Loudoun Real Estate Blog

I attended a seminar sponsored by Countrywide Mortgage on Tuesday May 6th at the Crowne Plaza in Tysons Corner, Virginia which featured Tom Fiddler, an expert in the real estate industry. It definitely put the current real estate market in perspective. He gave some background about the bond ratings of mortgages, etc. but more importantly emphasized that we need to "celebrate affordability" and I couldn’t agree more. Home prices are down and household income is still up. The final piece of the puzzle is interest rates-which are still so low. It is one of the most affordable times to buy a home nationwide in two decades! Obviously, at some point, probably after the election, interest rates will have to rise.

Mr. Fiddler also emphasized using FHA to the fullest. Not only do FHA loans typically end up being cheaper than conventional loans right now, if home prices were to stay flat or even go lower and interest rates go higher, the sellers who have FHA loans will be in a much better selling position because of the assumability of FHA loans. Tom Fiddler was an excellent speaker and I highly recommend seeing a seminar if you have an opportunity.

There were actually some positive signs in the real estate market at the national level lately. New mortgage applications jumped up in the beginning of March for the first time in more than a month according to the Mortgage Bankers Assocation. Also, the pending home sale index didn’t decline in February as many predicted. It stayed flat. Finally, the Federal Reserve is keeping short term interest rates low. Could this mean real estate conditions are improving? I will keep you posted.