Eric Grathwol's (grathwol) Blog

July 19, 2010   I hope the summer is treating you well.   With more than half the year behind us, I like to check my scorecard and see how the themes and items I thought would drive real estate financing, and economic news during the year have checked out.    First, I'll touch on a couple big rec...

June 8, 2010   What happens when PIIGS fly?    When the PIIGS are Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain, and they're flying away from their debt, maybe the world slows down.   I touched on the troubles Greece was facing back in my February newsletter.   As I pointed out, the Greek and Europe...

April 26, 2010   To be (sustainable) or not to be (sustainable)?  That is the question.  Didn't Shakespeare say that?...   It's a fair (and ongoing) question for our economic recovery.  I think our recovery is sustainable, but what I'm trying to figure out is, at what level?  Economic boom and bu...

(Sorry, I had a busy start to the week, and forgot to post this when I wrote and emailed it to my subscribers Sunday night.  If you'd like to be on my distribution list, send me an email).   March 14, 2010   Beware the Ides of March...   Ok, maybe not the Ides (March 15th, that is forever tied to...

February 11, 2010   "Greece is the word."  Oh wait, I think it was "grease is the word..."   Either way, it's appropriate for today's economic environment to discuss Greece, and what it might mean to you and me, and the rates we pay for financing.   As you may have heard, Greece might be hitting ...

January 4, 2010   Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to you and yours.   As I've been pondering the direction that mortgage rates, the housing market, and our economy as a whole might take for 2010, a few things occurred to me: •1)       My financial advisor, good friend and...

December 22, 2009    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!   As we wrap up - Get it? Wrap up? - another year, let's have some fun and see how my 2009 predictions panned out.  I'll save you some time, if you don't want to read the whole letter.  I got 2.5 of six right, by my count.  Not bad, for an ...

October 16, 2009   Happy Halloween!  Trick or Treat?   That's one way to look at the US economy during the third quarter where GDP growth beat most analysts expectations with a 3.5% annualized growth rate.  Was it a trick, or some kind of economic treat?  It sort of depends on how you look at it,...

October 16, 2009   Wow.  It's amazing what the expiration - or perceived expiration - of a government hand-out (errr...tax incentive) will do to boost sales.    Cash For Clunkers created a spike in car sales in August - which promptly receded upon the program's expiration.    I think the Homebuye...

August 25, 2009   What will happen to fixed mortgage rates when the Federal Reserve stops buying Mortgage Backed Securities later this year?   Here's my prediction: Not a lot.    Some people fear fixed mortgage rates will skyrocket.  I'm not one of them.  Worst-case, I think we return to the 6% r...