For only the second time in the last 11-plus years, the median price of a home in Bend, Oregon, has declined for three months in a row. September’s median price was $425,000, a drop from June’s $449,450, which stands as the highest for any month dating to the start of 2007. Deciphering September’s sales data
Anyone who has been in the market to purchase a home recently probably knows that interest rates on traditional 30-year mortgages have risen in the past year, from about 4 percent in July 2017 to 4.625-4.75 percent early this month. Results from a survey, however, indicate that even a rate increase to 5 percent is
Even though interest rates for traditional 30-year mortgages are near the lowest on record, some home buyers in Bend, Oregon, take on adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs. These loans start, for a predetermined time, with an interest rate even lower than that of a traditional 30-year loan, after which the rate adjusts – and payments can
By Jason Boone Even as the housing market rebounded from the depths of the recession, big banks largely stood on the sideline. They watched as nonbank institutions — companies that only make loans and don’t offer traditional banking services such as savings and checking accounts — gobbled up more and more of the mortgage market. Deregulation
By Jason Boone Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen announced this month that the central bank would not raise its benchmark interest rate. What can be read into that for the housing market in Bend, Oregon? First understand that the Fed Funds Rate is used to set the rates of most bank loans. Also keep in mind
By Jason Boone Voters in Great Britain helped make home ownership more affordable for buyers in the United States. The effect isn’t huge, but it’s there. The late-June “Brexit” referendum, which came down on the side of Britain leaving the European Union, had an immediate effect on U.S. financial markets. Stock indices plunged but recovered
By Jason Boone Not that it was altogether unexpected, but the Federal Reserve voted on Wednesday to stand pat with its key federal funds rate. Still, such a move (or lack thereof) probably will be cause for relief for anyone worried that they might have missed their chance of grabbing a mortgage at a historically
By Jason Boone Negative interest rates have been a hot topic of late among those who follow fiscal policy. (And really, who doesn’t?) This is not without reason. Europe had already delved into negative interest policy when the Bank of Japan decided in January to follow suit. After that, you knew it would not take
By Jason Boone The Federal Reserve’s plan for its federal funds rate has been making plenty of news as of late. The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee decided last week to keep the range for the federal funds rate — the rate at which banks charge other banks on overnight loans — steady at between
By Jason Boone Predicting the future is a fool’s errand. As the last 15 years of peaks and valleys in real estate has taught us, it can be particularly foolhardy to say with any certainty what the year ahead will bring. Yet we all still look ahead to 2016 with a sense of optimism and
1033 NW Newport Ave.
Bend, OR 97703