by rose-colored-coolaid » Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:49 pm
Getting trickier to say all the time, but let's do a few updates.
Let's see, congress passed their bailout. Last time I explained how the pending bailout would force expectations of government intervention to a realistic state. Well, we're closer than ever now. Congress passed their bill, they can advertise how much they've helped on TV commercials this fall, which means they are done. That's right, you won't see any more government intervention unless this lags on another 2 years.
So, is this the bottom? No!
The more people dig into it, the more they will realize this bill will have little effect on the picture at large, but may help some current owners. Details are still getting nailed down, but here's a few I've noticed. $7,500 for first time buyers. Uh...yeah, that 2% off the top is going to prevent 30% declines...what? The bill seems to stipulate that conforming loans must produce payments no greater than 31% of gross income. Uh Oh! If Freddie/Fannie are the only lenders still operating, and they require this...what do you imagine it will do to loan availability?!?