Since sometime in December, mortgage rates have been free falling due to the turmoil in the stock market. The rates used to be in the high 4% and low 5% for a 30 year fixed mortgage in the fourth quarter of 2018. Now I am seeing rates lower than 4.5% for a mixed 30 year mortgage! Not surprisingly, the Boston condos housing market is heating up with this window of opportunities. I have been lots of activities for homes under $600K, unusual for January.
Stock Market Volatility
Due to the stock market volatility and the government shutdown, investors are flocking to bonds, causing the bond prices higher with yields becoming lower. When bond yields decrease, so do mortgage rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury has plummeted from a high of 3.24% in mid December to about 2.7% currently. Will this continue to fall? It will depend on the economy. After the Treasury yield hit the bottom at 2.5%, it is on the upward trend again especially as the US – China trade talks continue. Mortgage rates will continue to face volatility in my opinion because no one really knows how the economy will play out. If the stock market continues to heat up, then the mortgage rates will continue to go up. If we see more slowdowns and recessionary cues, the rates may drop.
Boston Job Market
As of now, Boston job market is very strong and the metro region has expanded economically and we are continuing to see an increase in population as Boston is still one of the places people are moving to for a better lifestyle. That means the region is continuing to see higher demands for Boston condos for sale. The problem is that prices are on trhe rise so much its pricing out buyers.
While we do not know exactly what the rest of the 2019 will look like, this lowering mortgage rate has been a spark of optimism in our Boston housing market for both sellers and buyers. If you have been thinking about buying a Boston condos for sale in 2019, you should move rather quickly this year and take advantage of this window of opportunity. The only problem is the low amount of supplies at the moment because we are still in the winter housing market. If you do see some places that you like that are currently for sale, please talk to me. I help a lot of home buyers in the Boston downtown condo market.