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On the 31st of October, the Fed announced its second consecutive decrease in rates, cutting another 0.25% from the Fed Funds Rate. This change could directly impact millions of American borrowers.

Are you one of them?

Adjustable Rate Mortgages
If you currently have an ARM that is scheduled to reset in the next 14 months, then today's news is good for you. Now is the time to investigate your options. Even if you have a pre-payment penalty or you're behind in your payments, don't delay. There may still be options available to get you out of your ARM and into a mortgage you can afford, including FHA or the new FHASecure program introduced by the President.

Important: The FOMC does not meet in November, so ask yourself this: Can you really afford to roll the dice until its next meeting in mid-December?

Buying at the Bottom of the Market
If you're looking to invest in real estate in the next six to twelve months, and recent rate cuts have inspired you to start taking action, now is the time to prepare yourself for intense credit scrutiny. There are a lot of great real estate deals to be had today. But if your credit doesn't stand up in today's tight-fisted credit environment, then you could easily miss out on an exceptional opportunity.

What's the point of taking advantage of discounted home prices if you can't qualify for the right mortgage or interest rate that makes it all worthwhile? Get pre-approved now and know exactly what you can afford. And with the right REALTOR® on your side, you can have incredible negotiating power in a buyers' market!

Refinancing – Know Your Options
While rate cuts often spark ideas of refinancing, this may not be the best choice for everyone. In some cases – especially in a market where home values are declining – refinancing may be impossible or disadvantageous. Call me today for a free mortgage review. Based on your individual goals and financial needs, we can explore every available option for you and your family.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Tuesday's bond market has opened in positive territory as yesterday's buying seems to be carrying over to today. There was no relevant economic news scheduled for today, but early stock weakness is also contributing to this morning's gains. The stock markets are showing losses with the Dow down 46 points and the Nasdaq down 3 points. The bond market is currently up 8/32, which will likely improve this morning's mortgage rates by approximately .125 of a discount point over yesterday's morning rates.

There is no further important economic news scheduled for release until Thursday morning. Until then, expect the stock markets to heavily influence bond trading. With the major stock indexes on a recent rally, there is some expectation of a pullback. This could lead to shifting of funds back into bonds. However, if the rally seems to continue, bonds may suffer, leading to higher mortgage pricing.

The Commerce Department will post August's Factory Orders data Thursday morning. This manufacturing sector report is similar to last week's Durable Goods Orders release, but includes orders for non-durable goods. It can usually impact the financial markets enough to change mortgage rates if it varies from forecasts by a wide margin. Current forecasts are calling for a decline in new orders of approximately 2.8%. An unexpected rise could drive mortgage rates higher, while a weaker than expected reading should push them lower Thursday.

The Labor Department will post September's Employment report early Friday morning. This report will reveal the U.S. unemployment rate, number of new payrolls added and average hourly earnings. These are considered to be very important readings of the employment sector and can have a huge impact on the financial markets. The ideal scenario for the bond market is rising unemployment, falling payrolls and a drop in earnings.

Weaker than expected readings should help boost bond prices and lower mortgage rates Friday. However, stronger then forecasted readings could be disastrous for mortgage pricing. Analysts are expecting to see a slight increase in the unemployment rate to bring it to 4.7%, an increase in new payrolls of approximately 100,000 and a 0.3% increase in earnings.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Lock if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.

Tuesday's bond market has opened in positive territory following a much weaker than expected consumer confidence reading. The stock markets are posting moderate gains again with the Dow up 17 points and the Nasdaq up 5 points. The bond market is currently up 8/32, which will likely improve this morning's mortgage rates by approximately .125 of a discount point.

The Conference Board posted their Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for September late this morning, showing a reading of 99.8. This was much lower than the 104.5 that was expected and was the lowest reading since November 2005. That indicates that consumers were far less confident in their own financial situations than many had thought. This is good news for the bond market and mortgage rates because waning confidence usually translates into weaker levels of consumer spending.

