Los Angeles Times Gets It Wrong On Mortgage Rates (Cuz They Ain't In Real Time)

Didjya ever pick up the Los Angeles Times to shop mortgage rates?

That worked way back in 2000 before the internet grew up.  Today, the Los Angeles Times is, well...a great opinion rag but the relevant information, you know, the stuff you want to know RIGHT NOW, ain't so relevant. 

Wanna know some inside poop about whether Manny will or won't wear Dodger Blue this year?  Read the Times.  Wanna know how many points Kobe put up before you go to bed?  Type in Lakers.com.

Want expert opinion about the art exhibition tonight, in Northeast Los Angeles?  Run down to the store, buy the Times, and browse through the Neighborhoods section; the analysis will be superb. Of course, you already Googled "art exhibitions in northeast los angeles" to find out who WAS showing, before you wanted that expert opinion.

I'm not EXCLUSIVELY pickin' on the Times, I'm an equal opportunity picker-onner.  My hometown fish wrap, the San Diego Union-Tribune, is equally as irrelevant when it comes to real-time information.

Are mortgage rates THAT volatile and the mortgage market THAT confusing that the information the Times offers irrelevant?  Yup.  Today, the mortgage rates are changing as much as 2-3 times daily but you already knew that.  How can a potential home buyer get real-time information about the mortgage market?  Try entering a loan request to the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace.  There, lenders will size you up and compete for your business without having to relinquish your personal data.  No phone calls, no e-mails, just a straightforward loan quote...from lots of lenders.

You wouldn't wait for the Times to publish the box score and now you don't have to wait to get real-time mortgage rate quotes from credible sources.  The Times is best for opinion and analysis (well, maybe for Sports- you can get expert mortgage market analysis here).

PS:  I purposely wrote this article in the vernacular, slang and all.  San Diego Union-Tribune columnist, Logan Jenkins described us "citizen journalists" this way:

No way can a loose network of bloggers in pajamas – or, for that matter, time-challenged broadcast outlets – match our concerted effort to inform in detailed depth.

I didn't want to rain on his self-adulatory parade so I tied one hand behind my back.