Hope Quote of the Day: “Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” – Stephen King (*I don’t know how he can say that when he had Buster die at the end of Misery; still haven’t forgiven Mr. King for that one.)
Today in History: It was on this day in 1789 when the Bill of Rights passes Congress. Twelve amendments to the U.S. Constitution were approved (freedom of speech, press, assembly, and exercise of religion, the right to a fair legal procedure, right to bear arms, the right to only root for the Cubs or Sox – but not both, etc.). The Bill of Rights was also drawn from Virginia’s Declaration of Rights that was drafted by George Mason in 1776. Mason was a lifelong champion of individual liberties and felt the Constitution lacked protection of basic political rights. (*In 2006 I was sitting at my daughter’s kindergarten play when it hit me, I had forgotten to fill out my March Madness bracket. I held the phone to my side so my wife couldn’t see me filling out the bracket, and apparently I couldn’t see what I was doing either – I picked George Mason – thinking it was Georgetown – to go to the Final Four. George Mason was ranked 11th in their region, and against all odds beat # 1 UConn on their way to the Final Four. My friends and coworkers were stunned at this pick and how smart I was (I told them all I had been scouting this team all season). So… it’s finally time for me to confess – it was just dumb luck and a bad kindergarten play that led to one of the greatest March Madness tourneys for me. As long as we’re on the subject, we’re only six months away so let’s enjoy these NCAA tournament buzzer beaters.
While we’re on the subject of the Constitution, you can own a piece of it! Auction details here
Possible Game Show Answer: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s full name is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was named after his distant relative Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Wuss’up This Week: Lots and lots of stuff! I know ‘stuff’ isn’t the most business-like description but I think it best describes what is happening this week that can sway interest rates in either direction. Today we’ve got the New Home Sales Report along with Fed Governor Adriana Kugler speaking, tomorrow we’ve got the Pending Home Sales Report along with seven – count them – 7! – Fed governors, Presidents, and Vice Chairs (*that sounds like a torture device but that’s actually someone’s title – if he gives a boring speech we can count it as torture) will be speaking along with our hero for the month Fed Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaking; then on Friday there are four inflation reports being released along with the Consumer Sentiment Report.
Interest Rate Update: Rates are kind of all over the place but headed the right direction. Today we find a conforming 30yr fixed rate in the high-5s/low-6s for loans at $250k or less, and in the low-to-mid-6s for loans between $250k-$766k. Jumbo loans (*over $766k) can be found anywhere from the high-5s for ARMS to the mid-to-upper 6s for 30yr fixed. As usual rates will vary based on if you’re a first-time homebuyer, type of home, equity in the home, if you live in a pan home (# 7) and your credit score.
Don’t Forget to Remember: Any purchase or refinance loan that closes with me I’ll waive $450 in lender fees! Grab yourself a cup of instant karma and pass my info along to any friends, family, coworkers, or people who like wholesome images that can use this gift.
Hope Quote of the Day 2: “I hope when I inevitably choke to death on gummy bears people just say I was killed by bears and leave it at that.” – @markydoodoo
Timeout for Trivia: Congrats to those who guessed Jason Sudeikis last week! Want to be entered into a drawing to win a Happy Carrot T-shirt? Simply email me the answer to this week’s Who Am I? question. Good luck: “Today we celebrate my birthday – let’s go back to my roots and sing Happy Birthday rap-style – hahahahahaha (sorry, I’m a little slap-happy today). Am I royalty? I’ve played a prince and a king, so maybe. Am I a music star? Yeah, early in my career I was. At one point I combined my love of music with my love of acting when my song – the same title as my hit 1997 science fiction comedy – hit the Top 10 on many singles charts in several regions across the world. That movie was the first of three in that franchise, and my co-star you might’ve recognized from a film where he told another action star in 1993, “I don’t care.” I’ll tell you what I care about – AI! It’s a little scary the fast pace it’s on, it sort of reminds me of my 2004 android movie.”
The Adieu Mortgage Haiku:
Hope is a good thing
I hope rates keep coming down
I think – yes – they will!
