The Mortgage Blogaroo -- Tiffany Taylor, Mortgage Blogger

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : July 6, 2009

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Mortgage markets were relatively calm throughout last week's holiday-shortened trading sessions.

After trading within a tight range between Monday and Wednesday, a weak jobs report helped edge rates lower into the weekend.

For the second week in a row, mortgage rates ended the week lower than where they started -- if only slightly.

Meanwhile, if it's the expectation of runaway economic growth that fueled the early-June, mortgage rate run-up past 6 percent, it's the tempering of those expectations that helped rates retreat by a 1/2 percent or more since.

While the housing sector continues to post strong numbers, employment is showing that it may not rebound as quickly as previously thought and U.S. consumer confidence remains shaken.

The Unemployment Rate rose to its highest levels in 25 years last month and key confidence levels fell.

With negative job growth and falling consumer optimism, it only makes sense that mortgage rates would fall -- fewer people are working and the public feels uneasy about spending its money.

This week -- without much new data due -- market momentum could push rates even lower. In general, perceived weakness in the economy will be good for mortgage rates and strength will be bad.

However, there's a wildcard.

This week, some of the world's largest nations are expected to call on a replacement for the U.S. dollar as a global currency reserve. Depending on how serious the discussion grows, the value of the U.S. dollar could be negatively impacted and that would spell bad news for rate shoppers.

A weakening U.S. dollar is linked to higher mortgage rates.

Mortgage rates remain favorable and unpredictable. If today's rates make sense for your household budget, consider locking in. Rates won't likely end the week at the same levels at which they started.

For The 4th Straight Month, There's An Increase In The Number Of Homes Under Contract

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

The number of homes under contract to sell increased in May.

It's the fourth straight month in which sales volume increased, corroborating the growing notion that housing is on the mend in most U.S. markets.

Consider these other housing-related stories from the past month:

Existing Home Sales are rising
New home supplies are falling
The Case-Shiller Index is turning positive-like

Put it all together and it looks like the housing market is about to reach its bottom (if it hasn't already).

But just because homes are going under contract to sell doesn't mean that they actually will sell. A "deal" can fall apart for all sorts of reasons including failed home inspections, buyer-seller disputes, and mortgage-related problems.

In general, though, as the number of pending contracts increase, we find that Existing Home Sales rise, too, some 45-60 days into the future. And so long as buyers' demand for homes remains strong, we would expect that home prices edge higher.

It's too soon to say that housing has turned the corner for certain, but there's an awful lot of data lately that suggests that it has.

Home Prices Show Improvement In 19 of the 20 Case-Shiller Markets

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Tuesday -- for the first time in a long while -- members of the press met the monthly Case-Shiller Index data with enthusiasm. And why shouldn't they? 19 of the 20 measured markets showed a slowing pace of home price decline in April.

Here are some of the headlines about the story:

Case-Shiller Home Prices Decline Only 18% (Business Week)
Case-Shiller Less Bad (Seeking Alpha)
Home Prices In 20 Cities Drop Less Than Expected (Bloomberg)

Now, the headlines feel negative, but they're actually highlighting some key strengths in April's figures. For example, nearly half of the Case-Shiller markets posted gains in April and all but one showed month-over-month improvement.

It's a step in the right direction but doesn't mean that housing has turned around for good.

We have to be careful about how we interpret the Case-Shiller Index because it's an imperfect housing gauge. The most obvious Case-Shiller flaw is that it only measures home values in 20 cities nationwide and they're not even the 20 biggest cities.

Houston, Philadelphia, San Antonio and San Jose are excluded from the report and each ranks among the country's 10 most populous areas.

That said, the report is still important because the Case-Shiller Index identifies broader housing trends and that helps to shape economic policy.

Not only versus last month but also versus last year, the pace at which home values are falling appears to be getting slower. This is the third straight month Case-Shiller has reported as such.

Now, three months makes a trend, but the data has to stay strong through the summer months to mark a bona fide turnaround. If the Case-Shiller Index shows strength for May and June, it could be the signal for which the markets have been waiting.

With The Year Half-Over, How Accurately Did Economists Predict 2009

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:41:41 -0700

At the start of the year, the "experts" made a lot of predictions about the U.S. economy and what to expect in 2009.

And nobody predicted just how big the government's stimulus package would be.

Now, on June 30, with the year officially half-over, it's as good a time as any to remember that people are much better at interpreting the past than predicting the future. Economists can make educated guesses about the future, but they're guesses nonetheless.

