Category: Real Estate and Mortgages

The average 30-year mortgage refinance rate is sitting around 6.8% as of early July 2026, per Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That's not the "lowest since the 1950s" environment this page used to describe — those sub-4% rates are long gone, and most homeowners today are locked into a…

I sometimes ponder where I would move if I had to leave my current state (VA). And more and more, Texas seems to come to mind. This is because of three main factors - strong employment, housing affordability and quality of life (good weather, diverse cities, lower taxes etc). And clearly…

Government sponsored/owned entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced that they will no longer be purchasing certain mortgages as directed by their regulator and in compliance with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) qualified mortgage (QM) and Ability-to-Repay (ATR) requirements. This is effective from Jan 10, 2014 and covers…

Thanks to recent announcements by the Federal Reserve around cutting back on buy back programs interest rates have been rising, with the forecast for even higher rates by year end. Based on the latest rates have been rising consistently of late with the 30-year fixed rate averaging over 4.1%. That's up from…

The NY Fed has a great set of maps that show the dynamic return of the US housing market with home prices posting year over year double digit gains in many areas. Some experts are even saying that home prices in states like California, Florida and New York are rising…

My realtor who helped with buying my home a few years ago occasionally sends me newsletters on the state of the US housing market. For the most part this is marketing material looking for referrals and to keep her in mind if when I decide to sell or upgrade. But…

I recently received the following question from Brian on my post that detailed the many versions of the first time home buyer tax credit: I purchased a home in January 2009. This is my primary residence after having purchased my first home in March 2002. My CPA put me in…

Many of us dream about how it would feel to not have a monthly mortgage payment. Owning your home free and clear is the aspiration of numerous homeowners. But even without – in most cases – that hefty payment leaving your checkbook every 30 days, there are actually some reasons…

Two new tax changes were implemented in recent legislation that may affect a number of tax payers filing 2010 returns in 2011. One affects landlords who now need to disclose all payments made above $600. The other affects people with certain assets outside the US, who now have to formally…

As of mid-2026, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is running around 6.5%-6.6%, while the 15-year fixed averages roughly 5.8%-5.95%, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That gap of roughly 0.7 to 0.9 percentage points is a big part of why the 15-year option keeps coming up whenever…

Thanks to the housing affordability crisis, many fundamental truths about owning an home have come under question. For example, owning a home was considered a key plank towards financial freedom and along with 401K/IRA retirement plans was the best way to build financial security over the longer term. Similarly a popular…

Mortgage lenders often attract homeowners seeking to lower their mortgage interest rate with some simple math, usually presented in one of two ways: 1) Comparing the nominal closing costs to the total savings from 30 years of a lower monthly payment, or 2) How few months it will take before…

Mortgage interest rates are at their lowest point in decades (about 4.5%) and the housing credit has been in effect for more than three years, yet the housing market is tepid at best, with foreclosures at record highs and government housing institutions having to put more distressed assets on their…