Last Week in Review: Home sales had their share of ups and downs in June.

Forecast for the Week: We’ll take the temperature on July job creation.

View: Make scheduling a snap with these apps.

“Home. Home on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play.” Bing Crosby. A discouraging word was heard on Existing Home Sales, but New Home Sales were not cloudy all day.

New Home Sales were a bright spot, edging higher in June. The Commerce Department reported New Home Sales rose a modest 0.8 percent from May to an annual rate of 610,000 units, which was in line with estimates. From June 2016 to June 2017, New Home Sales rose 9.1 percent.

Existing Home Sales slipped, though, falling 1.8 percent from May to June to an annual rate of 5.52 million units, below the 5.58 million expected. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) said sales were up only 0.7 percent year over year, the second lowest reading of 2017. The NAR explained that the decline in sales is due in part to the ongoing theme: a low supply of homes for sale on the market. Total housing inventory was at a 4.3-month supply at the June sales pace and has fallen year over year for 25 consecutive months. Normal inventory levels are around six months.

Home price gains remain steady as demand for homes continues to outweigh supply in many key areas across the nation. The May S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Index rose 5.7 percent year over year, in line with estimates and just below the 5.8 percent in April.

In other news, the first estimate of second quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was solid, increasing at a rate of 2.6 percent, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported. Consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of our nation’s economic activity, fueled the increase. First quarter GDP was revised lower, increasing 1.2 percent rather than the 1.4 previously reported.

Finally, the Federal Reserve released a rather dovish monetary policy statement following its Federal Open Market Committee meeting. As expected, the benchmark Federal Funds Rate remained unchanged. The Fed noted it expects inflation to remain tame for some time, which is typically good news for Mortgage Bonds and the home loan rates tied to them.

At this time, home loan rates remain just above historic lows.

If you or someone you know has questions about home loan products or current rates please contact me. I’d be happy to help.

Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve. In contrast, strong economic news normally has the opposite result. The chart below shows Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS), which are the type of Bond on which home loan rates are based.

When you see these Bond prices moving higher, it means home loan rates are improving. When Bond prices are moving lower, home loan rates are getting worse.

To go one step further, a red “candle” means that MBS worsened during the day, while a green “candle” means MBS improved during the day. Depending on how dramatic the changes are on any given day, this can cause rate changes throughout the day, as well as on the rate sheets we start with each morning.

As you can see in the chart below, Mortgage Bonds traded in a sideways pattern in recent days while home loan rates remain near historic lows.

4 Remarkable Meeting Schedulers

If you’ve ever tried to coordinate multiple meetings a week or with more than a few people at a time, you already know the frustration of haggling over time slots, venues and missed invitations.

Get your meetings off to a simpler start with a little help from one of these automated schedulers:

Assistant.to handles scheduling one-on-one meetings directly from your Gmail and Google Calendar. Select the days and times you’re available and then share those slots with your contacts. The app continuously monitors your schedule to eliminate double bookings and time zone mistakes. Invitees can select their desired meeting time simply by clicking in the email, and the event will sync with their calendars on Outlook, Google, Lotus Notes and more. No need for recipients to open a website or create an account. Integrates with GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx and more. Comes as an extension for Chrome users. Free.*

Calendly integrates with Google, Outlook, iCloud and Office 365 to create a personalized email or embedded URL where contacts can select and schedule appointments based on your customizable availability and time limits. Helps eliminate double bookings and time zone issues. Free for a basic package. Premium plans start at $8 per month per user.*

Rallly helps you collaborate with others by creating a simple event URL page to share with friends, clients or coworkers. Attendees can discuss the agenda as well as vote on the best time for a meeting. Works great for bigger groups, masterminds, book clubs or even social gatherings. Free.*

YouCanBook.Me connects to your Google, Microsoft or iCloud calendar and shares your pre-selected meeting times and durations with your customers and contacts via website, Facebook or email. Customizable branding, confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups for you and your customers help reduce no-shows. Free for basic plan. $10 per month per calendar without branding.*

Make scheduling headaches a thing of the past with one of these amazing apps.

*Prices and availability at time of writing.