<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>MN First Time Home Buyer &#124; Minnesota First Time Home Buyer</title>
	<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com</link>
	<description>Programs &#124; Grants &#124; VA &#124; Tax Credit &#124; FHA &#124; USDA &#124; Mortgage Rates</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:36:42 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.2.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>American Dream Still Includes Home Ownership</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A recent survey published by the real-estate site Trulia shows that 70 percent of Americans still consider home ownership a central part of the &#8220;American Dream&#8221; &#8212; a number unchanged since January, when Trulia last performed this survey, despite months of weak economic performance. Moreover, Trulia found that nearly two-thirds of young people &#8212; 65 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/american-dream-still-includes-home-ownership/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>First-Time Home Buyers Value Affordability Above All</title>
		<description><![CDATA[According to the National Association of Realtors® 2011 &#8220;Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers&#8221;, first-time home buyers are willing to compromise more than repeat buyers when it comes to space and upgrades.  While first-time buyers have wish lists too, they are most driven by finding a home that offers a reasonable monthly payment. Overall, the top [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/first-time-home-buyers-value-affordability-above-all/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Fed Vows To Keep Rates Low Until 2014</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Federal Reserve announced that short-term interest rates will likely stay near zero for nearly three more years, a move that is expected to spillover to long-term mortgage rates for home buyers and home owners. In August, the Fed had made a rare move to say it would keep rates near zero until at least [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/fed-vows-to-keep-rates-low-until-2014/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>FHA May Ease Seller Concession Cap</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The FHA announced last year that it would cut seller contributions from 6 percent to 3 percent for purchases using FHA insured loans.  Seller concessions, such as seller assistance to buyers in closing costs, play a big part in homes sales and in closing real estate transactions with FHA financing. Rather than an across the board [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/fha-may-ease-seller-concession-cap/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Existing-Home Sales Up In December</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Existing-home sales continued on an upward trend in December, rising for three consecutive months and remaining above where they were one year ago according to the National Association of Realtors®. December existing-home sales rose 5.0 percent.  For all of 2011, existing-home sales rose 1.7 percent to 4.26 million from 4.19 million in 2010.  Existing-home sales [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/existing-home-sales-up-in-december/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Builders Upbeat</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Confidence among builders is at its highest level since June, 2007, yet another sign that the new-home market is finally perking up after coming off some of its darkest days on record this past year. For the fourth consecutive month, builder sentiment for newly built, single family homes was on the rise, according to the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/builders-upbeat/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Twin Cities Area Home Sales Rise To Highest Levels Since 2006</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Twin Cities area actually saw a recovery in 2011 with a 8.2% increase in home sales.  Unprecedented low interest rates and historically low housing prices are driving this recovery. From their peak in 2006, prices have fallen 35 percent.  Half of closed home sales in 2011 were either foreclosures or short sales.  By comparison, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/twin-cities-area-home-sales-rise-to-highest-levels-since-2006/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Getting A Home Inspection</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Before you jump in completely when buying a house, make sure that the house you are buying is safe, healthy and without hidden defects.  A home inspection will help you identify problems you may have missed in your own evaluation of the home, and will give you the peace of mind that comes with a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/getting-a-home-inspection/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>How Long Will Low Mortgage Interest Rates Last?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[For nine consecutive weeks, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been hovering at or below record lows of 4.00 percent, pushing housing affordability for home buyers higher.  But how long will these low rates last? The Federal Reserve has vowed to keep rates low through 2013 so these rates will likely be around for a few [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/how-long-will-low-mortgage-interest-rates-last/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Several Housing Markets Head For Appreciation In 2012</title>
		<description><![CDATA[With the boom in farm prices, many Midwest cities will emerge as leaders for some of the strongest predictions for housing appreciation for 2012.  Kansas City, Kansas came in the top spot in HousingPredictor&#8217;s annual survey, forecasting an appreciation rate of 5.8% for 2012.  According to HousingPredictor, &#8220;the recovery is starting in many Midwest cities [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mndownpaymentassistance.com/2012/several-housing-markets-head-for-appreciation-in-2012/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>

