Unraveling the Mysteries of Home Loan Rates

If you've been shopping for a home or visiting with your real estate broker or agent, you already know that interst rates vary widely - often from minute to minute. Obviously, there are many other factors that affect rates as well (other than the time of day). Things like:

• Fixed rate or variable rate loan type
• Length of mortgage (called the "Term")
  Obviously, a 30-year loan will have a different rate than a 15-year loan.
• The type of loan - VA, FHA, Conventional, Non-conforming, 80/10/10, First-time Homebuyer Programs, and so forth
• Supply & demand for money in the markets
• Stock and bond market conditions that affect the cost of money to ALL lenders
• Variables of the loan, such as a 5/1 ARM Loan vs. a 3-Yr. Fixed Rate.
• 0 down payment vs. larger down payment
• Excellent credit vs. weak credit scores
• And on and on

Do you get the picture? Wading through all these variables is virtually impossible in an online format. What's the result? Often, lenders (online and traditional) will try to attract you with artificially low-sounding rates. They then make up their loss via "junk fees" and other schemes that don't involve the original reason for your interest - a low rate.

We'd like to investigate your needs personally and "shop" the marketplace to find the best solution. If you already have a home spotted, let us know the details and we'll provide a bona fide rate quote for you with a detailed "Good Faith Estimate" of all costs. You should always request a "Good Faith Estimate" from ANY lender.

If you are in the preliminary stages, you may find it more helpful to click one of the buttons to the left and review either an INDEPENDENT COMMENTARY about what's happening in the financial markets or use several of our powerful MORTGAGE CALCULATORS to check how much home you qualify for - or both. We'd rather give you access to this market research to help you make an informed decision than JUST ask you to take our word for it. By the same token, we're ready and willing to help be your personal advocate and counselor in making sense of all of this is you're too busy to get bogged down in the details.

One other thing. Please be aware that the DAILY COMMENTARY that you'll receive by clicking DAILY RATE COMMENTARY at the left is just that - an expert opinion. We take no responsibility for its short-term or long-term accuracy, although we use this source for our own strategies.

By the way, do you have a CREDIT SCORE yet? If not, would you like to see what yours is? Your interest rate may be higher or lower depending on what that score reveals. We can provide a CREDIT SCORE for you for the asking.