California REALTORS® commend FHFA for raising Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conforming loan limits

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement in response to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) announcement to increase the 2018 conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $453,100 on one-unit properties and a cap of $679,650 in high-cost areas. The previous loan limits were $424,100 and $636,150, respectively.

"C.A.R. applauds the FHFA for recognizing California's continuing home price increases over the last few years and raising maximum conforming loan limits," said C.A.R. President Steve White. "Increasing the existing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conforming loan limits will provide stability and certainty to the housing market and give tens of thousands of California homebuyers a chance at homeownership."

C.A.R. and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) both have long advocated for making higher conforming loan limits permanent. As a result of C.A.R.'s and NAR's efforts, cities with high median home prices have benefited from a loan limit above the national conforming loan limit.

The conforming loan limit determines the maximum size of a mortgage that government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy or "guarantee." Non-conforming or "jumbo loans" typically have tighter underwriting standards and carry higher mortgage interest rates than conforming loans, increasing monthly payments and hampering the ability of families in California to purchase homes by making them less affordable.

Leading the way...® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 190,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

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SOURCE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS