What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: September 16, 2013

2012-08-20-0845Mortgage backed securities are improving this morning on the news that Larry Summers has withdrawn as a candidate for the next Fed Chairman. This leaves current Fed Vice Chairman Janet Yellan as a strong candidate to replace Ben Bernanke. Bond markets are reacting positively to the news that Janet is once again a front runner as the next Fed head. Speaking of the Fed – watch for the results of the FOMC meeting on this Wednesday.

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What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: September 9, 2013

mortgageporter-economyThis week’s calendar appears to be on the light side. Mortgage rates will be taking ques from the from stocks. All eyes will be on Congress with their vote on whether or not to be taking action against Syria.

The Treasury will start selling $65 billion in notes and bonds on Tuesday, which may also impact rates.

Here are the economic indicators scheduled to be released this week:

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What May Impact Mortgage Interest Rates this Week: September 2, 2013

MortgagePorter-JobsReportIt’s not only economic indicators that may impact the direction of mortgage rates, world events, such as what’s going on in Syria, may also cause rates to go down or up. This is because mortgage interest rates are based on mortgage backed securities (bonds) and when their is uncertainty in the world, investors may seek the safety of bonds, which tends to cause mortgage rates to improve. Remember, as the stock market improves, investors will trade the safety of bonds (like mortgage backed securities) for the potentially quicker returns found in stocks.

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What may impact mortgage rates this week: August 26, 2013

Mortgage rates are not just influenced by scheduled economic indicators. Sometimes uncertainty in the world, such as what’s going on in Syria, will cause a flight to safety with investors seeking bonds, like mortgage backed securities. This is causing mortgage rates, which are based on mortgage backed securities, to be improved this morning.

Here are a few of the economic indicators scheduled to be released this week:

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What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: August 19, 2013

mortgageporter-economyI hope you are having a wonderful summer. Our Seattle summer has been just beautiful – I don’t even mind the few days of rain we’ve had sprinkled in. Anyhow, you’re not reading this post for a weather report, are you? Let’s get back to what may impact mortgage interest rates this week! Today and Tuesday, we don’t have any economic indicators scheduled to be released. Wednesday is the big day with the minutes from the last Fed meeting being released.

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What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: August 12, 2013

mortgageporter-economyWe don’t have any economic indicators scheduled to be released today…however, the rest of this week is loaded with data that could impact mortgage rates. If the reports reveal inflation heating up, mortgage rates may trend higher. Here’s a list of what’s scheduled for this week:

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What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: August 5, 2013

We have a very light calendar this week with only two scheduled economic indicators being released.

  • Monday, August 5: ISM Services Index
  • Thursday, August 8: Initial Jobless Claims

Don’t let this light calendar lull you into thinking it’s going to be a calm week for mortgage rates. With summer time in full swing and lighter volumes due to traders enjoying a summer vacation, we may see volatility with the direction of mortgage rates.

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S&P Case Shiller: Seattle home prices on the rise

SP_CS_postThis morning the S&P/Case Shiller Home Prices Index was released revealing gains across the board for the 20 city index.

The report states that Seattle had their largest monthly gain to home prices since April 1990 of 3.15% from April to May.

Year over year, Seattle boasted double digit gains of 11.9% for May.

This can be good news for people in the greater Seattle area who are considering selling their home and for those who have been waiting for home values to improve so they can refinance.

Mortgage interest rates are off their record lows. However, they are still what would be considered historically low.

If you’re interested in getting preapproved to buy a home or refinancing your existing home located in Washington State, I’m happy to help you!