A New Home Buyer Tax Credit? HUD Not Ruling It Out
What does the U.S. housing market look like without all the life support provided by the federal government?
A little too much like a corpse.
In the wake of the 27 percent drop in existing home sales announced by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) earlier this week to a level last seen 15 years ago, and a 12.1 percent drop in new home sales to a level not ever seen since records started being kept in 1963, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan took to the airwaves this morning to announce that the federal government was going to do everything in its power to restart the housing market, including:
- New mortgage program for unemployed borrowers. Apparently the HAMP unemployed borrowers program isn't exactly catching on fire with lenders.
- New FHA refinance program for homeowners who are underwater. Gee, HAMP isn't working there too well, so perhaps HUD is going to take the very savvy suggestion made by Bill Gross at PIMCO and perhaps refinance all homeowners who are current on their loans to an FHA loan at 4 percent. If 10 million Americans can take advantage of an FHA refinance and lower their payments by $100 per month, the government is betting that at least SOME of that money will find its way into economic firmament, and help pull us out of the recession.
- New home buyer tax credits. Donovan didn't exactly say "Yes" to this one, but he hasn't ruled it out either.
Will any of these programs pull the housing market out of its depression? I doubt it. As I said more than a year ago, what we need are jobs. Jobs pay the bills - mortgage, credit card, utilities, food, etc. If you don't have a job, all the government refinancing programs in the world aren't going to make a difference.
Read More:
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- Unemployed Borrowers Might Get Help From New HAMP Program
- Loan Modification Hell: The Horror Stories Continue
- Loan Modification Hell: Income Requirements for New HAMP Rules
- Want A Loan Modification? The New HAMP Rules For Trial Loan Mods Start June 1
- Gulf Coast Homeowners Get Relief From Foreclosures and Mortgage Payments
- Real Estate Values: Does Your Home Value Matter If You're Not Selling Or Refinancing?
- Mortgage Rates Hit Record Low While Purchase Applications Plummet
- Mortgage Interest Rates Could Hit Rock Bottom Today
- Strategic Defaults Increasing As Homeowners Choose Not To Pay Their Mortgage
- Foreclosure Coming? Perhaps You Should Bulldoze Your House
- Are You In Loan Modification Hell? Join The Club
- Underwater? Maybe You Should Walk Away from Your Mortgage
- Will.i.am Saves Two Families From Foreclosure
Ilyce R. Glink is the author of several books, including 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask and Buy, Close, Move In!. She blogs about money and real estate at ThinkGlink.com and The Equifax Personal Finance Blog, and is Chief Content Strategist at RealtyJoin.com, a community for real estate investors.