2011 | Texas Mortgage - Texas Mortgage Rates - Leaman Team

Austin Mortgage Market Update – For the week of March 21, 2011

Well, journalists had plenty of their kind of news to write about with last week's housing reports. The bad stuff began with February Housing Starts dropping 22.5% to a level close to the April 2009 low, which was the lowest on record. Most of the drop was from multi-family starts, which are volatile on a monthly basis. Single-family starts were down 11.8%. New Building Permits fell 8.2% for February. This gauges activity a few months out, indicating starts in the Spring ought to be up a bit from now.

March 21, 2011|Austin Mortgage Market, Inside Lending Newsletter|

Austin Mortgage Market Update – For the week of March 14, 2011

Last week there was no guessing involved in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report that applications for purchase mortgages hit their highest level of the year. The MBA credited this to the improving job market and mortgage rates remaining at super low levels. This demand for purchase mortgages was up 12.5% from the week before and at its highest level since last May. Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages showed Texas mortgage rates pretty much unchanged, at historically low levels for the third week in a row.

March 14, 2011|Inside Lending Newsletter|

Austin Mortgage Market Update – For the week of March 7, 2011

We should be especially careful to not erect barriers to our progress just because of a minor setback, like the one we had with last week's Pending Home Sales. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) index of signed contracts on existing homes slipped in January for the second month in a row. But the drop wasn't as bad as expected and, as the NAR's chief economist said: "We should not expect the recovery to be in a straight upward path--it will zig-zag at times."

March 7, 2011|Austin Mortgage Market, Inside Lending Newsletter|

Austin Mortgage Market Update – For the week of February 28, 2011

hings do keep changing, but we all hope that by and large those changes mean progress. We certainly saw evidence of that in the housing market last week, as Existing Home Sales headed up in January for the third month in a row. They've now reached a 5.36 million annual rate, close to the long-term trend of 5.5 million and up over 5% from a year ago. This, as Martha Stewart says, is "a good thing," since the supply of existing homes has now dropped to 7.6 months, close to the 6-month ideal, which favors neither buyers nor sellers.

February 28, 2011|Inside Lending Newsletter|

Austin Mortgage Market Update – For the week of February 21, 2011

We who work in the real estate and mortgage industries know exactly how Elvis felt. The same people who unfairly blamed us totally for the recession now look to us alone for signs the economic recovery has taken hold. They might want to remember the health of the housing market is directly dependent on the health of the jobs market, which is not under our control. In any case, everyone felt better last week when January Housing Starts were UP a surprising 14.6%. Even though starts are down 2.6% from a year ago, this still shows builders are more hopeful going forward. The boost came from multi-family units, though single-family starts were off a mere 1% for the month.

February 21, 2011|Inside Lending Newsletter|

Texas mortgage rates improve a little the week of February 18

After rising for several weeks, Texas mortgage rates improved a little this week. The news on inflation was not as negative as investors may have feared, and the economic growth data was mixed. The most significant reports on growth, Retail Sales and Industrial Production, both fell short of expectations, which helped Texas mortgage rates.

February 18, 2011|MBS Quoteline Newsletter|

HUD will increase the Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium by 25 basis points

On April 18, 2011 HUD will increase the Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium by 25 basis points. This will increase the monthly payment of FHA borrowers whose case numbers are assigned on or after April 18, 2011.

February 17, 2011|Inside Lending Bulletin|

Austin Mortgage Market Update – For the week of February 14, 2011

Last Thursday the National Association of Realtors (NAR) came through with the encouraging report that sales of existing single-family homes and condominiums in Q4 of 2010 increased over Q3 in 49 out of 50 states -- a 15.4% rise for the three-month period. However, sales were down 4.78% for the year, to an estimated 4.91 million, from their 5.16 million level the year before. Fueled by the homebuyer tax credit, that higher 2009 sales rate was deemed "unsustainable" in 2010 by the NAR.

February 14, 2011|Inside Lending Newsletter|

Texas Mortgage Rates Increase Week of Feb. 11

Inflation concerns and a higher than expected January budget deficit caused Texas mortgage rates to move a little higher during the week. Solid demand for this week's longer-term Treasury auctions helped prevent a larger increase in Texas mortgage rates. Investors hoping for inflation relief from the Fed were disappointed. In testimony on Wednesday, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke suggested that Fed officials view overall inflation levels as low and have no near-term plans to tighten monetary policy to fight rising inflation.

February 11, 2011|MBS Quoteline Newsletter|

Ways To Make Your Home Energy Efficient

The financial situation that the world is facing these days many people are trying to find a way to save, save, save. To save more money it is a great idea to make your home energy efficient. Your monthly hydro bill will be decreased if you make your home energy efficient.

February 10, 2011|Austin Mortgage News, Austin Real Estate, Austin Resources and News, Homeowner Tips & Articles|