2012 Conforming Loan Limits for Washington State Homes

Congress decided to keep the 2012 Conforming Limits at the existing 2008 levels instead of reverting to the higher “temporary” limits that we’ve experienced the past couple of years**.  In their infinite wisdom, Congress did restore the higher loan limits to FHA insured loans.  This means that in order to not have a jumbo loan in the greater Seattle area, your loan amount will need to be $506,000 and lower for conventional or $567,500 or lower for FHA insured mortgages.  I’ll be officially posting FHA insured loan limits soon.  

Four counties in Washington continue to have “high balance” loan limits above the “general” loan limits:

King County, Snohomish County and Pierce County:

  • 1 Unit: $506,000
  • 2 Unit: $647,750
  • 3 Unit: $783,000
  • 4 Unit: $973,100

San Juan County:

  • 1 Unit: $483,000
  • 2 Unit: $618,300
  • 3 Unit: $747,400
  • 4 Unit: $928,850

The remaining Washington counties have “general” loan limits:

Adams, Asotin, Bention, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Kitsap, Kittatas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Skagit, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima Counties:

  • 1 Unit: $417,000
  • 2 Unit: $533,850
  • 3 Unit: $645,300
  • 4 Unit: $801,950 

Loan amounts above the figures listed above are considered “jumbo” or “non-conforming”. 

**NOTE: Congress DID increase loan limits in one county in Connecticut for 2012.

Freddie Mac HomeSteps offers NEW Buyer Incentives

EDITORS NOTE: this post was written back in November 2011 – incentives may or may not be currently available.

Freddie Mac is sweetening the pot for qualified REO’s (Freddie Mac foreclosed homes) in Washington with their HomeSteps program.  HomeSteps SmartBuy provides buyers with a two year home warranty and up to 30% savings on new appliances.

What’s New? Freddie Mac is trying to warm up home sales with their Winter Sales Promotion.  Washington state has been added to this program!

Homebuyers may receive a credit of up to 3% towards closing cost for offers received between November 15, 2011 and January 31, 2012 that are closing on or before March 15, 2012. This is for owner occupied homes only.

Freddie Mac’s REO program, HomeSteps, is different than Fannie Mae’s Homepath. Fannie Mae offers special terms on their REO’s (foreclosed homes) however, Freddie Mac’s program is incentives for the buyer (no special financing programs).  Home buyers who are interested in buying a Freddie Mac HomeSteps property can use ANY type of financing, including conventional, FHA, VA or USDA.  

Click here for your rate quote for homes located in Washington State.

To see which homes are available for the HomeSteps program, you can search here. As of the publishing of this post, there are 53 Freddie Mac homes listed in Seattle; 209 homes in King County and 628 in Washington state.

If you are interested in buying a Freddie Mac HomeSteps property any where in Washington state and require a mortgage, I’m happy to help you!

FHA Loan Limits will be higher than Conforming in Seattle for 2012

Well it looks like our Congress has passed loan limits for 2012 restoring FHA's higher "temporary" loan limits (pre October 1, 2011) and preserving the current loan limits for conventional mortgages.  

From the press release by the Appropriations Committee:

The bill does not increase the maximum loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These entities have been under public scrutiny for their questionable businesses practices and use of billions in federal bailout funds, some of which have been used for extravagant management bonuses. The bill limits the increase in the conforming loan limits to only the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), which is subject to greater congressional scrutiny and oversight.

Congress is essentially punishing home owners for the sins of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac execs. Personally, I think it's too bad that they didn't state this was done to help stimulate private lending instead of using this as an opportunity to publically wag a finger at Fannie and Freddie.

It appears the loan limits for 2012 in King County, Pierce County and Snohomish County for a 1-unit property will be:

  • $506,000 for Conventional
  • $567,500 for FHA

Once the GSE's and HUD officially announce the conforming and FHA loan limits for 2012, I'll be posting them here.

Stay tuned!

Update Nov 22, 11: Here is FHFA's press release regarding the 2012 conforming loan limits confirming they will remain the same for 2012 – except for one county (not in Washington state).

Announcing the New & Improved Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP 2.0)

We've been waiting to see what the "new Obama refi program" would be and this morning, the Federal Housing Finance Agency published a news release announcing new changes with the goal of reaching more borrowers. Home Affordable refinances are available to home owners who have a mortgage that is securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac on or before May 31, 2009. 

Here are some of the changes that are being made to HARP:

  • Removing the 125% loan to value ceiling for fixed rate mortgages. If refinancing into an adjustable rate mortgage there is a 105% cap.
  • Eliminating the appraisal where there is reliable AVM estimate available. Currently some Fannie Mae HARP refi's have qualified to have appraisals waived, it appears this may become more of the norm with HARP refi's.
  • Eliminating certain risk-based fees for borrowers who refinance into shorter-term mortgages and reducing fees for other borrowers;
  • Extending the end date of HARP until December 31, 2013 for loan originally sold to Fannie or Freddie on or before May 31, 2009 (note – the date a loan was sold to Fannie or Freddie is different than the date you closed on your refinance).

