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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 9th, 2018

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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 9th, 2018Last week’s economic releases included monthly readings on construction spending, public and private sector job growth and June’s national unemployment rate. Weekly readings included Freddie Mac mortgage rates and new jobless claims.

Construction Spending Rises in May

According to the Commerce, construction spending rose 0.40 percent in May; public sector construction spending rose 0.70 percent and private sector spending rose by 0.30 percent. Residential construction rose by o.80 percent, which analysts regarded as a good sign for the economy. Building more homes has long been identified as the only solution for persistent housing shortages that cause high demand for homes and rapidly rising home prices.

Analysts said that volatility and heavy revisions to government reporting, construction spending readings are subject to significant change. April’s reading of 1.90 percent growth was downwardly revised to 0.90 percent growth.

Mortgage Rates and New Jobless Claims Fall

Freddie Mac reported lower mortgage rates last week. Rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgages were three basis points lower at an average of 4.52 percent. 15-year fixed rate mortgages averaged 3.99 percent and were five basis points lower than for the previous week. Rates for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages averaged 3.74 percent and were 13 basis points lower than for the prior week.

First-time jobless claims fell last week to 231,000 new claims as compared to 200,000 new claims expected.and 244,000 new claims were filed in the prior week.

Unemployment ticks up as Public and Private Sector Job Growth Slows

ADP payrolls fell to 177,000 private sector jobs were added in June as compared to 189,000 jobs added in May. The Commerce Department reported 213,000 public and private sector jobs added in June, which beat expectations of 200,000 jobs added in June. 244,000 jobs were added in May.

The National unemployment grew to 4.0 percent in June as compared to May’s reading of 3.80 percent. Analysts attributed the rise in the unemployment rate to 600,000 new job seekers entering the market in June.

What‘s Ahead

This week’s scheduled economic reports include readings on inflation, core inflation and consumer sentiment. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims will also be released.

Top Uses Of A HELOC

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Top Uses Of A HELOCHomeowners who have equity built up in their homes can tap into that equity using a home equity line of credit, or HELOC. This financial tool can be a great way to accomplish a number of financial goals.

Here are four excellent uses of a HELOC for homeowners to consider.

Consolidating Costly Debts

Credit card debt and other types of consumer loans are costly, unless a debtor is lucky enough to have a no-interest card. Borrowers can consolidate that debt into a HELOC, which is much more affordable because it is a secured debt.

This advantage only works if the borrower stops adding to the debt problem. A HELOC becomes a valuable tool to get rid of debt quickly when used properly.

Create An Emergency Fund

Most people do not intend to end up in credit trouble, but emergencies happen. Emergency home repairs, job loss, or car repairs can quickly add up to unwanted debt.

A HELOC provides homeowners the option to have an emergency fund. Should one of these emergencies pop up, the homeowner can use the HELOC for an affordable source of funds.

Home Repairs That Add Value

Some home repairs add value to the property, but are also expensive. A HELOC can provide a source to fund these repairs. Because they put value back into the property, homeowners may be making wise use of their equity when using the HELOC in this way.

To make this work well, homeowners should choose repairs that do add to the home’s value. Since the cost of the repairs comes from the equity, the home’s owner should recoup the costs later when selling the home.

Funds For Investing

Finally, homeowners can use funds from a HELOC to get started in investment. This is risky, because the loan is paid regardless of how successful the investment is, but it can give a homeowner the chance to start investing for the first time.

Similarly, retirees can sometimes use HELOC funds to supplement retirement income if investments are struggling. This is a temporary solution to give investments a chance to recover, but for those living on a fixed income it is very helpful to have this option.

The HELOC is a valuable tool for homeowners that allows them to tap equity when it is needed. Since they have spent years building up this equity, homeowners should not fear using it when it can help with their financial goals.

Contact your trusted loan professional to find out if a HELOC may be right for you.

Seller-Paid Closing Costs In A Seller’s Market? Yes, It’s Still Possible

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Seller-Paid Closing Costs In A Seller's Market Yes, It's Still PossibleFor first-time home buyers, closing costs are a major hurdle for home ownership. Coming up with a down payment and several thousand dollars for closing costs can be hard without home equity to tap.

To help, buyers often ask sellers to cover all or some of these costs. In markets favoring buyers, this is a common habit, but when the market switches to favoring sellers it becomes harder. Sellers who know they may get multiple offers are less likely to say “yes” to this request.

Yet even when the market favors sellers, buyers can still ask for this help. It all depends on how the offer is presented. Here’s how to potentially make it look appealing, even with other offers on the table.

Buyers Need To Consider The Total Amount

Many sellers build negotiation room into their asking prices. This means they anticipate some offers coming in that are lower than their asking price.

Buyers asking for closing costs can offer the full asking price or more than the asking price to make the offer more appealing.

For example, if the buyer needs $2,000 in closing costs, and offers $2,000 more than the asking price, the seller won’t stand to lose money and will find the offer more appealing. This, in effect, rolls the closing costs into the loan.

On the flip side, if a buyer makes an offer well below the asking price, then also asks for closing costs, the seller is likely to say no.

Buyers Should Consider Other Components Of Their Offer

Sometimes the problem the buyer faces is a lack of cash to cover the closing costs, particularly when using a no- or low-down payment loan option. To make the offer more appealing, buyers should look at the rest of the offer’s terms.

For example, a buyer may ask for closing costs but overlook other contingencies, such as non-urgent repairs. This makes the offer appealing, because the seller’s costs even out.

Buyers Can Offer To Close Quickly

Another way to make seller-paid closing costs something a seller will accept is moving the closing date up. Most sellers want to sell quickly, so the faster the buyer can close, the better the offer may look.

For buyers in a seller’s market who need closing cost help, the key is to make all other aspects of the offer appealing. By doing so, these buyers may just get the closing cost help they need to move forward with their home purchase.

One of the best things to do before entering into negotiation is to have your mortgage funding pre-approved. Contact your trusted home loan professional to get started today.

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