Freddie Mac | M Squared Real Estate

Apr 29

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – April 29, 2013

April 29, 2013 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

Mortgage rates fell again last week and are again near record lows. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage did achieve a record low of 2.61 percent as compared to 3.1 percent one year ago. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to 3.40 percent and near the record low of 3.31 percent. Low mortgage rates are helping homeowners with refinancing and are boosting housing markets as more buyers can qualify for mortgage loans. Home … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Consumer Confidence, Economy, Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Open Market Committee, Financial News, Freddie Mac, Friday, mortgage rates, National Association of Realtors, U.S. Housing Market

Feb 25

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week: February 25th, 2013

February 25, 2013 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

A quiet past week in economic news caused mortgage rates to worsen slightly. This week, however, will be packed with economic reports which may have an impact on interest rates going forward. Freddie Mac reported that the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose by 3 basis points from 3.53 percent to 3.56 percent with borrowers paying 0.8 in discount points and all of their closing costs. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage was unchanged from last week at 2.77 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: 30-Year Fixed, Consumer Price Index - CPI (CPIS), Economic calendar, Freddie Mac, Inflation, Mortgage loan

Dec 03

A Look At This Week’s Mortgage Rates : December 3, 2012

December 3, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

Low mortgage rates are pumping up home affordability. Average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates made a new all-time low in November, continuing this year Refinance Boom and giving fuel to the budding housing market recovery. At month-end, Freddie Mac's survey of 125 banks nationwide put the benchmark product's rate at 3.32% for borrowers willing to pay 0.8 discount points. This is just 0.01 percentage point above the record-low rate establishing prior to Thanksgiving. The 15-year fixed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Ben Bernanke, Case-Shiller Index, Consumer Confidence, Freddie Mac, Gross Domestic Product, Mortgage loan, Unemployment, United States Department of Commerce, Wall Street

Nov 19

Federal Reserve : New Economic Stimulus May Be Warranted

November 19, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

The Federal Reserve released its October Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes last week, revealing a Fed in disagreement about the future of the U.S. economy and about what, if any, stimulus may be warranted in the next 12 months. The "Fed Minutes" recaps the conversations and debates that transpire during an FOMC meeting, and is published 3 weeks after the meeting adjourns. According to the October minutes, FOMC members "generally agreed" that a housing recovery is under … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: District of Columbia, Fed Minutes, Federal Reserve System, FOMC, Freddie Mac, Purchasing Power, washington dc

Oct 22

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : October 22, 2012

October 22, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

Mortgage markets worsened last week as hope for a European economic rebound and stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data moved investors out of mortgage-backed bonds. Mortgage rates all of types -- conventional, FHA and VA -- lost ground last week, harming home affordability in DC and reducing purchasing power nationwide. Rising rates also thwarted would-be refinancing households hoping to time a market bottom. The increase runs counter to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: District of Columbia, Federal Open Market Committee, FOMC, Freddie Mac, mortgage, mortgage rates, New Home Sales, Purchasing Power, washington dc

Oct 16

Buyers Win 6.6 Percent Increase In Purchasing Power

October 16, 2012 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

Mortgage rates in District of Columbia continue to troll near all-time lows, boosting the purchasing power of home buyers statewide. According to Freddie Mac's most recent Primary Mortgage Market survey, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage is now 3.39 percent nationwide, just three ticks off an all-time low. At the start of last quarter, 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates averaged 3.62 percent. One year ago, they averaged 4.12%. When mortgage rates are falling, they present DC home … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Buyer, Fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac, Market research, Mortgage loan, mortgage rates, Purchasing Power, U.S. Housing Market, washington dc

Oct 15

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : October 15, 2012

October 15, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

Mortgage markets improved slightly last week. With a dearth of new U.S. economic data due for release, investors turned their collective attention to the Europe, China, and the Middle East. U.S. mortgage rates fell slightly in the holiday-shortened week. The combination of civil protests, economic slowdowns, and growing political tensions caused investors to dump risky assets in favor of the relative safety provided by the U.S. mortgage bond market. According to Freddie Mac, the average … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: China, District of Columbia, Fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac, Greece, Middle East, mortgage, Mortgage loan, Point (mortgage), Wall Street, washington dc

Oct 09

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : October 9, 2012

October 9, 2012 By Justin Paulhamus Leave a Comment

Mortgage markets worsened last week for the first time in a month as the U.S. economy showed signs of improvement, and the Eurozone stepped closer to launching its $500 billion euro rescue fund. Conforming mortgage rates in DC rose last week on the whole -- even though Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey proclaimed that they fell. This occurred because Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate survey is conducted between Monday and Tuesday each week and, last week, mortgage rates were … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: Beige Book, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Eurozone, Federal Reserve System, Fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac, Greece, Mortgage loan, Non-Farm Payrolls, Wall Street

Oct 04

With Tomorrow’s Job Report Due, Mortgage Rates May Finally Rise

October 4, 2012 By Jessica Wilkie Leave a Comment

It's a dangerous time for home buyers in District of Columbia to be without a locked mortgage rate. Friday morning, at 8:30 AM ET, the government releases its Non-Farm Payrolls report for September. More well-known as "the jobs report", Non-Farm Payrolls data has the power to move mortgage rates up or down. Unfortunately, ahead of the release, we can't know which. Last year, job growth more than doubled between August and September. If this year shows that same growth, DC mortgage rates … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: August, Bureau of Labor Statistic, Employment, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Mortgage loan, NFP, Non-Farm Payrolls, September, Wall Street

Sep 26

Home Price Index Shows Values Rising 3.7% From One Year Ago

September 26, 2012 By Joshua Oliver Leave a Comment

Tuesday, the Federal Home Finance Agency's Home Price Index (HPI) showed home values rising 0.2% on a seasonally-adjusted basis between June and July 2012, and moving +3.7% on an annual basis. Home values have not dropped month-to-month since January of this year -- a span of 6 months. For today's home buyers and sellers throughout DC , though, it's important to recognize on what the HPI is actually reporting. Or, stated differently, on what the HPI is not reporting. The Home Price … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Real Estate in Washington, DC Tagged With: District of Columbia, Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration, Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA, Freddie Mac, Home Price Index, House price index, HPI, Price index, washington dc