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FHA Announces Tougher Guidelines for Loans

Dennis Norman

This week FHA announced policy changes that are going to help them shore up their finances but will make it more difficult and/or costly for a borrower. 

The FHA policy changes include:

Most recent homebuyers are first-time buyers

According to NAR 51 percent of recent homebuyers are first-time buyers and 39 percent of recent home sales have relied on an FHA loan

Dennis Norman

The National Association of REALTORS  just released a report showing that 51 percent of the homes sold recently have been to first-time home buyers  and that 39 percent of all recent buyers have turned to an [...]

Setting Up the Next Leg Down in Housing

Loose lending standards in government-backed mortgages is setting up the next wave of defaults and sharp declines in housing prices.

Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds

Beneath the hype that housing has bottomed is an ugly little scenario: lending standards are still loose and the low-down payment, high-risk loans being guaranteed by government agencies are setting [...]

FHA Changes Rules on Refinances

By: Dennis Norman

Dennis Norman

Effective April 1, 2009, FHA will lower the amount you can borrow when refinancing your home loan if it is a “cash-out” refi.  The term “cash-out” simply means you are borrowing more than your existing debt…thereby resulting in you getting “cash-out” of your home’s equity.

In the past FHA has allowed you to [...]

Are you house rich but cash poor? If you are 62 or older a reverse mortgage may be your answer

By: Dennis Norman

Many seniors find themselves in a situation where there are struggling to keep up with rising costs of gasoline, utilities, property taxes and insurance but yet they own a home that is either paid for or has a significant amount of equity.  Since, in many cases, they have been in their homes for years, [...]

Help for homeowners facing foreclosure

By: Dennis Norman

Today many people that never thought they would find themselves in this plight are now facing the potential of losing their homes to foreclosure. Aggressive lenders, creative loans and a super charged real estate market for about 5 years until sometime in 2006 all helped put many people in a difficult position with [...]