Articles filed under Harney, Ken

• The nation’s housing: Boomers and refis: a warning May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — It's a mortgage problem that is likely to intensify as homeowning baby boomers by the millions shift into retirement: Though they may have significant financial assets tucked away in retirement accounts, their diminished monthly incomes may not be sufficient to meet some lenders' hyper-strict underwriting rules.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: FHA may ease rules for mortgages on condos May 18, 2012 12:00 AM
  Thousands of condo unit owners and buyers around the country could soon be in line for some welcome news on mortgage financing: Though officials are mum on specifics, the Federal Housing Administration is readying changes to its controversial condominium rules that have rendered large numbers of units ineligible for low down-payment insured mortgages.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: More inspectors to train on energy audits May 4, 2012 12:00 AM
  
  

   

• The nation’s housing: Timelines may speed short sales Apr 27, 2012 12:00 AM
  If youre one of the estimated 11 million homeowners burdened with an underwater mortgage, a new federal policy change could be good news: Starting in June, when you want to do a short sale to shed your mortgage debt load and avoid foreclosure, you may not have to wait for months to hear back from your bank when you submit an offer from a potential purchaser.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: No longer yours for a steal Apr 20, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON Its not something that economists routinely track, but it provides a rough sense of whats happening in local real estate markets. Call it the lowball index.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: It’s getting tougher to secure a mortgage Apr 13, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON How do you stack up as a potential mortgage candidate in this years increasingly tough underwriting environment? Do you have the right stuff credit score, debt-to-income ratio, equity or down payment to get you through the minefield?
  

   

• The nation’s housing: Change that could be a pain Apr 6, 2012 12:00 AM
  A little-noticed mortgage rule change that took effect April 1 could create hassles for significant numbers of homebuyers who plan to use low down-payment FHA financing this spring.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: More deals hit a roadblock Mar 30, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON Whats behind the unusually high rate of contract cancellations and settlement delays in the real estate market? With signs of recovery emerging in many parts of the country, shouldnt deals be zipping along with minimal complications?
  

   

• Testing a tool to fight foreclosureMar 23, 2012 12:00 AM
  If you're seriously underwater and headed to foreclosure, what would you say if the lender suddenly offered you the chance to remain in your home as a tenant for an extended period plus have your mortgage debt wiped away? Would you say yes?
  

   

• The nation’s housing: Check the fine print on FHA refis Mar 16, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Obama administrations new plan to stimulate refinancings of FHA mortgages is likely to help large numbers of homeowners cut their monthly costs even those who are deeply underwater. But its also likely to be a disappointment to many borrowers who arent aware of the programs fine print and end up missing an opportunity to switch into a loan with a rate below 4 percent.
  

   

• ‘Pay up’ is FHA’s new message Mar 9, 2012 12:00 AM
  If youre considering buying a house with an FHA mortgage and expect the seller to help out with your closing costs, heres a heads-up: FHA plans to impose significant restrictions on the amount of money sellers can contribute at settlements in the near future. On top of that, FHA also will be raising its mortgage insurance premiums during the coming weeks, increasing charges for new purchasers across the board.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: Cooperative effort to slow foreclosures has a tripwire Mar 2, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — The most ambitious federal mortgage program to date aimed at millions of underwater homeowners is poised to take off in the coming two weeks, yet some key issues could hinder borrowers’ participation. One of them involves something most owners know nothing about: Who was your mortgage insurer on your underwater loan?
  

   

• The nation’s housing: Mortgage relief faces a nightmare Feb 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — Given the huge public and private resources now being devoted to helping financially distressed homeowners — including the recently announced $25 billion national mortgage settlement with five major banks — you might assume that a key federal tax law benefit underpinning these efforts would be a shoo-in for renewal.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: Weighing new versus a foreclosed home Feb 18, 2012 12:00 AM
  Homebuilders are switching tactics and confronting head-on one of their biggest nemeses: foreclosed houses that not only lure buyers away with deeply discounted prices but simultaneously depress the appraisal values of newly built homes. They say the time has come to stop being passive and to begin aggressively educating buyers about the often hidden costs of buying foreclosures.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: The book on administration’s refinancing plan Feb 10, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — Though it was pronounced dead-before-arrival by opponents on Capitol Hill, President Obama’s new mortgage refinancing package contained far more than legislative proposals.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: More homeowners choosing to fix up rather than sell Feb 3, 2012 12:00 AM
  You’ve been reluctant to consider selling your house because you don’t believe you’ll get what it’s really worth. Sentiments like this are having profound effects on real estate markets across the country, fueling post-recession interest in remodeling. In fact, according to federal estimates, by late last year the annualized dollar value of expenditures on renovations outstripped expenditures on newly constructed single family homes — a huge change from pre-recession years.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: On appraisals, follow the money? Jan 27, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working on a real estate issue that gets to the core of the agency’s purpose: Bringing clarity and better disclosures about the often opaque and costly fees that homebuyers, sellers and refinancers are hit with at closings.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: A timeout called forbearance Jan 20, 2012 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — If you or someone you know has lost a job and are in danger of falling behind on mortgage payments, here’s some potentially important news for you: The two largest players in home mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are revising their policies on forbearance when unemployment interferes with your ability to stay current on your loan.
  

   

• The nation’s housing: It really is a buyer’s market Dec 30, 2011 12:00 AM
  WASHINGTON — Where do you side in the great real estate buy-sell divide of 2012? If you’re a homeowner considering selling sometime in the new year, are you apprehensive that you won’t get the price you need or want, and therefore it’s possible you won’t even try to sell?
  

   

• Mortgage deals are out there, if you look Dec 23, 2011 12:00 AM
  Could gloomy popular assumptions about how tough it is to get approved for a mortgage be scaring away large numbers of people who are qualified from even applying?