The Bush Administration has announced a temporary policy that will extend government-backed mortgage insurance and allow for the immediate sale of vacant foreclosed properties.
For one year, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will insure foreclosed properties marketed and sold by property disposition firms on behalf of lenders. The properties, which must purchased by owner-occupants, will no longer be subject to the customary 90-day waiting period.
‘A glut of foreclosed and abandoned homes harms neighborhoods, frustrates homebuyers and delays a community's recovery,’ says Brian D. Montgomery, Assistant Secretary of Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner. ‘The action we take today will allow homebuyers to purchase these homes in much greater numbers and ease the excess supply of unsold homes in neighborhoods across the country.’
According to the FHA, the new temporary policy will help stabilize neighborhoods experiencing high rates of foreclosure by reducing the inventory of unsold properties. Many foreclosed properties remain vacant for months, inviting vandalism and reducing values of surrounding homes.
Source: FHA
