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Getting a Mortgage

Financial/Mortgage Update

In the last six weeks interest rates for Palos Verdes real estate have remained fairly steady. The interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage going down 1/4 point to 4.75% for a conforming loan and remaining at 5.785% for a jumbo loan. A 5/1 Year ARM is 3.75% for a conforming loan and 5.125% for jumbo loans. A 5/1 Interest Only conforming loan has a 3.75% interest rate and a jumbo loan has a 5.25%...


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Financial/Mortgage Update

It was a fairly quiet week in the financial/mortgage area which is a welcome change from the last several months. Rates are down slightly for all loans. The current interest rate for a 30-year fixed conforming loan is 5% and 5.875% for a jumbo loan. A 5/1 Year ARM is 3.625% for conforming loans and 5.125% for jumbo loans. A 5/1 Interest Only conforming loan has a 3.75% interest rate and a jumbo...


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Financial/Mortgage Update

"The typical monthly mortgage payment for Southern California buyers last month was $1,193, up from $1,052 in May. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 46% below typical payments in the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior real estate cycle" states the Los Angeles Times on July 16th. I checked and in 1989, the average interest for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 10.32%. That is twice as much...


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Financial/Mortgage Update

Mortgage rates have been see-sawing up and down a bit for the Palos Verdes real estate market. A 30-year fixed conforming loan is 4.875% which is a quarter percent higher than 2 months ago and a quarter percent lower than last week. A 5/1 Year ARM is 3.875% and a 5/1 Interest Only loan is 4%. 30-year Fixed Jumbo rates are 6.125% for borrowers with FICO scores over 740 and 30% down. A jumbo 5/1 Year...


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Where Are The Jumbo Loans?

The availability of Jumbo Loans have affected the sale of Palos Verdes real estateover $1,200,000. It is a little tricky because there are jumbo loans available at rates that match May of 2008 - 6.875%. However, the number of buyers who can qualify for those loans has been diminished because these loans must be have full income verification and the borrower must have FICO scores of 700 or...


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Appraisal Rules Not Smelling So Good

Last week Area Appraisal Management Company spoke at our Palos Verdes real estate office meeting to bring us up to date on the new appraisal rules - HVCC or Home Valuation Code of Conduct that went into affect May 1st. In the Sunday LA Times, Kenneth R. Harney wrote an article on the very same subject. They both gave the same information and it is not necessarily good. Lenders can no longer order...


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Financial/Mortgage Update

Mortgage rates are down again for the Palos Verdes real estate market. A 30-year fixed conforming loan is 4.625% - That is a record low in Freddie Mac data going back to 1971! Fixed mortgage rates in the U.S. fell for a second consecutive week as the Federal Reserve plan to buy mortgage-back securities helped drive rates lower. 18 properties on the Palos Verdes Peninsula went into escrow in the...


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Financial/Mortgage Update

Mortgage rates are down for a 30-year fixed compared to last month for the Palos Verdes real estate market. These rates are as of April 3, 2009. Also of note, the California Association of Realtors announced "a new program designed to provide peace of mind to first-time buyers who are hesitant to enter he housing market due to concerns about potential job loss, and subsequently being unable to...


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Positive Real Estate News Is Bubbling Up

"Hope Stirs in Housing Market" was the headline in the LA Times front page on Wednesday. Peter Hong's positive piece states "Home prices in Southern California held steady in February for the first time in nearly a year, figures released Tuesday show, as low prices brought buyers back into the market." On top of that home construction rose nationwide. Sales of Palos Verdes real estate confirm...


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Financial/Mortgage Update

March 14, 2009 We have had good news this week with the stock market up. Mortgage interest rates for the Palos Verdes real estate market are up slightly for a jumbo 30-year fixed loan at 6.5% versus 6.25% one month ago. As a comparison, last July the 30-year fixed jumbo was 7.75%. 6.5% is a great rate when one looks at the historical data. Conforming loans (up to...


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