Fremont Joins Energy Efficiency Program - 01/20/10 12:53 AM
On Tuesday, Jan 11, the Fremont City Council voted to join the California FIRST financing program. As reported in last week's issue, California FIRST is a voluntary program that provide loans to homeowners to finance energy efficiency upgrades. The loans are repaid through a special property tax assessment.
Recently the City of Hayward joined this program and Bay East staff testified in favor of the California FIRST program and urged Hayward to involve the REALTOR® community in designing and marketing the program. Bay East offered the same support and cooperation to the City of Fremont.

Remember .... "Dream Green" 
Considering Moving to the East Bay Area?    ~   Do you want … (2 comments)

Major Changes Brewing at FHA - 01/20/10 12:49 AM
On Friday, Jan. 15 NAR sources in Washington D.C. indicated that FHA is about to announce the following changes to its purchase finance programs.
Borrower Issues:
Borrowers will be unable to finance upfront premiums; Seller concessions will be reduced from 6% to, possibly, 3%; Borrowers must have a minimum FICO score and their maximum loan-to-value ratio may be impacted by their FICO score; and Mortgage Insurance Premiums may be raised from their current 1.75% level. Lender Issues: While the final lender eligibility rule has not been published, NAR is reporting the following proposed changes for FHA lenders:
Increasing net worth requirements … (2 comments)