First, both 15-year and 30-year loans hit record lows for the second week in a row.

Second, as Reuters reports, the tax credit extension has passed a key hurdle:

The House backed by a vote of 409-5 a measure to extend the closing deadline to September 30 for buyers who already met the April 30 deadline to have a signed contract. The current deadline requires those buyers to close the transaction by June 30 to receive the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

The measure must also go before the Senate for approval.

Rates are dropping and home sales are also down.

What this means is an exceptional window of opportunity for those looking for a new home. Please contact one of our loan officers today and allow us to help you find out what is available to you. We think you’ll be glad you did.

As MortgageDaily.com reports (subscription required), the change is part of a spate of positive news:

“Mortgage insurance companies are easing guidelines, increasing loan amounts and eliminating declining market status for many metropolitan areas. The relaxed standards are emerging as the sector is seeing improved conditions.”

Other areas removed from the list included Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco describes Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) as “extra insurance that lenders require from most homebuyers who obtain loans that are more than 80 percent of their new home’s value. In other words, buyers with less than a 20 percent down payment are normally required to pay PMI.”

Here at Frost, we’re happy to see positive changes in the market that will make it easier for qualified buyers to access this invaluable resource.

If you are looking for a home loan for your next life move, please call us today and let us help you.

Say you’re buying a $200,000 house. If you are using FHA [Federal Housing Administration] financing under current rules, you can structure the contract so that the seller agrees to pay at settlement all closing costs and even the cost of some needed repairs, up to 6 percent of the price, or $12,000. On a $400,000 house, allowable concessions go to $24,000. That’s huge, especially if you have to struggle to come up with a 3.5 percent down payment and you’re not sure where you’ll find the closing and repair money.

Contrast that with using Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac conventional financing, in which seller concessions generally are limited to 3 percent. For many buyers, the extra negotiating flexibility built into the FHA program makes the choice of programs a no-brainer.

Sometime this summer, though, seller concessions will be cut to a maximum 3 percent. The precise timing is unknown because the announcement had not been made in the Federal Register, but the message is clear: Act now if the concession affects your deal.

We can help. Frost Mortgage is a “Full Eagle” FHA expert. Please contact one of our experienced loan officers today and we’ll quickly help you work through any questions. Because at Frost Mortgage, we don’t just close loans–we open doors.

A survey on homebuying conducted by Zillow and reported on by the New Mexico Business Weekly found that

borrowers who obtained a home loan in the past five years spent just five hours reviewing their options and got just three quotes. Thirty-one percent spent two hours or less, despite the fact that a home is one of the largest investments people make in a lifetime …

If you’re feeling rushed or thinking you may not have all the information you need to make a smart choice, please contact one of our experienced loan officers for assistance. You’ll get sound, professional advice and information to help you make the best move, because at Frost Mortgage, we don’t just close loans, we open doors.

As experts in the field of FHA loans, we pay close attention to these
developments. Are you a Broker/Owner or Producing Branch Manager who is as
interested as we are in these issues? If so, take a look at Frost Mortgage for
net branch opportunities. We think you’ll find that
our Branch Partner
opportunities are the best in the business. We look forward to talking with
you.

You’ll have to put 20 percent down, but if you can, Fannie says you don’t have to wait four years before getting a new mortgage as was previously required, but only two years. That should make homeownership a possibility again for a whole new group.

Here at Frost Mortgage, we’re always excited to see a new way to help borrowers, because our business isn’t just closing loans, but also opening doors. We’ve been doing just that since 1991, and we make it our specialty to understand all the ways we can help. So if you’ve been held back by a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transaction and you’re wondering whether the new rules could help you, please call us today.

In a mortgagee letter released last week, HUD said the policy is effective immediately for forward mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. The letter continued:

Third party documents are those that are originated and signed outside of the mortgagee’s control, such as a sales contract. An indication of the electronic signature and date should be clearly visible when viewed electronically and in a paper copy of the electronically signed document. Mortgagees must employ the same level of care and due diligence with electronically signed documents that they would for paper documents with “wet” or ink signatures. Additionally, mortgagees are reminded that the origination case binder must be maintained in either hard copy or electronic format for two years from the date of endorsement [HUD Handbook 4000.2 REV-3].

These changes should make the process simpler and quicker for all involved. If you’re in the market for a mortgage, please consider Frost. Since 1991, from California to Florida, we’ve been doing more than just closing mortgages–we’ve been opening doors.

So, what is a reverse mortgage? As the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) explains:

A reverse mortgage is a special type of home loan that lets you convert a portion of the equity in your home into cash. The equity that built up over years of home mortgage payments can be paid to you. But unlike a traditional home equity loan or second mortgage, no repayment is required until the borrower(s) no longer use the home as their principal residence.

As a full eagle licensed FHA lender, Frost Mortgage is a great choice for your reverse mortgage questions. Please, contact us today and find out why we don’t just close mortgages–we open doors.

HOPE for Homeowners and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages will be charged a 2 percent premium, according to Mortgagee Letter 2010-02.

Do you thrive on news like this? Are you a top producer? Consider joining with the best in the business — Frost Mortgage — and becoming a Branch Partner.

After several months with the new protocols in place, we have some perspective on the changes. From the buyer’s point of view, the new rules mean a lot more paperwork for a relatively small amount of money, since differences in Good Faith Estimates are rarely significant. And from our perspective, RESPA looks like a Band-Aid solution that doesn’t give buyers credit for their intelligence.

We pride ourselves on following the strictest standards, and we ensure that our people are up on all the latest developments, but we see the chance that too much focus on minutia could make us lose sight of the forest for the trees. Buyers, the details do matter, and you need to get the facts from a reputable broker such as Frost. But fear about relatively small amounts like these shouldn’t keep you from getting on with your lives. And those in the mortgage industry, you need to maintain a focus on what really matters–helping people get the funds they need to make society run, just as our industry has done for most of the last 200 years, by providing sensible, reasonably priced products that fit the need.

If you have any questions at all about what all of this means to you, please contact us today. We’ll be happy to help.