How to save the housing market: Realtors have a few ideas - Chicago Tribune

You'll have to wait to see Fox shows on Hulu Fox has become the first broadcast network to require people who want to watch its programs, such as "House" or "Glee," online immediately after they're broadcast to prove they pay for a cable or satellite service. The White House is preparing to slightly soften its proposal on new fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, after weeks of talks with automakers lobbying for lower standards out of concern for the impact on their business. Policies should ensure that qualified borrowers can obtain safe and sound mortgage financing. The nonprofit trade organization called on regulators to revise the unnecessarily high down payment requirements of the Qualified Residential Mortgage exemption from risk retention requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act. It would tank homebuyer demand, depress home prices further, and cause more foreclosures. To their point, it's hard to even remember your dream of owning a home after 14 years. We cannot have a viable housing market and economic recovery until creditworthy borrowers are able to obtain mortgage financing. The Realtors argue that the current limits are critical to providing liquidity to the housing market. The average decline in loan limits would be more than $68,000. This program, which ensures access to affordable flood insurance for millions of homeowners, has never had long-term funding. If Congress doesn't extend the program, lenders will be unlikely to close on loans for properties that are in known flood plains. You want to be sure to recover the costs of refinancing your mortgage, particularly if you plan on selling your home within a short period of time. Use the "123 Refinance" free calculator To our readers: Registration is required before your comments can be posted. Constructive and respectful comments related to the topic of the story are welcome; abusive, crass or vulgar comments are not. Comments containing vulgar words will be filtered out. Please make sure your language is civil and your comment furthers the conversation. Personal attacks on others who comment are not appropriate. Hateful, racist or threatening comments are not allowed. We encourage you to help us uphold these standards by reporting abuse where appropriate. Ignoring the standards will result in your comment being removed. If warranted, we will take down entire comment boards. Realtors