Earlier this year and under pressure from the government, mortgage lenders made more than 200,000 loan modifications to delinquent homeowners.

The modifications came in one of three forms, or a combination:

1. Interest rate reduction
2. Loan term extension
3. Principal forgiveness

But despite the modifications, as of October 1, more than half of the homeowners that received assistance were already two months behind on their modified monthly payments.

This late-pay statistic was a focal point on Capitol Hill yesterday as the government admitted delinquencies “were larger than [they] thought they’d be”. Loan modifications are proving inadequate at slowing foreclosures and yesterday’s session opened the door to more effective foreclosure prevention measures.

However, of all of the statistics published, there was one of particular interest.

Based on its loan modifications to-date, the FDIC has found that modified borrowers default far less when new monthly payments are less than 38 percent of monthly household income. This is important because Freddie Mac guidelines for ordinary mortgage applicants currently cap that rate at 45 percent.

If the 38 percent figure holds up long-term, it may lead mortgage lenders to permenantly reduce maximum debt-to-income allowances. Already, mortgage insurers have taken this step so it’s not out of the question for lenders. Tighter guidelines mean fewer mortgage approvals.

If you’re unsure of whether now is a good time to buy a home, consider that mortgage rates are low, mortgage guidelines are tightening, and foreclosure prevention efforts reduce the supply of available homes.

Prices may not have bottomed, but the market is giving everyone a lot of reasons to consider buying now.

As the weather turns cooler and home heating systems get fired, it’s important to safeguard your home from carbon monoxide gas. Often called the “slient killer”, the odorless and colorless gas accidentally poisons about 170 Americans each year.

The video above from CBS News tells the story of 2 such deaths.

Throughout the 5-minute piece (and after the commercial), note the mother talking about headaches, fatigue and nausea. Because carbon monoxide poisoning shows similar symptoms to the flu, many people confuse the two — sometimes with fatal consequences.

Experts say to outfit each room in your home with a carbon monoxide monitor. The recommended monitor from the video is available at Amazon.com for $10 off.

According to the government, American businesses are cutting staff at an accelerated pace, most recently paring 533,000 jobs this past November.

It’s the largest one-month decline since December 1974 and raises the year-to-date job losses to 1.9 million workers.

However, there is a silver lining in the data for all Americans — both employed and unemployed.

With each piece of negative news about the economy, Washington is more likely to pass new stimulus packages to the benefit of household budgets.

On one front, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has already alluded to further Fed Funds Rate cuts at the Fed’s two-day meeting starting December 15. Because the Fed Funds Rate is directly tied to Prime Rate, any cut in the benchmark lending rate would lead “floating” interest rates lower on home equity credit lines and other revolving debt.

And this talk from the Fed also comes on the heels of its $500 billion pledge to buy mortgage-backed bonds. That demand-shifting move was announced last week and drove mortgage rates lower. It also marked the official start of the refinancing boom.

And, lastly, Capitol Hill is already responding to the jobs data with calls for “urgent” action. It’s a vague term, to be sure, but history has shown that Congress could pass any number of measures, each meant to put more money into household budgets nationwide.

The U.S. is in a verified recession and Washington is throwing the kitchen sink at it.

The end result is that today’s job data is a non-event of sorts for active home buyers. Mortgage markets expected a poor reading and they got it. Normally, data like this would cause mortgage rates to spike but this is not a normal market.

Now, with markets expecting additional stimulus, mortgage rates are edging lower today with hopes of an economic rebound.

Source
Employers cut 533,000 jobs in Nov., most since 1974
Barbara Hagenbaugh
December 5, 2008, USA Today

Business television is abuzz this morning with talk of “four-point-five percent mortgage rates”; the clip above ran on NBC Today. The news stems from a leaked story that the U.S. Treasury will intervene in the mortgage market, lowering rates a full percentage point below their current levels.

