Mortgage Guide 101

October 2006 - Posts

• The Perfect Mortgage

  I could hardly believe my eyes: this morning I found a news piece on the internet from "The Age" in Australia. Apparently, the newest mortgage is one where you have no interest payments! What will they think of next? Here's the interesting part: this Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 31, 2006 7:50 AM by Michael | 2 Comments

• Lower House Prices, Higher Mortgage Rates, and Inflation

  According to Realty Times, mortgage rates are still rising, although by very small amounts. The interest corrections are on the order of a few hundredths of a percentage point. Nothing that can really be called a "trend", although Freddie Mac and others Read More... Posted Friday, October 27, 2006 9:00 AM by Michael | 0 Comments

• Mortgage Rates Take A Break

  While interest rates seem to dither, neither going up nor down, the market holds its breath and wonders what the Fed will do next. According to Realty Times, last week's Freddie Mac survey showed that interest rates are virtually unchanged from the week Read More... Posted Monday, October 23, 2006 2:46 PM by Michael | 0 Comments

• Boomers Believe In Real Estate

  Here's something that I could have told you: according to the October 20th Baltimore Sun, baby boomers think that real estate is the right place to put their money. It makes sense. After all, the boomers' parents made it big when they sold the family Read More... Posted Saturday, October 21, 2006 3:02 PM by Michael | 0 Comments

• Your House or Your Car

  Something I'd been suspicious about -- but didn't have the data to prove -- turns out to be true: the money you save in buying a house in the suburbs is generally "eaten up" by the costs of the longer commute. Just after Hurricane Katrina, when the price Read More... Posted Saturday, October 14, 2006 8:15 AM by Michael | 0 Comments

• Silicon Valley Prices Stop Sliding?

  I was off for an extra long weekend with the family to see the fall colors. They are beautiful around here -- and gone too soon. For at least 5 full days, I stayed away from newspapers and didn't think about real estate, finances or anything related to Read More... Posted Tuesday, October 10, 2006 8:10 AM by Michael | 0 Comments

• Baby Boomers and the Housing Market

  Well, the front end of the boomer "wave" has turned 60. (I'm the back end of the wave. I turned 46 this year.) That means that many of the boomer generation are considering downsizing and heading into early retirement, if they can afford it. As this big Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 04, 2006 12:02 PM by Michael | 0 Comments

• Will Real Estate Agents Leave As Market Cools?

  Apparently, real estate agents are leaving the business in greater numbers now. Experts expect many more to leave by year's end as the market continues to slow. It will take some time to see how many agents will feel the pinch and get out. After all, Read More... Posted Monday, October 02, 2006 8:41 PM by Michael | 0 Comments