The National Association of Realtors reported that home resales fell 4.3% last month, which was close to forecasts. This was the sixth consecutive monthly drop in sales, indicating that that the housing sector continues to weaken. However, this data is not considered to be highly important to mortgage bonds, therefore, its results have failed to influence rates this morning.

August's Durable Goods Orders will be posted early tomorrow morning. This report gives us an indication of manufacturing sector strength by tracking orders for big-ticket items at U.S. factories. Current forecasts call for a drop in orders in the neighborhood of 3.5%. A larger decline could help bond prices and cause mortgage rates to drop tomorrow. However, a smaller than expected decrease would indicate a stronger than expected manufacturing sector that would likely help push mortgage rates higher Wednesday.

Mortgage Commentary 2007

Hello All,

As we were talking yesterday, we found out that all though the Fed Rate Cut did not directly impact rates, the wave caused by this is hurting now. Bonds are currently down 38 basis points and we will more thank likely be seeing another mid day price change for the worst.

I know this topic can be confusing, so let me try to explain what is going on. The Fed's number one concern is containing inflation. This is currently at 2.2%. The target for the fed is 2% inflation per year. What impacts inflation, well we do......every time we buy an kind of goods from any retailer, we are impacting inflation. This drives the stock market and in return takes money out of bonds, resulting in worse rates. The reason the Fed Rate Hike in the first place was to slow buying and contain inflation from going up.

As time passes, we will see that the now 1/2% lower fed funds rate will continue to make an impact in wall street, our everyday lives, and the way investors are treating this, as a now stronger economy. Keep in mind, the stronger the economy, the worse the mortgage rates.

Thanks for Reading......Please feel free to respond or call 573-268-4698.

Just like King Kong clutching the top of the Empire State Building…Bankrate, the "800-pound Gorilla" of online home loan rates is falling under fire. The Bankrate website draws millions of visitors, as it promises to give a listing of companies and their rate and cost offerings for mortgage loans, and even passes that information on to most of America's largest newspapers as fact. It proclaims itself to be a tool for the consumer, just delivering information and advice…but as many reputable mortgage lenders have known all along, it turns out that consumers are finding the reality of Bankrate to be a little different.

A lawsuit is in the works against Bankrate, after hundreds of consumers complained about lenders who failed to deliver the rates and terms they promised on the website. In fact, one lender actually told a Bankrate employee that a consumer would need a "direct pipeline to God" in order to qualify for the rates and terms they advertise on the site. Why would a lender post rates and terms they are unwilling or unable to honor? To lure in consumers who truly want to believe that they are getting an interest rate or cost package that is significantly lower than all the competition. And by the time the consumer finds out they are not getting the package they were promised, they likely have wasted enough valuable time that they feel somewhat stuck to use whatever terms the lender hauls out.

Of course there are real reasons that the terms of a loan package can change mid-stream. When working with a reputable lender, it would generally only be caused by a change from what was submitted on the loan application. Some examples of this include a change in credit, income, employment, debts or assets.

So are there any reputable lenders on Bankrate? Yes, of course. And some of those lenders were the ones who prompted the lawsuit in the first place. As they were posting real interest rates and terms they could actually honor, they could see that consumers would instead be contacting the less-reputable lenders who were posting completely unrealistic rate and cost offers. And the consumer might not find out the difference until it was too late. Mortgage lenders get their money from essentially the same places - so anytime there is a very large difference between quotes on identical programs, it pays to ask some questions.

Bottom line - the internet at large can be a great place to gain basic trends and information about a home loan, but the Bankrate lawsuit illustrates the need to work with a Trusted Advisor. A home loan is generally the largest financial transaction of your entire life - working with a real professional who can advise you on correct strategies and programs for your needs is a must. And like your mom or dad always used to say - you get what you pay for, and solid advice from a real professional may cost more than a bargain basement operation.

Most importantly, remember that the absolute lowest rate and terms on the WRONG financial strategy or loan program for your life will prove to be far more costly than a competitive rate package on the RIGHT strategy, which correctly fits your financial goals and needs.

