Keller WIlliams Luxury Logo
Home » Senate Passes Housing Bill

Senate Passes Housing Bill

by | Jul 30, 2008 | Investing | 0 comments

This will surley help a lot of people. Please read from the Associated Press:
The U.S. Senate on Saturday passed a bill that would stem foreclosures by allowing some 400,000 home owners refinance into affordable, government-backed loans.

The bill, strongly supported by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, passed by a margin of 72-13. The House of Representatives approved the bill on Wednesday in a 272-15 vote.

“This bill must get to the president quickly, and we urge him to act immediately to sign it into law,” NAR President Dick Gaylord said in a statement last week.

NAR says the bill will help bring stability to the housing market and put a dent in the rising rate of foreclosures.

The program will be run by the Federal Housing Administration, and will insure up to $300 billion in refinanced 30-year, fixed-rate loans. The mortgages can’t be for more than 90 percent of a home’s newly appraised value.

For mortgages that exceed the value of the home, the lender would have to voluntarily write down the principal to the qualifying level. If the home goes up in value, the borrower must share newly created equity with the FHA.

Experts say the success of the program depends on how receptive banks are to writing down a portion of the loan.

If passed into law, the program will begin Oct. 1 and end Sept. 30, 2011. Borrowers won’t be able to qualify if they have intentionally defaulted on their loans or if they had a debt-to-income ratio of less than 31 percent as of March 1.

Recent Posts

Big Island Featured Restaurant & Activity for April

Big Island Featured Restaurant & Activity for April

Featured Activity: Kuleana Rum Works Mai Tais is one of Hawai`iʻ s iconic cocktails, but did you know Hawai`i Island is also home to Kuleana Rum Works, a company which crafts award-winning rum from the fresh juice of sugar cane grown on its farm in North Kohala? If...

read more
I’m the Short-Term Guy!

I’m the Short-Term Guy!

I took a phone call from a consumer this week and as we started the phone call, he said to me, “Hey, you’re the short-term guy”! At which I replied, “What?” He said, “Yeah, I watch all your YouTube videos on short term vacation rentals and they’re valuable...

read more
February Sales Stats for the Big Island Resort Areas

February Sales Stats for the Big Island Resort Areas

With the exception of Kūki`o, all the resorts showed some sales activity in February. Single digit home sales were reorded in Kohanaiki, Mauna Lani Resort and Kona Hills; Hualālai led the way with three home sales. In the condominium market, Kohanaiki and Waikoloa...

read more
Big Island Featured Restaurant & Activity for March

Big Island Featured Restaurant & Activity for March

Featured Activity: Hulihe`e Palace Maybe you’ve heard about it; maybe you’ve walked by it as you’ve strolled Ali`i Drive. If you are interested in Hawai`i’s history and you haven’t toured Hulihe`e Palace, perhaps you should. Hulihe‘e is a museum showcasing artifacts...

read more

Recent Listings

Call Now