America reached a milestone on Thursday: the lowest home mortgage rate in history. But at the same time as this astounding announcement, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. home ownership declined 1.1% over the past decade, the biggest drop since the Great Depression. What does it all mean for homeowners, home shoppers, and real estate investors?
If you lost your job, how long could you continue to pay your mortgage? For two out of three homeowners, the answer is: Not as long as the average time it takes to find a new employer. If you're one of them, we have expert advice on building up a safety net that will help you stay ahead of the falling economy.
With the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage down to 4.09%, -- another record low -- it's a great time to refinance. But before you go running off to your lender to catch the best rates since 1951, avoid making these major mistakes that can cost you dearly.
With interest rates dipping to historic lows, many homeowners are refinancing their mortgages to shorten either the terms of their loans or their monthly payments. Here's what you need to know to decide whether refinancing now is right for you.
For nearly two years, economists and real estate experts have been on the lookout for the bottom of the housing market. That time is here, says Russell Price, a senior economist with Ameriprise Financial, a financial services company.
Is America headed for the Great Recession, part two? The talking heads are still in heated debate on the issue. But for those of us who aren't pundits, there's a more important question: What should we be doing now, just in case economic lightning does strike twice?
Mortgage applications slowed down in the week before Christmas and increased the week after, while interest rates rose to a seven-month high, then retreated again, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. Shifts in refinancing were the key factor.
The foreclosure crisis continues to pummel millions of Americans, and it has given rise to new con artists offering false assistance that leaves homeowners even deeper in debt. If you don't want to get kicked when you're already down, here are a few things to remember.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said they tumbled 10.5% last week, the biggest fall-off in four months. While the foreclosure crisis may be playing a role in the decline, rising interest rates are also partly to blame.
In a welcome sign of investor confidence in an economic recovery, U.S. interest rates grew for the third day in a row as people moved funds from bonds to stocks. But will higher interest rates slow the housing market?