It's like watching the Weather Channel. A meterologist can look at the data and say it's going to rain next week, but the forecast is never 100%.

So far this year, mortgage rates have been up and down, credit availability has been higher and lower, and home prices have varied immensely from neighborhood to neighborhood. These are not the types of predictions we get from the pundits.

There's another 6 months until 2010 and there's no reason to expect the current trends to change.

The world is unpredictable and so is the U.S. economy. Therefore, consider making your personal finance decisions based on the information at hand today instead of on an educated guess about the future.

After all, the weatherman's been wrong before.

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : June 29, 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Mortgage markets improved last week on the heels of benign economic data and a non-inspired press release from the Federal Reserve.

Aside from trader momentum, 3 market-moving events helped set the pace last week:

Housing data hinted at strength
Jobless data showed softness
The Fed said growth appears on-track

The combination of the three created volatility that -- for just the second time in the last 8 weeks -- worked in favor of rate shoppers.

Mortgage rates changed a lot last week, but they trended lower overall.

Already, however, markets are looking ahead to this week's holiday-shortened trading sessions. There is a ton of data to be released and as the week progresses, the ever-falling market volume could create some wide swings in mortgage rates.

The mystery is whether rates will be getting better or worse.

On Tuesday, markets will get Consumer Confidence and Case-Shiller Index data at 9:00 AM ET. The Case-Shiller Index is a home price measurement and it always gets a lot of press. Strength in either number should lead mortgage rates higher. Weakness should help rates ease.

Then, on Wednesday, Crude Inventories should take the spotlight. Normally, we don't watch this data point too closely but with gas prices easing last week, rising oil supplies could mean even lower gas prices ahead. This is anti-inflation and a good sign for mortgage rates.

And lastly, on Thursday, the government releases June's jobs report. This report is always a market-mover -- good or bad. And with trading volume low by Thursday, mortgage rates should move more than "normal".

Be ready to lock at a moment's notice this week. Mortgage rates continue to be volatile and the holiday-shortened week won't do anything to counter that. If you're the nervous type, when you see a rate that fits your budget, consider locking it in.

Mortgage nightmare | HVCC appraisal regulation

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:58:00 -0700

The HVCC code of conduct is the result of a legal settlement with the attorney general of New York. It is applied nationwide. And it should be considered a case study in the value of the legislative process: If the HVCC had been a bill introduced into Congress, it would have never passed without having undergone drastic changes. But it wasn't a bill and it isn't a law; it's a legal settlement by one state's attorney general, imposed on all 50 states.
Every public policy has unintended consequences. But that doesn't mean that the consequences are unforeseen. Plenty of people foresaw the unintended consequences arising from the HVCC. Because it didn't go through a legislative committee system, because it wasn't passed by two houses, and because it wasn't signed by a governor or president, those foreseeable but unintended consequences could be - and were - ignored. As a matter of fact Cuomo was a paid board member of AMCO, an appraisal management company. His buddy is Ed Davidson (a major campaign contributor of Cuomo) and was the CEO of AMCO, which was sold to SIRVA and renamed Valuation Services, LLC. It is reported that Davison has rights to future income from Valuation Services, LLC. (and I wouldn't be surprised if Cuomo does get a couple of bucks from it either, but that's pure conjecture on my part.)
HVCC was supposed to include Independent Valuation Protection Institute, which is a place to report fraud and coercion. That was never funded so AMCs are unregulated. It was rumored that Ed Davidson was to head the IVPI. As it stands, HVCC is nothing but a profit center for the big banks who own them.

After 18 years in the mortgage industry, I can't believe that such poorly written legislation is being enforced and the only loser is the consumer. All wholesale lenders have an appraisal review process, there is no way to pay off or entice an appraiser to bring in a value that isn't supported by comps. If you do the appraisal will be cut and the appraiser will be placed on the black list. AMC's can just as easily enticed, so how does this solve the so called problem? The bottom line is that consumers will pay 3.8 billion dollars more in appraisal fees this year What a Gong Show!

In Another Good Sign For The Housing Market, Builders Are Clearing Out Their Inventory

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

If you only saw the headlines this week, you may have missed another positive sign in the housing market.

According to the Census Bureau, the supply of newly-built homes for sale fell to 10.2 months in May, its lowest level in 10 months.

Unfortunately, the New Homes Sales story wasn't positioned as a positively by the press. Instead, the most common headline on the data read "New Home Sales Dip 0.6%" with many journalists referring to the figures as "weak" or "disappointing".

Only, that's not completely true.

