I am pleased to once again welcome Mortgage Banker Brian Cav, the creator of a mortgage blog called Smarterborrowing.com. Here’s his weekly mortgage market update, which I’m sure you’ll find interesting.
Mortgage Market
Mortgage Rates have moved up from the 2010 lows that we had lastweek, this is largely because of the modest stock rally and [...]

First the good news: Mortgage refinancing applications are up, thanks to low interest rates and improved fluidity in the markets. Now the bad news: New-purchase mortgage applications are down, despite low interest rates and improved fluidity in the markets.
File under: April’s showers bring May flowers drought

Boston condos that sold priced $500,000 and under.
1/1/08 – 5/26/08 – Boston condos sold 500k and under – 846
1/1/09 – 5/26/09 – Boston condos sold 500k and under – 746
1/1/10 – 5/26/10 – Boston condos sold 500k and under – 958
The above info was obtained by MLS.

The news crew at KTLA-TV Channel 5 shot video of the scene of destruction by an ape at Dodger Stadium:
 
The ape will star in King Kong 360 3D, an attraction designed by director Peter Jackson. It is scheduled to open by the Fourth of July holiday.
File Under: No this wasn’t a paid commercial

One of my favorite news sites, Banker & Tradesman, has an interesting article on how reverse-mortgage brokers are worried about a new bill that was recently passed by the Massachusetts Senate, requiring borrowers seeking a reverse mortgage to have a face-to-face counseling session with an accredited third-party counselor before obtaining the loan. Critics say it [...]

This video provides a simple explanation of the Euro crisis. (very Funny)

For a fourth year in a row, Google Inc. tops the list of companies where American MBA students would most like to be hired for their first job out of school, a new survey shows.
But not far behind is Goldman Sachs Group — despite the battering the bank’s public image has taken since the financial [...]

I just received an email from Ronica Harris from the TV show My First Place. Apparently, they’re still looking for first-time Boston homebuyers.
MY FIRST PLACE, HGTV’s hit series, is coming back for an eighth season and we’re looking for first-time homebuyers (and their agents!) in the Greater Boston area RIGHT NOW!
We are looking for fun, [...]

New Release: Case & Schiller March Sales Report

Click photo to enlarge
Summary: Month-to-month “Boston was flat.” However, up slightly year-to-year.

Single-family home sales in Massachusetts spiked 45.8 percent in April compared to the same month a year ago, while condominiums sales soared 55.7 percent, according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tadesman. The article also noted that median home prices climbed for the fifth straight month.