I have been doing a lot of research into mortgage rates right now. This interest was sparked after I wrote an article on CT mortgage rates. The article was about how low Connecticut mortgage rates combined with low housing rates in Connecticut make now a great time to buy a home there. I started wondering if there is going to be a better time to buy than now or if this is really it.

Because of this, I started looking around at a bunch of mortgage blogs to see what people are saying about mortgage rates. For the most part, news headlines are saying that mortgage rates are not going to get any better than they are right now. However, the blogs are saying something different. Many of them are suggesting that mortgage rates may indeed dip a little bit more than where they’re at right now and are suggesting holding out for a better rate.

Of course, the chance you take if you do this is that the news headlines are right and the blogs are wrong. You run the risk of missing out on low rates right now. Is it worth the risk?

This question reminds me of an article I read last year about the two basic approaches to decision making. Some people look at a decision and say “am I happy with this?” regardless of other options. If they are, then they make that choice and are happy. Other people want to weigh whether option A or option B will make them happier.

For those people who fall into the first category, the question would be “am I happy with these low mortgage rates?” The answer is likely to be yes, the person will get a mortgage and they will be happy with their investment. For the people in the other category, it’s important to assess whether rates will go lower or not. If that type of person gets a mortgage now and then rates drop, they won’t be happy even though their rate is low because it’s not as low as it could have been. Which category do you fall into?

Tags: - ct mortgage, connecticut mortgage, connecticut mortgage rates, happiness, mortgage, mortgage rates, mortgage rates in ct, news, Personal Finance, real estate

A look through recent real estate news and headlines suggests that now may be the ideal time to purchase a home. However, there are some pros and cons to take into consideration before making this purchase right now.

Positive reasons to purchase a home right now include:

• Mortgage rates are lower than ever before. This is particularly true in certain states. For example, CT mortgage rates are really good so it may make sense to buy a home in CT.
• Home prices are low but may be going up soon. This could be the peak time to buy in terms of the cost of the house.
• Real estate, although shaky right now, remains one of the best types of investment you can make.

Negative things to consider before purchasing a home right now:

• Most people are still dealing with unstable income. It doesn’t matter how good a deal is if you can’t afford it which is something to think about before strapping yourself to a mortgage.
• The predicted trends in the market could be incorrect; mortgage rates and home values may still go lower than now although that’s unlikely.
• It is difficult to say which areas are best to buy in since we don’t know where home values are most likely to rise in the years to come.

There are some strong reasons for buying a home right now but it’s still a serious thing to think carefully about before investing.

Tags: buy a home, ct mortgage rates, economy, housing, housing market, market, mortgage, real estate

Now is a really great time to invest in real estate if you can find a way to do so. That is because housing values around the nation have begun to stabilize and are likely to start climbing again soon. At the same time, mortgage rates have probably reached their best offers yet and are not likely to get significantly better in the months to come. This means that right now is ideal since housing costs are at their lowest and mortgage rates are at their best.

A look at Connecticut mortgage rates reflects this general trend nationwide. Mortgage rates in CT are at an all-time best. This is particularly true for 30-year-mortgage rates. All predictions indicate that rates in the state will not improve (or if they do, it will be an insignifcant improvement) in the months to come. This means that if you can manage to qualify for a mortgage then it’s the best time ever to do so.

At the same time, home values in Connecticut are at an all-time low. This means that you can get a great deal on a mortgage for a home that is a really great price. However, this convergence of two ideal trends isn’t likely to last for long. What will happen is that people will jump on the trend and begin purchasing housing. This will create new competition in the CT real estate market and therefore housing costs in the area will rise. Even if CT mortgage rates stay low, the corresponding increase in housing will diminish the true value of the good deal.

Connecticut isn’t the only state that is seeing this situation. It just happens to be a state that serves as a good example of what’s going on around the nation. That’s because the real estate market there has been less impacted by bank-owned housing sales than other states so its housing economy is more accurate in terms of what’s to come than would be seen in states where bank sales are currently high.

Tags: - ct mortgage, connecticut mortgage, connecticut mortgage rates, economy, finance, home sales, housing, mortgage, mortgage rates, mortgage rates in ct, Personal Finance, real estate

I have just written an article for this week’s HubMob series over at HubPages. The series is a weekly series in which writers from around the web contribute their thoughts on a specific topic. This week’s topic is real estate. There are already articles up about things like real estate as an investment. My article is all about why I choose to live in San Francisco, the city with the highest real estate prices in the nation except for those in New York (and that’s only if you count Manhattan alone and not the other boroughs).

In summary, the article basically tells readers that I love San Francisco enough to choose to pay the high cost of living here. But that makes me sound a bit resigned. And the truth is that I don’t really mind the high rent here even though I complain about it sometimes. Because the thing is, the high rent keeps San Francisco from being a place where people just end up. You have to work to get here and you have to work to stay here and that means that the people who live here really love it here. It makes for a happy place filled with people who like where they live and I think it’s worth a pretty penny to live amongst that.

Don’t get me wrong. There are times when I hear stories of other people living elsewhere and think for a moment that I’ve made a mistake. Just yesterday I was told the tale of a happy couple in a small town in North Carolina who earned less than $9000 between them in income last year but it didn’t matter because they own their car and home outright. A few weeks ago my mother, who does real estate in Tucson, mentioned that she had to collect $350 in rent from someone. He lives alone in a house with a yard. I pay more in two months for my no-yard apartment than he pays for rent in an entire year. So yes, sometimes I think twice about the choice I’ve made.

But most days, I wouldn’t trade a lower rent for the life that I’d find anywhere else. I love San Francisco. What I lose in rent each month, I gain in not needing a car (which means I walk which also means I don’t need a gym membership) and free entertainment and life that I love. It’s not right for everyone and I can see why people wouldn’t want to pay what it costs to live here but I don’t think I’d ever have it any other way.

Tags: california housing, housing, hubmob, hubpages, kathryn vercillo, real estate, San Francisco, sf real estate