Archive for May, 2005

Mortgage scam reappears: WARNING

Friday, May 27th, 2005

A California company that sparked a nationwide uproar by claiming it could wipe out homeowners’ mortgages has surfaced in Wisconsin for a second time.
Jacksonville.com reports that Last week, a cashier at the Milwaukee County register of deeds office found a fraudulent mortgage satisfaction filed in April for a West Allis property. The document was co-signed […]

April Home Sales at time record high

Friday, May 27th, 2005

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist
“Housing continued to help fuel the economy this year, accounting for about 20 percent of real GDP growth in the first quarter alone. Further, since the end of March long-term bond yields have fallen by more than a half of a percentage point, allowing interest rates on […]

Overnight real estate rates edge higher

Friday, May 27th, 2005

Long-term mortgage interest rates were up Thursday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield remained at 4.08 percent.
The 30-year fixed-rate average increased to 5.22 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate rose to 4.8 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down at 3.67 percent.
The 30-year Treasury bond yield stayed at 4.43 percent.

Finance for divorce

Thursday, May 26th, 2005

Interesting stuff from Canada thats really applicable anywhere, I’ve never been divorced, but know people who have, and its never easy
A divorce often signals a new beginning for individuals. Moving from “coupledom” back to the single life can mean new homes and new mortgages after years of sharing the bucks.
So we decided to ask […]

real estate investment clubs

Thursday, May 26th, 2005

An interesting article over at the The Prudent Investor looking at the rise of Real Estate Investment Clubs.
Not only home sales are booming, but so is the real estate investment club scene. USA Today has this report, saying the number of these clubs went elevenfold, from just 44 in 2002 to approximately 500 […]

Mortgage Rates Down Again

Thursday, May 26th, 2005

Mortgages rates resumed their downward trend last week according to both Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Freddie announced that its weekly mortgage survey found that the 30-year fixed rates mortgage averaged 5.71 percent with points and fees at 0.7 points for the week ending May 19. The previous week’s average was 5.77 percent. The […]

Lending rules debated

Wednesday, May 25th, 2005

Bond and banking interests Tuesday endorsed federal legislation creating national protections against predatory mortgage lending, but civil rights groups said the bill could weaken current state laws, hurting minorities and low-income borrowers. read more>

More Million Dollar homes in Minnesota

Wednesday, May 25th, 2005

The number of $1 million houses in Minnesota has increased more than 150 percent from 3,163 in 2000 to 7,975 in 2003, according to a study released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nationwide, the number of $1 million-plus houses increased about 100 percent; they now represent about 1 percent of all houses. Minnesota ranks 18th, […]

More scares over Real Estate Bubble

Wednesday, May 25th, 2005

This New York Times report is a worry, but it still one of any number of contradictory reports.
Home prices rose more quickly over the last year than at any point since 1980, a national group of Realtors reported yesterday, raising new questions about whether some local housing markets may be turning into bubbles destined to […]

What is a reverse mortgage?

Wednesday, May 25th, 2005

With a traditional mortgage, also known as a forward mortgage, or with a home equity loan, a borrower signs on the dotted line for a large amount of money and then makes monthly payments for a fixed period of time which reduces the amount owed. Instead of decreasing, however, in a reverse mortgage, the amount […]