Category Archives: Mortgage Information

Home loan limits lifted for first time since 2006

Posted on December 2, 2016 | Leave a comment

Federal borrowing limits were increased for the first time in more than a decade last week because of rising home prices across the nation. The Federal Housing Financing Agency had capped the baseline loan limit since 2006 as home prices dropped during the recession.

The new rates, used for conforming loans acquired by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, will take effect Jan. 1. In general, federally backed loans allow for smaller down payments and, theoretically, help more people enter the home market.

In San Diego County, loan limits for a typical single-family home will be $612,950, up 6 percent from where they are now. Those limits are higher than the national baseline of $424,100.

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VA Loan Limit – actually there’s not one

Posted on November 20, 2016 | Leave a comment

Just approved: Lack of loan limit allows veteran to land dream home

Property type: Single-family residence with a pool in El Sobrante.

Purchase price: $700,000.

Down payment: 5.8 percent.

Rate: 3.375 percent.

Backstory: One of the most common misconceptions is that VA loan limits represent the absolute maximum amount of money a veteran can borrow through this long-cherished home loan benefit.

The fact is there’s actually no maximum loan amount on a VA loan.

Instead, what the loan limits represent is how much a qualified military borrower can obtain without making a down payment. With a small down payment, veterans can exceed the loan limit.

Clients eligible for a VA loan were interested in a property, though the sales price exceeded the VA’s maximum loan limit. Their Realtor, Tabia Berry of Highland Partners, reached out to Wyatt, a VA loan specialist, for insight.

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

SoCal Mortgage rates up following Trump victory

Posted on November 17, 2016 | Leave a comment

Mortgage rates have surged nearly half of a percentage point since Donald Trump’s election, increasing borrowing costs in an already expensive Southern California housing market.

Analysts say reasons for the change are two-fold: Foreign investors have pulled out of the bond market because of a lack of confidence, and American investors are taking money out of bonds to put into stocks for a variety of reasons.

Both moves have pushed mortgage rates to their highest point in 2016.

Even though mortgage rates are still considered near historic lows, borrowers feel any bump up in the rate.

For a typical 30-year fixed rate mortgage, the interest rate was 3.59 percent the day before the election, said Mortgage News Daily, and has continued to rise, hitting 4.02 percent Wednesday morning.