Fannie Mae Announces New Mortgage Product for Low- and Moderate-Income Borrowers

Fannie Mae

On August 25, Fannie Mae announced that it will begin offering HomeReady, a mortgage loan product featuring new flexibilities for lower to moderate income borrowers. For the first time, income from a non-borrower household member can be considered as a means to qualify for a Fannie loan. In addition, borrowers can include funds received from other sources, such as income from non-occupant parents or rental income from a basement apartment, to satisfy income requirements. Both first-time and repeat homebuyers can qualify for a HomeReady mortgage with a down payment as low as 3 percent. The new product requires borrowers to complete an online housing-counseling course. Fannie Mae is expecting to begin accepting deliveries under the HomeReady guidelines towards the end of 2015, and will soon issue additional details to assist lenders through a Selling Guide announcement.