Las Vegas Mortgages

Las Vegas Mortgage Rates Fall For 8 Straight Weeks

June 14, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Freddie Mac mortgage rates 2010-2011

Mortgage rates are falling, falling, falling.

On a wave of uncertainty about Greece and its debt; and weaker-than-expected economic data at home, conforming 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates have fallen to levels not seen since December 2, 2010.

Mortgage rates have dropped 8 weeks in a row. Not even last year’s Refi Boom produced an 8-week winning streak. This season’s streak is historic.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage now averages 4.49% nationally, down 42 basis points, or 0.42%, since early-April. For every $100,000 borrowed, that equates to a monthly savings of $25.24.

Adjustable-rate mortgages have shed even more, giving back 50 basis points since the streak began.

Because of low rates, it’s an excellent time to buy or refinance a home relative to just a few weeks ago. Note, though, that depending on where you live, you may find your quoted interest rates to be slightly higher or lower than what Freddie Mac reports in its survey. This is because the Freddie Mac figure is a national average.

Mortgage rates and fees vary by region:

Northeast : 4.49 with 0.6 points
Southeast : 4.52 with 0.8 points
North Central : 4.52 with 0.6 points
Southeast : 4.52 with 0.6 points
West : 4.45 with 0.8 points

You’ll notice that, in the West Region, rates tend to be low and fees tend to be high; in the North Central Region, the opposite is true. You should expect Nevada to have its own pricing norm within this region, too.

Is there a particular rate-and-fee setup that suits you best? The good news is that you can ask for it — no matter where you live.

If having the absolute lowest mortgage rate is more important to you than having the absolute lowest fees, ask your loan officer to structure your loan in the “West” style. Or, if low costs are more your style, ask for them.

Mortgage rates appears as if they’re headed lower but don’t forget how quickly markets can change. Once they do, mortgage rates in Las Vegas should spike. Exploit today’s market while you still can.

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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: 30-Year Fixed, Freddie Mac, Refi Boom

Do You Know What Questions To Ask Your Las Vegas Lender?

June 10, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

A mortgage comes with many moving pieces and understanding them is the key getting a great deal. Unfortunately, studies show that few Americans have a firm grasp of how mortgages work — from mortgage types to mortgage fees.

In this back-to-basics interview on NBC’s The Today Show, you’ll learn some mortgage planning basics to help you get smarter with your next home loan in Henderson or anywhere else — purchase or refinance.

Some of the topics covered include:

The mortgage applicants for whom adjustable-rate mortgages are a better choice than fixed-rate mortgages
Why you should include “How Good Is This Lender?”-type questions in the rate shopping process
What a pre-approval letter is good for, and what it is not good for

There is also one of the most simple explanations of “discount points” ever offered on network television.

The video runs 4-and-a-half minutes. For first-time buyers and experienced ones, it’s worth a watch. You’ll pick up some tips to use on your next mortgage.

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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Las Vegas Real Estate Market, Recent News Tagged With: Discount Points, The Today Show

Temporary Conforming Loan Limits Expire September 30, 2011

June 8, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Conforming Loan Limits lowered in 2011 If you live in a high-cost area, keep an eye on your calendar. Effective October 1, 2011, temporary conforming loan limits will be lowered nationwide. Perhaps by as much as 14 percent.

These limits range up to $729,750 currently.

“Temporary loan limits” were enacted as part of the government’s 2008 economic stimulus package. At the time, the financial sector was entering its crisis and private mortgage lending had all but disappeared. Financing was scarce for both homeowners and home buyers for whom loan sizes exceeded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s national $417,000 limit — even for those with excellent credit and income.

The issue was exacerbated in places like New York City where local home prices routinely topped $1 million. Buyers unable or unwilling to bring a substantial downpayment to closing (i.e. $600,000 or more) found themselves without financing.

The February 2008 package addressed this issue, using a math formula to change loan limits in Henderson and nationwide. The government assigned to each U.S. metropolitan area a temporary, new loan size limit equal to 25% greater than its respective median home sale price, not to fall below $417,000, and not to exceed $729,750.

Then, later that same year, the Housing and Recovery Act made “high-cost areas” permanent, but with a reduced 15% increase to median home prices, and loan sizes not to exceed $625,500.

These new limits take effect October 1, 2011 — one day after the temporary limits expire.

If you live in a high-cost area, therefore, take note. Mortgage rates may be low, but the amount of loan for which you qualify may be less than you expect, and you may find yourself ineligible.

Whether you’re planning a refinance or a purchase, keep an eye on the calendar.

The complete list of high-cost areas is available online.

