FHA Loan Limits in DC Metro Area to Return to $729,750
November 15, 2011 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Good news for our area: FHA is on its way to increasing their loan limit from $625,500 to $729,750 (its ‘temporary’ level prior to October 1, 2011). The measure would be in place through 2013. According to Reuters, a bipartisan panel of Congress agreed on a measure yesterday that would increase the limit. The increase [...]
Proposed Elimination of Fannie, Freddie May Boost Interest Rates; FHA Insurance Premium Set to Increase
February 21, 2011 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
The administration has released a white paper saying it intends to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and severely cut back FHA’s role in mortgage funding. Though the plan could take up to seven years to execute, it would mean a dramatically privatized mortgage market and very likely higher rates. The report offers three [...]
FHA Mortgage Insurance Set to Increase
September 9, 2010 by Katie Wethman · 1 Comment
As announced earlier this year, FHA has now made official its plan to increase mortgage insurance premiums for case numbers after October 4, 2010. For loans with a loan-to-value (LTV) of over 95% (which is most first time buyers, in my experience), the monthly fee increases from .55 bps to a whopping .90 bps. How [...]
FHA Loans Getting More Expensive – Again
August 10, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Bill HR 2981 was passed by both the House and Senate, paving the way for higher charges for FHA borrowers. The majority of FHA loans are 30 year mortgages with a loan-to-value of at least 96.5%, which will see an increase in the monthly fee from 55 bps to a whopping 90bp, but on the [...]
Potential Extension of June 30 Settlement Deadline & FHA Loans About to Get More Expensive–AGAIN!
June 14, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has co-authored a proposal to extend the June 30 settlement deadline for the first time buyer credit until September 30 to give lenders more time to process the incredible volume of contracts trying to close. The surge in loan volume has created delays around home appraisals and the usual delays [...]
FHA to cut Seller Contribution to Closing Costs to 3% of Sales Price
June 4, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Within the next few months, it’s going to get a little tougher for FHA buyers. Starting sometime this summer, FHA will make official its announced policy of limiting the seller contribution to buyer’s closing costs (aka “seller subsidy”) to 3% of the purchase price, down from 6%. What fees make up the buyer’s closing costs? [...]
Financing Condos in a Mixed Use Building
February 12, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
As if condo buyers didn’t have enough headaches trying to buy a condo with the new FHA rules in place, many are also running into troubles with “mixed use” buildings, i.e., condos that have residential units but also commercial space (usually on the ground floor or street level), as is common in urban areas like [...]
Will the New FHA Rules Kill Arlington Condo Sales?
February 10, 2010 by Katie Wethman · 1 Comment
On February 1, HUD and FHA rolled out major changes to the condo approval process. Previously, buyers wishing to use FHA financing had two options: If the condo was listed in the FHA’s “Approved Project” database, you were good to go. But if it wasn’t, buyers had the option of going through the (now in [...]
State of the Northern Virginia & DC Real Estate Market: January 2010
January 23, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Spring has sprung early as far as the real estate market is concerned. Buyers are out and circling, anxiously waiting for inventory to hit. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but the lack of ‘good’ inventory continues to be the story in real estate circles. Check out our market data graphs: [...]
VHDA Loans Allow Financing of Down Payment
December 15, 2009 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
The Virginia Housing Development Authority has extended its Homebuyer Tax Credit Plus program to match the deadlines of the Federal First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit. VHDA’s program lets borrowers use a second mortgage to finance up to 5% of the sales price (enough to cover FHA’s 3.5% down payment requirement) by using the $8000 first time [...]
