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

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Nov 29, 2022, 14:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 2023 conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $726,200 on one-unit properties and a cap of $1,089,300 in high-cost areas. The previous loan limits were $647,200 and $970,800, respectively.

"C.A.R. applauds the FHFA for its continued commitment to homeownership by increasing the conforming loan limits. The higher limits will help make homeownership more accessible to Californians across the state and provide homebuyers with more financing opportunities," said C.A.R. President Jennifer Branchini, a Bay Area REALTOR^®. "This year in California, nearly one out of every four homes sold between $1.25 million and $2 million were purchased by first-time homebuyers," Branchini said.

C.A.R. and the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (NAR) both have long advocated for loan limits that reflect an area's cost of housing. As a result of C.A.R.'s and NAR's efforts, areas 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 sometimes 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.

Since these mortgages are guaranteed by the government, California taxpayers and households should have the same equal access to safe and affordable capital that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loans provide as any other state.

Leading the way...^® in California real estate for more than 115 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 217,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

SOURCE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS