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...other expiring program - the federal home-buyer tax-credit program, which offered an $8,000 credit to first-time home buyers - was so successful at luring home shoppers into the decimated market last year that the government extended it into 2010 and expanded it to include a $6,500 credit for non-first-time buyers. About 2 million families used the credit in 2009, and an additional 2.2 million to 2.4 million will take advantage of it this year, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors. Approximately 800,000 of the transactions have involved home...
...Analysts expect a surge in home-buying activity in the coming weeks as Americans rush to take advantage of the tax-credit program before its April 30 contract deadline. (Under the program, a contract must be signed by April 30 and the home closed by June 30.) Expect lobbying efforts calling for the credit to be extended a second time to escalate as the expiration date draws closer - similar to what happened in the weeks leading up to the first expiration date. But not all experts are on board. Jay Brinkmann, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association, says...
...greater concern to many analysts is the pending expiration of the Federal Reserve program, which involved purchasing up to $1.25 trillion in mortgage securities backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It could open the door to higher interest rates, although the Fed last week hinted that it would keep its benchmark rate near zero for the foreseeable future - a comment likely aimed at preventing panic. (See how Americans are spending...
...There are already signs of how fragile the rebound truly is. The latest month-over-month data show sales have slowed in recent months despite low mortgage rates and the home-buyer tax-credit program. New and existing home sales fell 2.2% and 0.6% respectively from January to February, and unsold inventory rose 9.5% during the same period. Some of February's sluggishness could be explained by cold, snowy weather that blasted the Eastern seaboard, but the precise impact of this is hard to know...
...asked to lower the principal loan balance for certain homeowners whose mortgages exceed the value of their homes. The loans would be refinanced as mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), fully backed by the government. In the past, loan modifications under the $50 billion federal Home Modification Program (HAMP) involved primarily reducing interest rates or lengthening the term of the mortgage, and most did not entail a government guarantee. (See high-end homes that won't sell...