There are many factors that affect home buyer and seller sentiment. Confidence, or lack thereof, in the economic future is a key consideration for both. In Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey (NHS) seller sentiment is 36 point higher than October 2020, with buyer sentiment 60 points lower for the same period, in spite of the fact that interest rates remain low which is an advantage to buyers.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expanded a home refinance program that helps low-to-moderate income households, giving them a better opportunity to refinance now while interest rates are low. The program was launched in June of 2021, but recently the income limit qualifier was increased as well as other modifications to the program to reach more homeowners.
The Adverse Market Fee is defined as a 0.5% fee added in 2020 to refinanced mortgage loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (about 70% of all home loans). It was charged to lenders and usually passed on to homeowners through closing costs, as an addition to their loan amount or by a raised interest rate.
Federal Housing Finance Agency, the U.S. regulator that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, recently announced their plans to discontinue a controversial program that subsidized loans for firms that invest in single-family rental properties.