See, one of the nice elements of the monthly New Home Sales report is its footnote section in which the Census Bureau talks about statistical Margin of Error and that section tells us that if the Margin of Error is larger than the measurement itself, the report is useless.

And that's exactly what happened in May.

New Home Sales were measured to have fallen by 0.6 percent but that data point was dwarfed by its 17.8 percent Margin of Error, The "headline data", in other words, was just a guess.

The press reported it anyway.

Nonetheless, as it relates to the economy, falling home inventories are a positive. Having 10-plus months of homes on the market is still high historically, but a definite improvement over what we saw earlier this year.

So long as low mortgage rates and aggressive pricing persists from builders, we expect even less supply in the months ahead.

A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (June 24, 2009 Edition)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:52:00 -0700

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged today within its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.

The Fed also reiterated its plan to support the mortgage market to the tune of $1.5 trillion.

In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy is not slowing with the same speed versus just two months ago and that financial markets, in general, are improving.

These are two signs that the country may be emerging from recession, if it hasn't already.

The news isn't all good, however. The Fed made a point to highlight the potential hazards the nations faces on its path to economic recovery:

The prices of energy and commodities have been rising
Job losses are still mounting nationally
Businesses are reducing capital expenditures

Also in its statement, the Fed acknowledged a plan to hold the Fed Funds Rate near zero percent "for an extended period" and a re-commitment to the U.S. Treasury and Mortgage Bond markets.

Market reaction to the Fed's press release has been muted.

With no new stimulus and no new "tools" to spur the economy unveiled, Wall Street is business as usual. Mortgage rates are unchanged post-FOMC today.

The FOMC's next scheduled meeting is August 11-12, 2009.

3 More Signs Of A Strengthening Housing Market

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

The housing market got another dose of good news yesterday.

According to the National Association of REALTORS, the number of homes sold in May increased for the third straight month and the national housing supply fell by 5 months.

Furthermore, first-time home buyers are accounting for nearly one-third of the market activity.

But, before we declare a bottom in housing, it's important that we remember the First Rule of Real Estate:

All Real Estate Is Local

National housing statistics like Existing Home Sales are painted with a very broad brush. They lump disparate locales such as San Francisco and Seattle into one sample set and don't account for regional differences, let alone neighborhood ones.

Furthermore, getting down to a city-by-city, or even street-by-street basis, we can always find homes that are selling quickly and home that are languishing. Real estate is highly local and subject to countless influences.

That said, the national data isn't completely useless. From the patterns, we can infer that low mortgage rates, ample home supply and available tax credits are providing a quantifiable boost to the broader real estate market.

And based on recent pending sales data, we can expect June and July's Existing Home Sales figures to be similarly strong to May.

Therefore, if you're in the market for a new home right now -- or plan to be soon -- be conscious of home inventory levels in your target neighborhoods. Fewer homes on the market usually means less ability for buyers to negotiate and that leads to higher sales prices.

Plus, the NAR is reporting buyer activity up 10 percent from last year.

The housing market may not be fully recovered in every housing market just yet, but in studying the data, a lot of the pieces appear to be falling into place.

Like To Play It Cautious? Consider Rate Locking Ahead Of Wednesday's Federal Reserve Meeting.

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

The Federal Reserve begins its scheduled two-day meeting this morning.

It's one of 8 scheduled meetings for the Federal Open Market Committee this year.

When the FOMC meets, it discusses the financial and economic conditions around the country and, when appropriate, the group makes new policy meant to speed up or slow down the economy.

The main tool for reaching this goal is the Fed Funds Rate and, earlier this year, the FOMC lowered it to "near-zero" percent in an attempt to stimulate growth.

But the Fed has other tools at its disposal, too, not the least of which is its $1.25 trillion pledge to the mortgage markets.

Now, if you'll remember, the Fed made that pledge in two parts:

Part 1 came in November 2008 for $500 billion
Part 2 came in March 2008 for $750 billion

After each announcement, mortgage rates reflexively dropped and stayed low for a period of a day or two. Then, fears of inflation set in on Wall Street, causing mortgage rates to pop back up because inflation is a mortgage-rate killer.

The Fed isn't expected to increase its mortgage market commitment this week, but because mortgage rates are above the government's "target zone", it's possible that the FOMC uses its post-meeting press release to give markets some guidance and its plan for the next several months.

A statement like this could alternately raise mortgage rates or lower them, depending on what the Fed says.

