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June 28th, 2011Categories: Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS

A report issued Monday by the U.S. government showed core inflation rising 2.5 percent in the last 12 months for its biggest one-year gain since January 2010.

Everyday living is becoming expensive, it seems.

But there are some U.S. towns in which the cost of living remains affordable — and downright cheap — as compared to the national average. They’re detailed in a BusinessWeek piece titled “The Cheapest 25 Cities In The U.S“.

In comparing costs across 340 urban areas as compiled by the Council of Community & Economic Research, cities in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma ranked consistently high. Cities in Hawaii did not.

Take note, though. Although the BusinessWeek piece highlights inexpensive cities in which to live, a low cost of living does not necessarily correlate to a high standard of living. Cost-leader Harlingen, Texas, for example, boasts a poverty rate nearly triple the national average.

Other “Inexpensive Cities” feature similar poverty rates.

The Top 10 “cheapest cities”, as shown by BusinessWeek are:

1. Harlingen, Texas
2. Pueblo, Colorado
3. Pryor Creek, Oklahoma
4. McAllen, Texas
5. Cookeville, Tennessee
6. Commerce-Hunt County, Texas
7. Brownsville, Texas
8. Fort Smith, Arkansas
9. Muskogee, Oklahoma
10. Springfield, Illinois

And, at the other end of the spectrum, the top 5 most expensive cities/areas were, in order, Manhattan, New York; Brooklyn, New York; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Francisco, CA; and Queens, New York.

Manhattan’s cost of living is more than twice the national average.

The complete list is available at the BusinessWeek website.

Tags: BusinessWeek, Cost of Living, Inflation

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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June 9th, 2011Categories: Georgia Mountain Home Tips

It’s a fact: It’s more expensive to live in some cities than others. Beyond just the costs of buying a home, different cities also carry a different Cost of Living. For households relocating from Georgia and  across state lines, the change in “life costs” can be jarring.

Depending on where you live, everyday expenses — from groceries to gasoline — make a different-sized dent in a household budget. And now you can see in numbers by how much your expenses might change.

Visit Bankrate.com’s Cost of Living Comparison Calculator.

The Cost of Living Comparison calculator is as basic as it is thorough. The calculator asks just 3 questions —  (1) Where do you live now, (2) To what city are you moving, and (3) What is your salary — and uses your answers to produce a detailed, 60-item cost comparison between the two towns.

The city-to-city cost comparisons include:

• Dry Cleaning Costs
• Total Energy Costs
• Beauty Salon Costs
• Movie Costs
• Dentist Visit Costs

The list also features a mortgage rate comparison, and a comparison of local home prices.

The Cost of Living calculator is based on data from the ACCRA. On the ACCRA website, a similar report sells for $5. At Bankrate.com, the information is free.

Tags: Cost of Living, Georgia, Household Budget, Moving

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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February 23rd, 2011Categories: Mortgage & Finance reVIEWS

Mortgage rates are up 0.875% since mid-November, causing home buyer purchasing power across the Blue Ridge Mountains to fall more than 10 percent since.

Persistent concerns over inflation are a major reason why and this week’s Consumer Price Index did little to quell fears. CPI rose for the third straight month last month.

Wall Street was not surprised.

As the economy has picked up steam since late-2010, the Federal Reserve has held the Fed Funds Rate near zero percent, and kept its $600 billion bond plan moving forward. The Fed believes this is necessary to support the economy in the near-term.

Over the long-term, however, Wall Street worries that these programs may cause the economy may expand too far, too fast, and into runaway inflation.

Inflation pressures mortgage rates to rise.

Inflation is an economic concept; defined as when a currency loses its value.  Something that used to cost $1.00 now costs $1.05, for example. It’s not that the goods themselves are more expensive, per se. It’s that the money used to buy the goods is worth less.

Because of inflation, it takes more money to buy the same amount of product.

This is a big deal in the mortgage markets because mortgage rates come from the price of mortgage bonds, and mortgage bonds are denominated, bought, and sold in U.S. dollars. When inflation in present, the dollar loses its value and, therefore, so do mortgage bonds.

When mortgage bonds lose value, mortgage rates go up.

Inflation fears are harming Georgia home buyers. The Cost of Living has reached a record level, surpassing the former peak set in July 2008. Mortgage rates would be rising more right now if not for the Middle East unrest.

So long as inflation concerns persist, mortgage rates should trend higher over the next few quarters. If you’re wondering whether to lock or float your mortgage rate, consider locking today’s sure thing.

Tags: Consumer Price Index, Cost of Living, CPI, Federal Reserve System, Inflation, Mortgage Rates

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: 2 Comments »

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June 10th, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Home Buyer's reVIEWS, Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS, Mortgage & Finance reVIEWS

 

Since Memorial Day, conforming mortgage rates have jumped by more than 1.125 percent, adding thousands of dollars to the annual cost of homeownership.

To the casual observer, the moves may seem random.  There’s a reason this is happening, however. 

It starts with inflation.

As an economic force, inflation erodes the value of the U.S. Dollar.  Left unchecked, it drives up the Cost of Living as each dollar “buys less” at the supermarket, gas station, or anywhere else.

But with respect to mortgage rates, inflation’s impact is more immediate.  Because inflation devalues the dollar over the long-term, it renders long-term mortgage bonds a less attractive investment for traders. 

If bond investors are repaid in U.S. Dollars, after all, it would make the investment worth less if the dollar is in an inflationary freefall. 

Therefore, in situations when inflation is likely to present, we find that traders often sell out of their mortgage bond positions which, in turn, drives down the bond prices.  Then, because bond yields move in the opposite direction of bond prices, rising rates are the inevitable result.

Lately, Wall Street is fearing inflation for a number of reasons:

1.  Job losses are slowing, adding to consumer spending expectations

2.  Gas prices have risen 41 days in a row

3.  The federal government is increasing the money supply

These 3 factors — plus a few others — are all coming to a head around the same time and traders are getting defensive with their portfolios.  As a result, they’re selling their mortgage bond positions and it’s driving mortgage rates higher.

Rates may continue to trek toward 7 percent through July and August, or they may retreat toward 5 percent.  We can’t know for sure.  What we can know, though, is that volatility in rates should continue until the economic picture gets more clear. That could be next week, or next year.

For now, be ready to lock at a moment’s notice.  Mortgage rates are changing quickly.

Tags: Cost of Living, Home Loan, Inflation, Money supply, Mortgage, Real Estate, U.S. Dollar, United States, United States dollar, Wall Street

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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