The Mortgage Messenger

If you have been reading the latest headlines you may feel nervous about home ownership. Real estate is cyclical and the market is on its way to recovery in most areas. Property is still your best long-term investment. In more than two-thirds of the country housing affordability has dipped to pre...

With a 203K renovation mortgage get extra money to fix up either your current home or the home you are buying as part of your mortgage. You can use the money for cosmetic updates, major renovations or even additions. This can all be done with a 203-K renovation loan with only 3.500% down payment ...

A decision to restore the $729,750 maximum loan limit on government-backed loans in high cost areas likely will be made by House and Senate leaders. They will wrap up negotiations before November 11th. The conforming loan limits lapsed on October 1st of this year. This gives Realtors, homebuilder...

The Obama administration is seeking ideas on how to convert the federal government’s inventory of foreclosed properties into rental properties that can be managed by private enterprises or sold in bulk. Their goal would be to stabilize the housing markets across the country that are suffering fro...

Fannie Mae’s Homepath program allows a borrower to purchase a Fannie Mae owned (REO) property with a low down payment. Benefits: Low down payment 3% Down payment can be a gift No appraisal required! No Mortgage Insurance Seller contributions for closing costs allowed Available for primary residen...

The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned its 2011 regular session on Wednesday, June 8th. The following material highlights a number of important pieces of legislation that were enacted in the session. Conveyance Tax Public Act 6: Section 102 of this act increases the state’s portion of the tax...

The large question: Is this change really going to help the average homeowner who is underwater right now? HARP is the “Home Affordable Refinance Program.” This change was made to attract more eligible borrowers who can benefit by refinancing their home mortgage. HARP allows homeowners who owe mo...

The second quarter 2011 Mortgage Metrics Report was released from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Here is what they found. Loan modifications are down 18.1% from the first quarter and down  19.5% from 2010. Completed foreclosure are up 1.2% from the first quarter of this year but d...

If over 13,780 homes sold yesterday and 13,780 will sell today along with the same amount tomorrow we would have our answer. That is the average number of homes that sell each and every day in this country according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) latest Existing Home Sales Report....

We often wonder “Is it time to sell my home?” The answer should be based on what your future goals are. If you don’t need or want to move for a few years then it might make sense to wait for the housing industry to recover and prices to appreciate. However, if you are thinking of selling within t...