Provided courtesy of: http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/consumer_rates/
Mortgage rates held steady today, for the most part. If there was a leaning, it was toward slightly lower rates, but not by a wide enough margin to be significant. At first glance, holding steady at the lowest levels in nearly 3 years is great! In fact, it's still great at second glance. But the more information we consider, the more we may wonder why they're not lower. Reason being: 10yr Treasury yields (which often move in the same direction as mortgage rates and by similar amounts) are noticeably lower today! So why aren't mortgages following?
Mortgage rates mostly held steady today, despite a move higher in broader interest rate indicators like the 10yr Treasury yield. Treasuries and mortgage rates typically track each other quite well, but that relationship has broken down in recent weeks due to the rapid drop in rates and the increase in volatility. The mortgage sector has a much tougher time adjusting to new realities compared to Treasuries.
In other words, mortgage rates haven't been able to move lower nearly as quickly (though they have still managed to hit their lowest levels since 2016). The upside to that problem is that we get days like today where Treasury yields rebound without significantly damaging mortgage rates. In fact, many lenders are offering the same rates seen on Friday.
Things have been weird enough for mortgage rates recently that we were forced to add a "Temporary Note on Mortgage Rate Inconsistency" to our daily coverage recently. It will likely return before too long, but with a few edits for clarity. Edits will also need to account for days like today, which offered a prime example of how the inconsistency can be corrected.
There's a decent chance those first 3 sentences are confusing and/or relatively meaningless, so let's change that!
Mortgage rates aren't the only rates out there. They exist in an ecosystem with more established players like US Treasury yields. They move so much like Treasury yields that even very smart people mistakenly believe Treasuries (specifically, the 10yr) dictate mortgage rates. Recently though, mortgage rates have moved in the opposite direction from Treasuries at times, or simply haven't fallen remotely as much as past precedent would suggest.
...(read more)Mortgage rates fell today as the underlying market for mortgage-backed-securities (MBS) actually did a better job of keeping pace with broader bond market gains--not something they've been doing very well lately! For some lenders, it was enough to get them back to August 6th's levels, which were the best in nearly 3 years. The average lender can quote a conventional 30yr fixed rate of 3.625% for top tier scenarios. That said, there is much more variability between lenders at the moment. Take a look at the "Temporary Note on Mortgage Rate Inconsistency" below to learn more about why things have been volatile and inconsistent.
There's no reason to expect broader market volatility to suddenly disappear, but as long as Treasury yields don't undergo a massive spike, the mortgage market should be able to catch its breath. Specifically, that would mean MBS continuing to re-solidify their link with Treasuries and mortgage lenders more and more able to translate those strong MBS levels to slightly lower rates. In plainer terms, mortgage rates have some room to move lower, but it won't necessarily be quick. They can avoid moving higher as long as the big bond market rally of the past 2 weeks isn't abruptly reversed.
Mortgage rates were unchanged for many lenders today which is utterly and completely shocking given the other market developments that tend to coincide with rates moving lower. Specifically, stocks tanked and 10yr Treasury yields plummeted to the lowest levels since September 2016. For anyone under the impression that 10yr yields dictate the direction of mortgage rates without exception, it's high time to reassess that worldview. The bottom line is that rates are doing an absolutely terrible job of keeping pace with the rally in the broader bond market. The "Temporary Note on Mortgage Rate Inconsistency" below will be informative in that regard.
Mortgage rates were still unchanged for many lenders as of this morning. There were even a few offering slightly lower rates compared to yesterday morning's offerings. That was a welcome development considering broader bond markets (which generally dictate rates) were pointing toward higher rates at the time. This can be explained by the inconsistent behavior of the mortgage market with respect to US Treasuries (and/or "the broader bond market") discussed in greater detail in the temporary "note on mortgage rate inconsistency" below. Today's iteration had more to do with the volatility component as bonds were somewhat rocked by headlines regarding the delayed implementation of several recently announced tariffs.
Mortgage rates were unchanged to slightly higher today--a claim that utterly boggles the mind of anyone who thought they understood the relationship between bond markets and the mortgage world. ALMOST without fail, a big drop in 10yr Treasury yields will coincide with lower mortgage rates. In fact, many people believe (albeit incorrectly) that mortgage rates are based on the 10yr yield. But today, despite a substantial drop in Treasury yields, mortgage rates are stuck in the mud.
Since this could continue to be the case, I'm going to include the following brief statement/reminder until the situation subsides:
The challenge of buying a home for the first time can seem so daunting that it's tempting to either just go with the first house that falls in your price range or continue to rent. To help you demystify the process and get the most out of the purchase, we'll examine what you'll need to consider before you buy, what you can expect from the buying process itself, and some handy tips to make life easier after you purchase your first home.
The first thing you'll need to determine is what your long-term goals are and then how home ownership fits in with those plans. It could be that you're simply looking to transform all those "wasted" rent payments into mortgage payments that actually give you something tangible. Others see home ownership as a sign of their independence and enjoy the idea of being their own landlord. Narrowing down your big-picture homeownership goals will point you in the right direction. Here are five questions to ask yourself:
The Buying Process
Now that you've decided to take the plunge, let's explore what you can expect
from the home buying process itself. This is a chaotic time with offers and
counter-offers flying furiously, but if you are prepared for the hassle (and
the paperwork), you can get through the process with your sanity more-or-less
intact. Here is the basic progression you can expect:
1) Find a home.
