FHA rates are even lower although they command a hefty monthly mortgage insurance premium. There are some exceptions to this rule though: for 15 year fixed loans below 80% loan-to value there is no MI – and loan amounts go up to $729,000. To give you an idea of interest rates a $700,000 loan amount at 80% LTV would command a rate of 3.25% with no monthly mortgage insurance and NO points, with a substantial credit to closing costs.
It's a great time to buy with prices so low!
Fall and Winter News
First things first: the wedding was beautiful and wondrous. Photos can be viewed at http://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-bohemian-picnic-wedding-mary-grace-drew /
This was the first time I was together with my three children and all the extended family at one time in years. Pictured below are Kenny, MaryGrace, Drew and Katie. A great time was had by all!
After Thanksgiving my mother was ill, but has recovered after two times in hospital, the second for an entire week which was pretty stressful. She was home before Christmas and spent the holiday with me. She is recovering and we expect to have her with us for many years to come. The upside was I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my beautiful loving sister Katie. Here is mom at her Birthday dinner:
Steve and I celebrated New Year’s Eve with close friends at a dinner dance at the Balboa Yacht Club and danced all night – practically! They do put on a fabulous party.
Steve is still actively biking and I’m practicing my dance moves in jazz class and Zumba. Steve continues to commute to Dallas for his position as VP of Marketing and Sales of Museum Tower, and has obtained an apartment there, so I’ll be visiting him more often. The Tower has topped out and sales activity is brisk – for those of you in need of a high-rise downtown condo in the $800 PSF range! The property is located next door to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture garden in the Arts District. The performing arts venues and the Symphony Hall are just down the block.
Steve and I still enjoy sunsets from our own balcony --and also from Sunset’s Bar and Grill on the Beach below us in Capo Beach. If you haven’t visited it yet, put it on your list. http://sunsetsbar.com The owners have opened a new Sunset’s across from the pier in San Clemente, and word is out that they have taken over ownership of The Renaissance-Dana Point which is a big positive.
Next on our agenda is a week-end trip to Santa Barbara for Steve’s birthday, and then our big splurge, a diving trip to the Cayman Islands at the end of March. We can’t wait!
