St. Louis Mortgage Rate Update; Trends that will affect the housing market in 2012

The National Association of Realtors’ research staff recently released its comprehensive annual report: Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers for 2011.

Market researcher, Paul C. Bishop, Ph. D., Vice President and Jessica Lautz, Manager of Consumer Survey Research state that they’ve identified “trends that have not been seen in the last 10 years,” which will affect the housing market as we enter 2012.

“Buyers now are facing tighter credit standards” and the successful home buyer will typically have “the very best credit” or buyers quite often will purchase “without financing,” states the authors. “This change is one that is so substantial, it is changing who purchases homes, who sells homes, and how the home is financed.”

Getting potential buyers pre-qualified with a mortgage banker early in the home buying process may be the critical first step to ensure a successful sale in 2012.  Thirty nine percent of buyers “reported the mortgage application and approval process” was “more difficult than expected,” which underscores the need to obtain competent financial expertise to help buyers navigate through the entire mortgage process.

Other interesting statistics include:

  • Younger buyers and first-time buyers are leaving the market. “37% of home buyers were first-time buyers, a drop from 50% in 2010.” Your typical buyer is now “45 years old, a jump from 39 years old in 2010.”
  • To attract buyers, “41% of sellers offered incentives” such as home warranty policies or financial assistance with closing costs. The typical home sold at “95% of the listing price and 61% reported they reduced the asking price at least once.”
  • Single women are also leaving the home buying market dropping to “the lowest market share since 2004” at 18%, while married couples purchasing homes have increased to 64%, “the highest share since 2001.”
  • Referrals from families or friends account for just 41% of an agent’s customer base. Once a buyer selects you as their agent, you’ll have a loyal client because “nearly nine in ten buyers would use their agent again or recommend to others.”
  • The report says the “financial aspects of homeownership are important, but they do not stand alone as the primary motivators for the purchase of a home.” The “top three factors” that influence their home purchase are “quality of the neighborhood, convenience to job, and overall affordability.”

St. Louis MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES for January 4, 2012:

  • Conventional 30-Year Fixed 4.00%/ 4.190% APR
  • Conventional 15-Year Fixed 3.375%/ 3.565% APR
  • Conventional 5/1 ARM 2.500%/ 3.159% APR
  • FHA/VA 30 Year Fixed 3.875%/ 4.085% APR
  • Jumbo 5/1 ARM 2.750%/ 3.011% APR
  • Jumbo 15 yr Fixed 3.625%/ 3.875% APR
  • Jumbo 30 yr Fixed 4.875%/ 5.125% APR
<h5><a href=”http://www.paramountmortgage.com/”><img class=”size-thumbnail wp-image-448 alignright” title=”Paramount Mortgage Company – St Louis” src=”http://stlouisrealestatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/PMC_Logo-stacked-150×119.jpg” alt=”Paramount Mortgage Company – St Louis” width=”139″ height=”113″ /></a></h5><p>First-time home buyers comprised an unprecedented 47 percent of the market last year according to a recently published report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). <br /> <br />NAR’s report, 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, points to the federal tax credit and the historic affordability of housing as the most likely reasons first-time buyers scored so high in sales.<br /> <br />According to NAR, housing economists predict that “2010 will be an even bigger year for first-timers.” Who are these people, and what do they want?<br /> <br /><strong>Most are married</strong> – Forty-nine percent are a married couple. Single females comprise a quarter of first-time buyers. Single males account for just 12 percent.<br /> <br /><strong>They’re young</strong> – More than half (53 percent), are between the ages of 24 and 34. Twelve percent are younger than 24.<br /> <br /><strong>They’re diverse</strong> – Twenty-two percent are part of a minority group, compared with 13 percent of repeat buyers. Six percent speak a language other than English. Twelve percent were not born in the United States.<br /> <br /><strong>They like the suburbs</strong> – Even though 22 percent purchase in an urban area, the suburbs continue to be the most popular locale, with 52 percent buying there. The third most popular spot is a small town. <br /> <br /><strong>They make their own time</strong> – First-time buyers take an average of 12 weeks to find their home, compared with 10 weeks for repeat buyers.<br /> <br /><strong>They’re not afraid of foreclosures</strong> – Eleven percent of first-timers bought a home in foreclosure and 56 percent considered it. Only 9 percent of repeat buyers bought a foreclosure, and just 41 percent considered it.<br /> <br /><strong>They’re most likely to use a referral</strong> – Fifty-three percent found their agent through a referral, compared with 36 percent of repeat buyers, many of whom sought the services of their previous agent. <br /> <br />More than 9,000 consumers who recently completed a home buying transaction were surveyed by the National Association of Realtors last year to compile the 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report.</p><p><strong>St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rates – April 14, 2010</strong> *</p><ul><li><strong>30-year fixed-rate mortgage 5.125% no points </strong></li><li><strong>15-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.375% no points </strong></li><li><strong>5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.750% no points </strong></li><li><strong>FHA/VA 30-year fixed rate mortgage 5.25% </strong></li><li><strong>Jumbo 5/1 ARM 4.25% no points</strong></li><li><strong>Jumbo 15 year fixed rate mortgage 4.875%</strong></li></ul><p><strong></strong>For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates in <strong>St. Louis</strong> you may contact me by <span style=”COLOR: #000000″>phone at my direct line, (314) 372-4319, email at <a href=”mailto:hjfrankjr@paramountmortgage.com”>rfishel@paramountmortgage.com</a> or you can visit our company website at <a href=”http://www.paramountmortgage.com”>http://www.paramountmortgage.com</a>.</span></p><p><hr /><p><sub>*Note- The above rates are based upon a typical sale price of $187,500 with a 20% percent down payment leaving a loan amount of $150,000 to a borrower with a 720 credit score for a loan with no discount points charged. Rates and terms will vary depending upon loan amount, home value, credit and income of borrower.</sub></p><p><sub>This information is provided by this author and this site for informative purposes only and is not warranted or guarteed in any way.</sub></p></p>

*The above mortgage rates are based upon an 80% LTV, o/o single family with FICO scores of 720.

Paramount Mortgage is a locally owned Mortgage Banker celebrating our 41st year. Great rates and programs are secondary to what is most desired in a lender relationship: Integrity, Communication and Customer Satisfaction. Be to check out our website: www.paramountmortgage.com

For more information or if you have questions on mortgage rates you may contact me by phone at my direct line, (314) 372-4319, email at rfishel@paramountmortgage.com or you can visit our company website at http://www.paramountmortgage.com.

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