Monetizing the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit

A new program that the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) released on Monday, June 22nd. Many buyers may already know, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a federal tax credit to first-time homebuyers that is equal to 10% of the purchase price of their home up to $8,000. In an effort to monetize the tax credit, TDHCA created the “90-day Down Payment Assistance Program.” If you have questions about this program, please contact me.

Bond Market & Interest Rates

Added supply has been one of the main culprits behind the recent sell-off in Bonds and corresponding climb in home loan rates. So where is that supply coming from? First, all those refinances you've heard about lately are actually turned into Mortgage Backed Securities after they're closed, which adds more Bonds to the market. Plus, government spending plans have to be paid, therefore, record levels of Treasury Securities are being auctioned off these days. Although the Fed has a program to purchase some of these Mortgage Bonds, the number of new Bonds simply outweighs what the Fed is able to buy - therefore driving Bond prices lower and home loan rates higher.