For the first time in more than four years, the Federal Reserve cut its Fed Funds Rate, which directly impacts millions of American borrowers. And while this important decision has many implications, there’s still some debate among experts about what this means to the economy as a whole.

The Federal Reserve meets again in six weeks, and no one is certain how market volatility and inflation concerns will affect their future policy and decision-making. Bottom line: Take advantage of this opportunity while you still can. Call me right away.

• If you’re looking to capture a lower interest rate for refinancing or buying a home, this could be your best opportunity to do so.
• If you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage, while this rate cut might help to improve your situation, now is the time to refinance into a fixed-rate loan.
• If you have a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) or credit cards tied to the Prime Rate, the Fed’s cut in the Fed Funds Rate just put a little money in your pocket.

Borrowers waiting for a lower fixed-rate mortgage may be waiting for a long time. The chart below clearly shows how Fed Funds Rate cuts do not translate into cuts in fixed-rate mortgages. In January 2001, the Fed Funds Rate was at 6% and 30-year fixed rates averaged 7.03%. By December 2001, following 4.25% in cuts throughout the year, home loan rates were actually up to 7.07%.

Yes, we may experience some temporary improvements in rates in the coming weeks, but the markets will remain volatile as long as inflation and recession are a possible threat to the Federal Reserve's long-term economic policies.

As always, feel free to call or email with any quesitons.

Scott Batt

573-268-4698

Good Morning All,

I would like to let everyone know that a rate cut is possible by the Fed today. This will help the short term rates by reducing the Fed Funds Rate, which is a factor for products such as HELOC's, credit cards, and even car loans. If this should happen it will show that the Fed feels inflation has been contained and this could cause rates to go up. The reason for this is investors will hear of the cut and feel that the economy is doing good. Money will then come out of our mortgage backed bonds and in to stocks. On the other hand if the Fed does not cut, we could see some better rates today as money will go back in to bonds from stocks and will bump our bond prices. I will let everyone know the outcome later this afternoon.

I hope that everyone has a great day and please feel free to call me if you should have any questions.

Scott Batt

Buying real estate can be extremely demanding. It requires a whole lot of diligence on part of the buyer, more so, when drafting the terms and conditions of the purchase offer. You may hire an attorney or another real estate agent to create a contract. Nevertheless, you should always ensure that you completely understand every term of the contract. Here are a few blunders that you are better off avoiding.

1. I overlooked the fine print!

This is probably the most common mistake buyers make. Many residential purchase contracts include standard real estate boilerplate text. Many firms, in fact, use preprinted forms. While preprinted or computerized forms have improved efficiency, they sometimes do so at the expense of the buyer.

It is recommended that you get a copy of the form well in advance and carefully study it. Highlight every term you are not comfortable with and would like to modify. This is a neat tactic to clearly mark buyer unfriendly fine print.

2. Were basic elements included?

Buyers often ignore cross-checking the contract for basic elements. These are certain terms that should be included in every real estate contract. Some of the absolute necessary points to be included are the address of the property, valuation and condition of the property, amenities provided, contingencies, finance terms, purchase price, and closing date.

The contract should also include the time you offer the seller to decide on your offer. Include passing clear title to the property, maintaining the property in its present condition until closing, making any agreed-upon repairs and delivering the property clean and free of personal possessions and debris.  

3. My contract has improper withdrawal and problem solving terms

Clearly delineate the conditions that would allow you from withdrawing the agreement. Also list all responsibilities of the seller before you take possession of the house. The contract should also include terms that allow for smooth resolution of problems. This will help you deal better with any inconsistencies in the house.

4. The contract doesn't deal with sellers' contingencies

Many contracts rely heavily on seller conditions. For instance, some sellers may include a clause that allows them to only sell a house provided they purchase another house. You should always look to minimize such contingencies by either excluding these conditions or looking for sellers who are already obligated to buy another house.

5. But I already have a verbal contract!

This is the gravest of mistakes you could possibly make. No matter how unimportant a condition is, always make sure that you have it in writing. Verbal agreements are not binding. The seller may be your best buddy, but hey in that case he shouldn't have a problem with written agreements.