Bulls & Blogs

Rate update: Range is a nice place to be

Interest Rates, Residential Mortgage Comments Off

Feb 262019

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

Mortgage rates remain range-bound, and fortunately for us the range is a pretty nice place to be. Rates are the best they’ve been since last summer. At some point, the range is going to break, so let’s look at the factors that may influence that break.

Rates hit their recent peak and started heading lower last Nov in response to stock market losses and concerns about the economy. The stock market has rebounded, and recent US economic data looks pretty rosy, so we don’t have those factors working for us anymore.

Trade concerns, especially the ongoing tariff battle with China, added uncertainty to the market, which put downward pressure on rates. However, it’s looking increasing possible that China and the US will resolve their trade issues and remove that as a factor.

Concerns about global economic growth have been a factor for a while, and those concerns seem to be intensifying. Recent data from Europe, China, and Japan have indicated weakening economies, and Europe still has its Brexit headache. Remember that slowing economies lead to less demand for money, which leads to lower rates.

But I’d say the biggest factor affecting rates right now is the Federal Reserve. It was the Fed meeting in Dec that put the exclamation point on the stock market swoon, and it was the Fed’s reaction to the swoon at its last meeting that solidified the current rate range. More recently, the Fed has hinted it may start buying bonds again, which would put more downward pressure on rates.

Despite those hints, Fed head Powell has been clear that the Fed is keenly interested in economic data (both US and global) and will respond accordingly. Most of the US data released this month was polluted by the government shutdown, and it won’t be until mid-Mar until that pollution clears – which could be the time rates finally leave the range.

Big rebound in housing sentiment

Real Estate Market, Residential Mortgage Comments Off

Feb 252019

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

Fannie Mae’s housing index rebounded in Jan after Dec’s big drop in sentiment. Most of the gain was the result of consumers’ confidence about their personal finances. Thirty-four percent of respondents reported their income is higher this year while only seven percent said their income has fallen. This is an 11 point improvement from the index a year ago.

The overall index, which measures how consumers feel about the housing market, rose 1.2 points in Jan. However, the index is down almost 5 points from the same time last year, a negative trend that started last summer.

Three other components of the index stood out. The net share of respondents who thinks home prices will rise fell one percent, declining for the fourth consecutive month. This component is down 22 points from the same time last year.

The net share of respondents saying mortgage rates will fall increased three points. However, this component hasn’t changed much in the last year, and the overwhelming majority of consumers still think rates will rise.

Finally, the net share who thinks now is a good time to buy a home rose four points last month to 15%. It was this component that caused the Dec index to sink.

Taken together, the positive improvements in the index may signal that consumers are sensing improving home affordability, and that could portend an active spring homebuying season.

The best day to buy a home

Real Estate Market, Residential Mortgage Comments Off

Feb 192019

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

Do know which day is the best day to buy a home? Well, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, a national property data warehouse, it’s the day after Christmas. ATTOM studied closings for the last 5 years and determined that buyers who closed on Dec 26th realized the greatest discount from market value.

The purchase price for buyers on that day averaged 1.3% below what ATTOM considered the market value. To determine market value, it used a computer-based valuation model, which can have laughably inaccurate results. However, ATTOM analyzed more than 18 million transactions, so you’d expect the laughable outliers would average out.

But why that day? It might be because in order to close on Dec 26, a buyer would be submitting an offer around Thanksgiving. Those sellers who wanted to sell before the end of the year probably were getting a little more motivated to cut a deal.

Interestingly, ATTOM’s analysis showed only 10 days during the year when buyers had the upper hand getting a below market price. That’s probably a testament to the strength of the recent seller’s market. Seven of those days occurred in Dec with one day in each of Feb, Oct, and Nov.

Rate update: Investors think Fed is done raising rates

Interest Rates, Residential Mortgage Comments Off

Feb 122019

For more information, please contact me at (512) 261-1542 or steve@LoneStarLending.com.

By G. Steven Bray

The Federal Reserve gave rate watchers a great gift a couple weeks ago – assurances that it’s well aware of the potential for slowing economic growth. Markets reacted with a big rally, and analysts now predict the chances of the Fed lowering rates before the end of the year as high as the chances it will raise rates again.

However, lost in the excitement was the Fed’s reiteration that it will tweak its plans based on economic data. Two days after the Fed meeting, the Jan jobs report crushed expectations, and other economic reports showed the economy still seems to be humming along.

Investors still have other concerns: the government funding deal, the Chinese trade dispute, and weakening global growth. All have created uncertainty that’s counteracting the good news on the economy, and that seems to be keeping rates trapped in a very narrow range.

So, what to watch? Personally, I don’t think anyone in Washington wants another shutdown, and I think markets already expect the compromise to pass. Chinese trade, on the other hand, could be a market mover. As long as a trade deal remains elusive, I think rates will remain capped. If a trade deal happens, watch out for higher rates. Even then, I think global growth concerns will remain background uncertainty that keeps rates from rising too fast.

We have one other issue to watch. The Fed meets again in mid-Mar. Based on the Fed’s last post-meeting announcement and press conference, markets seem convinced the Fed has hit the pause button on tighter monetary policy. If the Fed’s dot plot in Mar continues to show more rate hikes, or if Fed governors over the next month backtrack on their earlier caution, look for rates to rise again.