RE/MAX of Greensboro & PartnersRE/MAX of Greensboro & Partners

Triad Real Estate: Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, Winston Salem

RE/MAX of Greensboro: 336.854.0500
RE/MAX Partners: 336.854.2400
My Account Login | Register
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Search Homes For Sale
  • Home Valuation
  • Meet Our Agents
  • the Blog
  • Join RE/MAX
  • Contact Us

Surprisingly Strong Jobs Report May Affect Mortgage Rates

Jobs Report In FocusLast week’s jobs report — a combination of the Department of Labor’s Non-farm Payrolls Report and Unemployment Rate — provided investors and job seekers with unexpected good news.

Job growth for February handily exceeded most economists expectations of 160,000 by adding 236,000 new jobs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment increased in business and professional services, construction and healthcare:

  • Business and professional services added 73,000 jobs
  • Construction added 48,000 jobs. Of these, 17,000 jobs were for residential construction.
  • Healthcare added 32,000 jobs

Since September, construction employment has risen by 151,000. This increase in construction jobs may point to a strengthening in the home building sector.

Stronger home building numbers may lead to increasing home prices for sellers and property appreciation for home owners.

Strong Jobs Numbers Help Stock Market Rally, May Spur Higher Mortgage Rates

Retail has added 252,000 jobs over the past year. Hiring in retail suggests that consumers are spending more, which is a strong indicator of economic growth.

These figures demonstrate a trend toward economic recovery and added a last-minute boost to last week’s stock market rally.

Rising stocks generally cause bond prices including MBS to fall and mortgage rates to rise.

The seasonally adjusted employee participation rate declined by 0.40 percent year over year; in February 2012, the seasonally adjusted was participation rate was 63.9 percent; in February 2012, the participation rate was 63.5 percent.

The Unemployment Rate for February came in at 7.7 percent; this was lower than Investor expectations of 7.8 percent and January’s unemployment rate of 7.9 percent.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has decreased by.60 percent from 8.3 percent in February 2012.

Unemployment Rate Lowest Since December 2008

Long-term unemployment of 27 weeks or more accounted for 40.2 percent of February’s unemployed.

8 million workers are employed part time due to scheduling cutbacks or because they could not find full time work.

The Fed has benchmarked an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent as a sign of sufficient economic recovery that could allow the Fed to curtail its monetary easing program.

Given this perspective, the Unemployment Rate remains high, but appears to be declining gradually.

Economic indicators and recently climbing interest rates suggest that mortgage borrowers may want to lock in their best mortgage rates now.

Related

Posted in: Housing Analysis Tagged: Jobs Report,Interest Rates,Economy

Quick Home Search

Post navigation

« 3 Top Tips To Selecting The Right Home For Your Family
4 Critical Tips When Purchasing Foreclosure Real Estate »

My Account Login

Recent Blog Posts

Home Buyer Guide - Winter 2021

Home Buyer Guide - Winter 2021 Are You Thinking About Buying a Home? The process of buying a home can be overwhelming at times, but you don’t need to go through it alone. You may be wondering … Continue reading...

… Continue reading...

Spring is usually the busiest season in the housing market. Many buyers wait until then to make their move, believing it’s the best time to find a home. However, that isn’t always the case when you … Continue reading...

If you’ve seen recent headlines about foreclosures surging in the housing market, you’re certainly not alone. There’s no doubt, the stories in the media can be pretty confusing right now. They may … Continue reading...

Search The Blog

Search for:

News, Tips & Advice

  • Around The Home (272)
  • Baby Boomers (9)
  • Buying Myths (110)
  • Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (1)
  • Consumer Tips (1)
  • Credit Scoring (1)
  • Demographics (24)
  • Distressed Properties (24)
  • Down Payments (45)
  • Federal Reserve (29)
  • FHFA (2)
  • Financial Crisis (1)
  • Financial Reports (135)
  • First Time Home Buyers (278)
  • For Buyers (516)
  • For Sellers (412)
  • Foreclosure (1)
  • Foreclosures (29)
  • FSBOs (19)
  • Gen Z (11)
  • Generation X (5)
  • Giving Back (3)
  • Happy Thanksgiving (1)
  • Holidays (12)
  • Home Building Tips (5)
  • Home Buyer Tips (198)
  • Home Buying Tips (1)
  • Home Care (3)
  • Home Decorating (2)
  • Home Financing Tips (4)
  • Home Maintenance (1)
  • Home Mortgage (3)
  • Home Mortgage Tips (134)
  • Home Ownership (2)
  • Home Seller Tips (162)
  • Home Selling Tips (27)
  • Home Tips (1)
  • Home Values (6)
  • Homebuyer Tips (6)
  • Homeowner Tips (7)
  • Housing Analysis (184)
  • Housing Market (18)
  • Housing Market Updates (367)
  • Infographics (134)
  • Interest Rates (145)
  • Investment Properties (1)
  • Just For Fun (2)
  • Luxury Market (12)
  • Market Outlook (148)
  • Millennials (20)
  • Mortagage Tips (5)
  • Mortgage (87)
  • Mortgage Guidelines (19)
  • Mortgage Rates (150)
  • Mortgage Tips (11)
  • Move-Up Buyers (304)
  • New Construction (29)
  • News (81)
  • Personal Finance (26)
  • Pricing (210)
  • Rankings (2)
  • RE/MAX Buyer & Seller Tips (1)
  • RE/MAX of Greensboro (17)
  • Real Estate (309)
  • Real Estate 101 (10)
  • Real Estate Definitions (3)
  • Real Estate Tips (43)
  • Real Estate Trends (2)
  • Rent vs. Buy (50)
  • Selling Myths (75)
  • Selling Your Home (1)
  • Senior Market (8)
  • Short Sales (4)
  • Statistics (2)
  • Taxes (3)
  • The Economy (20)
  • Time-sensitive (15)
  • Uncategorized (13)

Home Buyer Tips

Looking For A Major Lifestyle Change? Consider Buying A ‘Micro’ Home

With the cost of a home on the rise and the concept of being sustainable becoming more popular, many people are considering moving to a smaller home to minimize their impact. It’s important, however, to consider what living small is really like before deciding that it’s the right move for you.

Around The Home

The Basic Home Security Checklist Every Home Needs

Did you realize that only around 17 percent of the homes in the United States have a security system? Leaving your residence unprotected can come back to haunt you in the future.

Home Seller Tips

Selling Your Home FHA? Learn These Tips To Ensure A Smooth Closing

Before an owner can market a property to buyers that want to use a FHA loan, he will want to familiarize himself with the FHA’s standards. FHA won’t insure loans on just any property. While their standards aren’t as stringent as they used to be, a home needs to be in relatively good condition to qualify for FHA financing.

© 2023 · Greensboro Real Estate Inc. dba RE/MAX of Greensboro & RE/MAX Partners

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | *Affiliated Business Notice

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated.
Greensboro Real Estate Inc Supports Equal Housing Opportunity

RE/MAX of Greensboro BBB Business Review