One Result of the Mortgage Industry Bailout: Lower Interest Rates

There is one thing for sure that came from the federal government coming to the rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- a bit of much-needed market stability.

According to a story broadcast yesterday on National Public Radio’s Marketplace show, the federal government takeover of mortgage giants, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, has resulted in at least one short-term positive — a drop in mortgage rates, making it a lot more attractive to buy a house this week than it has been recently.

Since the announcement late Sunday, the rate on 30-year fixed mortgages dropped a half point on Monday and have been falling ever since. While no one knows for sure what the eventual long-term cost or outcome of the federal government’s decision will be, it seems that the concensus is that the move has given the market some well-sought stability, at least this week.

Pulte Homes Making Strides in a Greener Direction

Pulte takes its commitment to the environment seriously and also wants to demonstrate to our homebuyers the importance and value of saving energy and not harming the environment.

Want to know a little-known fact? All model homes at Pulte’s new home communities use those nifty compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in all of their lighting.

According to Chris Naatz, vice president of sales and marketing for the Illinois division of Pulte Homes, “Pulte is continuing its efforts with environmental awareness and action and as a company that takes responsibility for protecting the environment and reducing our carbon footprint, we want to be proactive and that’s why we are now using CFLs in all of our model homes in Chicagoland.”

CFLs have some amazing benefits for reducing energy consumption. In addition to the Chicago market, a majority of Pulte Homes’ communities throughout the U.S. are now using compact fluorescent lighting.

CFLs use up to 75-percent less electricity than a traditional incandescent bulb and can last five to ten times longer. CFLs produce roughly 90-percent light and 10-percent heat output, compared to a traditional bulb’s 90-percent heat and 10-percent light. Based on average bulb life expectancy, total savings up to 30-percent can be achieved by using CFLs.