Fannie Mae to temporarily halt foreclosure sales and evictions

Breaking news!

The following is reprinted from a Fannie Mae email announcement.
Please note the Lender Letter is a link to a PDF.

Fannie Mae has issued Lender Letter 04-08 announcing that we are halting all foreclosure sales on occupied single-family properties that are scheduled to occur from November 26, 2008 through January 9, 2009. This temporary halt also applies to eviction lockouts of occupied single-family properties.

These actions allow affected borrowers to retain their homes while we work with our regulator and conservator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to implement the previously announced streamlined loan modification program by December 15, 2008.

To facilitate borrower communications, servicers must instruct foreclosure attorneys to send letters to borrowers whose foreclosure sales are halted urging them to contact their servicer, so that together, the servicer and borrower can continue working to resolve the delinquency.

For complete details, including other servicing and reporting requirements, please see Fannie Mae Lender Letter 04-08 (PDF) on our 2008 Lender Announcements and Letters page on eFannieMae.com and the news release on fanniemae.com.

Fewer s'mores, but better air quality

This winter, San Francisco will issue Spare the Air Alerts whenever fine particulate matter creates poor air quality.

Under a new regulation, it is illegal to burn wood, firelogs, or pellets in your fireplace, woodstove, or outdoor firepit on days when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issues a Spare the Air Alert.

So, you may have to forego that romantic fire and/or s'mores binge for the greater good.

The 2008-09 Winter Spare the Air season runs through February 28. Check alert status online.

Conforming loan amount to increase

Susan Weber Pomilia shared some good news.

Conforming loan amounts for San Francisco and Marin Counties will be increased from the current $417,000 to $625,500 as of the first of the year. This translates to a purchase price of $781,875 with a 20% down payment. Much more realistic for our part of the real estate world.

Rates have also improved over the past two weeks. Right now conforming loans ($417K ) are at 5 7/8% with 1 point, while Jumbos (729K and above) are at 6 1/4% with one point. Remember, the Jumbo conforming category is being phased out, and will be gone by January 1, 2009.

Required reading

Here's a headline that'll make your blood run cold:
Home prices down in 90% of Bay Area ZIP codes

The SF Gate article that follows that headline is required reading for anyone looking to sell or buy in San Francisco.

Want to cut to the chase? Enter your ZIP code here, and check median prices, price changes, and the foreclosure rate in your area.

Eating in your neighborhood...and beyond

Whether you're a recent transplant to the Bay Area, or have been living (and dining out) here for decades, finding new restaurants can be a challenge.

Heck, remembering the name of that place you dined at last month can be tough.

The Chowhound website has a handy bulletin board devoted to all things culinary in the greater San Francisco area. You can monitor the "best Italian" debate, get early reviews of new restaurants, and even post your own questions and comments.

The search function lets you find pho near the financial district or truffles near Twin Peaks. Yum!

The Bank of Sealy Posturepedic? Not so fast…

The markets are in an apparent free fall, the economy is in turmoil, and everyone keeps asking variations on: "Should I stash my cash under my mattress…or go bargain hunting?"

Clearly, everyone has different tolerance for risk, but here's the advice I'm giving my clients right now.

On the sell side: If you don't have a major life event forcing you to sell right this instant, do everything you can to hold tight.

If you must move, consider renting out your current home and then renting in your new community. This buys you some time while the markets stabilize.

On the buy side: You can find deals, especially if you have cash. It's anyone's guess where we are in the downturn cycle, but if you can buy and hold for at least five years, now's a good time to start looking.

In the Central Valley, we're seeing single family homes that are cash flow positive for the first time first time in a generation.

Here in San Francisco, home prices have dropped an estimated 5% to 15% from their peak, depending on who's crunching the numbers. Whether they'll fall further, and by how much, is the multi-million dollar question.

My clients are getting their financing ducks in a row now, and looking at plenty of properties so they'll be ready to jump when we find the perfect place at the perfect price.