Cypress, Tx New Homes

Noble Energy Inc. is consolidating many Houston, Tx offices into a 10-story building on Houston’s northwest side.

The move into the 497,000-square-foot building at the corner of Texas 249 and Louetta, is scheduled to start in the summer of 2013.

The offices are scheduled to be the company’s new global headquarters.

In May, building owner Trammell Crow Co., in partnership with Principal Real Estate Investors, acquired the property from Hewlett Packard.

Also, the site has adjacent land for a future building expansion.

The building, which was completed in 1998, is being renovated and the owner plans to seek LEED and Energy Star certification.

The Kirksey architecture firm designed the interiors.

The property is located at 20555 Texas 249, next to The Vintage, a mixed-use development with homes, shops, offices and medical facilites.

In the lease transaction, Jim Arket and Mona Williams of Grubb & Ellis represented Noble Energy and Cody Armbrister and Steve Rocher of CBRE represented the owner.

Source: chron.com

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, driven by an increase in home purchases, mortgage applications increased for the week as buyers took advantage of record low mortgage rates.

The jump in home sales accounted for an 8.1% rise in mortgage applications after the holiday week placed by home buyers for the week ending January 6th.

Mortgage interest rates reached an average of 3.91% on the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, according to Freddie Mac.

The Mortgage Bankers Association stated that rates home buyers are locking in are a bit higher, averaging 4.11% on a 30-year fixed rate loan.

The discrepancy in rates is attributed to mortgage buyers with less than perfect credit obtaining mortgages at higher rates.

Often, lenders approve home mortgages for those able to borrow from banks and mortgage companies at higher rates as a result of credit issues.

The refinance share of applications grew only 3.3% for the week, but still makes up the largest percentage of mortgage activity, dropping to 80.8% of all applications by home borrowers.

The contracted interest rate on a 15-year fixed rate mortgage grew for the week to 3.40% on finalized transactions, with points decreasing to 0.37 from 0.50 a week earlier.

The average contracted rate on a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage dropped to 2.90% from 2.91% a week ago.

Source: housingpredictor.com

This week, fixed mortgage rates grew off their record lows.

The average on the 30-year home loan jumped to 3.95 percent from 3.91 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

Dating to the 1950s, last week’s rate was the lowest average on records.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage increased to 3.24 percent.

That’s an increase from 3.21 percent, which is also a record low.

In 2011, rates have been under 5 percent for all but two weeks.

Source: businessweek.com

The chief economist at national real estate search firm Trulia made five predictions for housing in 2012 and Houston, Tx was mentioned in one about the top five cities to watch.

“The bloom’s not off the yellow rose of Texas,” Jed Kolko, stated, noting what he thinks is unique about Houston.

Kolko stated in the article, "A construction revival and steady job growth make Austin and Houston two of my five cities to watch. Texas isn’t hung over from the housing boom like the other big states of the South and West, so there’s little to hold back growth. Honorable mention to Fort Worth and San Antonio."

Source: chron.com

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage remained above its record low for a sixth straight week.

According to Freddie Mac, the rate on the 30-year home loan decreased to 3.99 percent from 4 percent the previous week.

It fell to a record low of 3.94 nine weeks ago, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage was dropped to 3.27 percent from 3.30 percent.

Nine weeks ago, it hit a record low of 3.26 percent as well.

Rates have been under 5 percent for all but two weeks this year.

Mortgage rates have a tendancy to follow the yield on 10-year Treasury note.

This week, the yield increased after investors, encouraged by central banks’ joint effort to ease lending standards, shifted their money into stocks.

Treasury yields increase when purchasing activity decreases.

Source: builderonline.com

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage remained above its record low for a fourth consecutive week.

According to Freddie Mac, the rate on the 30-year fixed loan decreased to 3.98 percent from 4 percent the previous week.

Seven weeks ago, it fell to a record low of 3.94 percent, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Source: yahoo.com

According to Freddie Mac, the typical rate that lenders are offering on a standard 30-year mortgage is back below 4 percent for the second time this year.

The rate decreased from an even 4 percent in Freddie Mac’s survey last week to 3.99 percent.

In the past 40 years, the 3.94 percent rate recorded in the October 6 report was the lowest that Freddie Mac has been asking lenders across the nation about the rate they are offering on the 30-year loan.

The usual interest rate on the 15-year fixed home loan slipped to 3.30 percent from 3.31 percent in the latest survey.

Borrowers would have paid under 1 percent of the loan balance in fees to obtain the loans, according to Freddie Mac.

Solid borrowers who shop around can often discover better rates than those in the survey, and paying additional points upfront to lenders may lower the rate as well.

The mortgage rates are a significannt boon for home buyers and refinancers with solid credit and income.

Source: southbendtribune.com

This week, the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 4 percent, nearly matching the all-time low hit just one month ago.

Freddie Mac stated that the rate on the 30-year loan fell from 4.10 percent last week.

Four weeks ago, it slipped to 3.94 percent, which is the lowest rate ever, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage dropped to 3.31 percent from 3.38 percent.

Four weeks ago, it reached a record low of 3.26 percent.

Mortgage rates have a tendancy to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note.

Also, the Federal Reserve is shifting more money into longer-term Treasurys to try to force mortgage rates lower.

Treasury yields drop when purchasing activity increases.

According to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, low rates have failed to spur the increase in home purchasing or mortgage refinancing that government officials had expected.

The average rate on the five-year adjustable loan slipped to 2.96 percent from 3.08 percent.

That matches a record low reached four weeks ago.

The average rate on the one-year adjustable loan decreased to 2.88 percent from 2.90 percent.

It dropped last month to 2.81 percent, which is the lowest on records dating to 1984.

In order to calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the U.S. on Monday through Wednesday of each week.

Source: builderonline.com

According to Freddie Mac, the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 4.11 percent from 4.12 percent last week.

The previous week, it decreased to 3.94 percent.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, that’s the lowest rate ever.

The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage increased to 3.38 percent from 3.37 percent.

It reached a record-low of 3.26 percent two weeks ago.

In order to calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the nation Monday through Wednesday of each week.

The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage dropped to 3.01 percent from 3.06 percent.

It reached a record-low of 2.96 percent two weeks ago.

The average rate for the one-year adjustable-rate mortgage grew to 2.94 percent from 2.90 percent.

Last month, it slipped to 2.81 percent, which is the lowest on records dating back to 1984.

The average fees on the one-year and five-year loan remained unchanged at 0.6 point.

Source: builderonline.com

Fixed mortgage rates have decreased to historic new lows for a fourth consecutive week and are likely to fall further.

The average on a 30-year fixed mortgage slipped to 4.01 percent this week, according to Freddie Mac.

That’s the lowest rate since the mortgage buyer started keeping records in 1971.

1951 was the last time long-term rates were lower, when most long-term home loans lasted 20 or 25 years.

The average on a 15-year fixed mortgage decreased to 3.28 percent.

According to economists, that’s the lowest rate ever for the loan.

Mortgage rates have a tendancy to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note.

This week, the 10-year yield has increased to around 2 percent.

Rates on mortgages may drop further after the Federal Reserve announced last week that it would take further action to try to lower long-term rates.

Source: builderonline.com