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Articles on RISMEDIA.COM

FHA 203k Rehab Loans - Are They Right for Your Clients?

RISMEDIA, Oct. 29, 2008-After publishing an article last week titled, “Understanding FHA,” I received quite a few comments regarding FHA - Rehab loans. Here is a summary of more detailed information on the Rehab loan. Read Full Article

Understanding FHA

RISMEDIA, Oct. 21, 2008-With the Federal governments re-emphasis on the FHA as a key vehicle for resuscitating the real estate market, now is a good time to review FHA in more detail. Read Full Article

Fannie Continues Tightening the Screws

RISMEDIA, August 25, 2008-Effective August 1, 2008, Fannie Mae issued some new rules affecting the conversion of a principal residence to a second home or investment property. Read Full Article

Comparing Loan Programs

RISMEDIA, July 31, 2008-Recently, while teaching a class on VA loans to Realtors, I asked a question. “How many of you have ever asked your client if they were eligible for a Veteran’s loan?” Of the 35 attendees, not one person raised their hand. Read Full Article

From Top to Bottom - Rural Development Home Loan Programs

RISMEDIA, June 16, 2008-During the subprime loan era, a number of government loan programs originally established to help low to moderate income individuals and families afford home ownership, fell out of favor. We previously discussed how FHA and VA loan programs are now making a resurgence. Read Full Article

Understanding Hard Money Loans

Commentary by Roberto Pineyro and Jason Kotar

RISMEDIA, June 9, 2008-With the number of bank-owned foreclosure properties on the rise and the decline in home values throughout the country, there are certainly good deals to be found if you are looking to purchase an investment property or two or refinance a default personal mortgage loan. Read Full Article

VA Loans Revisited: Unaffected by Fannie & Freddie

RISMEDIA, May 27, 2008-With all of the changes and restrictions that have been introduced by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Insurance companies, the one type of loan program that has not been affected is VA loans. As a matter of fact, VA loans now, with few exceptions, are THE 100-percent financing option available for purchasing a home. Read Full Article

Condominium Financing in Today’s Market

RISMEDIA, May 26, 2008-In today’s real estate market it is imperative for all parties in a real estate transaction to understand the availability of mortgage financing on various types of properties. One property type that has come under increased scrutiny from Lenders is condominiums. Read Full Article

Educating Consumers - A New World Order for Real Estate Professionals

RISMEDIA, March 27, 2008–Whether it’s politics, the economy, international affairs or our personal daily activities, “change” is the operative word.

In real estate, many of the norms and rules that we have operated under have fundamentally changed. In our previous articles, we discussed how our principle financial institutions affecting real estate, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are tightening their guidelines on credit scores, appraisals and loan-to-value on properties in markets that they have identified as high risk. Their obvious goal is to minimize exposure to further losses. Read Full Article

Fannie and Freddie Fan the Flames

RISMEDIA, March 3, 2008–This is our third article reviewing the changes to loan policies being initiated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It is obvious that these organizations have progressively expanded their use of risk based pricing to mitigate their exposure to further losses. Initially, Fannie Mae required lenders to strengthen their guidelines for appraisers to follow in establishing a market value for a property. Failure to meet certain minimum requirements in completing the appraisal could result in delays in getting a loan approved, increases in the amount of down payment required of the buyer or outright rejection of the loan. Read Full Article

Is Today’s Lending Market Double Trouble?

RISMEDIA, Feb. 8, 2008–Today’s lending market is fascinating. It’s volatile, ever-changing, hard to keep up with, and even harder to understand.

Recently, I wrote an article regarding the renewed importance of an appraisal in today’s real estate environment with declining home values. This is only part of the lending puzzle. Read Full Article

RISMEDIA, Jan. 10, 2008-Remember when home values were steadily increasing and financing for home ownership had few restrictions or hurdles? Well, as you know that environment has significantly changed and is continuing to evolve as both government and financial markets are attempting to deal with the credit situation. Read Full Article

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