Jun 25, 2013 | Mortgage Tips
Paying off the mortgage on your home faster means that you will not only have the satisfaction of owning your own home sooner, you will also have the benefit of paying much less in interest over the years.
The faster you pay off your mortgage, the more money you can save, so here are some tips to accelerate your payment schedule.
Pay Your Mortgage Every Other Week (Bi-Weekly)
Did you know that if you take your monthly mortgage payment and divide it in half and then pay it every two weeks that you will end up making a full extra month of payments every year? This is called a bi-weekly payment program which has been around for a long time, and it’s still a good idea today!
You likely won’t notice the difference since the extra half payments occur in long months with bigger paychecks, but over the years this will end up saving you thousands of dollars in interest payments.
Make a Bigger Monthly Payment
Similar to the bi-weekly payment plan above, you can accomplish the goal by dividing your principal and interest portion of your payment by 12 and then adding that amount to your regular monthly payment. You will be paying that extra payment every year, but spacing it out over each monthly payment.
Most homeowners using this tactic can shorten their term by up to seven years.
Put Any Windfall Toward the Mortgage
Was your tax rebate larger than you expected? Have you received an inheritance from your great aunt Thelma? Have you won a cash prize in a contest?
Put any unexpected chunks of cash straight toward your mortgage instead of spending them. This won’t affect your budget at all, because you were never expecting or counting on that money in the first place. But once again, it can make a huge difference in the overall amount of interest that you pay on your mortgage loan.
However, keep in mind your particular situation. Spending every last penny paying off your mortgage as quickly as possible might not be the best option for you if you have no emergency savings fund or if you have a credit card languishing with high interest debt.
It is usually more important to deal with these pressing financial issues before attempting to save money on your mortgage. One great way to start your research on how to pay your Massachusetts home off faster is to talk with your trusted real estate professional. They can answer your questions and point you in the best direction for your situation.
Jun 24, 2013 | Housing Analysis
Comments by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke after Wednesday’s FOMC meeting caused havoc in financial markets as investors anticipated the potential effects of any rollback of the Fed’s policy of quantitative easing (QE). Chairman Bernanke said that the Fed may begin reducing its $85 billion monthly purchase of Treasury securities and MBS toward the end of this year.
The chairman made it clear that any decision concerning QE would be based on careful review of current and developing economic conditions. QE is intended to keep long-term interest rates low; any reduction of the QE securities purchases could cause mortgage rates to rise.
Economic News Bodes Well For Housing
The week’s other economic news included more good news for housing. The NAHB/WF Housing Market Index for June came in ahead of expectations at 52, which surpassed the expected reading of 45 and May’s reading of 44. Any reading over 50 indicates that more builders surveyed believe that housing market conditions are positive.
Tuesday was busy for economic news. The Consumer Price Index for May rose from April’s reading of –0.40 percent to +0.10 percent in May, which was below expectations of +0.20 percent.
The Department of Commerce released its Housing Starts Report for May; the reading for May missed expectations of 953,000 housing starts and came in at 914,000 which exceeded April’s 856,000 housing starts. Increasing the number of available homes could help steady recently increasing home prices, but existing homes remain in short supply in many areas.
Fed Expects Moderate Improvement Continuing For Economy
Wednesday’s news involved the Fed’s FOMC meeting and press conference. The Fed stated after the meeting that it expects moderate improvement in economic condition and noted that housing, which was a primary cause of the economic downturn, is now leading the economy’s recovery.
Freddie Mac reported that the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell from 3.98 percent with 0.7 percent discount points to 3.93 percent with borrowers paying 0.8 percent in discount points. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage fell from 3.10 percent to 3.04 percent with 0.7 percent in discount points for both weeks. Investor response to the Fed’s mention of possibly reducing its QE program is likely to send mortgage rates up next week.
The National Association of REALTORS® released its Existing Home Sales report for May. Existing home sales came in at 5.18 million and beat projections of 5.00 million and April’s sales of 4.97 million existing homes.
Increasing sales of existing homes is good news as demand has exceeded supplies of existing homes in recent months. High demand drives up home prices and impacts affordability along with rising mortgage rates.
What’s Ahead For This Week
Next week’s scheduled news includes a number of housing related reports, FHFA Home Prices, the Case-Shiller Home Prices Report and New Home Sales are set for release Tuesday.
The Gross Domestic Product Report comes out on Wednesday. On Thursday, data for weekly jobless claims, consumer spending and pending home sales will be released.
Friday brings the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index and the Consumer Sentiment Index.
The data released in these reports will continue to inform the Fed’s decision-making with regard to bond purchasing and interest rate policy. It’s possible though, following the aggressive market sell-off activity from last week, that we may see a softening in long-term rates over the course of this week.
Jun 21, 2013 | Around The Home
Spring has sprung and today is the first official day of summer. If you are finally finding time to tend your garden, don’t feel guilty — just get dirty!
In one June weekend, you can have your yard looking colorful and smelling sweet. All it takes is a shovel, a design idea and a knowledgeable trip to a greenhouse.
Whether a rose is your favorite or you know nothing about flowers, you can make you yard beautiful without being a professional landscaper. Below are several types of flowers that will have your garden looking gorgeous this summer and you blushing from all your neighbors’ compliments.
