Attention buyers! Now is the time to purchase that home you have been considering. To counterbalance the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 and strengthen the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, borrowers will soon face higher fees.

Effective April 1, 2012, the upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) will increase from 1 percent to 1.75 percent. This will increase borrowers’ monthly mortgage payments since it is driving up the loan amount. The monthly mortgage insurance premium (MMIP) will also increase by 10 basis points.

After June 1, 2012, all home loans over $625,000 will see an additional boost of .25 percent, bringing a total increase of 35 basis points to their MMIP.

Many people consider Warren Buffett to be the greatest investor of the last century – someone whose opinion is worth hearing.

In an interview with CNBC’s Becky Quick last Monday, he had some very encouraging things to say about the housing market:

…if I had a way of buying a couple hundred thousand single-family homes and had a way of managing… I would load up on them and I would— I would take mortgages out at very, very low rates. But if anybody is thinking about buying a home— five years ago they couldn’t buy them fast enough because they thought they were going to go up, and now they don’t buy them because they think they’re going to go down. And interest are far lower. It’s a way, in effect, to short the dollar because you can— you can take a 30-year mortgage and if it turns out your interest rate’s too high, next week you refinance lower. And if it turns out it’s too low, the other guy’s stuck with it for 30 years. So it’s a very attractive asset class now.

So there you have it! This is something we should be shouting from the rooftops.

Many people have analysis paralysis and are afraid to pull the trigger when it comes to purchasing a home. Those people should watch Mr. Buffett’s interview or read the transcript.

The following is a great post from the folks at KCMBlog:

Last week, the Federal government and 49 state governments (Oklahoma being the exception) agreed to a $25 billion settlement regarding robo-signing and the challenges it created in the foreclosure process. We want to give a synopsis of the settlement and some perspective on what effect it will have on the housing market in 2012.

The Basics

The $25 billion in funds will be dispersed as follows:

$17 Billion National Commitment to Foreclosure Relief Efforts
The servicers collectively agree to commit a minimum of $17 billion directly to borrowers through foreclosure relief effort options, including principal reduction for qualifying borrowers, short sales, anti-blight measures, and enhanced homeowner transition programs.

$3 Billion National Commitment to Underwater Mortgage Refinancing Program
The servicers collectively agree to commit $3 billion to refinance “underwater” homes (when a homeowner owes more on a mortgage than a home’s current market value). To qualify, borrowers must be current on their mortgage payments on a mortgage owned by one of the five banks.

$5 Billion Payment to States and Federal Government
The servicers’ $4.25 billion payment to the states includes $1.5 billion for payments to borrowers who lost their home to foreclosure by one of the five servicers…$750 million of the state-federal payment will go to the federal government to resolve federal claims.

For further details on the settlement you can go to the official website.

Will the Settlement Have a Major Impact on a Housing Recovery?

Probably not. Though it is a step in the right direction, it may be too little too late. Here are some opinions on the settlement:

IHS Global Insights

“Like many previous plans to stem foreclosures, this agreement will help at the edges. The problem is too big for it to have a large impact, however…This agreement will help the housing market move ahead in 2012 in a small way. But it is hardly a game changer.”

HSH.com

“While there is no doubt some benefit to formalizing and organizing the process of foreclosure and better monitoring of the process, the fact is that the settlement changes little.”

Capital Economics

“While it is good that the settlement has been finalized and will offer principal reductions and refinancing schemes to borrowers, the bigger picture is that the settlement is not large enough to dramatically alter the outlook for the housing market or the wider economy.”

What about Foreclosures Moving Forward?

The settlement did bring clarity to one major issue – foreclosures. Banks have been holding off the foreclosure process on millions of homes over the last 18 months as they waited for the particulars of the settlement. They now know how they can move forward without penalty. The result will be an increase in foreclosures coming to the housing market.

Housing Wire

“It will speed up processing, and perhaps mean that foreclosures that have been waiting around since robo-signing came to light in 2010 will now gain legitimacy.”

Calculated Risk

“It does appear the number of completed foreclosures will increase following this settlement – especially in some judicial states with large backlogs – so there will probably be more REOs (lender Real Estate Owned) for sale.”

Bloomberg News

“The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures…Lenders slowed the pace of foreclosures as they negotiated with attorneys general in all 50 states for more than a year over allegations of faulty and fraudulent paperwork used to repossess homes. With yesterday’s agreement, banks are likely to resume property seizures.”

Wells Fargo

“Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities, said the settlement helps the housing market in the long run because it allows banks to proceed with millions of foreclosures that have been stalled. Many lenders have refrained from foreclosing on homes as they awaited the settlement.”

ATTENTION: Real Estate Professionals

If you want more information on how this settlement might impact foreclosures in YOUR area, join our FREE webinar on February 23rd.

Shadow Inventory: How to Explain the Impact it Will Have on YOUR Market.

Click here to reserve your seat.