Patrick Akopians, Mortgage Broker NMLS #1414321

New 5.0-star Review: "It was easy and smooth process."

New 5.0-star Review: "Patrick simplified the process for me getting my home loan and took the stress off my shoulders. He was organized, accountable and very patient. Thank you Patrick. Keep up the awesome work."

, : Average mortgage rates last week remained low, and in some situations were slightly better than the previous week.... : Average mortgage rates this week will likely remain about the same, as underlying market conditions slow down ahead of the Christmas holiday. Also, lenders won't be looking to lower rates and take on an influx of new business this week, making it unlikely to see any significant improvement in rates. Rates are not at risk of moving much higher from current levels between now and the end of the year, making it a great time to talk with your local mortgage professional about buying a home or refinancing the home you currently own. ' : - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and generally stable. - Holiday week: Mortgage rates are largely based on the pricing of mortgage bonds, and the bond market will be closed early on Thursday and remain closed on Friday. - Lender capacity: Lenders continue to struggle with volume constraints, making it unlikely they would push rates significantly lower this week, although small movements are possible.

You have likely heard the ads... "Push button. Get mortgage" Is it really that easy? Not yet it's not... The truth is that there are many different mortgage programs out there, and which one you choose can affect your interest rate, your payment, and even the amount of money you will need to put down.... Making a mistake could cost you hundreds of dollars a month and thousands (or even tens of thousands!) of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Or, it could mean that you have to put down more money than you really needed to. Even with the right program, a lot can go wrong during the mortgage process. Don't you want a human on your side to help guide you through the problems and make it go smoothly and hassle free? I can do that for you. , ' . ' , ' . ' .

- . It helps lenders determine how likely you are to repay a loan. For a mortgage, the FICO score is also a big factor in what interest rate you will be offered. . It measures how long you've had credit, how much credit you have, how much of your available credit is being used and if you've paid on time. FICO Scores are calculated us...ing many different pieces of credit data in your credit report. This data is grouped into five categories: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%) and credit mix (10%). The FICO score that a mortgage lender uses is not usually the same as one you may get on your own, through services like CreditKarma. Your FICO Scores consider both positive and negative information in your credit report. Late payments will lower your FICO Scores, but establishing or re-establishing a good track record of making payments on time will raise your credit score. ' , , . ' .

New 5.0-star Review: "Fast and attentive, will work with again!"

, : Average mortgage rates last week remained low, and in some situations were slightly better than the previous week.... : Average mortgage rates this week will remain low, and are unlikely to move up or down much. Most movement will come in the form of better rebate pricing, the credit a lender gives you towards your closing costs or the cost to obtain a lower rate, usually referred to as 'points'. ' : - Covid-19: An increase in covid cases and hospitalizations has some areas of the country going back to lockdowns or implementing business curfews. The effect will be bad for the economic recovery, helping to keep rates low for the near term. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and stimulating the economic recovery. - Economic data: A couple of Treasury auctions, and some data on inflation later in the week could have a small effect on rates this week, but not much. - Stimulus talks. Markets have priced in a stimulus package to get done this month, which put some pressure on rates and pricing due to added debt and more Treasury supply in the bond market.

, : Average mortgage rates last week remained largely unchanged as markets and lenders closed for Thanksgiving.... : Average mortgage rates this week are likely to improve at least slightly from last week, but could still vary day-to-day. Most improvements will come in the form of better rebate pricing, the credit a lender gives you towards your closing costs or the cost to obtain a lower rate, usually referred to as 'points'. ' : - Covid-19: An increase in covid cases and hospitalizations has some areas of the country going back to lockdowns or implementing business curfews. The effect will be bad for the economic recovery, helping to keep rates low for the near term. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and stimulating the economic recovery. - Economic data: There isn't a lot of data this week, but Friday's jobs data could impact rates and pricing. - Weak economy: Increased unemployment and reduced consumer spending, especially in the holiday season, are likely to weaken the economy and see rates benefit.

Just a little something to make you laugh... , !

! The conforming loan amount is going from $510,400 to $548,250 in 2021. If you'd like to know how that affects you, let me know and I'll be glad to go over it with you. , ' , ' .

