How Today's Rate Cut Affects You

Quote of the day:

"Long-term rates, such as those for mortgages, don't respond directly to the Fed's short-term rate moves. Sometimes, mortgage rates move in the opposite direction when the Fed reduces the federal funds rate. But more often than not, mortgage rates eventually follow the Fed's lead. That might be one of the motivations of the central bank, (Richard DeKaser, chief economist for National City Corp) says -- "to help the housing market by lowering the refinance rate on many resetting mortgages. That makes it easier for people confronting resets, which we know are rampant right now, to achieve more affordable rates."

If you have a Home Equity Line of Credit, that will be favorably affected. But keep on eye on mortgage rates, because taking a cue from last week's volatility where there was an almost-unheard-of-three-quarters-of-a-percent movement in one day, you could definitely save money.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

What Does the Rate Cut Do For You?

Whenever the Federal Reserve increases or decreases rates as it did today, it means different things for different people. The winners will be people with good credit scores because the better your score, the better interest rate you receive. This means that if you have an adjustable rate mortgage, it's a really good time to refinance into a fixed interest rate mortgage. It's also a really good time to look for a new home--your payment will be lower with lower interest rates.

The other reason your credit score is so important is not just the rate you'll qualify for, it's the type of loan available to you. I'm including this somewhat pessimistic article (to appeal to the conservative among you) on today's rate cut, how it affects mortgage rates, and tighter lending standards compared to those of 2-3 years ago which have made certain loans out-of-reach that were once available for borrowers with lower FICO scores. At the same time, FHA loans (usually made with a very low down payment) are on the table with the Senate-passed FHA Modernization Act for an increase in loan amount to assist first-time buyers. There are in fact numerous first-time buyer programs available. In fact, the Los Angeles Times and the California Association of Realtors are hosting a free first time homebuyer fair at the Los Angeles Convention Center in April, 2008.

So if you're looking to refinance or purchase for the long term, you may have a great opportunity at this time.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

California Median Prices are Down and Up

The most recent California median prices, as reported by Dataquick for November, 2007, vary by area (figures reflect houses and condos together):
In Long Beach, zip code 90803 which is Bluff Park, part of Belmont Heights, Naples, Belmont Shore area, there were only 7 sales reported, but the median price for a single family home increased by about 9% over November 2006 sales. The condo sale median price decreased in 90803 by about 14% (based on 3 sales), and decreased in 90802 (based on 21 sales) by about 6% compared to 2006. But, overall, Long Beach only declined .98% from November 2006.

Cerritos house prices declined about 15% from Nov. 2006; Lakewood and Downey declined 11% and 12%; San Pedro, with ocean views from elevated areas, appreciated over 4%.

Some areas, such as Lancaster and Tujunga, with more foreclosure and short pay incidents are suffering hits to their prices.

Los Angeles County's November 2007 median price overall declined 4.79% over November 2006.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

"Let's Get a Little Perspective" - 2007 Was NOT a Bad Year

On Thursday mornings I usually attend a broker preview meeting for local agents--it's information sharing about listings, buyer needs, and an opportunity to network. Here's information sharing that came out of last week's meeting:

2007 is tracking to be the 4th BEST year in history since statistics began in 1952.

1988 -- 3.5 million units sold
1991 -- 3.1 million units sold
1998 -- 4.2 million units sold
2000 -- 4.6 million units sold
2004 -- 5.7 million units sold
2005 -- 7.1 million units sold
2006 -- 6.4 million units sold
2007 -- 5.5 million units sold

30% of U.S. homes are owned free and clear -- these are not affected by subprime loan conditions.

Total Mortgage Debt = $9.9 TRILLION

Subprime Mess = $75 Billion (equates to .0075% or 3/4 of a 100th of a percent)

Banks do NOT experience 100% loss in foreclosure -- potentially $25 billion (loss), or 1/3 of one 100% of a percent.


Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

Selling Price is Not the Whole Story

With this week's low interest rates, the opportunity to buy is better than ever. Did you know a half-point drop in your interest rate makes a huge difference on your monthly payment? Let's say you are taking out a $300,000 mortgage, and you have been expecting to pay 6%. What if the loan market changed, and/or you decided to pay an additional 0.5% to 1% towards buying down the rate (or you negotiated with the seller to do that for you!), and now you're able to get that same loan at 5.5% (an historically low rate). Your monthly principal and interest just lowered from $1798.65 to $1703.37.
What if you had that same $300,000 mortgage with a 6% interest rate and suddenly other economic factors in the market caused a jump up in rates, and in order to close on time, you're now going to pay 6.25%--you're payment is now $1847.15.
It really pays to not wait, whether it's making an offer, finding the right loan, getting that loan locked at the right time.
If you're thinking about waiting 6 months because you think home prices will be coming down further, just remember that even if that's true to a certain degree, the selling price of the home isn't the only thing that will impact your monthly payment.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

Long Beach Neighborhood, Lakewood and Cerritos Price Roundup for End of 2007

Happy New Year to All--

here is my first post for 2008, a round up of some local prices for houses and condos in several Long Beach neighborhoods in the last quarter of 2007, for which I shamelessly ask for a sign-in.

Unlike the recession of the mid-1990's, selling time is much longer (all over the country, too) but prices may not be falling through the floor, and there may be even a tightening of inventory in such areas as Belmont Heights--I'll be adding more areas to this list in the next few days, so please check back.
Sales are typically lower in the 4th quarter of any year, as also reflected here.
Click on the links for actual lists of houses sold.

