Category: Local Michigan

News and Updates in our home turf Grand Rapids, MI.

WHY WAIT 365 DAYS, WHEN YOU CAN CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN JULY?

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Local Michigan

A fun alternative to a traditional summer backyard barbecue is to have a Christmas in July theme party! The holiday season has been months ago and a foggy memory of all the good times so now is the perfect time to break up with dog days of summer with Christmas in July. Bake your cookies… Read more »

Affect on Mortgage Rates from Bernanke Announcement

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Buying a Home, First Time Home Buyer, Local Michigan, Mortgage Tips, Refinance

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke announced today that they may be easing the quantitative easing programs as early as this year. This program includes the purchases of mortgage backed securities (MBS) which are the packaged residential mortgages sold by banks and mortgage companies. The slowing of these purchases would take affect if the unemployment rates… Read more »

WHAT IF THE SKY REALLY IS FALLING? AM I COVERED IF A METEOR HITS MY HOUSE?

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Local Michigan, Mortgage Tips

When you think about the chances of having a meteor hit your home the odds are quite slim but what if you were having an inordinately unlucky date and you come home from work to find your home laying as a pile of wood and brick because a meteorite hits your home. Would your insurance… Read more »

How to get a Low Rate Mortgage: April Mortgage Rates

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Local Michigan, Mortgage Tips

April Showers Low Mortgage Rates Another month has passed by as we enter the month of April. For those buying a home or in the process of refinancing their mortgage you may be wondering what is in store for mortgage rates in April. While quantitative easing continues with the Fed purchasing 85 billion dollars in… Read more »

JOBS REPORT AND MORTGAGE RATES

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Local Michigan, Mortgage Tips

One important financial which really helps shape the interest rate mortgage market is the jobs report. This is a report that comes out once per month and is considered by most to be the main economic report for the economy. Since 2010 the general trend in this job report has been a slow and steady… Read more »

FHA MORTGAGE INSURANCE PREMIUMS TO GO UP APRIL 1ST!

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Anthony Bird - FHA Mortgage, Local Michigan, Refinance

Unfortunately, FHA has recently announced some change to the FHA mortgage insurance premiums for all new FHA loans starting April 1, 2013. It just seems as if FHA continues to raise the mortgage insurance premiums to try to get it back in line so the program remains self funding. Unfortunately, the reason behind these changes… Read more »

UNLIMITED LTV FREDDIE MAC HARP REFINANCE IS HERE!

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Home Affordable Refinance Program, Local Michigan, Refinance

Unlimited LTV Freddie Mac HARP refinancing through the Open Access Refinance Program. HARP Open Access assists borrowers who are making timely mortgage payments, but have been unable to refinance due to declining home values. The program helps home owners to better their financial positions for successful, long-term, home ownership. The program has recently been adjusted to allow… Read more »

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MORTGAGE AND HOUSING in 2013

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Anthony Bird - Buying a Home, Home Affordable Refinance Program, Local Michigan, Mortgage Tips, Refinance

Here we are already into the halfway point of February. My how time flies when you are having fun. Now that we have one and half months of data we can start to figure out what is going on in the 2013 housing market. Are we picking up steam or are we losing ground. This… Read more »