Tag archives for Closing Costs

FHA Receives Approval to Raise Annual Premiums on Mortgage Insurance

Owners of single-family homes could be paying higher insurance premiums in the coming years thanks to Congress’ recent approval of an FHA request to raise the statutory cap of the annual federal mortgage insurance fee from 0.55 percent to 1.55 percent. Up front mortgage insurance premiums have already been raised (this did not necessitate a Congressional action), and the FHA Read full article »

Fannie Mae Extends Seller Assistance Through HomePath to Help Move REOs

If closing costs and the price of household appliances have been holding you back from making an REO purchase, then Fannie Mae is going to give you a little more time – and a gentle nudge – in the buying direction. On Tuesday, April 27, Fannie Mae announced that it will extend its seller assistance incentive, HomePath, through June 30, Read full article »

Bank Financing – Some Important Considerations

This is part of the Real Estate Contract Fundamentals Series. I’m not giving you legal advice - you’ve got to get that for yourself from a qualified attorney. To get a free copy of the Real Estate Purchase and Sale Agreement upon which this series is based, visit the Monster Purchase And Sale Agreement Download Page. ———- Probably the most Read full article »

The Politics of Real Estate

Few industries are as profoundly impacted by the political machinations in Washington as the real estate industry. Whether it's old legislation like Jimmy Carter's Community Reinvestment Act or Barack Obama's massive mortgage bailouts, the U.S. political machine has a huge impact (usually bad) on the business of real estate.

Ideally, we could ignore politics. But here at the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter, we insist on seeing the world with clarity - including the reality of Washington's aggressive involvement in every facet of our business, from mortgage lending to real estate sales license; from loan modification regulations to appraisal requirements... every piece of our business is profoundly impacted by politics. So rather than stick our heads in the sand and ignore reality, readers of the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter choose to be informed and prepared.

About Bryan Ellis

Bryan Ellis is an Atlanta-based real estate analyst and publisher of the widely read newsletter "The Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter". With over 200,000 subscribers - including real estate investors, agents, brokers, appraisers and other real estate professionals - the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter is among America's largest sources of unbiased coverage of politics and public policy for the real estate industry.

Bryan Ellis serves as editor in chief for the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter and is assisted by an extraordinary staff of writers, researchers and editors who are each real estate experts in their own right and who assure that the news we report is well researched, factual, and highly relevant to today's real estate industry.

Bryan is very happily married and has two wonderful daughters. He makes his home in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. You can contact the team at the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter here.