Once the federal government took control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last week, many expected a significant drop in mortgage rates, at least for the near-term. As expected rates did fall considerably, with Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Survey showing a .42 point drop in the 30-year rate to 5.93%. With rates falling below 6% we’re likely to see some renewed consumer interest in both new purchases and refinancing.

Just how long the rates stay low is up for debate, as NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun discussed in his most recent commentary piece:

Mortgage rates will trend down over the short run. But how much of a decline will depend on how actively the government - more specifically the Treasury Department and the FHFA - loosens their mortgage liquidity spigot. For over the next 12 months at least, the FHFA has the authority to purchase more than the normal amount of mortgages from lenders to put into their portfolio holdings. That means all conforming loans, including the newly conforming jumbo loans up to $625,000, will qualify for purchase by the FHFA. That will help drive down mortgage rates. In about two year time, when the housing recovery is assumed to be well underway, the government will trim its mortgage portfolio. Then Fannie and Freddie will be completely restructured. It will be up to the next administration and Congress to determine that structure in for which NAR will make our 1.3 million voices heard.

Now it appears the financial markets are heading for some more turbulence, with some of the biggest players continuing to see fallout from their mortgage-related assets. Just what impact these most recent developments have on overall markets remains to be seen.

Mortgage servicers who handle Freddie Mac-owned mortgages just got more incentive to help those borrowers who might be facing foreclosure.

Freddie announced yesterday that it is doubling the incentive it pays to servicers for each workout that helps keep a delinquent Freddie-owned mortgage out of foreclosure. Freddie will also begin reimbursing servicers for the cost of door-to-door outreach programs and offer more time to negotiate workouts in those states with fast foreclosure processes, including Tennessee, where the average time to complete a non-judicial foreclosure is 60 days.

Beginning today, servicers will be allowed up to 10 months from the due date of the last payment until a foreclosure sale will occur to seek aggressive and sustainable workout solutions for borrowers.

This morning, President Bush signed into law the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, legislation aimed at shoring up the housing market in the United States and offering current homeowners with troubled mortgages and potential homeowners with significant assistance.

Of most interest to people who do not own a home but have been thinking about it is a $7,500 tax credit to qualified first-time home buyers who purchase a home between April 9, 2008, and June 30, 2009. That’s a tax credit, meaning those who qualify will receive a dollar-for-dollar reduction in what they owe the year the credit is taken against their income taxes. The credit does have to be repaid, but it is done over 15 years and payments don’t start until tax returns files two years after the credit is taken.

In the Memphis-area market first-time buyers make up a larger share of all buyers than the national average, which means a larger number of people locally stand to benefit from the credit. Add to that the affordability of Memphis-area real estate and it adds up to an outstanding opportunity for first-time buyers.

Here’s the fine print:

• The credit amount can be 10 percent of the cost of the home purchased, not to exceed $7,500.
• Any single-family property (including condos) that will be used as a primary residence is eligible.
• The full amount of the credit is available for individuals with adjusted gross income of no more than $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers). The amount of credit available gradually phases out as adjusted gross income reaches $95,000 for a single filer and $170,000 for joint filers.
• The credit is repayable over 15 years (without interest) in equal installments of 6.67% of the credit or when the owners sell the home, assuming there is sufficient capital gain from the sale. Repayment does not begin until two years after the credit is claimed.

More detailed information on the tax credit, including FAQs and answers, is available at this site created by the National Association of Home Builders.

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The Virginia Association of REALTORS® has posted on its VAR Buzz blog an excellent article on short sales that offers someone new to this type of transaction a good overview of the topic. While no article can replace experience, especially when it comes to short sales (where each transaction is likely to be nothing like the next one), this article provides a great foundation or review for any practitioner.

And if you’re looking for more instruction on short sales, register for the August 8 class at MAAR.