Investment Mortgage Guy

Overwhelmingly, home values fell in the 20 markets tracked by the Case-Shiller. Only San Diego showed a modest increase. The other 19 markets averaged a 1.23 percent decline between January and February. However, that’s not the story you read in the most papers.

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The Federal Reserve adjourns from a scheduled, 2-day meeting today. It’s one of 8 scheduled Fed meetings for 2010. Upon adjournment, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke & Co. will release a formal statement to the market. In it, the Fed is expected to announce “no change” in the Fed Funds Rate. Mortgage rates, however, WILL change.

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Today, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged, in its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. Mortgage rates are rising this afternoon.

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The sales of newly-built homes soared in March. Even more than what was expected. But the news may not be as glowing as what the media is telling us.

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Mortgage rates rose last week. This week, economic data will be at the forefront, as will the Federal Reserve which meets for one of its 8 scheduled meetings of the year.

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Existing Home Sales rose in March, as expected. U.S. homebuyers closed on 7 percent more homes as compared to February.

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More than 60 percent of U.S. homes are “over-assessed”, says an industry trade group. It causes homeowners to pay more in property taxes than they otherwise should have to. You might be one of them. Have you considered fighting it?

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Volcanic eruptions and like natural disasters remind us: mortgage rates change for all sorts of reasons. Some we can predict, most we cannot. There’s literally thousands of influences on the U.S. mortgage market. If you’ve been shopping for a home or floating a mortgage rate, luck’s been on your side.

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A Housing Start is a new home on which construction has started and, over the last 6 months, home builders are averaging one half-million starts per month. This marks the highest 6-month average since 2008 and a reading one-fifth percent better from 12 months ago. Revisions to prior data have all been higher, too.

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Mortgage markets improved last week for the second week in a row. And, also for the second week in a row, rates were down on “safe haven” buying — just not for the same safe haven reasons as before.

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