Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Closing Down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Could Increase Mortgage Rates


Home buyers will feel the burden of increase in mortgage rates once the Congress shuts down both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage guarantee giants that were rescued by a $187 billion taxpayer bailout during the financial crisis. (Source:http://realtormag.realtor.org/)

The House Financial Services Committee passed a bill called the PATH (Protecting America's Taxpayers and Homeowners) Act which would mean phasing out the two mortgage giants - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On the other hand, the Senate's bipartisan plan would also phase out Fannie and Freddie but, unlike in the House, the federal government would remain as an insurer of last resort. In the House bill, there is no plan to get the federal government involved in mortgage financing except through a much-modified FHA. (Source:http://realtormag.realtor.org/)

Both proposed bills would phase out the two mortgage giants in a 5-year time frame, limit the government's intervention into "just" guaranteeing mortgage securities and at the same time transfer the mortgage financial risks from the government to the private sector - this will prevent the use of taxpayer's money for future bailouts again. Once the Congress shuts down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, borrowers will be paying a slightly higher mortgage rates.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, on a $200,000 loan with 20% down payment, typical borrowers could pay about $75 extra per month in interest payments in the Senate's bipartisan plan. While borrowers could pay $135 more under the House plan. Adding up all the extra monthly payments all through out the life of the loan could sum up to a significant amount for the borrowers.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. I will gladly assist you in achieving your dream of owning your new home at the least possible cost for you!


Thursday, August 8, 2013

Buy-to-Rent is Anticipated to Grow

Buy-to-Rent Market is set to have a major growth in the coming years, according to Morgan Stanley Housing Research Report. Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the buy-to-rent market will grow from $17B today to more than $100B in the future.

Morgan Stanley analysts recommend four different ways investors can take advantage of the current Real Estate market:

1. Invest in a single-family real estate.  This is the most popular type of home among renters.
2. Invest in home rehab company investments. Although Morgan Stanley analysts predicts that this strategy will be less successful.
3. Invest in mortgage lenders.
4. Invest in non-agency mortgage bonds with front-pay tranches that benefit from an institutional investor base.

With interest rates still at historic lows, Real Estate is still a wise investment.  And mortgage lenders are also easing on the borrower requirements.  NOW, is definitely the right time to get into the Real Estate business.

If you are interested in investing in Real Estate, please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to help!