In an effort to establish better relationships between servicers and home owners, Fannie Mae is offering a new program called “Know Your Options Customer Care” for servicers. The customer care training program will benefit servicer call center employees who are on the front lines answering...
A little imagination can go a long way in making smaller living spaces not just habitable but inspirational. Lofts, studios, condominiums and cottage-style single-family homes are excellent options for today’s price-sensitive homebuyers. Since they are traditionally smaller in square footage, challenges like lack of storage, limited...
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board recently extended the deadline for free foreclosure reviews until September 30, 2012. Home owners who think they would benefit from a free, independent review are encouraged to submit their requests now. The...
Facebook acquired Instagram earlier this year, and the cutting-edge photo-sharing service has continued to soar in popularity. For real estate agents, the merger offers a new growth opportunity in marketing. With Facebook’s backing, Instagram will only get bigger. And they already are. They recently launched an...
The real estate market is starting to show signs of a recovery, and many people are purchasing vacation homes because of favorable pricing. But many of the vacation homes that people are purchasing are close to their primary residences thanks to the rising costs of...
There’s good news for military home owners who have been permanently moved because of a job. Effective June 1, the rules concerning who is considered owner-occupants changed, and some military families could qualify for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). The HAMP program helps lower...
If fewer foreclosures create a brighter future for the housing market, Bank of America is doing its part to help out. This spring, a test segment of “underwater” BofA borrowers were invited to participate in the lender’s “Mortgage to Lease” initiative. Instead of enduring the...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are tightening up their timelines when it comes to short sales and REO’s. Now, loan servicers that need more than 30 days to make a decision on a short-sale are required to provide weekly status updates and give a yes...
FHA Mortgage insurance premiums on loans higher than $625,500 have recently seen another increase. There was an FHA increase across the board for all loan amounts on April 9th 2012. In early June there was another monthly premium increase of 25 basis points to 1.50%...
There are indeed many benefits of owning a home. Here is a list of some of the best. Every month you are building equity on your home. Equity is the amount of money you can sell your home for, minus what you still owe on it....
