Buying a Second Home? Assessing Your Finances to Ensure You Can Afford a Second Mortgage

March 3, 2015

While there may be numerous benefits associated with the purchase of your second home, you may be concerned about how affordable it will be for you to manage the additional expense of a second mortgage payment.

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 2, 2015

March 2, 2015

Last week provided several housing-related reports including New Home Sales, Pending Home Sales and Existing Home Sales reports. Case-Shiller and FHFA also released data on home prices.

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FHFA House Price Index Rises for 14th Consecutive Quarter

February 27, 2015

According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), U.S. home prices rose by 1.40 percent for the fourth quarter of 2014 and were up by 0.80 percent month-to-month from November. The seasonally adjusted FHFA House Price Index measures purchase transactions for homes connected with mortgages owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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3 Easy Ways to Put Aside a Bit of Extra Cash So You Can Pay off Your Mortgage Faster

February 26, 2015

If your personal budget is similar to many other people’s budgets, your home mortgage payment is by far the largest expense that you pay for each month. In fact, this payment may easily account for 20 or 25 percent or more of your take-home income. Understandably, you may be focused on trying to pay this expense off early.

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Case-Shiller: Rising Home Prices Boost Inflation

February 25, 2015

December home prices rose by 0.10 percent according to the Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index. The composite report tracks home prices in 20 U.S. cities. December’s results boosted home prices by 4.50 percent year-over-year, which is approximately double the inflation rate for 2014.

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 23, 2015

February 23, 2015

Last week’s housing related reports included the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Market Index for February, The Commerce Department’s report on Housing Starts for January and Freddie Mac’s weekly report on average mortgage rates. The Federal Reserve released the minutes of January’s FOMC meeting, which indicated that FOMC members are in no hurry to raise the target federal funds rate.

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Selling Your Home in 2015? Boost Your Resale Value with These Three Inexpensive Renovations

February 20, 2015

To get top dollar for your home, renovations may be necessary. However, some renovations can prove costly and they don’t always add value to your home. Here are three inexpensive renovations that are sure to improve the resale value of your home.

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Fed Not in a Hurry to Raise Rates: FOMC Meeting Minutes

February 19, 2015

Federal Open Market Committee policymakers are in no hurry to raise the target federal funds rate. Members said that raising rates too soon could swamp the strengthening economy and expressed concerns that changing the committee’s current “patient” stance on rising rates could cause more harm than good to current economic conditions.

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Saving Up for Your First Home? Our Guide to Finding Ways to Save Your Down Payment Faster

February 18, 2015

If your goal is to purchase a home, you may find that it is challenging to save up enough money for your down payment. While this is something that many first time home buyers struggle with, it is by no means insurmountable.

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 16, 2015

February 17, 2015

Last week’s economic news included an index of labor market conditions provided by the Federal Reserve, a report on small business sentiment, and a report from the Labor Department on job openings. Weekly jobless claims, Freddie Mac’s mortgage rates report and a report on Consumer Sentiment rounded out the week.

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