Friday Fun Facts-Mortgage Sale!

How would you like 1/2 off your mortgage?! I imagine most people would jump up and shout "YES!" to that question. Unfortunately I can't give you half off of your mortgage but based on todays rates and the long-term average (going back with 40 years of data), mortgage rates are still at an all time low and are actually half of what the average is. Todays rates are hovering around 3.5% and the 40 year average is actually around 7.5%, more than twice the current rates! What does that mean? That means someone with a $350,000 mortgage at the 3.5% interest rate has roughly the same mortgage payment as someone with a $250,000 mortgage at 7.5%. Wow!

What's going on? Why is this happening? Well, there are a couple reasons, the biggest one is the global economy. Right now the American economy is in recovery mode and is growing stronger. Normally that would mean a shift up in rates. However, the rest of the world is not faring so well and is keeping rates low because of it. Did you know that nearly 500 million people all over the globe are in a "negative interest rate" situation? That means that the banks are charging THEM, the consumer, to keep their money in the bank instead of the other way around. And you thought your 1.5% savings account was bad! Can you imagine actually losing your money over time if you tried to save it in a bank? These economies are trying to encourage spending by essentially penalizing their citizens for saving. They feel that if they are forced to spend, it will help bolster their weakening economies. While we're not sure how sound this strategy is, these economies are the ones you can thank for our current, historically low rates. At some point the global economy will start to recover and then you will start to see an increase in rate, until then- Half Off All Mortgages!!