Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Is it a Seller Market with Raleigh Mortgage Rates???
Pending home sales up 22%
Closings up 20%
The average sales price was $223,800
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Last week inflations date was released & Raleigh Mortgage Rates responded
Again, it is earning season & corporate earnings may influence the Stock markets – and as we know, the Bond markets usually move in the opposite direction.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
So…what do you want your Raleigh Mortgage Payment to Be?
When you're buying a home in Raleigh or a home anywhere for that matter, it is my opinion, to search for what home costs, not by the listing price of the home. Price is just the cost on the sticker. In contrast, cost is what you pay each month to own the home. It's your Raleigh mortgage, your taxes, your insurance, and even you home owners association. It's your combined cost of homeownership.
Please make no mistake…in the Kevin Martini family, price matters in the long run but cost is what hits your wallet every month.
So the first question you should ask yourself regardless if you are a first-time home buyer or a seasoned real estate investor is:
Yes, I am suggesting to search for homes by the "Monthly Payment" not the “List Price”
As a Raleigh homebuyer, this is the most important question you can ask yourself. Folks, let me warn you…ranges do not work – you need to know your specific number.
Once you know your monthly budget, determining whether a home is “affordable” for you is a matter of working some basic Raleigh mortgage math.
Home Affordability
Homes are more affordable today than at any time in recorded history. It’s not because home prices are down, though -- it’s because Raleigh mortgage rates are.
Low Raleigh mortgage rates extend a buyer’s housing budget farther than falling home prices ever could. But with Raleigh mortgage rates changing every 3 to 4 hours on average, affordability can be VERY short-lived.
Every time Raleigh mortgage rates change, so does your budgeted maximum purchase price & the changes can be dramatic. For Example: For each 0.125% increase to mortgage rates, your maximum purchase price must fall by about 1 ½ % to stay with your budget payment.
This is why timing the housing market is reckless. Rising Raleigh mortgage rates can quickly erase your savings.
About The Author:
Kevin Martini is a trusted Raleigh lender with the Kevin Martini Group at SunTrust Mortgage. You can email Kevin at Kevin@KevinMartini.com or call at 919.274.3700.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
5 tips by Kevin Martini to help Raleigh Sellers to sell their home fast & for top dollar
- Order an inspections before marketing your home. For $250 – $400 a professional will alert you to any major issues. Now if there are none…you have gained a great selling point.
- Make needed repairs. Even a drippy faucet may suggest your home is not well maintained.
- Clear the clutter. Home stagers say to clean off the counter, thin out the closets & store at least a 1/3 of your furniture.
- Deep clean. Now is the time to hire a professional house cleaner. You want the windows to gleam, carpets that are stain & odor free, wood floors to shine & NO HINT of dust or fingerprints.
- Curb your enthusiasm. Curb appeal is your potential Raleigh home buyer’s first impression. Consider planting bright flowers & perhaps you turn the sprinklers on for just a moment so the lawn sparkles.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Raleigh Home Loans Rates Move Higher Yesterday
Raleigh home loan rates rose sharply this afternoon after the Federal Reserve released the minutes from their March meeting.
All Type of Raleigh mortgage rates rose…I am talking FHA, VA, USDA conventional & even the jumbo Raleigh home loan ratesBefore I give you the Kevin Martini breakdown --- let me share that the Federal Open Market Committee (a.k.a. FOMC) meets 8 times a year to discuss policy & revise statements they have made that are currently in play –FYI policy that they put in play. Now 3 weeks after they have a gathering…the Federal Reserve publishes what's known as the Fed Minutes (i.e. summary of the the conversations that shaped the meeting). The Stock market…the bond pay close attention to the Fed Minutes because the Federal Reserve is the top dog and set the tone in the investing arena.
For the past several years, Fed policies have helped drive stock markets up and bond pricing down, creating the low Raleigh mortgage rate environment to which we've all grown accustomed. As a result, when investors believe the Fed is close to withdrawing said policies, Raleigh home loan rates rise.
Folks, that is what happened today – April 3, 2012. & that did not ONLY impact Raleigh mortgage rates -- mortgage rates rose in all 50 states.
The March Fed Minutes show a Federal Reserve committed to improving the U.S. economy, but clearly within a "Wait-and-See" mode. After 2 rounds of quantitative easing, Fed members are watching employment data improve, housing numbers rebound, and an increase in consumer spending.
Before launching new stimulus (i.e. QE3), the Federal Reserve seems content to ride out the current wave of economic expansion. Wall Street wasn't prepped for this 411.
