Interesting article on Boston.com reporting that in Massachusetts the average single family home price is almost 10% (9.6%) to $285,000.  Sales volume in Massachusetts is up 11.6%.

Timothy M. Warren Jr., chief executive of the Warren Group had this to say:

“We had surprising gains in January, and that’s good news for the economy and that’s good news for the housing market.  The real wild card is what will happen after mid-year.’’

Some believe the increase in pricing and volume is happening because of the tax credit that will be ending in April, as well as the artificially low interested rates.

Economic analyst will wait until at least midyear to make a more accurate assessment on the market.  Just last week the Fed raised the discounted interest rate from .5% to .75% which was shocking to some, but believed by many to be a step towards normalcy.

What do you think?

This week (ending Jan 22nd) the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.99% from last week when it was at 5.06%.  30-year fixed-rate mortgages at the same time last year were 5.12%.  This is great news for potential home buyers as this 3 week in a row drop is great when paired with the Tax Credit for new home buyers that is being offered until April of 2010.

Today Barney Frank said he looks to abolish Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac saying, “The remedy here is, as I think the committee will be recommending, abolishing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in their current form and coming up with a whole new system of housing finance,” said Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. “That’s the approach, rather than the piecemeal one.”

Frank, along with the rest of The Financial Services Committee, is just starting its work on the issue and plans to move slowly. The committee’s first step is to talk to groups like the Center for American Progress and the National Association of Realtors, both who have prepared documents with reccomendations for the overhaul.

David Min, an associate director for the Center for American Progress, said that whatever new structure the mortgage lenders would take, any entities receiving government backing would need to be more heavily regulated to limit risk, with greater product restrictions on mortgage-backed securities and higher capital than what Fannie and Freddie had. The Center argues that reforms should apply to both public and private markets.

You can read more on Boston.com:  Barney Frank to Abolish Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac