Yes, this *is* yet another Happy Holiday email! But at least this one isn’t from your dry cleaner on how to get those holiday food stains out, or from your grocer on the best recipes for Pumpkin Pie, or from your Realtor with both of those helpful hints!
No, this is “news you can use”…ha. OK, if you really want that kind of info go into your spam folder and dig out one of dozen different emails from local Realtors.
If you want a quick-hit list of information that is truly impactful to the betterment of your life and the lives of others, then read on…
As always feedback is most welcome!
Thank you,
Jim
MARKET UPDATE
Mortgages Rates
So far this year, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has averaged 4.54% up from 3.99% in 2017.
Rates are indeed rising. Even “Common Core Math” skills would confirm this obvious fact. But what most people haven’t noticed is that the 30-year fixed-rate has declined or stayed flat for the last 8 weeks in a row.
We do expect rates to resume their steady increase but this brief respite has been most welcome by many of our buyer clients, especially at the lower-end of the market.
One word of caution, waiting or hesitating because you feel like prices are coming down may very well cost you in the end. For every 1% increase in interest rates a corresponding 10% drop in the price of the home would be required to offset. Waiting could cost you more if even prices flatten out or slightly decline.
Please reach out to me to discuss in much more depth. I’m keeping it high level for the “Common Core Math” enthusiasts among us ; – )
Fed Rate vs. Mortgage Rate
The Federal Reserve raised the short-term Federal Funds Rate by 0.25% this week. How does this affect mortgage interest rates? More importantly, how does it affect the New England Patriots’ chances of winning this year’s Super Bowl? (it doesn’t, but I am happy to report a nice correlation with their chances decreasing as interest rates increase : ) Full disclosure: I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA! Blog post below to help remove any confusion (about mortgage rates, not about me)…
Locals Only: STRs in Santa Barbara County
For those of us who live in Santa Barbara County and like to leverage our asset by short-term renting to tourists, you were effectively handed a cease and desist letter recently. There are, however, permit-able scenarios to explore …
Happy Holidays!
Almost forgot…Happy Holidays everyone!
