Green Real Estate Appraiser

Mortgage Rates Continue falling over global economic concerns

Posted on January 25, 2016 | Leave a comment

Turmoil in global markets has been good for mortgage rates. China’s slowdown and cratering oil prices have created volatility in the markets and spurred investors to flee to safety in government bonds.

Demand for safe assets pushed bond yields lower, and the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell below 2 percent this week. The movement of the 10-year Treasury is one of the best indicators of whether mortgage rates will rise or fall. When yields go down, rates tend to go down.

According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average fell for the third week in a row, sinking to 3.81 percent with an average 0.6 point. (Points are fees paid to a lender equal to 1 percent of the loan amount.) It was 3.92 percent a week ago and 3.63 percent a year ago.

The 15-year fixed-rate average dropped to 3.1 percent with an average 0.5 point. It was 3.19 percent a week ago and 2.93 percent a year ago.

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Reverse Feng Shui to Nab a Bargain in competitive housing market

Posted on January 24, 2016 | Leave a comment

Reverse Feng Shui is actually quite zen. It’s a science of disbelief – it’s the yang to the Chinese yin. It is to hold knowledge without accepting its truth and, in actual fact, do the exact opposite. It’s about harnessing negative energy to get more home for your money.

1. Make for the curves

The bendy, winding roads that are so popular in modern suburban developments are said to bring bad health. The same is true for T intersections and cul de sacs. In general, if headlights are flashing in the front room, you can feel that negative energy coming through in the form of downward price pressure.

2. Street lights shine on a bargain

Homes just above street lights might make those final steps to the front door safer, but to Feng Shui masters that’s a no-no, even if your windows are not made of paper. A quick look at Google Street View can reveal these “bargain beacons”.

3. Follow the pointers

Anything pointing at your home, from building corners to TV antennas are said to bring a pointy stabby vibe to your house. So although they also provide a slight risk to running children and drunk homecomers, embrace the apex and let these objects point you to your new bargain home.

4. Good things come in fours

The number eight is very auspicious, associated with good fortune, so steer clear of the eighth floor, and head to the fourth floor, where the number four sounds like “death” and is very bad luck. If the views are no good from the fourth floor, the 14th or 24th will work just as well. Same applies for four as a street number.

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Clever ways to make your home look expensive on the cheap

Posted on January 23, 2016 | Leave a comment

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Take the humble couch for example. If Scandinavian minimalist (found in most mass retailers) isn’t your style, you could be looking at upwards of five or six grand for a sofa.

Speaking of soft furnishings, it’s those final touches that make a house feel cosy and personalised. And while interior trends do come and go, they don’t move as fast as fashion trends — meaning that you can pick up great pieces on sale that won’t scream ‘out of date’.

Temple and Webster is a great online service that acts like an aggregator for homeware sales. Household brands host sales on the site so you can pick up anything from premium bedding, kitchen utensils, lighting and furniture at discounted prices. Sign up for the newsletter to receive alerts regarding new sales. Once they’re gone, that’s it.