Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Politics and Other Controversies
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-08-2009, 01:23 PM
 
161 posts, read 339,530 times
Reputation: 68

Advertisements

I am livid on catching up on this news today Things are happening so fast in Congress on whats in and out of the stimulus...What idiots to vote this down and I'm embarassed I voted democrat ( ok be nice here) I hold all of Congress accountable. So yea All Democrates, 5 Republicans ( Oh gosh why did they do it ) and 2 independents ( I think that is Vt and good old Lieberman) Ok so I hear their concern was that people would buy bigger mortgages...Oh give me a break...I know we all hate the banks these days..but it was their screwed up Voodoo & Unethical Underwriting that got us into this..if they did their jobs right...well things would be better....Ok so I don't get it...having a 4-4.5% mortgage rate could have helped people refinance and help them through these tough times, these rates could have helped people buy homes and get out of paying high rents (yep thats happening now Landlords & Management Co's ) raising the rents ....Oh yes they were concerned about Bank Closing Fees well put a cap on it eggheads even though we don't like it if they made some money they would shut up
Ok I hope I haven't offended anyone...I'm just mad...maybe its because I skipped lunch or that I wish I was in Florida by a pool with an umbrella drink
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-08-2009, 01:27 PM
 
4,183 posts, read 6,522,118 times
Reputation: 1734
Mortgage interest rates are supposed to be set by the market. Why are the Republicans supporting a plan to set interest rates by legislative fiat? What happened to the Republican mantra of no government intervention in the markets?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 03:22 PM
 
4,104 posts, read 5,307,711 times
Reputation: 1256
Mortgage rates need to go higher, not lower. It is home prices that are too high.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 03:26 PM
 
169 posts, read 672,347 times
Reputation: 68
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMexicanRepublican View Post
Mortgage rates need to go higher, not lower. It is home prices that are too high.

Bingo! Someone said it. We need people who can afford homes (have at least 20% down available) buying them not more of the opposite.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 03:32 PM
 
17,291 posts, read 29,391,510 times
Reputation: 8691
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMexicanRepublican View Post
Mortgage rates need to go higher, not lower. It is home prices that are too high.
"Home prices" are different than "Home affordability" ---- higher interest rates merely mean the vast majority of people in this country who buy homes with mortgages will pay the SAME amount each month as if the house was a higher price at a lower interest rate.

How does that help anything, exactly? Especially for lower income people?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 04:45 PM
 
161 posts, read 339,530 times
Reputation: 68
In 1968 my parents bought a 2 family home with 1k down and through a credit union had a 4% mortgage. So What does this mean...well I'm not sure but I know my parents sacrificed to meet that mortgage they were US citizens but they were imigrants. Now the Banks are ONLY lending to folks with 20% down plus an excellent credit score , it makes me SO happy that they learned from their fraudulent ways Yea it happens they were Caught so they will abide by the real rules of actuarial banking. So it makes no difference WHAT the interest rate is the rules have gone back to 1980s BUT I think it would have been nice IF these Stupid Senators would have had a 4-4.5 % mortgage rate for one year......YEP ONE YEAR...folks could refinance... IS there ANYONE out there that this would have helped!!!!! So many folks have lost their jobs...........but the INdustries oF Health Care & Education ( mostly college jobs ) COULD have been helped by this interest rate. How does it go...People Refinance...they can replace that malfunctioning Refridgeror or Washer & Dryer..Mmmm or they buy a Home and they are frugal but they need a W&D , a fridge, maybe a dishwasher........It all helps ...Because in case you Didn't know ...GLOOM & DOOM is a SMALL part Psychological..........Hey I'm not buying anything eitherbut Guess What If my Refridge Breaks (could happen its 10 years old and groans...or My Dryer Breaks ( could happen no heat from it ) well I'm going to have to splure OMG this is LIFE
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 08:47 PM
 
31,387 posts, read 37,032,019 times
Reputation: 15038
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelticnomad View Post
I am livid
Livid?

"The average U.S. rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell below 5 percent this week for the first time on record as a government program to buy mortgage-backed bonds lowered borrowing costs.

The fixed rate dropped to 4.96 percent from 5.01 percent a week earlier, Freddie Mac said in a report today. That’s the lowest in data that goes back to 1971, according to the McLean, Virginia-based mortgage buyer."

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

PS. It is hard to take some serious when they pepper emoticons throughout their post like some 16 year old text message.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 08:59 PM
 
Location: Sugar Land, TX, USA
759 posts, read 3,183,541 times
Reputation: 233
Yup, I would have liked 4-4.5% rates...too bad these rates would not apply to Jumbo mortgages. Anyway the point is mute. I wish it was just manadatory that the buyers put 20% down. If you cant put that down...then you are not ready for home ownership. what is so bad about renting, until you can save enough for a down payment?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,208,139 times
Reputation: 7373
Quote:
Originally Posted by icon7 View Post
Yup, I would have liked 4-4.5% rates...too bad these rates would not apply to Jumbo mortgages. Anyway the point is mute. I wish it was just manadatory that the buyers put 20% down. If you cant put that down...then you are not ready for home ownership. what is so bad about renting, until you can save enough for a down payment?
Agreed, the country having targets and objectives concerned increased home ownership is misplaced. Rather, home ownership should be a by product of your successful financial management, not a national objective.

This article from 2000 shows how the problem evolved:

HUD said it will chase the objective by, in part, increasing the availability and affordability of FHA mortgages and be placing even greater affordable housing requirements on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two secondary mortgage market companies which channel most of the money for home loans to local lenders.

Realty Times - HUD Aims for 70 Percent Homeownership Rate Despite Naysayers
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-08-2009, 09:11 PM
 
4,104 posts, read 5,307,711 times
Reputation: 1256
Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMT7 View Post
"Home prices" are different than "Home affordability" ---- higher interest rates merely mean the vast majority of people in this country who buy homes with mortgages will pay the SAME amount each month as if the house was a higher price at a lower interest rate.

How does that help anything, exactly? Especially for lower income people?
How does earning 50 basis points on their savings help anyone either? Interest rates affect borrowers and lenders alike. For years, US securities were deemed the world's safest investment, providing safety and an acceptable return. Have you priced T-bills lately? 0.50%!! How about your savings account or CD? If you can get 2%, it is a good return these days.

If you you are a lender, how much are you willing to lend when the reward is zero and you still have the risk? The historical risk-free rate for the last 50 years has been ~6.7%. Since 1928 is has been 5.3%. It is currently 1/10 of that.

The housing crisis is the result of the govt. agreeing to underwrite risky loans. Many were issued at artificially low rates. When the rates reset, many found they could not afford their homes. If one cannot afford a home at the average historical rate, then he should not buy it.

Rates must rise for the economy to grow. When they do rise, house prices will fall. More will lose their homes. There is no alternative.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Politics and Other Controversies
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top