Mortgage Guide 101

August 2006 - Posts

• Housing Market Slowdown

  Existing home sales are on the wane. Analysts seem to have been taken surprise by this! (I could have told them; if interest rates keep going up, no one is going to be able to afford the kinds of prices we've seen.) It's certainly no surprise that if Read More... Posted Tuesday, August 29, 2006 7:39 AM by | 0 Comments

• Long and Short Term Interest Rates Fall

  The latest Freddie Mac survey shows that interest rates on both long and short term mortgages are falling. For the week ending August 24, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.48 percent on average, with about 0.4 point, down from the previous week's Read More... Posted Friday, August 25, 2006 12:01 PM by | 0 Comments

• Buying Small a Better Long Term Investment

  With rising housing costs, higher interest rates, climbing energy expenditures and incomes that can't keep pace with inflation, the housing market may just turn towards smaller, more compact and affordable homes. Given the challenge of global warming Read More... Posted Thursday, August 24, 2006 8:03 AM by | 0 Comments

• Saving Energy This Summer

  It's been a hot summer where we are. The energy costs to run air conditioning are really high -- and the increasing demands on the electrical companies to produce more and more means the threat of not having energy when we need it. California has been Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 23, 2006 9:27 AM by | 4 Comments

• House Flipping Mistakes to Avoid

  Some people are still trying to make a quick buck "flipping houses". While real estate remains a good investment, house flipping may or may not suit you and your level of risk aversion. (It sure doesn't work for me and mine; I find myself unwilling to Read More... Posted Sunday, August 20, 2006 9:25 AM by | 2 Comments

• What Renovations Add Value To Your Home

  Renovations are really big business. Many of us are investing in our homes to add value for later sales, as well as add value while we live there! (If you remember, we are going to renovate our basement; unfortunately, finances have temporarily put that Read More... Posted Saturday, August 19, 2006 7:58 PM by | 0 Comments

• Green Homes Can Get You A Bigger Mortgage

  Going green isn't just trendy anymore; going green is becoming mainstream. Given cost of heat and electricity these days (and even problems with supply), it just makes sense. Even "conventional" homebuilders are starting to look at green features to help Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 16, 2006 8:58 AM by | 3 Comments

• US National Housing Price Increase a Modest Six Percent

  It's been an interesting summer. Housing prices continue to rise (which stumps me) and some areas are still red hot. While the national US average is only a 6% increase overall, some areas are still in the double digits. Go figure. In some cases, it's Read More... Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006 12:32 PM by | 0 Comments