Foreclosures continue to rise in April

The new numbers on new foreclosures are out and they are not good. Compared to last years numbers, foreclosures are up 65%. Nationwide over 240,000 households received at least one foreclosure filing. This is up from just over 147,000 as compared to last years numbers. This is according to Realty Trac. The hardest hit states for foreclosure are Nevada, Arizona, California and Florida.

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Raise the conforming loan limit to help out the Real Estate market

Ben Bernanke lowering the federal reserve rates every few weeks wont be enough to put life back into the real estate market. The problem as from what I can see it is that the conforming loan limits in most areas are to low for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I live in Maricopa County where the conforming loan limit is $417,000. If you live in Scottsdale your home may sit for awhile on the market due to the fact that housing prices are much higher in these areas. The problem is that once you go over the $417,000 threshold you get into jumbo mortgage rates. Rates on Jumbo Loans can be 2% or more higher than for a comparable non conforming loan. This prices most people out of the market for higher priced homes, not to mention that you will need to bring in a heftier down payment to be able to qualify. We must get these limits down to get the mid level properties moving again.

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