People
J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate, was named to the Inman 100 list of Inman News as one of the industry’s most influential leaders.
Seminars
A free homebuyers seminar will be offered from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 23 at the Marysville Library, 6120 Grove St. It wil include information on how to get a loan and the federal homebuyers’ tax credit. Wendi Hale and Steve Strong of John L. Scott Real Estate are instructors. 425-268-7111.
Mortgages
Rates for 30-year home loans edged lower for the second straight week, a report said Thursday, but remained above last month’s record lows.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.06 percent this week, down from 5.09 percent a week earlier, mortgage company Freddie Mac said.
Rates dropped to a record low of 4.71 percent in early December, pushed down by an aggressive government campaign to reduce consumers’ borrowing costs, but then rose steadily for the rest of the month.
Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a given day, often in line with long-term Treasury bonds.
The Federal Reserve is pumping $1.25 trillion into mortgage-backed securities to try to bring down mortgage rates, but that money is set to run out next spring. The goal of the program is to make home buying more affordable and prop up the housing market.
While it’s possible that the program could be extended, analysts believe the Fed is reluctant to do so. “We believe that the bar for the Fed’s program extension is high,” Credit Suisse mortgage strategist Mahesh Swaminathan wrote Thursday.
The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.45 percent, down from 4.50 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac.
Rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 4.32 percent, down from 4.44 percent a week earlier. Rates on one-year ARMs rose to 4.39 percent from 4.31 percent.
Send your real estate news to Mike Benbow, Business editor, The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, by fax at 425-339-3435 or by e-mail at economy@heraldnet.com.
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