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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, Fannie Mae, High-Cost Area, Las Vegas Nevada, Loan Limits

Las Vegas Mortgages – Guidelines Start To Loosen At The Country’s Biggest Banks

June 1, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Fed Senior Loan Officer Survey Q1 2011 Another quarter, another sign that mortgage lending may be easing nationwide.

The Federal Reserve’s quarterly survey of senior loan officers revealed that an overwhelming majority of U.S. banks have stopped tightening mortgage requirements for “prime borrowers”.

A prime borrower is one with a well-documented credit history, high credit scores, and a low debt-to-income ratio.

Of the 53 responding “big banks”, 49 reported that mortgage guidelines were “basically unchanged” last quarter. Of the remaining four banks, two said mortgage guidelines had “eased somewhat”, and the remaining banks said guidelines “tightened somewhat”.

It’s the second straight quarter in which fewer than 5 percent of banks tightened guidelines, and the first quarter in nearly 5 years in which the number of banks that loosened guidelines equaled the number of banks tightening them.

The easing in mortgage lending is a positive development for the housing market; and for buyers in Henderson and nationwide. Looser lending standards means that more buyers will be approved for home loans, and that should spur home sales forward across the region.

However, don’t confuse “looser standards” with “irresponsible standards”. It’s much more difficult to get financing today as compared to 2006. Delinquencies and defaults have altered how a bank reviews a loan application.

Today, underwriters are more conservative with respect to household income, total assets and overall credit scores. Even as compared to just 6 months ago:

Minimum credit score requirements are higher
Downpayment/equity requirements are larger
Maximum allowable debt-to-income ratios are lower

If you can get approved, though, your reward is that mortgage rates are especially low. Since early-April, both conforming and FHA mortgage rates have been on a downward trajectory, and pricing is near a 6-month low.

Home affordability is at an all-time high, too.

Looser guidelines and lower rates should help fuel home demand through the summer months. If you’re in the market to buy, your timing appears to be excellent.

Considering a Las Vegas New Home purchase?

Use our Las Vegas New Homes search to define your criteria (price, location, home features) and access photos and floor plans.

Prefer an Existing Home?
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Search all Las Vegas Foreclosures, including Henderson, Green Valley and North Las Vegas bank-owned homes.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: Federal Reserve, Loan Officer Survey

Memorial Day Messes With Mortgage Rates

May 24, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Vacation weeks are rough on mortgage rates Mortgage rates across the state are near year-to-date lows, but locking them in this week may be difficult. As Memorial Day nears, and Wall Streeters get a head-start on the long weekends, trade volume in the mortgage bond markets will dip.

When bond volume drops, mortgage rates get jumpy. It’s a relationship based more on scarcity than actual market fundamentals.

It works like this:

Conforming and FHA mortgage rates are based on the “market price” of a mortgage-backed bond
Mortgage-backed bonds can’t be bought or sold without a buyer and a seller at a specific price

As Friday gets closer this week, and more and more Wall Street traders will leave for their “extended” 3-day weekend, and bond markets will be left with fewer and fewer participants. This will create a market situation in which it’s harder to match a buyer and seller at any given bond price, resulting in larger mortgage rate shifts than usual.

These jumps in rates are exaggerated during periods of economic uncertainty like these. What’s more, there’s a lot of economically-important data due for release this week. That, too, can put markets in hysterics.

If this were a “normal” week, mortgage rates would be volatile. The coming of Memorial Day is just adding to the mix.

Mortgage rates may rise in Las Vegas this week, or they may fall. Either way, if you have the opportunity to lock something favorable, consider doing it. Rates are low and likely won’t last.

Considering a Las Vegas New Home purchase?

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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages Tagged With: Holidays, Memorial Day

Fed Minutes Put The Heat On Mortgage Rates To Rise

May 19, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

FOMC Meeting Minutes The Federal Reserve released its April 2011 Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes Wednesday. In the hours since, mortgage markets have worsened; rates in Nevada are higher by 1/8 percent this morning, at least.

The “Fed Minutes” is published 8 times annually, three week after each scheduled FOMC meeting. The minutes are the Federal Reserve’s official recap of the conversations and debates that shaped the prior FOMC session.

Another way to consider the Fed Minutes is as the companion piece to the more well-known FOMC press release. The press release is issued on the day of adjournment, and is brief, narrow, and high-level. The statement makes broad comments on the economy and outlines new monetary policy.

By contrast, the Fed Minutes is delayed, lengthy, and rife with details. The minutes highlights arguments and discussion points between Fed members, and digs deep into underlying economic issues.

The FOMC press release is measured in paragraphs. The Fed Minutes is measured in pages.

