Category Archives: FHA Information

2012 FHA Future Bright

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by Dean Henderson, CRMS

In spite of a gridlocked Congress, 2011 ended with some very positive legislation for the 2012 Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loan Program.  The local housing market will benefit from higher FHA loan limits and an extension of the FHA Anti-Flipping waiver.

Thanks to the support of Antelope Valley Congressmen Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) and Kevin McCarthy(R-CA) H.R. 2112 was passed by the US Congress which includes a provision to reinstate the FHA loan limit in high-cost areas for two years.

The higher Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA conforming loan limits of $729,750 expired Oct. 1, when it was reduced to $625,500. The passage of H.R. 2112 provides for an extension of FHA-insured mortgages at the higher level of $729,750 in high cost areas, including Los Angeles and Orange counties, through December 2013.

Unfortunately, The US Senate and House could not agree on increasing the loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which marks a historic change in the long enjoyed higher max loan limits which were previously dominated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In addition to the gift of higher FHA loan limits, FHA has also announced the extension of its “anti-flipping” waiver through the end of 2012, which allows buyers to purchase homes that have already been sold in the last 90 days.

The waiver, which was set to expire on December 31, 2011, has been extended through December 31, 2012.

An anti-flipping rule originally took effect in 2003 to stop a spike in home flipping that was being blamed on driving up home prices during the housing boom. The rule prevented FHA-backed loans from being used to purchase homes that had been owned by a seller for less than 90 days. But the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development decided to reconsider the 90-day limit in 2010 after skyrocketing foreclosures and abandoned homes were causing blight in neighborhoods across the country and hampering nearby property values.

The temporary waiver to the anti-flipping rule will allow buyers and investors to quickly resell refurbished homes and not have to wait 90 days to do so. Since the waiver took place in 2010, FHA has insured nearly 42,000 mortgages worth more than $7 billion on homes resold within 90 days of the last purchase, according to HUD.

The 2012 extension includes requirements that flip transactions be arms-length transactions and requires sellers to document improvements to properties to justify profits in excess of 120% of the seller’s acquisition price.

For more FHA Loan information contact:

Dean Henderson, CRMS

(661) 726-9000

 

 

Rates at ALL-TIME Lows!

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Mortgage rates slammed into a new, record-setting low Thursday, with mortgage giant Freddie Mac reporting that figures for the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell below 4 percent for the first time in history. Finance Web site Bankrate.com noted similar albeit less history-making lows.

Freddie and Bankrate.com released weekly surveys to yield the results for this week.

Making the biggest waves, the GSE found the 30-year loan dropping on average to 3.94 percent nationally, down from 4.01 percent last week and 4.27 percent over the same time last year.

This marks the first time that Freddie saw the benchmark mortgage hitting lows below 4 percent.

Bankrate.com reported no new records, seeing the 30-year loan fall only to 4.21 percent, down from 4.30 percent last week.

The Finance Web site meanwhile saw a slide in 15-year fixed-rate mortgages from 3.47 percent last week to 3.46 percent this week, with 5-year and 1-year adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) hitting a 3.11-percent stride, inching below 3.13 over the same period.

Freddie departed from the findings by again seeing record lows for the 15-year loan, with interest rates falling to 3.26 percent this week from 3.28 percent last week.

The GSE recorded a 2.96-percent average for the 5-year ARM, a few percentage points down from 3.02 percent last week, and a 2.95-percent average for the 1-year ARM this week, down from 2.83 percent last week.

The chief economist with Freddie, cites action from the Federal Reserve and investors fleeing euro zone markets as dual forces contributing to “incredibly low” mortgage rates.

He specifically highlights the $400-billion buy-up in short-term Treasury debt by the Federal Reserve and doubts about whether bigger euro zone economies will bail out their faltering neighbors.

Asked whether record lows for the benchmark 30-year will help stimulate demand, he says that it helps but that low consumer confidence, fears about a double-dip recession, and a wait-and-see approach to still-falling home prices keep first-time homebuyers on the sidelines.

“There’s not strong demand for credit in the housing market and that’s tending to keep a lid on borrowing costs,” Sal Guatieri, a senior economist with BMO Capital Markets, tells us.

Beware of Seller’s Concession Limitation on FHA Short Sales

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07/13/2011 by Dean Henderson, CRMS

When there is a Short Sale(AKA Pre-Foreclosure Sale) on a HUD, FHA loan, and the new Buyer is also getting a new FHA loan, HUD only allows up to a maximum of 1.0% for Seller’s Concessions or Allowable Closing Costs. If you see the link below, and look at page 2 of 18, the sixth bullet point down, and it is there that you will find this.

HUD will only allow 1% Seller Closing Costs (line 509) and that is ONLY if the buyer is using FHA financing.  Any other buyer financing HUD will allow 0% for an FHA Short Sale.

http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/08-43ml.doc

Here are some more HUD/FHA Pre-foreclosure guidelines:

http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/nsc/rep/pfsfact.pdf