Fannie Mae released a housing survey showing 70% of those polled in June and July feel now is a good time to buy a home. This is up from a 64% reading in January. At the same time, 83% of those people surveyed think it's a bad time to sell, which isn't such a terrible thing, since there's still plenty of inventory for buyers to choose from.
Best bet for Austin mortgage borrowers is to lock in their interest rate. It just makes cents (and dollars too). Expect the day to be one of “squaring up” for traders in both bonds and stocks, with not much movement seen from current levels.
Last Thursday pending home sales, a measure of contracts signed for existing homes, were reported off 30% in May compared to the prior month. This of course was simply the result of the end of the homebuyer tax credit, which required a signed contract by April 30. Common sense tells us many of those April contracts would have happened in May or even later if it weren't for the pressure to qualify for the tax credit.
With risk reward not in your favor, Austin borrowers are advised to lock in their Austin mortgage interest rates and step aside as we’re not sure whether the light in the tunnel is the end or a train.
Worries about European banks, UK austerity measures, US Housing, and the beginning of a two day FOMC meeting are all on today’s marquee. Stress tests and downgrades on banks across the pond got the early morning trade going.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported the Pending Homes Sales index rose in April for the third month in a row, registering a 6% increase over the upwardly revised March figure. This index measures the number of homebuyers signing purchase contracts. April Pending Home Sales hit their highest level since October 2009 and are UP 22.4% year-over-year. Like Existing and New Home Sales the week before, a good part of the gain was put to the tax credit expiration that required a signed contract by April 30. The NAR also forecast new home sales will be UP 18.5% for the year.
riday’s Employment data will be huge. Some are calling for as much as 600K new jobs created. Keep this in mind today and tomorrow as a print of that magnitude will raise holy H E double hockey sticks with Austin mortgage pricing. Be square or beware. We’ll handicap the report tomorrow.
Last Tuesday the National Association of Realtors reported pending home sales were UP 5.3% in March over February, and UP 21.1% over March of last year. This gain in contracts on existing homes, following February's 8.3% rise, indicates a nice boost should be coming in existing home sales for April. Buyers who signed contracts before the end of March now have till the end of June to qualify for their homebuyer tax credit.
With stochastics and moving average crosses, odds are good we’ll push to lower yields and better Austin mortgage pricing. Improving economic conditions being trumped by a country one fifth the size of Texas. Go figure.
Last week February Pending Home Sales blasted past consensus estimates. The National Association of Realtors (NEA) index was UP 8.2% for the month and UP 17.3% year-over-year!
