Having chosen South Carolina as your home, you’re now ready to find the cheapest first, second, or refinance mortgage rates available. The process of finding and comparing low-cost mortgages can be summarized into the following steps:

• Learn the options.
• Know the rates of interest.
• Determine your budget.
• Collect quotes.
• Compare your offers.

Horizon Financial is here to help. Our content is informative, and our information is accurate. You can request free quotes online, crunch numbers on the mortgage calculators, or calling Horizon Financial directly.  Take advantage by using our thorough South Carolina broker/lender mortgage loan programs knowledge to get the mortgage loan that is right for your situation.  Whether you are just starting to research or have a written offer on your dream home, we have Conventional, FHA, VA & USDA Rural Housing expects ready to assist with your hassle free options.

Posted by Bob Dangelo, a senior Loan Officer with over 20 years mortgage lending experience.  You can reach Bob toll free at Horizon Financial (877) 627-9211 ext 110 in Greenville, SC 864-527-8900 ext 1100 or email at bdangelo@horizonfinancial.org

http://forecasts.org/fha.htm

-Gary Schoenholz (864)979-1111.  15+ Years of mortgage experience. Website:  www.GarytheMortgageExpert.com

We are all happy rates are down in 2010!

Prices have risen more than 3% since May, according to S&P/Case-Shiller.

But most forecasts predict price declines in 2010, with possible losses ranging from anywhere from 3% on up. Fiserv Lending Solutions, a financial analytics firm, forecasts that prices will fall in all but 39 of the 381 markets it covers, with an average drop of 11.3%.

“We’ve seen recent price stabilization because of low mortgage interest rates and the impact of the first-time homebuyers tax credit,” said Pat Newport of IHS Global Research. “But there are really good reasons to think prices will now start going down.”

There are three main reasons for the reversal: a coming flood of foreclosures, rising interest rates and the eventual end of the tax credits.

For Gus Faucher, the director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com, the huge number of foreclosures that remain in the pipeline is the big problem.

Moody’s upped its estimate of defaults recently because of shortcomings of the government-led mortgage modification programs. Trial workouts are not being made permanent and completed modifications are redefaulting at high rates.

“There are going to be fewer [successful] modifications than we thought,” said Faucher.

Even so, he added, much of the price decline has already occurred and Moody’s forecast is for only another 8% drop. The worst-hit markets will be the ones suffering the most foreclosures, places like Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada. (See 7 tips for buying foreclosures)

Resetting option ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) will also aggravate the foreclosure problem. These mortgages allow borrowers to pick their own payments, which can be so low they don’t even cover the interest. Balances swell.

For many of the more than 350,000 option-ARM borrowers, it’s time to pay the piper. Their loans will change into fully amortizing mortgages that will carry much higher monthly payments. A very large percentage of these homeowners will default, according to Shari Olefson, author of “Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream.”

“We’ve still only seen the tip of the foreclosure iceberg,” she said.

She also predicts more strategic defaults, people deliberately walking away from even fixed-rate mortgages as the value of their homes dips well below the amount they owe.

Olefson’s forecast is for price declines of 5% to 15%, depending on the area, with a national median price drop of about 10% for 2010.

Also affecting prices will be higher interest rates. Some analysts, according to Newport, think rates for a 30-year mortgage will pass 6% next year as the government curtails housing market support.

The Federal Reserve has helped keep rates low through purchases of mortgage-backed securities. But that program is winding down and will end in March.

“The government is throwing everything at the market but the kitchen sink,” said Peter Schiff, president of Euro pacific Capital. “It can’t prop up housing markets forever.”

Schiff is among the bigger bears. Though he gave no specific prediction, he thinks prices — already down 29% from the peak — are only halfway to the bottom.

As a tool for supporting housing markets and prices, the tax credit for homebuyers is a two-edged sword. It reduces taxes dollar-for-dollar by up to $8,000 for new homebuyers and $6,500 for buyers who already own a home and should support home prices. But it ends at the end of April.

Many buyers will push their deals forward to get in before the deadline and then demand for homes could sink afterward.

One of the few bulls out there is NAR, whose chief economist, Lawrence Yun, is counting on the tax credit to provide temporary support for housing markets until the economy recovers enough to start fueling sales. He predicts price improvement in 2010 of more than 3%.

“The headwind we face is rising mortgage interest rates,” Yun said, “but the compensating factors will be the homebuyers tax credit in the first half of the year and increased job creation in the second half.”

All of this means, now is the time to buy!  To talk to a mortgage manager, call 864-979-1111 and ask for Gary Schoenholz (15 years of mortgage experience) or go to my website: www.GaryTheMortgageExpert.com.

With the government spending money like drunken sailors on liberty, inflation will soon rear   its ugly head.  And inflation is very bad news for mortgage rates.

After one year of historically low mortgage rates, the window of opportunity to purchase or refinance at an incredible rate may be be ending soon.

What is so incredible about a 30 year fixed rate mortgage at under 5.0%?  Well, the average 30 year fixed over the last ten years was about 7.1%.  The highest rate for the 30 year fixed in the last ten years was 9.2%.  The highest rate recorded by Freddie Mac occurred in October of 1981…18.45%!

Refinancing at a lower rate may save you hundreds of dollars off your current mortgage payment.  So it is definitely time to examine your mortgage terms and determine whether or not it is worthwhile to refinance.  And if you have an adjustable rate mortgage it is certainly time to make a move.

There are several government programs available to homeowners who have Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans and are under water on their mortgages. 

For those of you who are considering the purchase of a home, now is the time to pull the trigger.  Not only are rates extremely low, you may also qualify for the homebuyers tax credit.

Posted by Terry Brunner.  Terry is a Senior Loan Officer with Horizon Financial.  Terry can be reached toll free @ (877) 627-9211 x150 or email TBrunner@HorizonFinancial.org.  Visit Horizon’s website at www.horizonfinancial.org

On Thursday, the House and Senate passed an extension of the popular homebuyer program that would allow people who have owned their homes for at least five years to buy a new home and get up to $6,500 off their tax bill. Why the switch?

The move may be aimed at luring higher-end buyers into the real estate market, says Kevin Cottrell, a principal and cofounder of Kelsey Cottrell Realty in St. Louis. During the initial incentive program, which ends Nov. 30, over 70 percent of the contracts his firm inked were under $300,000, and 90 percent were under $400,000, the lower end of the real-estate spectrum. By extending the credit to current homeowners, the federal government is aiming to move a more upscale segment of the market into “a more normal cycle of buying and selling,” where people might move to a better home every seven or eight years, Mr. Cottrell says. The five-year ownership requirement discourages people from flipping houses the way they did during the real estate bubble.

President Obama is expected to sign the bill.  Here’s what it means for you:

– First-time homebuyers still qualify for up to $8,000 in tax credits; those who have owned their homes at least five years qualify for up to $6,500 in credits.

– Purchases must be secured by April 30, 2010 and closings finalized by June 30.

– Single taxpayers with an adjusted gross income under $125,000 (under $225,000 for joint filers) are eligible for the credit’s full benefits. Those with incomes up to $145,000 (single) or $245,000 (joint) may receive partial credits.

– Homes worth $800,000 and under are eligible for the program.

– Members of the military serving outside the United States for more than 90 days will have until June 30, 2011, to qualify for he incentive.

Posted by Gary Schoenholz- Loan Officer Manager- 864-979-1111 www.GaryTheMortgageExpert.com