Here is some of what the Fed discussed last month:

On inflation : Higher levels are “transitory”; will level-off with commodity prices
On housing : The market remains depressed. “Vacant properties” are harming construction.
On stimulus : The Fed will stick to its $600 billion support plan

In addition, at its meeting, the Federal Reserve discussed an exit strategy for its market support. The details are undecided, but the debate shows that the Fed is anticipated a change in policy sometime soon.

Wall Street estimates that a gradual economic tightening will begin within 12 months.

Mortgage rates have been fading since mid-April. The Fed Minutes may be the catalyst of a reversal. The Federal Reserve expects growth in the U.S. economy and growth tends to boost stock markets at the expense of bonds.

As bond markets fall, mortgage rates in Las Vegas rise.

Currently, Freddie Mac reports the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate as 4.63% — the lowest of the year.

Considering a Las Vegas New Home purchase?

Use our Las Vegas New Homes search to define your criteria (price, location, home features) and access photos and floor plans.

Prefer an Existing Home?
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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: Fed Minutes, FOMC, Inflation

Rising Retail Sales Threaten Low Las Vegas Mortgage Rates

May 13, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Retail Sales May 2009-April 2011 Another day, another piece of evidence that the U.S. economy is expanding.

Thursday, the Census Bureau released the April Retail Sales report. Excluding cars and auto parts, retail receipts rose for the 10th straight month and, at $321 billion, reached an all-time high.

Retail sales account for roughly half of consumer spending, and roughly one-third of the economy overall.

For home buyers and rate shoppers in Las Vegas , the sales figures have positive and negative implications.

On the positive side, more retail sales suggests more confidence in the U.S. economy. This can spark a growth cycle that benefits the country, on the whole.

Consumers spend more money
Businesses sell more product
Businesses expand payroll to meet new product demand
Governments collect more taxes; fund more projects
Consumers gain more confidence and the cycle repeats

Furthermore, rising employment rates help to support higher levels of home sales which, in turn, can lead to higher home prices in Nevada.

This is why Retail Sales data is so important to Wall Street and economists. It can hold clues to the future of the U.S. economy.

On the negative side, however, rising Retail Sales figures can harm home affordability. In addition to the aforementioned pressure on home prices, a strengthening economy can lead to higher mortgage rates. The weak economy of 2009-2010 is a major reason why mortgage rates were so low for so long.

As the economy improves, therefore, it follows that rates should reverse.

Each 1/8 percent increase to mortgage rates raises a mortgage payment $8 per $100,000 borrowed.

Retail Sales are up 7 percent from a year ago.

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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: Census Bureau, Retail Sales

Conforming ARMs From 2004-2006 Are Adjusting To 3 Percent

May 11, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Pending ARM Adjustment Spring/Summer 2011

When a mortgage applicants chooses an adjustable-rate mortgage over a fixed-rate one, he accepts a risk that — at some point in the future — the mortgage’s interest rate will rise. Lately, though, that hasn’t been the outcome.

Since mid-2010, conforming mortgages have adjusted below their initial “teaser” rate consistently, giving homeowners in Nevada and nationwide reason to ride their respective adjustable-rate mortgages out.

For example, this month, conforming 7-year and 5-year ARMs are adjusting near 3.011 percent based on the most common loan terms of 2004-2006. It’s because of how adjustable-rate mortgages are structured.

Adjustable-rate mortgages follow a defined lifecycle. First, the ARM’s mortgage rate is pegged; held fixed for a set number of years. This period ranges from one year to 10 years; periods of five and seven years are most common.

When the initial fixed-rate period ends, the mortgage rate then adjusts based on a pre-set formula. The formula is established by contract in the mortgage closing paperwork, and is commonly defined as:

(Adjusted Mortgage Rate) = (2.250 percent) + (Current 1-Year LIBOR)

Next, every 12 months, based on the same formula as above, the ARM adjusts again until 30 years have passed and the loan is paid is full.

It’s important to recognize that in the above equation, LIBOR is a variable so as LIBOR goes, so goes your adjusted mortgage rate. And because LIBOR is ultra-low right now, adjusted mortgage rates are ultra-low, too. LIBOR is expected to stay this way until the global economy has recovered more fully. Analysts predict a higher LIBOR by mid-2012.

So, if you have an adjustable-rate mortgage that’s due to reset this season, don’t rush to refinance. For at least one more year, you can benefit from low rates and low payments. As for the next adjustment, though, that’s anyone’s guess.

Considering a Las Vegas New Home purchase?