New 5.0-star Review: "Patrick was amazing! He was so helpful from start to finish. He was extremely well-informed on both the lending and real estate sides of things, and very receptive, communicative, and patient with all of the questions I had as a first time buyer. Buying a house can seem intimidating, especially during a pandemic, so it was a huge relief to work with someone we could rely on, who made the process feel smooth, painless, and secure. He really fought for us and made us feel like he had our backs throughout the process. I would definitely recommend Patrick to anyone looking to move, and would love to work with him again if the need arises."

, : Average mortgage rates last week improved slightly, as concerns over increasing covid numbers and subsequent lockdowns and slowdowns pushed investors to the safety of bonds.... : Average mortgage rates this week will remain low heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, and are unlikely to get significantly better or worse. The outlook heading into December is that rates may continue to improve in small increments, although some days will continue to have better pricing than others. ' : - Possible lockdowns: An increase in covid cases and hospitalizations has some areas of the country going back to tightening restrictions and lockdowns, and implementing business curfews. The effect will be bad for the economic recovery, which helps to keep rates low for the near term. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and limiting how far rates should rise in the near term. - Economic data: The data on the calendar this week is not likely to have a big effect on rates. - Thanksgiving: Bond markets will be closed on Thursday and will close early on Friday.

"How much house can I afford?" If you're considering buying a home, this is probably one of the first questions you'll ask. And while a mortgage calculator can give you a rough estimate, it can't tell you what interest rate you'll qualify for or provide you with the range of options that may be available. Finding an accurate number for how much house you'll qualify for, AND what you can comfortably afford, can be made much easier with guidance from a mortgage professio...nal like me. I can help you understand what you qualify for, discuss what kind of payment you're comfortable with, compare loan programs, and then help you get a low rate while making the whole process convenient. You can contact me anytime for a free, no obligation conversation about buying a home and how much house you can afford. Go ahead and check out my reviews to see what others have to say about how I helped them. Why not reach out to me, knowing you won't get any sales pitch or be pressured to take any action? I'm simply here to help!

New 5.0-star Review: "My wife and I recently purchased a home and Patrick came highly recommended. We were not disappointed. Being first time home buyers we had plenty of questions and Patrick patiently answered all of them and even made us aware of possible pitfalls we might come across during the process. We always felt that Patrick had our backs throughout and the sale went through without a hitch. We would whole-heartedly recommend using Patrick to anybody looking to purchase a home. "

, : Average mortgage rates last week were slightly worse than the week before, although not significantly. Rates got worse early in the week as mortgage bonds weakened on positive covid vaccine news. A vaccine is expected to help in the economic recovery, which will pressure rates higher when it happens.... : Average mortgage rates this week will remain low, and could possibly improve slightly as the week progresses but will likely not improve dramatically. We could see some up-and-down movement from day to day, making it a good idea to check in with your mortgage professional this week. ' : - Possible lockdowns: An increase in covid cases and hospitalizations has some areas of the country going back to tightening restrictions and lockdowns, and implementing business curfews. The effect will be bad for the economic recovery, which helps to keep rates low for the near term. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and limiting how far rates should rise in the near term. - Economic data: The data on the calendar this week is not likely to have a big effect on rates.

New 5.0-star Review: "Patrick was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. From beginning to end, he guided us and helped us with the loan process to get us the best possible rate. It was a great experience working with him and I would recommend his services to anyone looking to purchase a home. "

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, : Average mortgage rates were slightly worse to start last week, but ended the week improved as the election results unfolded and markets were no longer concerned about Democrats getting control of both houses of Congress and the presidency. Last week's Fed meeting and economic data had little effect on rates, as expected.... : Average mortgage rates this week are already worse than they were Friday, on positive news about covid vaccines. Stocks rallied, and bond prices dropped, which is bad for mortgage rates and rebate pricing. Although it is early in the week and we are likely to see rates end the week at least slightly worse than last week, rates remain near record lows making it a great time to buy or refinance. ' : - Veterans Day: Markets will be closed on Wednesday - Covid 19: Positive news about effectiveness of potential vaccines has caused rates to rise, at least temporarily, as a vaccine will speed up the economic recovery and stronger economy will push rates higher. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and limiting how far rates should rise in the near term.