Borrowers must be current on their mortgage payments with no late payments in the past 6 months an do not have more than one late payment in the past 12 months.

HARP refinances are available for single family dwellings and condos as well as owner occupied, second homes and investment properties.

You DO NOT have to use your current mortgage servicer (who you currently make your mortgage payments to) for your Home Affordable Refinance unless you currently have private mortgage insurance. If your home is located anywhere in Washington State, I can help you with your mortgage needs.

If you have been turned down for a Home Affordable refinance because of a low appraised value and you otherwise qualified – this is your second chance!

More information is to be available by November 15, 2011.  Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Here are some tips for preparing for your HARP 2.0 refinance BEFORE you apply.

Conforming and FHA Higher Loan Limits MAY be Returning

The Senate has passed an amendment that will bring the temporary loan limits back through December 31, 2013!  In the Seattle/King County area, this means that the FHA and conforming high balance loan limit would increase from $506,000 to $567,500.

This still needs to pass the House.

It's like deja vue all over again! Congress yo-yo'd the loan limits a few years ago between the high balance and temporary high balance loan amounts.  Should Congress pass this and restore the higher loan limits, it may take banks some time to adjust to the changes. 

Stay tuned!

Refinancing Your Seattle Area “High Balance” Mortgage Over $506,000

If you obtained a high balance mortgage over the current limit ($506,000 in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties) and missed the opportunity to refinance before the loan amounts were reduced, you may still have some options worth checking out. Especially with Fannie Mae hinting that loan limits may be reduced further in just a few months, effective January 1, 2012. FHA loan limits may be further reduced in 2012 as well. We typically learn what 2012 limits will be in November.  The gap between yesterday's higher loan limits and conforming/FHA loan limits may actually widen in a few months making most of these scenarios tougher to obtain in 2012.

Conventional Financing

Consider a Jumbo/Non-Conforming Mortgage. Fixed rates or adjustable rate mortgages may be worth your consideration depending on your financial plans. Non-conforming mortgages are for well qualified borrowers and require a minimum credit score of 720 and a maximum loan to value of 80%. Loan amounts of $506,001 and higher are now considered a jumbo in King County as well as Snohomish and Pierce.

Cash In Refinance. Not happy with how your investments are doing in the stock market? Some home owners are electing to use their savings or investments in to bring their principal balance down to the conforming loan limit.

Piggy Back Second Mortgage.  We currently are able to go up to 85% of the appraised value with a second mortgage.  The loan amounts can be structured to keep the first mortgage at 80% of the loan to value and/or at the county high balance conforming limit. Home owners need to be well qualified with credit scores of 720 or higher.  HELOCs and amortized fixed rates are available.

FHA Loans. If your existing mortgage is an FHA loan, you may be in luck. Although FHA loan limits were reduced on October 1, they are allowing streamline refinances of the former temporary higher loan limits.  UPDATE: FHA LOAN LIMITS FROM NOV 18, 2011 – DECEMBER 2012 ARE $567,500 IN KING, PIERCE AND SNOHOMISH COUNTY.

VA Mortgage Loans. Unlike conforming and FHA loans, VA elected to not reduce their loan limits (technically the guarantee) for the remainder of 2011.  

With mortgage rates at a historic lows, it may be worth your time to contact a licensed mortgage originator to review your options. Whether or not you should refinance depends on your personal goals and financial scenario.  If your home is located anywhere in Washington, I'm happy to provide you detailed written rate quotes with no obligation.

Conforming Loan Limits for Washington from October 1, 2011 until December 31, 2011

With the revised conforming loan amounts only being in effect until the end of the year, I'm going to stick with limits listing single family dwellings.  Conforming loan amounts below are scheduled to be in effect from October 1, 2011 through December 1, 2011 and are listed by loan limit.

$506,000:  King County, Pierce County and Snohomish County

$483,000:  San Juan County

$417,000:  Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima Counties.

I'm hoping that home owners "stuck in the gap" of yesterday's higher loan amounts and the pending loan amounts may be able to refi with a Home Affordable refi or what ever President Obama has up his sleeve with the recent jobs bill…we're waiting to learn more information about his proposal.

Once I learn of the 2012 loan limits (typically around November), which Fannie Mae has hinted could be even lower than what you see here, I'll be sure to share that information with you.

The Low Down: Comparing FHA to Fannie Mae Homepath Mortgages


EDITORS NOTE: Fannie Mae is no longer offering the FannieMae HomePath mortgage program. If you are considering buying a Fannie Mae HomePath property (foreclosure that is owned by Fannie Mae) in Washington state, I’m happy to help you. 

If you’re thinking about buying a home with minimum down payment requirements in the greater Seattle area, you may be considering a property that is owned by Fannie Mae and eligible for the Fannie Mae Homepath Mortgage or using an FHA insured loan which most properties qualify for.  When home buyers contact me about a Fannie Mae Homepath mortgage, they often ask how it compares to an FHA insured loan. Both are great programs and the benefits may vary depending on credit score, down payment and the type of property.

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