Mortgage rates hit 50-year lows and it likely won't matter
Filed under: Credit, Real Estate, Recession, Mortgages, Refinancing, In the News
The good news: Mortgage rates dropped to their lowest levels in more than 50 years.The bad news: You need to have a job and impeccable credit to get them.
The average 30-year fixed loan rate tumbled to 4.69% this week, down from 4.75% last week, Freddie Mac reported. These are the lowest rates since the mortgage giant began keeping records in 1971 and the last time rates were lower was in the 1950s.
Nobody expects the falling rates to matter much. They aren't likely to snap the housing market back to life. And they aren't likely to benefit anyone who is unemployed, underemployed or who has had their credit rating dinged in the recession.Sales of new homes fell 33% after the federal tax credit incentives expired at the end of April and while existing home sales are still showing better numbers, experts say those numbers are being buoyed by the tax credit buyers still in the pipeline and trying to close escrow.
As long as prospective home buyers are worried about their financial well-being and job security, many will be reluctant to take the plunge, Greg McBride, senior financial analyst with Bankrate.com, told MSNBC.
The falling rates are tied to investors nervous about Europe's debt crisis and the global economy and who have shifted their money into safe Treasury bonds. Mortgage rates generally track Treasury bonds.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
6-25-2010 @ 4:35PM
Matt said...
The bad news is that you need to have a job and impeccable credit to get them?
Not sure I agree that that's bad news. At least not if we learned anything from the housing bubble. And not if we want to recovery to be a real recovery.
Reply
6-25-2010 @ 8:24PM
John said...
Definitely agree with Matt. The real recovery will come from both borrowers and lenders who, before a purchase as large as home, actually sit down and think "Can I/they afford this?"
That question has been lost in today's society.
6-25-2010 @ 8:03PM
Brenda said...
This is still Http://www.refinancingguide.info good news in this economy.
6-25-2010 @ 8:04PM
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6-25-2010 @ 8:48PM
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6-25-2010 @ 9:54PM
mike said...
matt your right, in fact i;ll go further there ought to be some kind of test to give to people to see if they are even smart enough to be a home owner, i;ve seen people move into my neighborhood/of30 years/ who dont have the common sense to know trees/from the multitude of maple tree seeds/are not suppose to grow in their gutters, that yes you may have to spray for dandelions, that no we dont want to see the sheets instead of shades or drapes hanging in your windows/all because you and the wife put new cars above home items,my neighbor hood was hit hard by the burst bubble,luckily ive gotten rid of some of the ones that should never do anything but rent,, and hope for a better class of owners next time around
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6-28-2010 @ 4:23PM
Gary Anderson said...
The watchdog of Fannie and Freddie, Paul Miller, says that the 30 year mortgage may go away. Don't buy on credit unless you are prepared to walk away if house prices tank on that news.
6-25-2010 @ 8:12PM
Stephanie said...
Actually, this article isn't even a little bit true. This is a great opportunity to buy and especially to refinance with rates at the second lowest point in history. By staying at your current interest rate and especially at a 30 year term, you are throwing away thousands of dollars in interest. Do your research and talk to your lender before you believe this crap.
Reply
6-25-2010 @ 11:28PM
Mike said...
Having been a REALTOR for the past 13 years I can tell you this story is exactly true. I have recently seen people with a 750 credit score turned down for loans that were well within the generally accepted ratios of incoome to debt.
There is no doubt the banks were making loans to people that should have NEVER been allowed to buy a house. 100% financing for a person that has never saved a dime in their life and has a 625 credit score was a recipe for disaster. But now the banks are simply being rediculous.
6-25-2010 @ 8:13PM
smat4lol said...
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Reply
6-25-2010 @ 8:33PM
heather said...
I'm buying a home and I can't get the Bank to say yes or no on my bid . Now I got alittle despert and I yes to there counter offer and still no work back . How are you suppose to buy a house it the Bank doesn't respond ? No one is buying homes at the moment , whats the problem ? Help
Reply
6-25-2010 @ 10:59PM
heidi said...
You can thank Clinton who started the housing mess and Obama who just made it worse, Clinton let people buy homes who could not afford them then dumped it into President Bush's lap. You need excellent credit and a great job that pays well in order to get anything now. I am glad i paid off my homes when I did now that my husband and i are retired and most of our children are grown we can enjoy our life with our youngest children and all our pets.I wish you luck and hope you can get what you want.
6-25-2010 @ 11:49PM
SuccessfulAuthor said...
You are illiterate. God help us all if you're able to qualify for a loan.
6-26-2010 @ 12:32AM
red said...
Heidi-check your facts! It happened during the Bush Administration. Did you forget? Or were you in a coma for eight years? During the Clinton years, there was 2 percent unemployment, stocks were great, a lot of people prospered and there was a cash surplus! Bush destroyed this country in the first eight months!
6-25-2010 @ 8:45PM
Ed said...
Having a job is not bad. Having good credit is not bad. This is the way it was before loans were given out to any and all. Even back in "olden times" you couldn't get a loan if the loaners didn't expect to get their money back. And that is the way it should be. Loans could be going for 0% interest but no one who wants the loan repaid would lend money to those that have no job or a bad credit history. But, the polititions got involved, forced lending institutions to lend money to people who were bad risks, and so we had a major housing market bust. Everyone involved is at fault....except the polititions. -- Ed
Reply
6-25-2010 @ 9:03PM
gmasterman said...
The fact that interest rates are down is great but it does not replace the need to make wise decisions and buy only what you can afford to pay for. Personally I'm sick of the "poor me I'm a victim because I could not pay the mortgage I signed" attitude that so many seem to have these days. No one owes these people anything contrary to what they believe. If you can't afford a house note then don't sign your name on the dotted line
Reply
6-26-2010 @ 12:16AM
loriohearn said...
Are you even serious???? People could afford the home when they signed the dotted line you idiot, we then had our incomes cut in half!!!!!!!!! You obviously haven't been effected by the economy and maybe its time you got your dose!
6-25-2010 @ 9:07PM
steve said...
recent appraisal by farm credit of 190k, we owe 115k on an 07 manufactured home on 5.4ac,all we want is to refi at a lower rate right now its 9.25. Farm credit says they want more collateral a second on our 1.25ac lot, and I am in law school so they want my grants and scholarships, wife works and we pay our bills nothing lef;t but paid, anyone know of a lender who wants a great mort to write; without a hassle thats in central florida.
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Reply
6-25-2010 @ 9:19PM
RON said...
be great if credit card companies followed suit.
Reply