House Party Continues

So, you say that the recent spike in interest rates has got you down. You were all set to refinance your home or slap that down payment on your dream house when the most horrific thing happened -- Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan moved your cheese.

Get over it. Things aren't that bad. You can still buy into rates that aren't much higher than they were a year ago. They remain sharply lower than the going borrowing costs from three years ago when the 30-year mortgage peaked at 8.3%.

So don't let missing out on the June bottom derail your plans. It's not souring the home-minded spirits of others, that's for sure. Last night, Lennar (NYSE: LEN  ) reported a 22% uptick in new home orders for the August quarter. Sure, that included the euphoric June frenzy, but the company has still managed to sell more homes even as rates started to pick up. Lennar's not alone at the open house party. It was joined by KB Home (NYSE: KBH  ) , which posted a 15.7% gain in new home orders for the same three-month period.

While the other homebuilders haven't released recent order data, the sector's resiliency rests in the body language. Back in July, weeks into the gradual climb of mortgage rates, D. R. Horton (NYSE: DHI  ) hiked its dividend while Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM  ) and Centex (NYSE: CTX  ) revised their full-year profit outlooks sharply higher.

This isn't a sector that's going away anytime soon. If you build it, they will not stop coming. So, go ahead, buy into your dream home. The homemakers will leave a light out for you.

Now what?

Have interest rates had an impact on your housing decisions? Is it too late to make that move? Visit our Home Center to ponder your various financing options. Or join us on the Buying or Selling a Home discussion board. Only on Fool.com.