Rob Rogers's Blog

Proposed Bill to Lower FHA Loan Limits Could Be Harmful to Bay Area Real Estate

Posted On: Monday, May 23, 2011 - 3:25pm

http://www.inman.com/headlines/2011/05/23
There is a Bill proposed by the Republicans to seriously limit the loan limits on FHA financing as well as increase the minimum down payment to 5% from 3.5%.  There is already a scheduled reduction in loan limits from $729,750 to $625,000 in October, but this bill would seriously hinder FHA's effective use in San Francisco. 

Real Estate Sales Rise in 49 States in Quarter 4 2010

Posted On: Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 2:17pm

According to a National Association of REALTORS® report released yesterday, existing home sales in the U.S. rose 15.4% in the fourth quarter from the 3rd quarter in 2010.  That is, however, a significant drop in the number of sales in Q4 2009, which was a bang up sales quarter. This may have been assisted by the homebuyer tax credit offered during that period of time. 

FHA, Fannie Mae loan limits extended to 2011

Posted On: Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 2:44pm
Tags: Fannie Mae, FHA, loans | Topics: Market Statistics

Great news for San Francisco home buyers, Congress has extended the increase in loan limits of $729,750 through Sept 2011!  This move makes many properties within the city eligible for these lower cost loans.  Loan limits over $729,750 are not insured by the government agencies and are generally much tougher to qualify for, and are at a higher interest rate.  If Congress had not passed this extension, the loan limit would have diminished significantly!

7 of 10 Americans Believe It Is a Good Time to Buy a Home

Posted On: Friday, September 17, 2010 - 12:58pm
Tags: first time buyers, interest rates | Topics: Market Statistics

In this article published by Inman News today, Fannie Mae reports that 7 out of 10 Americans believe this is a good time to buy.  And why not?  With interest rates at 40 year historic lows and prices in San Francisco lower than they have been in several years, affordability has never been greater! 

St. Francis Circle Has Re-Opened!

Posted On: Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - 3:04pm
Tags: transportation | Topics: Community Information

The intersection of Portola, Sloat, St. Francis and West Portal has re-opened exactly on time.  This high traffic intersection, which also carries the tracks for the K and M MUNI lines, has been under construction for some time creating quite a traffic jam.  It is great to have the new railroad tracks down and the road smoothed out.  The MUNI is back running its full length with no more bus detours!  What a boon for commuters!

Three New Sub-Districts Created by the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® on its District Map

Posted On: Friday, August 13, 2010 - 10:03am
Tags: sfarmls map, sub-districts | Topics: Buyers and Sellers, Community Information

On August 10, 2010, the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® published its long-awaited revised district map.  Among other changes, three new sorely needed sub-districts were created.

June Swoon or End of Subsidy Program

Posted On: Friday, July 23, 2010 - 9:34am
Topics: Buyers and Sellers, Market Statistics

The National Association of REALTORS® reports that national home sales were down in June from May of 2010, but still more than 9% above June of last year.  This information correlates with our experience at Zephyr in San Francisco.  The market is very much improved from this time last year.  We still have some stimulus funds for the California State subsidy, but the federal first time buyer credit is expired. 

NAR Reports Increase in May Existing Home Sales

Posted On: Monday, July 12, 2010 - 12:07pm
Tags: FHA | Topics: Market Statistics

This brief video explains that May sales were reported substantially up.  In addition there are some REALLY great programs utilizing low down payment FHA loans for a variety of purchase/refinance scenarios including buying a fixer upper with FHA financing the fix up.

Mortgage Rates Tumble to 40 Year Lows

Posted On: Friday, July 2, 2010 - 12:19pm
Tags: mortgage rates | Topics: Market Statistics

Inman News reports that mortgage rates tracked in Freddie Mac's weekly rate survey hit record lows for the second time in a week.  With rates so low, coupled with a typical summer slump in the housing market, this is the perfect opportunity for buyers to afford more house for less money.  Many buyers are so fixated on the prices of the houses that they don't recognize that the affordability of their home is even more driven by the interest rates they are paying on their mortgage.

LGBT housing protections

Posted On: Friday, July 2, 2010 - 11:04am
Tags: FHA, government, housing rights, HUD, LGBT, loans | Topics: Laws and Regulations

Great news for the LGBT community.  HUD has announced a new policy giving protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who file complaints of housing discrimination.  Although we are generally pretty liberal here in San Francisco, this policy extends throughout the entire country.  The new policy carries into rights under loan applications, and lender discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 

Rob Rogers

During his 20 years in the real estate industry, Rob has successfully negotiated nearly 1,000 transactions, earning top Producer status year after yea
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