It's for this reason that floating a mortgage rate through tomorrow afternoon is extremely risky. The Fed could say nothing about mortgages, or it could say a lot. Either way, a small, quarter-percent change in mortgage rates can add tens of thousands of dollars to the lifetime cost of a person's pending home loan.

The Fed's press release hits the wires at 2:15 PM ET Wednesday. If you're the cautious type, consider locking your mortgage rate prior to its release.

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : June 22, 2009

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:37:30 -0700

Mortgage markets finished out the week unchanged last week but that's not to say that mortgage rates stayed flat.

From day-to-day, mortgage rate shoppers were on a veritable roller coaster.

Monday and Tuesday, rates dipped
Wednesday and Thursday, rates surged
Friday, rates retreated

Overall, conforming mortgage rates carved out a half-percent range this week. This caused fit for home buyers in need of a rate lock, and homeowners interested in refinancing.

Rates changed quite a bit from day-to-day, and even from hour-to-hour at times.

This is the same brand of mortgage rate volatility we've seen all year and it's expected to continue through at least this week, too. There are a number of market-moving events set to hit.

The event with the largest potential impact is the Federal Open Market Committee's two-day meeting.

Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, the Bernanke-led Fed is not expected to raise the Fed Funds Rate upon its adjournment but the markets are more interested in what the Fed says than what it actually does.

If the Federal Reserve says that long-term inflation is a concern, mortgage rates should rise because inflation often leads rates higher. Similarly, if the Fed says the economy is recovering quicker than expected, mortgage rates should rise on that story.

The Fed adjourns at 2:15 PM Wednesday so watch for big market swings around that time.

In addition, there's some big data points due out this week including the Existing Home Sales and New Home Sales reports, plus the Personal Spending and Consumer Sentiment survey.

Each of these reveals the psychology of the U.S. consumer and consumers with dollars to spend move the economy forward. If the reports are overwhelmingly positive, mortgage rates should rise as a result. On the other hand, if the data is weak or non-convincing, mortgage rates should ease.

How To Fight Mortgage Rate Volatility

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:21:08 -0700

Mortgage rates are suffering through another volatile week, causing problems for rate shoppers and home buyers.

After falling Monday and Tuesday, mortgage rates surged Wednesday and Thursday. The momentum higher appears to be carrying into the weekend, too.

There are several data-related reasons for the mortgage market's spastic activity this week:

But while each of the data points above fueled mortgage rate volatility, it's not the data that's making markets move the most. It's the psychological impact of the data.

See, data tells us about the past. It measures and reports on what's already happened. Unfortunately for rate shoppers, mortgage markets are not made on data from the past -- they're made on the expectations of what will happen next.

Mortgage rates reflect Wall Street's opinion of the future.

In reading the papers and watching the news, you'll notice ongoing debate about the U.S. economy. It's unclear whether the recession is worsening or improving.

On one hand, data is weak and sub-optimal. On the other hand, the data is not nearly as weak as it was 6 months ago and, in some cases, it's strong. To some, this is a signal that a recovery is already underway.

Or, it may just be a blip.

We can't be certain in which direction the economy is headed and the same can be said for mortgage rates. Because sentiment is changing so often, though, it forces us to be on our toes.

The last few months have been marked by large mortgage rate swings across small windows of time. A rate that's offered in the morning, for example, is rarely available in the afternoon. Therefore, do your rate shopping in a compressed period of time and be ready to lock your rate at a moment's notice.

When markets move, they tend to move quickly.

Adjusting For Cost Of Living Differences After A Non-Local Move

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Moving to a new metropolitan area requires adjustments. There's new streets to learn, new weather patterns to get used to, and new social cultures to assimilate.

There's also new costs.

Just like home values vary by area, so does the Cost of Living. To visit a doctor in Chicago, as an example, costs a person more than to visit a similar-type doctor in Des Moines.

Cost of Living adjustments can't be ignored between two cities because it changes a household's budget.

And while it's a challenge to know exactly how far your dollar can stretch in a new town, Bankrate.com hosts a helpful Cost of Living Comparison Calculator to make the math a little easier. With categories such as dry cleaning, groceries and beauty salon, the calculator goes extra deep into the typical costs to a household, and can help families to make more realistic budgets.

The calculator also shows the equivalent household income between any two metropolitan areas.

The Double-Edged Sword That Is Rising Housing Starts

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:05:57 -0700

After being range-bound since the start of the year Housing Starts unexpectedly jumped in May, surprising analysts and Wall Street.

It's the latest in a string of housing-related data that suggests a real estate recovery is already underway.

