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More prospective home buyers would likely qualify for down payment assistance than they think. Indeed, more than 68 million single-family and condo households – or about 87 percent — would qualify for a down payment program available in the county where they are located, according to a new study by Down Payment Resource and RealtyTrac in an analysis that included a look at nearly 2,300 down payment programs nationwide.
“Many homebuyers, especially Millennials, haven’t fully investigated their home financing options because they are pessimistic about qualifying for a mortgage,” says Rob Chrane, president and CEO of Down Payment Resource. “Our Homeownership Program Index highlights the wide range and availability of down payment programs available to today’s homebuyers. In fact, 91 percent of the 2,290 programs in our registry have funds available to lend to eligible buyers. Plus, income limits vary depending on the market and programs extend beyond just first-time homebuyers. It’s important for buyers to research down payment programs as part of their loan shopping process.”
Photo courtesy of Highland Home Inspections. http://highlandhomeinspections.net/contact-us.php.
Those who lost their home due to financial hardships may get another shot at being home owners again soon. The Federal Housing Administration recently announced that they would shorten the waiting period for qualified borrowers who’ve had a bankruptcy, foreclosure, deed in lieu of foreclosure, or short sale who want to buy a home again. Under the FHA’s Back-to-Work program, home owners must show that they have their finances back in order and they must receive counseling from a HUD-approved agency. Those who meet the requirements can apply to buy a property in as little as a year.
“The Back to Work program is a great opportunity for us to help those impacted by the recent housing crisis,” Heather Shanahan, a representative with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency called Springboard, told HousingWire. “Our goal in our counseling sessions is to enable the borrower to better understand their loan options and the obligations.”
Counselors provide borrowers with a customized action plan that reflects household budgets and shows borrowers how they can meet their financial obligations to prevent default again in the future.
The Back-to-Work program is also helping borrowers purchase their first homes, in some cases.
The government shutdown is starting to cripple the real estate business just as it was starting a comeback. You might ask how this is happening, well, here are just some of the reasons.
FHA and VA loans are being delayed because of lack of staff
USDA loans which are for low income borrowers, have ground to a complete halt.
IRS is down, so FHA and conventional loans cannot verify tax documents, delaying or killing loans.
All this means that real estate deals are being put on hold, or in some cases, just falling apart. There is a real good chance if this idiotic shutdown continues that interest rates will climb. A one percent increase in the interest rate and shutdown could mean a decline in 450,000 home sales. Welcome to another depression, thanks some die hard conservatives.
John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Civil Engineer
General Contractor
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae recently offered some predictions of what the housing market’s “normal” will look like in the next two years.
In its report, “Transition to ‘Normal’?”, Fannie says while the housing market has shown improvement, uncertainty remains over both the economy and the real estate market.
“Our forecast is that 2013 and 2014 will exhibit below-potential economic growth,” according to the white paper. “This is despite the fact that we expect the housing rebound will continue and that the economy will benefit from the gradual increased growth of U.S.-based manufacturing, as well as the expansion of domestic energy production.”
The following are some of the projections Fannie made in its report:
Mortgage rates to stay low: Fannie Mae expects mortgage rates to remain low over the next few years. The mortgage giant expects rates will increase to no more than 4.2 percent by the end of 2014.
FHA loans may get more expensive: More costs may be assigned to Federal Housing Administration loans.
Refinancing drops: The boom in refinancing may have peaked last year with slower activity projected this year. “We expect 2012 to be seen as the high watermark for refinances and 2013 as the first of several transition years as the housing finance market transitions back to a more normal balance between purchase and refinance activity.”
Foreclosures continue to fall: Fannie expects foreclosures to continue to decline from their peaks as more alternatives to foreclosure are pursued.
Housing starts to rise: Fannie Mae predicts that housing starts will increase 23 percent in 2013 — which would be 60 percent more than the record low in 2010. Fannie expects housing starts won’t reach sustainable levels until 2016.
