Mortgage Compare

In March, for the second straight month, home resales slipped nationwide. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, March 2012 Existing Home Sales fell to 4.48 million units on a seasonally-adjusted annualized basis -- a 3 percent drop from February. An "existing home" is a home that's been previously occupied or owned. The weaker-than-expected Existing Home Sales ...

According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings fell to 199,000 in March 2012, a 17 percent decrease from March 2011. Last month marks the first time since July 2007 that foreclosure filings numbered less than 200,000 on a monthly basis -- a span of nearly 5 years. The generic term "foreclosure filing" is used to ...

Tuesday, the government released its March 2012 New Residential Construction report.  The report is made up of three sections, each related to a phase of the "new home" market. The report's first part is Building Permits; the second is Housing Starts; the third is Housing Completions. Of the three sections, it's Housing Starts that gets the ...

For the first time in 3 months, homebuilder confidence has slipped.  As measured by the National Association of Homebuilders, the Housing Market Index dropped three notches in April to a reading of 25. The report measures homebuilder confidence in the newly-built, single-family housing market.  When the Housing Market Index reads 50 or better, it reflects ...

Mortgage markets improved last week as a global flight-to-quality continued. With Spain facing questions on its sovereign debt, investors continued to pare exposure to risky assets, sparking demand for the relative safety of U.S. government-backed mortgage-backed bonds. As a result, conforming and FHA mortgage rates slipped for the third straight week last week.  According to ...

After a brief surge north of 4 percent last month, mortgage rates have settled down, near their lowest levels of all-time.   According to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, for applicants willing to pay 0.7 discount points plus a complete set of closing costs, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell ...

The typical U.S. taxpayer will receive roughly $3,000 in federal income tax refunds this year -- an average of $250 per month. So, what would you do with an extra $250 monthly? This segment from NBC's The Today Show offers some advice.  Whether you've already ...

Looking for a great place to raise a family? Forbes Magazine has a list that may help you. Titled "The Best Cities For Raising A Family", Forbes has compiled and analyzed data from America's 100 largest metropolitan areas, accounting for seven lifestyle factors including cost of living, commuting ease, school quality, crime density, and home ...

Americans continue to get back to work. Last Friday, in its Non-Farm Payrolls report for the month of March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced 120,000 net new jobs created, plus combined revisions in the January and February reports of +4,000 jobs. The March report marks the 18th straight month of job growth nationwide -- the ...

In a week of up-and-down trading, mortgage markets improved for the second consecutive week last week. Weaker-than-expected jobs data plus evidence of a slumping Eurozone took mortgage bonds lower, capped by a furious Friday morning rally that dropped mortgage rates to near-record levels. Once again, volatility ruled the bond pits. Tuesday afternoon, after the release ...