Now is as good a time as any (if you have equity)

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) --Freddie Mac said Thursday that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average dropped from a week ago to a four-and-a-half year low as bond yields declined. The 30-year fixed-rate average was 5.47% with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Dec. 11, down from 5.53% a week ago. Last year the average was 6.11%. The 30-year average has not been lower since March 25, 2004, when it averaged 5.4%, Freddie Mac said. "Following the release of the November employment report, which showed the largest monthly decline in jobs since December 1974, bond yields fell slightly this week allowing fixed-rate mortgage rates room to ease back a little further," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac chief economist, in a statement.

Interest Rates are Low

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Freddie Mac said Thursday the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average fell to 5.53% -- its lowest since January -- with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Dec. 3. In the previous period, the average was 5.97%, and the year-ago average was 5.96%. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has not been this low since Jan. 24 when it was 5.48%. "After Federal Reserve actions to increase liquidity in the mortgage market, interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages took a dive," Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac chief economist, said in a statement. "The recent plunge in rates contributed to the nearly 150% jump in conventional mortgage applications over the Thanksgiving week, led by almost a 300% surge in refinances, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Roughly three out of four mortgage applications were for refinance transactions, up from around half during the prior week."

Fed cuts Rate to 1%

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday slashed overnight interest rates by a half-point to 1.0%, and left the door open for more reductions which would bring rates to the lowest levels in a half-century.
In its statement, the Federal Open Market Committee said the pace of growth has slowed "markedly" and the extraordinary financial market stress could put the economy at greater risk.
With inflation no longer a threat, the central bank said it will cut rates as needed to boost the economy.
The FOMC said it "will monitor economic and financial developments carefully and will act as needed to promote sustainable economic growth and price stability."
Importantly, the Fed statement drew no line in the sand at the 1% funds rate target, raising the possibility that rates may move lower.