Real LI: Posts from our daily blog
LIGHTENING UP ON HOMEOWNERS
Some rules will be jettisoned from the federal mortgage refinance program in an effort to boost its popularity among borrowers.
The much-criticized Home Affordable Refinance Program will have two key changes for borrowers, who must be current on their loans. The program covers only mortgages owned or guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
Federal officials will get rid of the loan-to-value limits in determining eligibility, so it doesn't matter how much higher the borrower's mortgage is compared to the property value.
Also, fees based on the borrower's credit risk will be reduced for some and dropped for others. Currently, these fees could be as high as 2 percent of the loan amount, with the average borrower paying about 1 percent, federal officials said. Those fees will be reduced and homeowners who refinance into mortgages of 20 years or less won't be charged any such fees.
Federal officials hope the changes will help more homeowners and cut down the number of defaults on Fannie and Freddie loans.
But one rule keeping Long Islanders from the program won't be changed. Some borrowers with two loans on their homes want to consolidate the debt into one refinanced mortgage, but the federal program does not permit that.
That turned off Anna Marie Dunworth of Franklin Square. With current interest rates low and her parents needing care, she had looked at the federal program to rescue her from the 5.88 percent rate on her first loan and 8.24 percent on her second.
"It didn't work for us," she said. "I'm still suffering."
That's because Fannie and Freddie do not own and guarantee second mortgages, and the two mortgage giants don't want to take on new debt through refinancings, said Meg Burns, head of the policy team at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie and Freddie: "You want to keep the risk in the hands of the second lien holder and not put that in the hands of the government." -- Ellen Yan
HANGING ONTO THEIR HOMES
Older baby boomers are not looking to sell their homes right now unless it's to downsize, according to a recent report released by Coldwell Banker.
Of the 1,300 agents and brokers polled in the survey, 87 percent said the economy was delaying plans to sell. That said, 80 percent of agents and brokers polled also said that those between the ages of 56 and 64 are more likely to want to downsize than younger baby boomers (52 percent), defined as between the ages of 47 and 55.
Although the poll was nationwide, the figures seem to reflect the current climate on Long Island.
"My observation is that Long Island boomers are staying put, unless they are downsizing to less expensive homes," said Mary Rice, branch vice president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's Huntington Regional Office. "They all want less upkeep and lower maintenance expense. A few already have retirement homes that they are moving to after their homes are sold." -- Lara Ewen