Belmont Shore and Naples (90803) - 43 houses sold in the 3rd quarter; 24 houses sold in the 4th quarter.
Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Virginia Country Club areas - 53 houses sold in 3rd quarter; 48 single family homes sold in 4th quarter.
Los Altos area homes (90815) - 19 single family homes sold in the 4th quarter; 42 sold in 3rd quarter.
Park Estates area homes (90815) - 6 sold in 3rd quarter; 1 sold in 4th quarter.
Cerritos (all) - 66 houses sold in 3rd quarter; 29 houses sold in 4th quarter.
Lakewood (all) - 130 houses sold in the 3rd quarter; 93 houses sold 4th quarter.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

December 2008 Snapshot of Southern California Housing Inventory

County-wide figures for Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange Counties show longer days on market and list prices overall. Average or median prices may not apply to your specific neighborhood--for a property search by your zip code to see current asking prices as directly reflected in our MLS, click on my property search function in the right column.

December 28, 07 Average List Price Median List Price Average Days On Market Los Angeles County, CA Single Family under $600K $432,967 $444,000 98 Single Family over $600K $1,109,201 $799,000 104 Condo/Townhome under $400K $306,846 $310,000 105 Condo/Townhome over $400K $544,831 $495,000 103 Orange County, CA Single Family under $1M $620,083 $595,000 103 Single Family over $1M $2,342,000 $1,695,000 129 Condo/Townhome under $600K $382,017 $379,000 106 Condo/Townhome over $600K $990,403 $795,000 114 Riverside County, CA Single Family under $700K $372,495 $355,900 112 Single Family over $700K $1,166,487 $899,000 131 Condo/Townhome under $500K $262,638 $257,000 109 Condo/Townhome over $500K N/A N/A N/A

MORTGAGE. National Averages (December 28, 07)* 30-year fixed Rate - 5.84% APR - n/a% 15-year fixed Rate - 5.38% APR - n/a% 5/1 ARM Rate - 5.55% APR - n/a%

* Mortgage rates were collected from publicly available sources (yahoo.com) on the date stated. The accuracy of the information and the availability of these rates are not guaranteed by the publisher. Rates are provided for informational purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Actual market interest rates may vary.

Foreclosure Debt Forgiven; New FICO Score System

The name of the little photo to the right is "holiday deer", and I hope you can also think of it as "Holiday Cheer" with the recent news on debt forgiveness.

At least if you do have to take the bad credit hit for a foreclosure or short pay, the new law signed yesterday by President Bush removes certain taxes that used to apply. So the good news is for renegotiated loans where more was owed than the current value of the home ("short pay'), the borrower will not have to pay income tax on the difference.

A sign of when things are going to bottom out is when there are signs of things getting better, and one of those signs with loans might be that there are more fixed rate loans taken out in the first half of 2007 compared to the first half of 2006. See this Mortgage Bankers Association article. Fixed rate loans are most certainly a sign of better financial health for many borrowers who will thus be avoiding the spiking of their monthly loan payments 1 and 2 years after taking out their loans.

If you're contacted by someone saying he/she will get you out of foreclosure, please read this article about foreclosure scams. This includes DO NOT sign over your property or sign a quit-claim deed, and do not pay someone to renegotiate your loan with the bank (you can do this yourself for free, or ask your REALTOR to help you). Foreclosure in California follow a very specific process--do not allow yourself to be taken advantage. Read my earlier post about knowing your rights if a Notice of Default has been filed on your property.

More news is about your FICO score, as calculated bv the Fair Isaac Company who invented the index most commonly used throughout the loan industry, the insurance industry, the car industry, and anyone else who wants to figure out if you're a good risk or not. Keep your credit as clean as possible, because that will help you get a better loan at a better interest rate if you are trying to refinance or purchase. This new model will be rolling out in the Spring, but may be used before that in the loan industry (it's hard to know), but take a look at the samples in the box under Figuring Your Credit Score as these may be a hint of things to come.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

FHA Loan Bill May Increase Loan Limits

The FHA Modernization Bill passed by the United States Senate on December 13 will bring changes that have been fought for long and hard. FHA loans are currently limited to $359,900 in Southern California (loan amounts are regionally based), and 3% down on top of a $359,900 loan amount does not meet most of the housing market in this region. Per California Association of Realtors, "the U.S. Senate on Dec. 14 approved legislation designed to modernize the Federal Housing Administration’s mortgage insurance program by increasing loan limits, and helping troubled borrowers with subprime loans refinance into federally insured mortgages." "The bill, which has the support of the Bush administration, also would reduce the required minimum down payment for an FHA-insured loan from 3 percent to a flat 1.5 percent of the appraised value of a home. "

If passed, new FHA loan features will also streamline condo purchases, and increase loan limits to $417,000 (the current conforming loan limits for non-FHA loans). Expect these changes to be taking effect in January after the final issues are worked out between the Senate and the House.

Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!

Guidelines for the Interest Rate Freeze

Today's news and guidelines on loans eligible for the interest rate freeze:

According to the New York Times, the goal of the President's plan is to convert as many subprime ARMs as possible into "more sustainable loans." However, the freeze applies only to borrowers who:

Took out their loan between January 2005 and July 2007 and whose rates are set to increase between January of 2008 and July of 2010; and
Have less than 3% equity in their homes; and
Are current on their payments (or no more than 60 days behind); and
Are able to handle their current lower rate, but will not be to handle a higher payment.
Analysts estimate that the plan will help between 240,000 to 250,000 borrowers.
The freeze is a voluntary agreement on the part of lenders, so no legislation is required for this plan. Analysts note, however, that congressional approval would be necessary in order to increase current FHA loan limits.


Long Beach long beach real estate 'Voice this!