who offers the lowest interest rate. The interest rate on your mortgage will affect both your short-term and long-term financial situation, so making a sound decision that helps you determining your monthly mortgage payment is very important.
Although low interest rate is your priority, but why it’s not always the only concern? It’s because your mortgage is dependent on many other factors. So, research well before making a decision. Here goes the list that may help you making a good decision.
Teaser Rates: attractively low advertised interest rates are often just a way to get you in the door. The truth about mortgage rates is that they change multiple times a day.
Fees: many costs associated with taking out a mortgage besides the interest rate, like closing costs. Just as the grocery store tries to get you in the door by advertising a gallon of milk for $2 but then wants to charge you $5 for the cereal to pour it on, a bank might advertise a lower interest rate than its competitors but then expect you to pay double the closing costs you might pay elsewhere.
Type of Loan: type of loan you qualify for will affect your interest rate. That great mortgage rate that you see advertised might be for a 15-year fixed conventional mortgage, but your income and savings might only qualify you for a 30-year fixed FHA mortgage, which will have a higher interest rate and a higher long-term cost.
Location: the first question any lender will ask you is the zip code where you plan to purchase property. The national average might be 5.41% on a 30-year fixed, but the average rate in New York City might be 5.49% while the average rate in San Francisco might be 5.33%. So, look into it too.
Credit Score: The best advertised rates only go to borrowers with the best credit scores. Your credit score, if not observed as good in the past, might cause you have higher interest rates.
So you must know that mortgage rates vary and change multiple times within a day even. Depending on your geographic location, the type of loan you want and your credit score, they further vary. A mortgage lender might advertise a great rate, but charge you double money in closing costs. So, best way will be to look at the whole loan package, not just the interest rate.
According to Business Week, Wells Fargo refinance mortgage rates have gone too high very quickly over the last week. A strong move up in the 10 year treasury yield rate has been observed. This further pushed the 30 year mortgage rate up. On Monday, August 3rd, mortgage rates were around 5.05%, which went as high as 5.45% by the end of the week. There was slight doubt that mortgage rates were going to move up due to the strong move in treasury yield but very few people predicted a move life this.
It’s still not sure that for how much time this type of move will continue. It may end in the next week but one thing is for sure, mortgage rates are not going to be around 5% anytime in the near future. If you were planning to refinance your mortgage or having the first mortgage, you must speed up the process because mortgage rates look like they will hit 6% soon.
FHA loan rates are expected to go after mortgage rates this week and that could very well be higher. The 10 year rate yield has stirred up so it is very likely that mortgage rates will tag along. The last time that the 10 year yield moved much higher and mortgage rates did not shift, a one day move of over .75% in average mortgage rates has been seen then. Unluckily, this move was to the up side rather than the down side. If that would be the case today, mortgage rates would have gone over 6%.
If mortgage rates progress this much higher, expect to see FHA loan rates following them higher. If you have been planning to have refinancing or getting your first mortgage, this is possibly the best time to do so. Later, even if you wait a few weeks, you could see average mortgage rates going above 6% which will bring FHA rates higher as well.
The one good thing is that you are aware of the situation now and you can take action for getting the mortgage application process in progress.
According to Bloomberg.com, the home prices in US had the smallest annual drop in last 10 months. This drop is signaling the free fall of property values. On the other hand, where the mortgage rates are also down, it makes a best opportunity for home buyers to make their dream of own home come true.
The prices declined 5.6 percent in May from a year earlier and rose 0.9 from April. The latest updates according to RealtyTrac Inc., an Irvine, California-based seller of real estate data say that more than 1.5 million properties, one in every 84 U.S. households, received a foreclosure filing, RealtyTrac said in a July 16 report. That was a 15 percent increase from a year earlier.
If you’re a home buyer, it must be a good news for you that rates for 30-year home mortgage loans dropped for the third-straight week, inching toward a record low reached earlier this year, as it’s reported by Freddie Mac on Thursday.
further details are as follows:
The average rate for 30-year fixed mortgages went to 5.14 percent which was 6.26 percent, last year. Falling mortgage rates can spur refinance activity. 30-year mortgages fell to a record low of 4.78 percent in April but later rates rose as high as 5.6 percent in June.
If you had plan to have a dream of own house, it’s best time. With the help of VA mortgage refinancing and other options, you can make it a quick affair.
As the name tells, these loans are quite flexible in nature and adjust to the latest market trends. The best thing about such loans is that they are bendable to your situation. You can select the mortgage loan you require when interest rates are quite low and get it adjusted throughout the loan term.
ARM’s have interest rates that change according to financial indexes determined by the current market. This indicates your payments can rise or fall depending change in index. This may often lead to unsteady payments so the home buyer must be prepared in advance. If your financial situation forces you to choose this kind of loan, you don’t have to worry, you can always re-settle the terms or have mortgage refinancing later to get a much better deal.
According to a recent announcement by Freddie Mac, during the second quarter of 2009, refinancing borrowers overwhelmingly chose fixed-rate loans, despite of whether their original loan was an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) or fixed.
Being first time 
