Majority Of Americans Say It’s Time To Buy

According to a recent national housing survey conducted by Fannie Mae, 70 percent of Americans believe it’s a good time to buy a house, up from 64 percent in January. Doug Duncan, vice president and chief economist for Fannie Mae, said consumers have mixed views on the housing market. While most Americans believe home prices have bottomed, they’ve adopted a more cautious approach to entering the housing market. The survey, conducted between June 12 and July 14, is meant to assess Americans’ confidence in homeownership as an investment, the current state of their household finances, views of the housing finance system, and overall confidence in the economy. The survey found that 78 percent of Americans believe home prices will either remain flat or go up over the next year and 64 percent believe buying a home is a safe investment. More here, here, and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Fannie Mae, Housing Market, News, Prices, Real Estate, Sales, Trends, Views

Debate Continues Over The Future Role Of Government In Housing

In an op-ed written for the Washington Post, former treasury secretary Hank Paulson says government policies promoting homeownership fueled the housing crisis and, once the market has stabilized, should be dramatically reformed. Specifically, he recommends scaling back both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reducing subsidies for homeownership. Limiting the availability of subsidies to smaller mortgages or lower-income buyers would reduce the scope of the government’s role and lead to less risk to taxpayers and the economy. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker also weighed in on the debate in an article from SmartMoney magazine. Volcker says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are unnecessary and should be eliminated because of the inherent conflict between their responsibilities to the government and their stockholders. He believes the entire mortgage market has to be reconstructed in the coming years. More here and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Fannie Mae, Federal Programs, Foreclosures, Freddie Mac, Housing Market, Prices, Real Estate, Views

Fannie, Freddie, and The Housing Forecast

With 25 percent of mortgages underwater and high levels of delinquencies, James Lockhart, former director of The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, says the housing market will need another year or more before it shows signs of recovery.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Delinquencies, Fannie Mae, Foreclosures, Freddie Mac, Housing Market, Real Estate, Second-Lien Modification, Video, Views

Fannie Mae: Americans Say It’s Time To Buy

According to a national survey conducted by Fannie Mae, 64 percent of Americans think now is a good time to buy a house. The survey, designed to gauge the public’s confidence in homeownership, their household finances, the U.S. housing finance system, and the economy, polled 3,000 homeowners and renters between December 2009 and January 2010. Some key findings below …

– 80 percent believe homeownership is important to the economy, but feel it has become more difficult to buy a home

– Nearly two-thirds think owning is preferable to renting

– A majority of mortgage borrowers are satisfied with their current mortgage, but those with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are more satisfied than those with other types of mortgages

– 75 percent of renters believe owning makes more sense and is a good investment over the long term

– 88 percent believe it isn’t acceptable for people to stop paying on an underwater mortgage

– 44 percent expect their financial situation to improve in the next year

The full survey here. Fact sheet here. More here, here, and here.

Please Tell Anyone You Know Who is Thinking of Buying or Selling Real Estate to Call Me!

Sherry M. Stapf-Tolisano, Broker

www.teamtolisano.com

Keller Williams Realty

Northwest Louisiana

714 North Ashley Ridge Loop

Shreveport, LA 71106

Sherrymyrealtor@kw.com

318-208-9980 (cell)

318-213-1534 (desk)

Licensed in the State of Louisiana

USA

Serving the following communities in Caddo and Bossier Parishes: Bossier City, Shreveport, Benton, Haughton

My Daily Real Estate Blog: https://sherrystapftolisano.wordpress.com

Filed under: Uncategorized, Fannie Mae, Housing Industry, News, Real Estate