The Chicago 77

If you are a Chicago Public School Employee and You?re ready to acquire a home of your own, luckily, there?s a first time home buyer program perfectly suited for Chicago Public School’s employees that provides enviable incentives and a desirable APR (Annual Percentage Rate). When you?ve got your eyes on the prize of home ownership, […]

The word is out in the real estate world…I’m hearing the question all the time from agents. Katie Anderson recently asked me, “I’ve heard that only a 5% down payment on condos is coming back. Neena is this true?” Yes these low down payment loans ares coming back into the market?guidelines are loosening up! The New […]

9 February 2010 ? A recent new loan requirement is that a borrower must obtain a condominium-unit-owners insurance policy ?also known as HO-6 insurance. This is a good thing; you want your new condo to be covered in case something happens! HO-6 covers the interior walls, electrical wiring, plumbing fixtures, kitchen cabinets, counter tops, wood […]

23 June 2009 ? After having several sharp increases, mortgage rates dropped sharply Monday 6/15, and a little more Tuesday 6/16, they rose again sharply Thursday 6/18, and a bit more Friday 6/19. Adding to the uncertainty in the market and investor concerns is the federal government’s change in stance from being worried about inflation […]

15 June 2009 ? After a few sharp increases, mortgage rates went down sharply late Thursday and early Friday. They aren?t down to the previous record lows, but at least it?s a step in the right direction. The Dow is up slightly, while the Nasdaq and S&P are down just a bit. The US dollar […]

10 June 2009 ? Last Wednesday, and again on Monday, mortgage bonds have slipped terribly. Mortgage rates have jumped three times in the last two weeks. If you didn?t lock your 5% or less by now, you might be out of luck. After one severe swing, I was pretty optimistic that things would come back […]

03 June 2009 – Monday afternoon was a blood bath with the mortgage bonds again, plummeting over 180 bps, and sending mortgage rates up again. Should you lock a rate?…read my post on the subject first. They have crept downward a little Tuesday and Wednesday, but not to where they were. The stock market is […]

Monday 01 June 2009 ? Mortgage bonds were up over 130 bps last Friday, after dropping over 180 bps last Wednesday, which would have really helped push mortgage rates back down, except that they are down over 70 bps again first thing this Monday morning. Saying rates are on a roller coaster would be an […]

29 May 2009 ? Mortgage rates jumped about a full half point within one day. This is the biggest one-day jump I have ever seen-from 4.75-5.0% up to 5.25-5.5%-bad news for anybody sitting on the fence and not locking a rate, ?waiting for rates to go down even further.? The New York Fed bought up […]

27 May 2009 – Mortgage rates move up drastically Wednesday. This is the sharpest increase we?ve seen in a while. GM seems poised for filing for bankruptcy. The stock market has taken a sharp turn downward Wednesday, after stocks had rallied Tuesday.

26 May 2009 – Mortgage rates are holding steady today, after going up late last week. Tuesday morning the Nasdaq, Dow, and S&P are all up 2% or more. I would expect this to mean another jump up in mortgage rates, but what we expect and what actually happens these days aren?t always the same. […]

22 May 2009 – Yesterday Great Britain got its AAA credit rating downgraded for the first time, sending investors on a selling spree. There is concern that the same thing might happen in US. Stocks, bonds, T-notes, the US dollar are all down, which is unusual to have everything drop at once. So, Thursday afternoon […]

20 May 2009 Mortgage rates are up slightly Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The Dow is above 8400 for the first time in a while. Oil climbed to a 6-month high. Geithner says the US is starting to make headway against the crisis. I say that?s arguable, but I like to be optimistic.