As cited by every journalist in every publication, however, the story is 100% speculation. Naturally, that doesn’t stop the press from covering it. When hope for homeowners gets spread in this manner, it’s important to remember some facts:

1. The Treasury doesn’t set mortgage rates — Wall Street traders do. Historically, rates are based on the Supply and Demand for mortgage-backed bonds.
2. Treasury intervention doesn’t guarantee low rates. That mortgage rates are up by a half-percent since last week proves it.
3. Zero details about the plan have been confirmed, quoting CNBC. Everything you’ve heard about 4.5 percent rates is a guess at this point.

But, perhaps most importantly, nearly every analyst interviewed has expressed a belief that a Treasury-sponsored stimulus would apply to home buyers only. Homeowners wanting a refinance, in other words, would be ineligible.

Mortgage rates are very low today compared to where they’ve been in 2006, 2007 and 2008. If you think your mortgage rate is too high for this market, reach out to your loan officer to review all of your options. If rates really do reach 4.500 percent, you can always refinance again later.

For the 78th consecutive day, gas prices fell nationwide yesterday. At $1.81 per gallon, the average price at the pump is less than half what it was at its peak in July.

And although gas prices vary by locale, the cost of a fill-up is worthy of national news.

The main reason why national gas prices matter is because of something called the Wealth Effect — people’s tendency to spend more money when they have a perceived feeling of being worth more.

Low gas prices can amplify the Wealth Effect, leading to higher levels of consumer spending nationwide — the primary driver of the U.S. economy.

But more important than the Wealth Effect is the reverse Wealth Effect. That’s when consumers have a perceived feeling of being worth less and their spending reflects it. This past summer is a terrific example of it.

Soaring gas prices, Wall Street troubles, and negative campaigning constantly reminded Americans of what was wrong with the economy. It follows, therefore, that retail sales figures plunged in September and October. Once the election passed, however, and gas prices fell, a gentle optimism returned.

Not surprisingly, consumer confidence rose in November.

All of this matters to real estate because as Americans regain their confidence and feel more “wealthy”, they will be more likely to make “move up” purchase, buy new home appliances, and take other actions that propel the economy forward.

Oh, and mortgage rates trolling at 3-year lows certainly helps, too.

Each Wednesday, the Mortgage Bankers Association releases its Weekly Applications Survey, a detailed look at new mortgage applications submitted over the previous 7 days.

This week’s report will reveal what most of us already know — plunging mortgage rates created a flood of mortgage activity.

If you’re among the many Americans taking advantage of today’s low rates, don’t forget that when your rate was “locked”, it was locked with an expiration date.

Most likely, that rate lock is for 30 days.

And, while 30 days may seem like a long time, it’s not. Especially because rate locks made prior to Thanksgiving lose a combined 14 days to weekends and holidays, plus another 4 days to the Right To Cancel clause.

A 30-day rate lock, therefore, yields just 12 “working” days in which to underwrite and approve the mortgage and that’s not a lot of time at all.

Making matters more difficult, many lenders are ill-equipped for boom.

Not only has staff been pared down in expectation of a slowing economy, but December a prime vacationing month, too. Lenders are short-staffed at a very inopportune time.

So, for active refinancing homeowners, the best way to preserve a 30-day rate lock is to be as responsive as possible to the process:

• If paystubs are requested, return them on the same day
• If a home appraisal is needed, schedule the appraisal immediately
• If a closing date is scheduled, don’t postpone it by a day

As mortgage rates hang near 3-year lows, the number of refinancing homeowners nationwide will grow, further taxing lenders and their staff. If you already have a loan in process, be pro-active about it to prevent your 30-day rate lock from expiring.

When choosing a room’s paint colors, Interior Designers follow the 60-30-10 Rule.

The 60-30-10 Rule says that color usage in a space should be based on percentages:

• 60% of the room should be a dominant color
• 30% of the room should be a secondary color
• 10% of the room should be an accent color

It’s a design method used by the world’s top designers and featured in countless design magazines. But, you don’t have to spend money on a professional to get your color combinations right.

Courtesy of HGTV, the Choose Color tool shows 39 off-the-shelf palettes and uses them to apply the 60-30-10 Rule to actual rooms in a house. The interactive tool also features in-line design tips to make the most of your space and budget.

Visit HGTV to color your rooms and learn more about good design.