Matthew Bowles's (matthewjbowles) Blog

  Consider this a last call for FHA Streamline Refinances.  Starting next Tuesday, the popular rate-lowering program gets strict on borrowers. There's 5 days left. Under the current streamline refi guidelines, FHA homeowners have minimal program eligibility requirements. FICO scores must be 620 ...

  Mortgage markets were extremely volatile last week, carving out a wide range between Monday and Friday.  Thankfully for rate shoppers, the overall momentum was positive. Mortgage rates fell for the second time in as many weeks. Rates still sit higher versus their early-October lows. For pure "...

  The housing market continues to steam forward. As reported by the National Association of Realtors®, the Pending Home Sales Index posted its 8th consecutive monthly gain in September. It's the longest winning streak in the history of the index and Pending Home Sales are now at their highest le...

  Mortgage markets improved last week after a series of hugely volatile trading sessions.  Rates carved out a wide range on the week, culminating in a late-Friday plunge that dropped rates by about 1/8 percent. It was the first time in 5 weeks that mortgage rates fell. Volatility like that of la...

How To Find Good Deals As The Buyers Market Comes To An End     At some point in their lives, every home buyer in America has wondered "Is now the best time to buy a home?" In this 3-minute video, NBC's The Today Show does a good job of answering the question. The conclusion? Yes, but not if you...

  Some days, newspaper headlines are a terrible place to get your real estate news.  Today is one of those days. After the September New Home Sales reportshowed sales volume down from August, the mainstream media jumped on the story: New Home Sales fall a surprising 3.6% Surprise Drop In New Hom...

  For August, the Case-Shiller Index showed annual home values improving across 19 of 20 U.S. markets. It's the first time in 3-plus years that the benchmark housing index has shown such strength. According to a Case-Shiller Index spokesperson, "The rate of annual decline in home price values co...

  Mortgage markets were volatile last week, making it very difficult to shop for mortgage rates. On most days, lenders issued multiple rate sheets with the trend putting rates higher in the morning, and lower in the afternoon. Overall, mortgage rates were unchanged on the week. It broke a three-...

  According to the government, home values edged lower last month. The Federal Housing Finance Agency's Home Price Index report shows values down by 0.3 percent from the month prior -- the index's first down month since April. The Home Price Index is based on the value of homes financed via Fann...

As Gas Prices Rise, Mortgage Rates Are Rising, Too   With crude oil at its highest levels since October 2008, retail gas is up 8 cents per gallon this week. It's bad news for home buyers and mortgage rate shoppers.  The same force that's driving oil higher is linked to rising mortgage rates. We'...