Rate on 30-year fixed mortgage falls to 3.98 pct.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage hovered above its record low for a fourth straight week. But cheap mortgage rates have done little to boost home sales or refinancing.

Freddie Mac says the rate on the 30-year fixed loan fell to 3.98 percent from 4 percent the previous week. Seven weeks ago, it dropped to a record low of 3.94 percent, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Read more

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City Filled wit HOAs resists downward trend in property values

We often hear from some folks that mandatory community associations drag down property values. Dictatorial boards, botched elections, disgruntled owners, missing reserve funds, none of these stories paint a rosy picture of the community association lifestyle but how much of an impact does all that really have on property values?

According to a recent Bloomberg Businessweek survey, the city of Weston, FL, which is comprised almost entirely of mandatory associations, has seen a 15.1% increase in property values from February, 2009 to August, 2011. This increase occurred during the same time period that most homeowners across South Florida saw their property values drop by as much as half!  Read more