According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Single-Family Housing Starts rose to 447,000 units on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis in November — a 2 percent increase from October.
In another good sign for the housing market, today’s home builders believe that the housing market has turned a corner. Homebuilder confidence is at a 19-month high.
Given global economic conditions and the mortgage bond market’s status as a “safe market”, the failure of rates to fall last week suggests that this may be as low as mortgage rates get. It’s time to look at locking in.
As mortgage rates drop, so do housing payments. It’s a good time to consider refinancing your home, or making an offer on a new one. Mortgage payment affordability has never been so high in history.
BusinessWeek recently released its 2011 America’s Best Place to Raise a Family rankings. College-town Blacksburg, Virginia took top honors, breaking a 2-year win streak for the Chicago, Illinois region.