Based on comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke made last week, investors thought a new stimulus round was imminent; likely to follow even the slightest economic hiccup. Today, those expectations are squashed.
Based on the March Fed Minutes, the Federal Reserve is unlikely to add new market stimulus, short of the economy losing its momentum, or deflation setting in. Right now, with growth occurring steadily and consistently, and with inflation running just short of 2 percent, markets are at risk for neither.
30-year fixed rate Raleigh mortgage rates had famously dropped below 4 percent last week – TODAY, they're back above 4 percent now.
For the last 2 quarters, Raleigh mortgage rates have held within a very tight range. They've dropped as low as mid to upper 3%. One thing that's for certain, though, Raleigh mortgage rates are wound tighter than a coil.
Each time they rise, they don't rise slowly -- they rise turbo fast. It is the Kevin Martini Group opinion that Raleigh mortgage rates are unsustainable at their current, sub-4 levels.
Folks, consider this your call-to-action. It's time to start that refinance. It's time to lock that mortgage rate. It is time to stop renting.
Kevin Martini is a trusted Raleigh lender with the Kevin Martini Group at SunTrust Mortgage. You can email Kevin at Kevin@KevinMartini.com or call at 919.274.3700.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Weekly Kevin Martini – information on where Raleigh Mortgage Rates
- ISM Manufacturing Index will be released on Monday and gives the investor a broad look at manufacturing around the country.
- Wednesday’s ADP Employment Change will be the precursor to the government report on Friday.
- Initial Weekly Jobless Claims will be released on Thursday. Jobless claims ticked up last week to 359,000 but the Labor Department said that the data includes the annual seasonal-adjustment revisions extending back five years, which led to the recent increases.
- The data that the entire investing community will be watching and waiting for is Friday’s Employment Report, which includes Non-farm Payrolls and theUnemployment Report. For the past three months, employers have added 244,000 new workers on average and this pace will have to continue in order to get back to a more normal functioning economy.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Weekly Kevin Martini – information on where Raleigh Mortgage Rates
Raleigh mortgage rates were impacted last week by the ton of housing-related data that hit the street….both Housing Starts & Building Permits came in meeting expectations. Existing Home Sales was nearly inline with expectations.
Folks, the reports from last week may put Quantitative Easing or QE3 on the radar at the FED. The Raleigh – Cary housing market is heating up however the housing market on the aggregate remains fragile…the coming days & weeks I think will reveal if my thesis is correct or not. Raleigh mortgage rates have been moving upward & QE3 could stop this upwards movement. How? Here is the Kevin Martini break down…Raleigh mortgage rates are tied to bonds…if QE3 is a reality, then the FED will be buying bonds which will cause bonds to improve & as bonds improve so do Raleigh mortgage rates.
It is important to note that while Stocks saw some declines last week, Bonds were unable to build any positive momentum. This is eye-opening & does not look well for further price appreciation in Bonds. Whether the potential for QE3 helps Bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates in the future remains to be seen.
The bottom line is that Raleigh mortgage rates still remain near historic lows & now continues to be a great time to purchase or refinance a home. I invite you to call ,if I can answer any questions at all for you.
After last week’s housing data economic release calendar, this week’s calendar heats up with a ton of data.
- Pending Home Sales will be delivered on Monday and comes after last week’s so-so reports on the housing sector.
- Consumer Confidence and Consumer Sentiment will be released on Tuesday and Friday, respectively. The data will be closely watched to gauge how the consumer is holding up as economic news has been on the positive side.
- Wednesday brings the Durable Goods Report, which measures “big ticket” items that last for an extended time.
- Initial Weekly Jobless Claims will be released on Thursday. Jobless claims fell to the lowest level since February of 2008 last week as the sector continues to breathe life into the economy.
- Also on Thursday, the final read for Gross Domestic Product for the 4th quarter of 2011 will be released. In order for the U.S. economy to strengthen, we will have to see sustained growth in the form of the GDP.
- Friday brings a bunch of reports, including Personal Income and Spending, as well as the Chicago Manufacturing Report.
- We’ll also see the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures on Friday. This report provides insight into where inflation is at, so the data will be key to the Bond markets. As we know, higher inflation pushes Bond prices lower due to purchasing power loss that is associated with rising consumer prices. And, lower Bond prices can be bad news for Raleigh mortgage rates.
Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Raleigh Mortgage Rates On The Move…
On Wednesday, Existing Home Sales will be delivered, followed by New Home Sales on Friday.