Mortgage originations grow: “Given our expectations of continued improvement in housing starts, home sales, and home prices in 2013,” Fannie Mae writes, “we project that purchase mortgage originations will rise to $642 billion from a forecast of $518 billion in 2012.”
English: Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Los Angeles Times
Drop in U.S. mortgage delinquency rates led by California, Arizona
The national mortgage delinquency rate – the percentage of borrowers 60 days or more late on their payments – fell to 5.41 percent in the third quarter from 5.88 percent in the same period in 2011, said TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting companies.
How the U.S. mortgage settlement can help military members
The national mortgage settlement between 49 states and five of the nation’s largest banks includes protections for service members. Under the settlement, participating banks have agreed to provide consumers relief, everything from granting short sales to modifying mortgages to make them more affordable for homeowners.
FHA gives those who defaulted on homes another chance
The FHA, which backs nearly 8 million loans, is helping rebound buyers recapture the American dream, boosting the housing market in the process. But that’s touched off a fierce debate about the financial and ethical wisdom of bankrolling borrowers who contributed to the last housing bubble – and the potential cost to taxpayers.
The biggest source of funding for low-down-payment condo mortgages, the Federal Housing Administration, has revamped controversial rules that caused thousands of building across the country to lose their eligibility for FHA financing.
The revised guidelines, which were issued Sept. 13 and took effect immediately, should make it easier for a large number of homeowner associations to seek certification by the FHA. Without approval of an entire development, no individual unit can be financed or refinanced with an FHA mortgage.
The previous rules prohibited FHA insurance of units in buildings where more than 25 percent of the total floor space was used for commercial or nonresidential purposes. Yet many condominiums in urban areas have lower floors devoted to retail stores and offices that generate revenues that help support the entire project. The revised rules allow exceptions of up to 35 percent commercial use, and provide for additional case-by-case exceptions to 50 percent or higher.
The Community Associations Institute, the condo industry’s largest trade group, is predicting that the relaxed FHA rules will spark home sales and helps tens of thousands of condominium communities begin to recover from the housing slump.
The new rules also offer greater flexibility on investor ownership. In existing developments, one or more investors are now allowed to own up to 50 percent of the total units provided that at least half of the units are owner-occupied. The previous rule required that no more than 10 percent of units could be owned by a single investor.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) plans to impose significant restrictions on the amount of money that sellers can contribute at closing in the near future. The FHA also will be raising its mortgage insurance premiums during the coming weeks, increasing charges for new purchases across the board.
Making sense of the story
One reason for the increase in fees is that over the last six years, the number of FHA loans used by buyers has increased significantly. The housing program is financing 40 percent or more of all new-home purchases in some areas and is a crucial resource for first-time buyers and moderate-income families. This is especially because of the low 3.5 percent down payment required for most FHA loans.
During this span of rapid growth, the FHA’s insurance fund capital reserves have steadily deteriorated – far below congressionally mandated levels. And delinquencies have been increasing. As a result, the FHA is under the gun to get its own house in order, cut insurance claims, and rebuild its reserves.
Under the changes, the FHA will lower its seller concession cap to 3 percent of the home price or $6,000, whichever is greater. Currently, the FHA allows up to 6 percent of the price of the house to go toward buyers’ closing costs.
Beyond that change, the FHA also plans significant increases in insurance premiums – upfront premiums will rise to 1.75 percent from 1 percent, effective April 1, and annual premiums will increase by 0.1 percent on all loans under $625,000 and 0.35 percent on mortgage amounts above that, effective June 1.
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John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
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Civil Engineer
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Largest False Claims Act Settlement Relating to Mortgage Fraud
As part of the global resolution between the United States of America and the five largest mortgage servicing banks in the country, which will bring much needed relief to financially distressed homeowners nationwide, Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, today announced that the government will also resolve its claims against the Bank of America, Countrywide Financial Corporation and certain Countrywide subsidiaries and affiliates (Countrywide) for underwriting and origination mortgage fraud.