Housing Starts is an important statistic for a number of reasons, but to homebuyers and home sellers, its immediate impact is on home inventory.

Home values are based on supply and demand. When the demand for homes exceeds the supply, values tend to rise. Conversely, when supply exceeds demand, values tend to fall.

When Housing Starts increase as they did in May, therefore, unless there's a corresponding increase in demand, home prices get pressured downward.

Lately, that off-setting demand appears to be present.

With home affordability near record-high levels, mortgage rates well below historical averages, and the first-time homebuyer tax credit in place, Existing Home Sales are up 16 percent on a "raw numbers" basis versus last month and home supplies are lower versus last year.

Rising Housing Starts can a double-edged sword to a recovering economy. It's a strength signal that builders are more optimistic right now, but too much optimism can lead to a glut of unsold homes that pushes housing back to the brink.

So long as demand outpaces supply, however, inventories should reduce and values should move higher.

What Consumer Sentiment Surveys Mean To Housing Markets

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Americans are feeling better about their budgets right now, raising the possibility of a full economic recovery.

According to a University of Michigan and Reuters, Consumer Sentiment rose for the fifth straight month in June.

Consumer Sentiment is now at its highest levels since September 2008, the month in which Lehman Brothers failed, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were nationalized, and the global financial crisis is believed to have peaked.

Rising confidence levels are important to the economy -- and to housing --because a confident consumer is more likely to make the big-ticket purchases that propel the economy forward.

This includes buying new homes.

That said, the Consumer Sentiment Survey has its flaws.

For one, the survey's sample set includes just 500 families. This is hardly a cross-section of America. Secondly, when people feel better about their finances, it doesn't always lead to additional consumer spending -- it could lead to more saving.

What people say they'll do and what they actually do can be two very different things, but if consumer spending does increase in the months ahead, expect home sales to benefit on the willingness of families to "take more chances" and expect mortgage rates to suffer on concerns for inflation.

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : June 15, 2009

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700

The mortgage market roller coaster continues. Markets worsened badly in the early part of last week, before rallying into Friday's close.

Overall, mortgage rates were slightly higher for the week even though -- briefly -- they rose to levels not seen since November 2008.

Last week marks the third week in a row and the sixth out of the last seven that mortgage rates increased.

It's not all bad news for mortgage rate shoppers, however. The market's surge higher appears to be slowing and its momentum may start to reverse.

See, mortgage rates don't come from thin air. They're based on the price of mortgage-backed bonds and, over the last few weeks, it seems as if nobody on Wall Street wanted anything to do with them. A massive sell-off that caused bond prices to plummet and mortgage rates to soar.

Freddie Mac says rates are up 3/4 percent in the last 3 weeks but loan officers will tell you that's undercutting it. Conforming mortgage rates are up more than 1 percent since Memorial Day.

The biggest reason for the sell-off was that markets feared a runaway inflation scenario. The U.S. Treasury has assumed an unprecedented debt load this year and to repay it, markets expect the government to print more cash -- an inflation-inducing scenario.

However, when a number of high-profile investors and a country said last week that their faith in the U.S. economy remains strong, markets viewed it as an endorsement of government-issued debt. It served as Thursday and Friday's rate-dropping catalyst.

This week, mortgage rates will move on three points:

Data, including key inflation and housing reports
Rhetoric, including 5 Federal Reserve member speeches
Momentum, including technical trading patterns

It's unclear whether these factors will lead rates higher or lower, but one thing has been clear lately -- when mortgage rates change, they change quickly.

Therefore, if you're shopping for a rate and find one that fits your budget, consider locking in right away. With rates changing every few hours, it's likely that if you wait too long, the rate will be gone.

Pareto Principle In Action : 80 Percent Of The Country's Foreclosures Occur In 20 Percent Of The States

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

The Pareto Principle is a statistical concept most commonly known as the 80/20 Rule.

It says 80 percent of the effects come from 20 of the causes.

Apparently, the 80/20 Rule applies to foreclosures, too -- at least according to data compiled by foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac.

Based on data from May, 11 states accounted for 80% of the country's foreclosure activity. The remaining 20% was spread across the 39 others.

That's 80/20 almost to the tee.

The disparity goes deeper that that, though. The top three states in RealtyTrac's list -- California, Florida, Nevada -- were home to half of May's foreclosure-related actions.

Clearly, foreclosures are concentrated in certain geographies.

But, no matter in which state you live, foreclosures still impact you. This is because mortgage lenders are often national companies, lending in all 50 states.

