The Markets… The good news continues for rates on home loans. Freddie Mac announced that for the week ending April 23, 30-year fixed rates averaged 4.80%, down slightly from 4.82% the week before. The average for 15-year stayed at 4.48%. Adjustables were down with the average for one-year adjustables decreasing to 4.82% and five-year adjustables falling to 4.85%. A year ago 30-year fixed rates were at 5.88%. Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist stated “The housing market is showing further signs of possible improvement. House prices rose for the second consecutive month in February, the first back-to-back increase since April 2007, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Among the nine Census divisions, six experienced positive gains in February, led by a monthly increase of 3.8 percent in the Pacific Division.” REAL ESTATE NEWS