As part of the global settlement, Bank of America will pay $1 billion to resolve the wrongdoing uncovered during the office’s investigation. The settlement will entail an immediate payment of $500 million to provide a recovery for the harm done to the FHA by Countrywide’s conduct. Payment of the second $500 million will be deferred to fund a loan modification program for Countrywide borrowers across the nation with underwater mortgages. Under the terms of the program, Bank of America will solicit all potentially eligible borrowers and provide a loan modification to anyone with an eligible mortgage who accepts the offer. If, after the expiration of three years, the bank has not met its obligation to apply the full $500 million to provide such relief, any remainder will be paid directly to the United States.
“We announce today the largest ever False Claims Act settlement relating to mortgage fraud. Through their underwriting and origination of tens of thousands of government-insured loans to unqualified borrowers, Countrywide Financial subsidiaries systematically abused the Federal Housing Administration and became some of the main players in this country’s financial crisis. We are committed to protecting the FHA’s ability to provide assistance to qualified low-income and first-time home-buyers, and this settlement goes a long way toward that end. It also puts lenders on notice that they will face serious financial consequences for violating their obligations under the FHA’s programs,” stated United States Attorney Lynch.
“This agreement is demonstrative, and should serve as a model, of what results can be achieved when agencies of the United States Government join forces in a united effort to combat fraud in the FHA insured mortgage program,” said Inspector General Montoya. “OIG staff served IG subpoenas, conducted multiple interviews, reviewed loan files, and worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s office in developing this case.” He further added, “I am appreciative of the tenacity with which the Assistant United States Attorneys approached this matter, the expertise and effort of my OIG auditors, investigators and legal team, and the assistance of the HUD Office of General Counsel and its Office of Program Enforcement and Philadelphia Home Ownership Center throughout this endeavor.”
Fannie Mae today announced it is updating several policies impacting the future eligibility of borrowers to obtain a new mortgage loan after experiencing a preforeclosure event, including a preforeclosure sale, short sale, or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.
Among the changes is the amount of time that must elapse after the preforeclosure event before a borrower is eligible to obtain a new mortgage loan owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae. This waiting period may be dependent on the loan-to-value ratio of the transaction and whether extenuating circumstances, such as loss of employment, contributed to the borrower’s financial hardship. Additionally, Fannie Mae is updating the requirements for determining that borrowers have re-established their credit after a significant derogatory credit event.
These changes apply only to loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and do not impact those owned or guaranteed by Freddie Mac or the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
For more information about the changes, including the new waiting period requirements, please visit Fannie Mae Selling Guide
John J. O’Dell
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Due to its wreaking financial problems, the Federal Housing Administration is tightening its lending requirements.
The FHA is federally mandated to maintain reserve funds at 2 percent or greater. As of November, the agency reported that its fund had declined to .53 percent. The funding is used to cover losses on mortgages insured by the FHA that go into default.
Loans insured by the FHA generally are less expensive to borrowers because of the lower down payment requirements. However, these loans also have fees, such as up-front mortgage insurance. To help the agency raise its cash reserves, the FHA is increasing the up-front mortgage insurance premium from its current 1.75 percent to 2.25 percent. HUD released a Mortgagee Letter today making the premium increase effective in the spring.
The agency also is raising the minimum credit score requirements. Currently, borrowers with FICO scores as low as 500 have been approved for FHA-insured loans. Under the policy changes, new borrowers will be required to have a minimum FICO score of 580 to qualify for the FHA’s 3.5 percent down payment program. New borrowers with less than a 580 FICO score will be required to put down at least 10 percent. FHA expects this to take effect in early summer once it passes the normal regulatory process.
The new policy also will reduce the amount of money sellers can provide to home buyers at closing to 3 percent, down from its current 6 percent, of the home’s price. The change brings the agency in line with industry standards and removes the incentive to inflate appraisals. The FHA expects this to take effect in early summer after it passes the normal regulatory process.
