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So the question is, what is going to happen to mortgage rates in 2010? Well, have you ever heard the saying “It ain’t over til it’s over”? The Fed has told us repeatedly that their massive purchasing program of Mortgage Backed Securities is just about over - and this translates to home loan rates rising in the near future.

As you can see in the chart below, the amounts of Mortgage Backed Securities the Fed is purchasing are slowly dwindling, as the program is set to wrap up by March 31st, and are clearly trying to ration out the remaining portion. Last week, the Fed purchased $11 Billion in Mortgage Backed Securities, which leaves them with $66 Billion to spend out of their original $1.25 Trillion allotment. So about 95% of the total has already been spent and has purchased about 3 out of every 4 home loans during the past year. When such a large buyer leaves the market, it is very likely that prices will worsen.

This is very important because as the Fed has less money to last through the remaining months of the program, their ability to keep home loan rates low via their purchasing power will wane. And those who can take advantage of currently low home loan rates do not wait, as the clock on these historically low rates is ticking.

Chart: The Fed’s Purchase of MBS (By Month)
mbs-purchases.jpg

The purchasing of these MBS’s, is exactly what has kept mortgage interest rates low, as I’ve previously mentioned. Originally, I thought, as many did, that rates wouldn’t take a hit until after the complete execution of this program in March. However, the government slowing of these purchases will have an effect on the rates before March 31st!

These are historic times in real estate and I feel that many people who want to really buy, are going to miss out on an opportunity to have a 5% 30 year fixed interest rate…because they just kept waiting and waiting….and waiting.

Now is absolutely the time to buy. Prices are down over 35% in almost every area throughout Long Island. If you’ve been paying attention to certain homes on the market through your home search, you know that home is on the market now (it may not be there 3 months from now). And right now, you can obtain an historically low interest rate.

I had a closing the other day and my buyer client, with buying down his rate, got a 30 year fixed loan for 4.25%.

4.25% for 30 years. In 3 months, that will most likely be 6.25%…with buying down the rate…

The clock is ticking.

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