Hurricane Ike At Perdido Key
Hurricane Ike made landfall about 400 miles away from Perdido Key, but you can clearly see the power of a huricane when the affects are so promounced this far away.
Pensacola Mortgage Solutions
Your Pensacola Mortgage AuthorityArchive for Hurricane
Where Do You Keep Your Money Safe?
In these historical times in the financial markets, how do you know that your money is protected?
Everyday there is a new headline about some other “sky is falling” scenario. It was only a week ago that history was made when the government stepped in and took over operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but that is old news now. This week it was the nations largest insurer AIG being given an $85 Billion loan from your tax dollars to help keep them out of bankruptcy. But hidden in all of the negativity are shining pockets of positive news.
If you ever watch CNBC, you may know that Jim Cramer likes to say “there is always a bull market somewhere”, and he is right. In the constant yin and yang of the financial markets, where there is a loser, there is also a winner somewhere, you just have to know what to look for and where to find it. For instance, if you bought into gold earlier this week, you are no doubt celebrating as the gold market had the largest dollar gain in history this week. Equally, as confidence fades in the stock market, investors must forge ahead and put their money somewhere, and guess what just started looking really good…..real estate. Thats right, real estate. The dirty word that people have been scouling at for months just became one of the best places to put your money.
Think about it, if you have $1 million in the stock market and you don’t know if you will wake up one day to find that your top holdings are out of business, your money may be better served in a tangible asset that you can see, touch, get a tax break, and live in (or rent out). At a time when real estate is at historically low prices, you could be getting in at the very beginning of a new bull market.
I find it interesting what an affect the media has on the markets. They seem to give you just enough information to instill a panic without regard to how people will react. I know that the AIG issue is big news, but did you know that there are 1000′s of people without homes or jobs in Galveston, TX after Hurricane Ike virtually wiped the town off the map. Chances are pretty good that you didn’t because no one in the news is saying a word about it.
So back to the topic at hand, is your money safe in the bank? Yes, if it is less than $100,000 per depositor per institution. Is it safe in stocks? I guess it depends on the stock and your level of exposure.
Even if you take away my obvious bias towards real estate (because I am an active mortgage banker), do your own home work in your local market to see if I am right. If you haven’t looked lately, you might be shocked at the deals available now. I my area of the Florida Panhandle, there are gulf front condos that can be stolen for prices that compare to 4+ years ago.
Good luck to you, and tell me how things are in your local real estate market.
Tuesday September 2, 2008
So, what happened with mortgage rates while you were weathering Gustav?
Well, the long weekend is over. Summer has officially ended. And, we are back at work to see what gifts were left behind by our friend Gustav. Those who made the mass exodus from New Orleans are probably mad and irritated that they left. But, it is that kind of thinking that gets people killed when the storm is worse than expected rather than weaker than expected.
New Orleans survived the storm, and for the rest of us on either side, it definately could have been worse. But the markets today are reacting to the lack of any affect on the offshore oil platforms. As reports from all of the companies with assets in the Gulf begin to come in, we are seeing that the damage is mininal if at all, and the oil traders are running for the hills because of it.
So what does this have to do with mortgages and real estate? Well, the sell off in oil is creating a run on the stock market. A run on the stock market is causing bond traders to sell bonds and buy stocks. As the bonds fall from a sell off, mortgage rates rise. Because of this, today is a great day to lock in your rate ahead of losses that are sure to happen this afternoon or tomorrow in mortgage rates.
