With many changes happening throughout 2020, one thing has remained consistent; the growth of home purchase demand. The combination of historic low mortgage interest rates and lowering available homes for sale, the pressure has created home purchase demand.
A recent article on CNBC.com, written by Jeff Cox, and Titled: Fed holds rates steady near zero and indicates it will stay there for years, includes the following statement “Projections from individual members also indicated that rates could stay anchored near zero through 2023. All but four members indicated they see zero rates through then. This was the first time the committee forecast its outlook for 2023.” The article details the projections and expectations of the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee.
The year of 2020 will be remembered by many people and for many reasons. The year was rocked by a pandemic with a ripple effect that created an economic recession; complex social unrest; and a highly polarized presidential election. Oh, and let’s not forget it was also a year of historically damaging wildfires and hurricanes!
The Builder Confidence Index has been in existence for 35 years as a gauge of Builders confidence in the future of single-family home sales. The Index matched the all time record high from 1998.
The mortgage industry has been offering incredibly low rate loans with low or no fees. Recent weeks have seen some mortgage lenders promoting their new 1.99% fixed rate loans, but it’s important to understand the fees involved in these loans. They might be a very good choice for some borrowers but are also a very wrong choice for many.
Home owners and home buyers across the nation are thrilled to have an opportunity to secure a mortgage rate that is the lowest rate ever offered in the US. During a year that has seen a pandemic and civil unrest, the nation also enters a time where the average lender is offering mortgage rates that are below 3%.
The impacts of the current Pandemic social distancing orders and essential only travel bans has affected all of our lives in different ways.
MortgageNewsDaily.com says we will need to wait and see if mortgage rates will drop back into all-time lows. The impact of the pandemic has had it’s affect on bond markets which are driving mortgage rates.
The percentage of refinance loans increased to 55% in March, with growth occurring across every type of loan. The average interest rate for 30 year fixed rate loans in March was the lowest it has been since January of 2013.
Should you buy a home during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how can you buy a home when many areas across the nation are under stay-at-home orders.