[brg654]

because i refinanced in 2020, my total expenses are lower today than in 2019, even after the inflation in everything else. meanwhile, my pay is up 34% since 2019.

[brg654]

it’s a supply/demand issue. many of the condo units are investor-owned, and the supply of the new apartment building downtown have capped rents. meanwhile, the HOA fees on the condos with full amenities (namely, pools) have crept over $1000/month. the combination of supply limiting rent increases, demand during covid being tilted toward larger spaces and SFR, and exorbitant HOAs have made these units less appealing to investors.

[brg654]

as far as negotiating rates while locked, just continue to shop for rates. if you find a better rate, let the original lender know. the worst thing that can happen is that they say no, and you decide to not refinance with them (may be a small sunk cost with credit check fee).

multiple inquiries in the same 60 day period do not impact your credit score.

[brg654]

[quote=scaredyclassic]
Even tho rates are at all time low, i did better w refi in 2013.

Why????[/quote]

there are 2 components to mortgage rates: the benchmark rate (10 year treasury) and the spread over treasuries.

when treasury rates first fell in february/march, spreads between treasuries and MBS widened, so mortgage rates didn’t fall as much. spreads have since shortened, but are still a bit wider than they were in 2013. the spread was compressed in 2013 by the fed buying MBS, and when mortgage rates went down in may, the fed was once again buying MBS.

MBS exhibit negative convexity, so you would expect that as interest rates fall, bond prices would rise at a lower rate than for products with positive convexity, like treasuries.

[brg654]

piece of advice for those following rates on zillow: my experience in april/may was that pricing is set on the east coast, and as lenders originate loans at the lowest rate, they essentially “sell out of product” and the rate will increase during the day.

translation: i checked zillow multiple times per day, and i consistently found the best rates at between 6 and 7 am.

[brg654]

@gzz – sent you a direct message.

[brg654]

first mortgage solutions. found them through zillow.

[brg654]

i closed on a 30 year fixed refinance on june 15th at 2.625% with 0.4 points. loan amount was 488k. i also was able to negotiate the rate lower when they fell around memorial day despite already being locked at 2.875%. my credit score is 810, LTV is only 44%, and i have enough in savings to not need the mortgage. but at an after-tax interest rate of 1.4%, why not?

[brg654]

I’m a hiring manager so I know why this is happening. In 2018, it became illegal for employers to ask for your salary history or current compensation in California. The rationale was to close the gender pay gap.

I’ve found that the side-benefit of this is that when interviewing candidates, this cuts down the number of offers that are rejected because the compensation is less than they were expecting. As an applicant myself, whenever I’m asked for my “expected salary range” (that’s how some people will try to wiggle out of not asking for salary history, they ask for your expectations), I feel confident enough to just say “I’d prefer to discuss the salary range for the position rather than my expectations” and it works.

[brg654]

[quote]One thing I don’t understand is if your own kids are vaccinated, how does other people not getting the vaccination affect your kid or you?[/quote]

children are given the measles vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age. parents of infants need to rely on the fact that everyone else is vaccinated to ensure that their children never get exposed to it (herd immunity).

and rand paul’s stupid comment was in response to chris christie’s stupid comment while visiting a UK facility that manufactures vaccines.

[brg654]

good article on why this actually makes sense.

http://www.vox.com/2015/1/20/7862889/college-savings-529-tax-credit

for the record, i’m 35, single with no kids, and an income over 200k. i use a 529 purely as a tax shelter right now (beneficiary as myself, if/when i have kids, i can transfer the beneficiary. if i never have kids, i can transfer it over to my cousin’s children). in other words, the proposed change is to stop people like me who will have the means to send my children to college without financial aid, and transfer it to those who might not attend college without assistance.

while this would hurt me personally, it’s probably better for society as a whole. isn’t that what our politicians should be doing instead of pandering to their campaign contributors?

[brg654]

thanks for the responses, everyone. have a safe and happy new year!

[brg654]

a) Price range – Current house will sell for about $200k (yes, the east coast is cheap). I can chip in another $200k and go up to about $400 total.
b) They’d like to have access to dining, movies, art and theatre. To give you an idea, they are considering the Villages in florida but worried that it’s in the middle of nowhere.

Personally, I think a downtown condo would suit them best, but that’s out of their price range and too close to me.

[brg654]

good article about this in the times today.

[brg654]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
I don’t see house price declines in San Diego on the horizon.. not yet.[/quote]

while i agree with your sentiments about north park, i can’t agree with this statement. this morning’s case shiller data now show 5 straight months of price declines for san diego, although we are only off about 1% total from the march peak.

[Author]

Posts