$729,750 Is Back!

We were all hoping that President Obama would put the conforming loan limit cap back to $729,750.  Hooray!!  We have several clients where this will make a huge difference to them on what they can afford.  Let’s hope that this one move is a stimulus to the housing market and that the first time home buyer credit of $8,000 is enough of a help for buyers in San Mateo County.

Friday, February 13, 2009 – Brought to you by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Dear C.A.R. Member:
Late this evening, the U.S. Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by a 60 to 38 vote. Earlier today, the stimulus package passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a 246 to 183 vote. Today’s votes followed several days of negotiations by the House, Senate, and White House, with the final tab for the stimulus bill coming in at $787.2 billion.

On the housing front, the good news is that the legislation resets the conforming loan limit cap at $729,750, up from $625,500. Numerous counties in California experienced a marked decrease in their conforming loan and FHA limits on Jan. 1, and the stimulus bill reinstates 2008 loan limits through Dec. 31, 2009.

The bill also increases the first-time home buyer credit from $7,500 to $8,000, and removes the requirement that the credit be paid back if the buyer stays in the home for at least three years. It also extends the expiration date for the credit from July 1 to Dec. 1, 2009.  Homebuyers must have purchased a home after Jan. 1, 2009, and before Dec. 1, 2009, to be eligible for the $8,000 credit.

C.A.R. and NAR have long advocated for higher conforming loan limits. The conforming loan limit provisions and other housing elements in the stimulus package are a step in the right direction for our industry and all Californians.

The stimulus package also contains $308.3 billion in appropriations spending, including $120 billion on infrastructure and science and more than $30 billion on energy-related infrastructure projects. It also allocated an additional $267 billion for direct spending, including increased unemployment benefits and food stamps; and provides $212 billion in tax breaks for individuals and businesses.

Now that the stimulus package is approved and is on its way to President Obama for signature, it is our hope that Congress will turn its attention toward helping homeowners remain in their homes and will take immediate steps directed specifically at stemming the ongoing foreclosure crisis.

We’ll keep you updated on today’s news as more detailed information becomes available.

Sincerely,

James Liptak
2009 President
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

For more on the changes in conforming loan limits, check out the following from Inman News:

Highlight: The loan limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loan guarantee programs, which were bumped back down to $625,500 in high-cost areas on Jan. 1, were restored to the temporary $729,750 approved by Congress a year ago in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008.

Fannie and Freddie’s conforming loan limits — which began 2008 at $417,000 — were allowed to stretch to 125 percent of the median home price in high-priced housing markets for much of last year. That was intended to be a temporary measure to address the high cost of non-conforming “jumbo” loans after the collapse of the private-label secondary mortgage market in August 2007.

The $729,750 limit expired on Jan. 1, and Fannie, Freddie and FHA are currently permitted to guarantee loans of up to 115 percent of the median home price in high-cost markets, with a cap of $625,500 (that’s 150 percent of the $417,000 conforming loan limit). HR 1 will restore the limit to 125 percent of median home price in high cost markets, up to $729,750, for the remainder of 2009.

FHA began 2008 with a $200,160 “floor” loan limit in normal markets and a maximum loan limit of $362,790 in high-cost markets. As part of the Economic Stimulus Act, Congress increased FHA’s floor limit to $271,050 in normal markets and the upper limit in high cost areas to $729,750. That move helped increase the Federal Housing Administration’s share of purchase mortgage originations from less than 4 percent in 2006 to 21 percent in September.

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