Make sure to take advantage of all the available options for finding homes on
the market, including using your real estate agent, searching for listings
online and driving around the neighborhoods that interest you in search of
for-sale signs. Also put some feelers out there with your friends, family and
business contacts. You never know where a good reference or lead on a home might
come from.
2) Consider your financing options and secure financing.
First-time homebuyers have a wide variety of options to help them get into a
home, including federally-backed loans and loans for homebuyers who don't have
the standard 20% minimum down payment. Your state may also have its own
programs for first-time homebuyers. Your mortgage interest rate will also have
a major impact on the total price you pay for your home, so shop around.
3) Make an offer.
Your real estate agent will help you decide how much money you want to offer
for the house along with any conditions you want to ask for, like having the
buyer pay for your closing costs. Your agent will then present the offer to the
seller's agent; the seller will either accept your offer or issue a counter-offer.
You can then accept, or continue to go back and forth until you either reach a
deal or decide to call it quits. If you reach an agreement, you'll make a
good-faith deposit and the process then transitions into escrow. Escrow is
a short period of time (often about 30 days) where the seller takes the house
off the market with the contractual expectation that you will buy the house -
provided you don't find any serious problems with it when you inspect it.
4) Obtain a home inspection.
Even if the home you plan to purchase appears to be flawless, there's no
substitute for having a trained professional inspect the property for the
quality, safety and overall condition of your potential new home. If the home
inspection reveals serious defects that the seller did not disclose, you'll
generally be able to rescind your offer and get your deposit back. Negotiating
to have the seller make the repairs or discount the selling price are other
options if you find yourself in this situation.
5) Close or move on.
If you're able to work out a deal with the seller, or better yet, if the
inspection didn't reveal any significant problems, you should be ready
to close. Closing basically involves signing a ton of paperwork in a very
short time period, while praying that nothing falls through at the last minute.
Take these 5 steps to help make the process go more smoothly.
Now that you know how much you can afford, check out our current mortgage rate comparison-shopping tool today.
Check your credit
Evaluate assets and liabilities
So you don't owe too much money and your payments are up to date. But how do you spend your money? Do you have piles of money left over every month, or are you on a shoestring budget?
A first-time homebuyer should have a good idea of what is owed and what is coming in.
You've decided to go for it. Buying a home can be thrilling and nerve-wracking at the same time, especially for a first-time homebuyer. It's difficult to know exactly what to expect. The learning curve can be steep, but most of the issues can be resolved by doing a little financial homework at the outset.
Take these 5 steps to help make the process go more smoothly.
The homebuyer's credit score is among the most important factors when it comes to qualifying for a loan these days.
To get a sense of where your credit stands, go to Kredit Karma to collect your credit report and score today, free and with no obligation.
Scour the reports for mistakes, unpaid accounts or collection accounts.
Just because you pay everything on time every month doesn't mean your credit is stellar, however. The amount of credit you're using relative to your available credit limit, or your credit utilization ratio, can sink a credit score.
The lower the utilization rate, the higher your score will be. Ideally, first-time homebuyers would have a lot of credit available, with less than a third of it used.
Repairing damaged credit takes time -- and money, if you owe more than lenders would prefer to see relative to your income. Begin the process at least 6 months before shopping for a home.
Evaluate assets and liabilities
So you don't owe too much money and your payments are up to date. But how do you spend your money? Do you have piles of money left over every month, or are you on a shoestring budget?
A first-time homebuyer should have a good idea of what is owed and what is coming in.
"If I were a first-time homebuyer and I wanted to do everything right, I would probably try to track my spending for a couple of months to see where my money was going," he says.
Additionally, buyers should have an idea of how lenders will view their income, and that requires becoming familiar with the basics of mortgage lending.
For instance, some professionals, such as the self-employed or straight-commission salesperson, may have a more difficult time getting a loan than others
Organize documents
When applying for mortgages, homebuyers must document income and taxes.
Typically, mortgage lenders will request 2 recent pay stubs, the previous 2 years' W-2s, tax returns and the past 2 months of bank statements -- every page, even the blank ones.
Buying a home can take a long time, but knowing what you need and where to find it can save time when you're ready.
Qualify yourself
Ideally, as a first-time homebuyer, you already know how much you can afford to spend before the mortgage lender tells you how much you qualify for. "How much house can I afford?" calculator will help.
By calculating debt-to-income ratio and factoring in a down payment, you will have a good idea of what you can afford, both upfront and monthly.
Though there's not a fixed debt-to-income ratio that lenders require, the old standard dictates that no more than 28 percent of your gross monthly income be devoted to housing costs. This percentage is called the front-end ratio.
The back-end ratio shows what portion of income covers all monthly debt obligations. Lenders prefer the back-end ratio to be 36 percent or less, but some borrowers get approved with back-end ratios of 45 percent or higher.
Figure out your down payment
It takes effort to scrape together the down payment.
There are programs that can assist buyers with qualifying incomes and situations.
Finally, speak with mortgage lenders when you're starting the process. Check with friends, co-workers and neighbors to find out which lenders they enjoyed working with and ask them questions about the process and what other steps first-time homebuyers should take.
Congratulations New Homeowner ... Now What?
You've signed the papers, paid the movers and the new place is starting to feel like home. Game over right? Not quite. Let's now examine some final tips to make life as a new homeowner more fun and secure.
Conclusion
This brief overview should help put you on the path towards filling in any gaps in your home-buying knowledge. Remember that the more you educate yourself about the process beforehand, the less stressful it will be, and the more likely you will be to get the house you want for a price you can afford - and with a smile on your face.