Archives for December 2013

2014 FHA Loan Limits Reduced in Washington State

Last week, HUD announced the FHA loan limits for 2014 with most counties in Washington having loan limits reduced from 2013 levels. In the Seattle/King County area, FHA loan amounts for a single unit dwelling will be reduced by $61,500 from $567,500 to $506,000 in 2014. Kitsap County was hit the hardest with a reduction of $167,950 for single unit dwellings. The higher loan limits that we have appreciated over the past few years were intended to be “temporary” and HUD has been attempting to shrink FHA’s footprint, so we shouldn’t be too surprised over the lower loan limits.

[Read more…]

Protect your Preapproval Status over the Holidays

santawalletTis the Season for holiday shopping. The aggressive sales push this year started BEFORE Thanksgiving with more mega-stores even remaining open on a day when employees should have had the day off (or at least had working on Thanksgiving as being “optional”).Cyber Monday is now cyber week…anyhow, my point is, stores are competing for your dollars. If you are considering buying a home or are currently pre-approved to buy a home, I thought I’d share some tips for you on how to make sure your “pre-approved” status is not jeopardized during the holiday season.

[Read more…]

What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: December 9, 2013

mortgageporter-economyThis week’s calendar of economic indicators is very light compared to last week. Here’s what is scheduled to be released this week:

[Read more…]

2014 FHA Loan Limits for Washington State

FHA loan limits for 2014 have been reduced from 2013. For a home located in greater Seattle, the new FHA loan limit is reduced from $567,500 to $506,000 in 2014. The reductions are across the board for Washington state counties and some loan limits are below 2014 conforming loan limits.

FHA streamline refinances without appraisals and with loan amounts over the the 2014 loan limits will not be subject to the new loan limits.

[Read more…]

Home Buyer’s Education Class in Kent

Seattle Home Buyer ClassesI will be teaching a Home Buyer’s Education Class at the corporate office of Mortgage Master Service Corporation on Saturday, January 18, 2014. My co-instructor is Ira Sacharoff, a Real Estate Broker with Better Real Estate.

Participants who attend this Washington State Housing Finance Commission sponsored class are eligible for programs like Home Advantage and for down payment assistance. The 5 hour WSHFC course is a requirement in order to qualify for these programs.

NOTE: This post has been updated. We decided to postpone the class, which was originally scheduled for January 11th to January 18th because of the Seahawks game. GO HAWKS!!

[Read more…]

What May Impact Mortgage Rates this Week: December 2, 2013

MortgagePorter-JobsReportThis week is packed with economic data that may impact mortgage the direction of mortgage interest rates including the Jobs Report on Friday. Here are some of the economic indicators scheduled to be released:

[Read more…]