When home loans go bad -- in any state -- lenders respond by increasing downpayment requirements and by adding new borrowing hurdles. If you've applied for a mortgage in the last 18 months, you've experienced this phenomenon personally.

On the other side, if you're a home buyer in a foreclosure-heavy state, you're finding terrific value versus several years ago. It's one reason why Existing Home Sales in the West Region are up by 19 percent from last year, for example.

VIDEO : How To Know Which Home Repairs Can Be Delayed And Which Should Be Fixed Right Away

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

When finances are tight, homeowners are often forced to choose between making home repairs right away, and putting them off until finances improve.

Some repairs, though, become more expensive if not tackled on the double. The hard part is knowing which fixes those are.

In this 5-minute piece from The Today Show on NBC, a Consumer Reports editor talks about important, must-make-them-now home repairs, including:

Re-sloping soil for runaway rainwater
Replacing curled and cracked roofing shingles
Sealing damaged vinyl siding
Replacing soft wood
Treating mold issues -- both major and minor

Maintaining a home preserves its long-term integrity and can help support resale value, too. Not every minor fix must made today, but left unchecked, some minor fixes can turn into major ones -- and that's when costs can pile up.

How To Receive A Cash Gift For Downpayment

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Tighter mortgage guidelines since late-2008 are forcing home buyers to make bigger downpayments. Anecdotally, the change has led to a surge in buyers taking gifts of cash from family members.

If you're among those accepting a cash gift from family, it's important to know that you can't just deposit the money in your bank account.

There is a proper way to accept a cash gift and it requires 3 distinct steps:

Complete and sign an acceptable gift letter
Document the gifter's withdrawal of funds with teller receipts
Document the giftee's deposit of funds with teller receipts

See, mortgage lenders pay close attention to gifts-for-downpayments. For one, lenders have to make sure that downpayment cash is "clean" (i.e. not laundered). And, secondly, they want the gift to really be a gift and not a loan-in-disguise.

This is why lenders will often require that a signed, dated letter accompany the home loan application.

As an example:

I am the [relationship to recipient] of [name of recipient] and this letter serves as evidence that I am gifting [name of recipient] [amount of gift] to be used for the purchase of the home at [complete address of property].

This is a gift -- not a loan -- and there is no expectation of repayment.

Signed,
[Signature of gifter]

To further appease lenders, gift recipients should make sure that gift funds are not commingled at the time of deposit. If the gift is for $12,000, for example, the bank's deposit slip should indicate that a $12,000 deposit was made -- nothing more, nothing less.

Don't add a random $50 check to the deposit, in other words. If you have a separate deposit to make, make it as a subsequent transaction with its own receipt.

It's also worth noting that gifting funds between family members can create both legal and tax liabilities. If you're unsure about how donating or receiving a gift may impact you, call or email me directly. If I can't help you with your questions, I can refer you to somebody that can.

Want To Know Why Mortgage Rates Are Up Over 1.125 Percent In 10 Days?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Since Memorial Day, conforming mortgage rates have jumped by more than 1.125 percent, adding thousands of dollars to the annual cost of homeownership.

To the casual observer, the moves may seem random. There's a reason this is happening, however.

It starts with inflation.

As an economic force, inflation erodes the value of the U.S. Dollar. Left unchecked, it drives up the Cost of Living as each dollar "buys less" at the supermarket, gas station, or anywhere else.

But with respect to mortgage rates, inflation's impact is more immediate. Because inflation devalues the dollar over the long-term, it renders long-term mortgage bonds a less attractive investment for traders.

If bond investors are repaid in U.S. Dollars, after all, it would make the investment worth less if the dollar is in an inflationary freefall.

Therefore, in situations when inflation is likely to present, we find that traders often sell out of their mortgage bond positions which, in turn, drives down the bond prices. Then, because bond yields move in the opposite direction of bond prices, rising rates are the inevitable result.

Lately, Wall Street is fearing inflation for a number of reasons:

Job losses are slowing, adding to consumer spending expectations
Gas prices have risen 41 days in a row
The federal government is increasing the money supply

These 3 factors -- plus a few others -- are all coming to a head around the same time and traders are getting defensive with their portfolios. As a result, they're selling their mortgage bond positions and it's driving mortgage rates higher.

Rates may continue to trek toward 7 percent through July and August, or they may retreat toward 5 percent. We can't know for sure. What we can know, though, is that volatility in rates should continue until the economic picture gets more clear. That could be next week, or next year.

For now, be ready to lock at a moment's notice. Mortgage rates are changing quickly.