04
Aug
By First Rate Financial Group
Mortgage

What Is The Impact Of COVID-19 On Home Value?

What Is The Impact Of COVID-19 On Home Value?It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on everyone; however, there are a few impacts that are being overlooked. In addition to the public health crisis and the tanking of the stock market, there are also impacts of the virus on people’s home values.

Some of these impacts have been positive while others have been negative.

Regardless, it is important for everyone to understand how these impacts might impact someone’s home value, particularly for those who are looking to buy or sell a home in the future.

The Dropping Rates Of Mortgages

Because of the shelter in place laws surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, not many people are looking to move right now. As a result, banks have had a hard time getting people to come in and sign up for loans. 

This means that many people who are looking to buy a home might be able to sign up for a loan at a very low cost. This might open the door for someone to buy a bigger home than they might have been able to during less turbulent times.

The Impact On Sellers

As a result of the low-interest rates from the COVID-19 pandemic, this also means that sellers should anticipate getting a large number of offers for their homes. There are still many people who are hesitant to sell a home in this environment. This means that there might not be many options on the market. For those who decide to take the plunge, they might be rewarded with more offers than usual. This is going to drive up the value of their home, which is good for their next purchase.

The Future Of The Market During The Pandemic

These are just two of the many ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the value of homes. While it is unclear when this pandemic is going to be behind us, it is important for everyone to understand how the pandemic is going to impact them if they are looking to buy or sell a home. This will help everyone make the right decision during a turbulent time.

27
Jul
By First Rate Financial Group
Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 27, 2020

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - July 27, 2020Last week’s economic reporting included readings on sales of new and previously owned homes. State and federal data on new and continuing jobless claims were released along with Freddie Mac’s weekly report on mortgage rates.

Sales of New and Existing Homes Rise in June

Sales of new homes rose at their highest rate in 13 years according to the Commerce Department. New homes sold at a seasonally-adjusted annual pace of 776,000 sales, which exceeded the expected reading of 710.000 new single-family homes sold and May’s reading of 682,000 new homes sold. Analysts said that increased interest in relocating to suburban areas and low mortgage rates fueled buyer interest in new homes.

The National Association of Realtors® reported a sharp increase in sales of previously-owned homes during June. Sales were nearly 20.70 percent higher than in May; 4.72 million previously-owned homes were sold in June at a seasonally-adjusted annual pace. May’s reading for pre-owned homes sold was 3.91 million homes sold. June’s sales pace for previously owned homes was the highest month-to-month gain since 1968.

Sales of previously-owned homes were sharply lower than pre-pandemic levels; potential home buyers were sidelined by concerns over jobs and the general economy.

Mortgage Rates Rise, Jobless Claims Mixed

Freddie Mac reported higher mortgage rates last week. Rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.01 percent and were three basis points higher. Rates for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages rose by six basis points to an average of 2.54 percent; Mortgage rates for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages averaged 3.09 percent and were three basis points higher. Discount points averaged 0.80 percent for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and 0.70 percent for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. Discount points for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages averaged 0.30 percent.

Initial jobless claims rose to 1.42 million claims from the prior week’s reading of 1.31 million claims. State and federal jobless claims fell to 2.35 million state and federal jobless claims from the prior week’s reading of 2.47 million initial jobless claims filed. Ongoing state jobless claims fell to 16.20 million claims as compared to the prior week’s reading of 17.30 million ongoing jobless claims. State and federal continuing jobless claims fell to 31.80 million claims from the prior week’s reading of 32.00 million ongoing claims for state and federal jobless claims.

What’s Ahead

This week’s scheduled economic reports include readings from S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, data on pending home sales and the Fed’s FOMC post-meeting statement and press conference. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new and continuing jobless claims will be released along with a monthly report on consumer sentiment.

06
Jul
By First Rate Financial Group
Financial Reports

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 6, 2020

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - July 6, 2020Last week’s scheduled economic reports included readings on pending home sales, Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, and labor sector reports on private and public-sector job growth. Data on construction spending was also released. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and jobless claims were also released.

Pending Home Sales Jump in May

Sales of homes for which purchase contracts were signed rose by 44.30 percent in May and was the highest month-to-month increase recorded since the report’s inception in 2001..Pending home sales are sales with signed purchase contracts but aren’t closed.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors® said,  “This has been a spectacular bounce-back and also speaks to how the housing sector could lead the way for a broader economic recovery.” This positive news could be dampened by rising infection rates for the Covid-19 outbreak as some states reversed decisions to re-open additional parts of their economies.

Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Rises in April

The Case-Shiller National Home Price Index reported that home prices grew by 0.10 percent to 4.70 percent on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis. This reading lagged behind the worst part of the Covid-19 outbreak and analysts cautioned that home price growth would fall in the future. The Case-Shiller 20-City Index reported the top three cities for home price growth were Phoenix, Arizona, Seattle, Washington, and Minneapolis Minnesota. The geographical disparity between these cities differs from recent years when coastal cities dominated home price growth rates.

In related news, the Commerce Department reported improvement in construction spending in May. Construction spending fell -2.20 percent in May as compared to -3.50 percent in April.

 Mortgage Rates Hit All-Time Low; Jobless Claims Ease

Freddie Mac reported the lowest mortgage rates reported since the inception of their Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.07 percent and were eight basis points lower. Rates for 15-year mortgages dropped by three basis points on average to 2.56 percent. Rates for 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgages dropped by eight basis points on average to 3.00 percent.

Discount points averaged 0.80 percent for fixed-rate mortgages and 0.30 percent for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages. 

New jobless claims fell to 1.43 million claims filed from the prior week’s reading of 1.48 million initial claims filed. Ongoing jobless claims rose from 19.20 million claims to 19.30 million continuing jobless claims.filed. New and continuing jobless claims were far above pre-coronavirus levels.

Job Growth Reports Mixed as Unemployment Rate Falls

ADP reported 2.37  million private-sector jobs added in June as compared to May’s reading of 3.07 million private sector jobs added. The federal government’s Non-Farm Payrolls report showed 4.80 million public and private sector jobs added in June as compared to 2.70 million public and private sector jobs added in May.

What’s Ahead

This week’s scheduled economic reports include readings on job openings and weekly reports on mortgage rates and jobless claims.