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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Las Vegas Real Estate Market, Recent News Tagged With: ARM, ARM Reset, LIBOR

Job Growth Returning To “Normal” Levels — A Bad Sign For Las Vegas Mortgage Rates

May 5, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Job Growth (2000-2011)

Be prepared for Friday morning. Mortgage rates and home affordability could worsen quickly. At 8:30 AM ET, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its April Non-Farm Payrolls report and momentum has been strong.

The monthly jobs report is a market-mover and analysts expect that 196,000 new jobs were added last month. If those expectations are exceeded — by even a little — Wall Street would take it mean “economic strength” and the stock market would be boosted.

Too bad for rate shoppers, though; a move like that would also lead to higher mortgage rates throughout Nevada. This is because, coming out of a recession, reports of economic strength tend to push mortgage rates up. We’ve seen it happen multiple times in the last 8 months.

Since losing more than 7 million jobs between 2008 and 2009, employers have added 1.3 million jobs back to the economy. And we’re learning that there’s plans for fewer job cuts in the future. It’s clear that the jobs market is improving and this is why tomorrow’s Non-Farm Payrolls report is so important.

A “weak economy” helped keep mortgage rates low for a very long time. A strengthening economy will reverse that tide.

So, consider your personal risk tolerance today, in advance of tomorrow’s Non-Farm Payrolls report. If the thought of rising mortgage rates makes you nervous, call your loan officer and lock in a rate today. Once tomorrow’s data is released, after all, the market might look changed.

Considering a Las Vegas New Home purchase?

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Prefer an Existing Home?
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Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: Inflation, Jobs Report, Non-Farm Payrolls

Geopolitics Have Las Vegas Mortgage Rates Poised To Change

May 3, 2011 By LasVegasHomes Leave a Comment

Geopolitics make mortgage rates move Among the most challenging aspects of shopping for a mortgage is how rates change constantly. It’s hard to pin them down.

For example, in 2011, mortgage rates have expired every 3-and-a-half hours, on average. That’s fast.

There’s two main catalysts for changing mortgage rates.

The first can be grouped as ”scheduled events”; the planned release of market data which includes the Existing Home Sales report, or a scheduled government statement such as when the Federal Open Market Committee meets. When the outcomes of these event-types either exceed, or fall short, of Wall Street’s expectations, mortgage markets react.

Home buyers and rate shoppers in Henderson realize this as higher (or lower) mortgage rates.

Then there’s the other type of catalyst — the “unscheduled event”.

Unscheduled events take many forms and are often called “surprise developments”. The Federal Reserve’s plan to inject $750 billion into mortgage markets in 2009 was one such surprise. Most geopolitical events fall into this category, too.

Unscheduled events are often unsettling to Wall Street because investors don’t have specific contingency plans for them like they would if, say, this month’s jobs report comes back exceedingly strong. For example, investors didn’t expect North Korea to fire missiles over Japan in 2008, nor did they expect a volcano to erupt in Iceland last spring.

When unscheduled, unexpected events occur, the market’s first — and natural — reaction is to scramble to make sense of it. Mortgage rates get jostled as a result and can take days to settle back to normal.

We’re experiencing an “unexpected event” right now.

In response to Sunday’s evening’s presidential address, markets are now upended. The dollar is strengthening, oil prices are falling, and stock markets are rising. Each of these items are altering mortgage rates across Nevada.

Even today, markets remain unsettled.

Therefore, if you’re shopping for a mortgage rate, keep one eye on the news and the other on the rate-lock trigger. During periods of unexpected activity, mortgage rates can change quickly so be ready to shop, and be ready to lock.

Mortgage markets wait for no one.

Considering a Las Vegas New Home purchase?

Use our Las Vegas New Homes search to define your criteria (price, location, home features) and access photos and floor plans.

Prefer an Existing Home?
Search all Las Vegas Existing (Resale) Homes for Sale using our free, interactive map-based search.

Search all Las Vegas Foreclosures, including Henderson, Green Valley and North Las Vegas bank-owned homes.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Mortgages, Recent News Tagged With: Federal Reserve, Geopolitics

Las Vegas Mortgage Rates Fall For 8 Straight Weeks

Do You Know What Questions To Ask Your Las Vegas Lender?

Temporary Conforming Loan Limits Expire September 30, 2011

Las Vegas Mortgages – Guidelines Start To Loosen At The Country’s Biggest Banks

Memorial Day Messes With Mortgage Rates

Fed Minutes Put The Heat On Mortgage Rates To Rise

Rising Retail Sales Threaten Low Las Vegas Mortgage Rates

Conforming ARMs From 2004-2006 Are Adjusting To 3 Percent

Job Growth Returning To “Normal” Levels — A Bad Sign For Las Vegas Mortgage Rates

Geopolitics Have Las Vegas Mortgage Rates Poised To Change

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