Snowdrift Rose – The perfumed petals of this vigorous plant will provide a pleasant scent to your outdoors. Also, the stems are nice and long for cutting and creating indoor arrangements.
Black-Eyed Susan – After these vivid yellow flowers have bloomed, cut them back in order to ensure a second round of blossoms.
Dwarf Sunflower – If you love the large varietal, but don’t have the room, consider this smaller cousin.
English Lavender – This dark blue and purple flower is a tough plant that does well in even the hottest of climates.
Hydrangea – To take up more space, these little shrubs produce beautiful white clusters of flowers that fade to shades of pink and green.
Marigold – These traditional crimson blooms grow low and spread quickly, which makes them the perfect plant for a flowerbed border.
Petunia – The newer varieties of these full-sun flowers are low maintenance because they self-clean. The old blooms drop off without you needing to prune.
Summersweet – If you have a shady spot, this pink or white plant with its gold colored leaves will have the space feeling vibrant.
Zinnia – These long-lasting yellow, red and orange flowers will bloom well into fall.
A rose can be red, violets are blue — but you don’t have to feel that way about your garden.
Take one weekend this month to tame your flowerbeds, introduce a few budding plants and enjoy their fragrant scents for the rest of the summer.
Jun 20, 2013 | Home Buyer Tips
Are you buying a property as your second home? Perhaps you are looking for a small cottage or apartment where you can escape to for your vacations, or maybe you want to have another home closer to your relatives?
Maybe you want to rent out your second property and make a steady income from your investment. Whatever the reason, a second piece of real estate can be a fantastic investment. However, sometimes getting a mortgage on your second home can present a challenge.
Generally, a mortgage lender will have tougher standards for vacation home — or second home — loans than primary home loans. This is because usually when you are buying a second home your finances will be stretched thinner and you will have less money to spare due to already paying a mortgage on your primary home.
This additional risk may mean that your second home mortgage can be more difficult to close and likely could carry a higher interest rate.
Here are three tips to keep in mind that will help you to get the best mortgage on your second property:
Build up a decent amount of savings.
Your mortgage lender will want to be able to see that you have a large amount of savings in reserve so that you will have enough to pay for the mortgage even if you were to lose your job or other income source.
Pay off any credit card or installment debt.
Many lenders will be hesitant to approve your second home mortgage if they see that you have a lot of debt on your credit card. They will want to see that you have a low debt to income ratio so that you will be able to pay back the loan.
Use your primary home as a resource.
If you have always made your payments on time and you are well on your way through paying off your first house, you may have equity to borrow against for some or all of your second home purchase. Be careful here though. There is a little known IRS regulation that requires the second home be financed under it’s own home loan within 90 days of closing to get the best tax advantages.
These are just a few tips to keep in mind in order to make getting a mortgage for your second property as easy as possible.
To find out more about investing in a second home or vacation property, contact your trusted real estate professional today.
Jun 19, 2013 | Housing Analysis
U.S. housing markets are gaining as demand for homes exceeds available supplies in many areas. The National Association of Home Builders/ Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for June increased by eight points over May’s reading to achieve a positive reading of 52. This last happened in August-September of 2002, when HMI monthly readings also jumped by eight points.
Any reading over 50 indicates that more builders consider housing market conditions positive than negative. June’s reading was the first time the HMI reading surpassed a reading of 50 since April 2006.
Limited Inventory Drives Sales Of New Homes
Rick Judson, NAHB Chairman, cited short supplies of existing homes as a factor driving sales of new homes. As demand for homes grows and inventories of available existing homes fall, buyers are increasingly buying new homes.
Sales of existing homes continue to be impacted by factors such as homes worth less than the mortgages held against them and sellers taking a “wait and see” attitude toward listing their homes for sale.
All three of the components of June’s national HMI gained:
- The reading for current sales conditions rose from 48 to 56.
- Expectations for future sales gained nine points to 61.
- June’s reading for buyer foot traffic in new homes gained seven points for a reading of 40.
Regional Home Builder Confidence Grows In 3 Of 4 Regions
The 3-month rolling average readings for regional home builder confidence showed increases in three of four regions:
- Northeast: Builder confidence increased by one point to 37.
- Midwest: Builder confidence rose by one point to 47.
- South: Builder confidence rose by four points to 46.
- West: Builder confidence dropped by one point to 48.
High demand and a shortage lots available for building new homes contributed to the West’s slight decrease in builder confidence. Overall, increasing home builder confidence is a sign of economic recovery, but as the economy gains momentum and home prices continue rising, mortgage rates can be expected to rise as well.
Housing Starts Up 28% Annually In May
The U.S. Department of Commerce reported Wednesday that national housing starts rose by 6.80 percent from April’s revised reading. May’s reading of 914,000 housing starts was reported on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. May’s reading was 28.80 percent higher than for May 2012.
Single-family housing starts (one to four units) fell short of investor expectations of 953,000 but exceeded April’s revised reading of 856,000.
Multi-family housing starts surpassed single-family housing starts, but any additions to low inventories of single-family homes could ease the difference between high demand and low inventories of available homes. Meeting demand for homes would temper rising home prices, which could help potential buyers qualify for mortgage loans.