, : Average mortgage rates improved overall for the week, with rates improving most through Wednesday before pulling back to end the week.... : Average mortgage rates this week are hard to forecast, with many variables that could cause rates to fluctuate daily. While rates will remain low into 2021, this week we could see rates go up or down based on the elections, the meeting of the Fed, and economic data. Consumers looking to minimize risk may want to still consider locking and should talk it over with their mortgage professional. ' : - Economic data: This week has lots of economic data, but the data most likely to affect mortgage rates is Friday's jobs data. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and limiting how far rates could rise. The Fed is unlikely to change policy rates at this week's meeting, but its policy statement could cause influence mortgage rates for the week. - Elections Nov 3rd: Although the election is on Tuesday, it will take days to complete the count of all the votes, including millions of mailed in votes, and could contribute to rate volatility.

Just a little mortgage Halloween humor... !

, : Average mortgage rates worsened through the week, contrary to some headlines that tracked old data and said rates hit a new low. Still, although rates did get slightly higher, it wasn't a big move.... : , Average mortgage rates this week could show some volatility, depending on how markets trade heading into the elections next week. Rates could improve a bit though after losing ground last week, but the upside potential is limited. Consumers looking to minimize risk may want to still consider locking and should talk it over with their mortgage professional. ' : - Economic data: The week does have a lot of economic data and activity, which could play a small role in rates moving from day to day. - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low and limiting how far rates could rise. - Stimulus talks: A stimulus deal still not done, now considered extremely unlikely to be done before the election. - Elections Nov 3rd: Speculation of who will win the presidential election as well as House and Senate seats could cause some volatility this week.

... ? Rates are likely to continue to be volatile as we head into the election in November. If you've been thinking about refinancing, or looking at buying a home, we should talk soon. I'm here when you're ready.

, : Average mortgage rates improved slightly through the week last week but ran out of steam on Friday, pulling back just a bit to end the week.... : Average mortgage rates this week could once again be more volatile than normal, especially with talk that an economic stimulus package could possibly be passed before the election. That means it is a good week to stay in touch with your mortgage lender if you have a loan in process, or if you are thinking of getting a mortgage to buy a home or refinance. ' : - Economic data: The week doesn't have any economic data that is likely to have any great effect on mortgage rates - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low. - Stimulus talks: If a stimulus bill is agreed upon and looks likely to get passed before the elections, it would require more debt to be created to fund it, and could put some pressure on mortgage rates - Bond market technical indicators: Mortgage bonds (the bonds that lenders base mortgage rates on) look like they could struggle to improve this week, pointing to slightly worse rates as the week progresses.

"' !" That's what I hear from any of my clients that started out by looking online for mortgage rate information, only to have their phone and email blow up with salespeople hounding them and hassling them at all hours of the day. If you want to learn more about where rates are at, what rates you qualify for, and if buying a home or refinancing makes sense for you... simply contact me at your convenience and save yourself the hassles and headaches. ...I can give you your options, answer all your questions, and make the process convenient and easy. , , . .

, : Average mortgage rates worsened last week, helped along by headlines that Congress was close to passing a stimulus plan.... : Average mortgage rates this week could be more volatile than normal, making it harder to anticipate whether they will move higher or lower. That means it is a good week to stay in touch with your mortgage lender if you have a loan in process, or if you are thinking of getting a mortgage to buy a home or refinance. ' : - Economic data: The week doesn't have any economic data that is likely to affect mortgage rates - Economic stimulus: The Fed continues to buy Treasuries and mortgage bonds, helping to keep rates low. - Stimulus talks: If a stimulus bill is agreed upon and looks likely to get passed before the elections, it would require more debt to be created to fund it, and could put some pressure on mortgage rates - Bond market technical indicators: After losing ground last week, mortgage bonds (the bonds that lenders base mortgage rates on) look like they could continue to worsen this week. However, that could reverse when the bond market reopens on Tuesday.