Tag Archives: Mortgage Rates

As mortgage rates climb, refinances are on the decline. However, refinances through the government's Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) remain elevated compared to last year's volumes, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) Refinance Report for the second quarter of 2013. HARP refinances totaled about 280,000 for the quarter, down slightly from about 290,000 in the first quarter of this year, FHFA reported.

Mortgage interest rates headed higher this week, nearly reaching year-to-date highs as markets waited for the Friday morning release of the August Employment Situation Report. Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at an average 4.57 percent for the week ending September 5, up from 4.51 percent last week. Shorter term fixed rates and adjustable-rate mortgages all climbed higher as well. Freddie Mac's chief economist attributed the rise in rates to ""signs of a stronger economic recovery.""

CoreLogic reported a 12.4 percent annual increase in its Home Price Index (HPI) in July. The yearly gain (which includes distressed sales) represents the 17th consecutive monthly year-over-year improvement. Including distressed sales, the five states with the highest home price appreciation were Nevada (27 percent), California (23.2 percent), Arizona (17 percent), Wyoming (16.4 percent), and Oregon (15 percent). Only one state reported a yearly decline: Delaware (-1.3 percent).

Freddie Mac's weekly updated Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaging 4.51 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending August 29, down from 4.58 percent the prior week. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.59 percent. The 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.54 percent (0.7 point), down from 3.60 percent previously.

While higher mortgage rates have been blamed for the slowdown in pending home sales, they may be contributing to an increase in cash purchases, RealtyTrac suggested in a recent report. In July, about 40 percent of residential property sales were all-cash transactions. The share presents an increase from 35 percent in June and 31 percent compared to July 2012. Short sales also accounted for a bigger share of sales in July, increasing to 14 percent, up from 13 percent in the prior month and 9 percent from a year ago.

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaging 4.40 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending August 15, flat from last week. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.62 percent. The 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.44 percent (0.6 point), up very slightly from 3.43 percent in the last survey. Bankrate.com also reported slight movements in average fixed rates.

According to Redfin's Real-Time Demand Pulse for August (using July data), the brokerage's agents continue to report declines in both the number of customers touring homes and the number of signed offers. Both metrics have been on a downward slope since peaking in April. ""Although there are finally more homes for sale to satisfy pent-up demand after months of historically low inventory, buyers are not responding,"" said data analyst Tommy Unger, who attributed the decline to buyer fatigue following a cutthroat spring season.

Having been historically high for the past few years, affordability dipped somewhat in the second quarter of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity index. Increasing prices and mortgage rates ""contributed to affordability slipping to the lowest level in four years,"" said David Crowe, chief economist at NAHB. Affordability fell from 73.7 percent in this year's first quarter to 69.3 percent--meaning 69.3 percent of Americans earning the national median income could afford a home sold during the quarter.

As the housing industry mends, younger Americans are expressing greater confidence in the market, according to results from Prudential Real Estate's Q2 outlook survey. Of the 2,600 millennials surveyed in Q2, 71 percent said their perception of the housing market is favorable, up from 65 percent in Q1. In 2011, only 52 percent of Americans aged 25 to 34 held a favorable perception of the real estate market.

Economists and experts in a Zillow survey predicted median home values will rise to $167,490 by the end of this year, a gain of 6.7 percent over 2012. The forecast is a significant jump from the 5.4 percent annual increase expected in the last quarterly survey. Based on current expectations for home value appreciation over the next five years, panelists on average predicted home values could approach new record highs by the end of 2017. That said, many predicted appreciation rates will slow from 2014 through 2017.