There’s always something to howl about.

The First Rule of Fraud Club Is, Don’t Talk About Fraud Club

Well, it looks like the Down Payment Assistance Programs are dead.  Countrywide is usually the bellwether for any  “out on a limb” lending and they sent me an e-mail today, telling me to “get my deals in” by Friday.  Specifically, my down payment assistance transactions have to be locked by Friday and approved by a DE underwriter on Monday.  Files are taking 3-4 days in underwriting so for all practical purposes, I’m out of the down payment assistance business as of 5PM, today.

That’s okay.  I haven’t used these programs since 9-11 so I won’t miss out.  Lower end home prices might get walloped next month, as the pool of unsuspecting buyers disappears, but we might just have a few more tricks up our sleeve.

Did you understand how those programs worked?  You can read about how we got around the  law by calling sellers “owners of participating homes” here.  If it sounds a lot like the disclaimer that escorts use (escorts sell time; what happens between consenting adults is private), it’s because the same principle of “winking” at the law is employed.

The Rules of Fraud Club:

The first rule of Fraud Club is, don’t talk about Fraud Club.

The second rule is, you DO NOT talk about Fraud Club.

It would appear that this movie is about over.  But wait, there’s a sequel!  This one is called the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.  Essentially, it’s a $7,500 tax credit, that must be repaid, over 15 years to the Federal Government.  If you’re buying a $200,000 home, that $7,500 covers your downpayment for a FHA loan.  While “borrowing” downpayment monies are disallowed on loan programs, the first-time homebuyer tax credit is essentially an interest-free, government loan.  The problem with this “trick” is that the buyers can’t get that credit BEFORE they close on the new home.

Hmmm…now, how do we get that money into the buyers’ pockets before April 15, 2009?  I’ll bet that the downpayment assistance charities will find a way.  Look for Nehemiah and AmeriDream to morph into “tax refund lenders”, some time this fall.  Why?

Because, everyone knows the last two rules of Fraud Club

This is a satirical piece about the various incentives used in the real estate industry to prop up real estate.  I defended down payment assistance programs, a few months back, in a Jesuit moment.  Down payment assistance programs were a great way to get buyers into homes.  I used them extensively, in the late 90s.  These programs allowed many folks to build wealth, through real estate ownership.  I have no real problem with them or the other laws and loopholes our government offers, to continue the dream of home ownership.  While I may disagree with them philosophically, I aggressively operate within the letter of the law to do my job; get qualified buyers into homes.  I just wish we would stop pretending they’re something else.

The opinion of this article is solely that of the author’s.  His opinions do not reflect that of the other contributing authors, their companies, or employers.  Mr. Brady’s opinion is not that of the owner of this site nor the owners of Bloodhound Realty.