That said, dug into the data and determined that the top 12 places to buy a home are currently Texas and North Carolina (and Portland, I guess youвЂ™re okay too or whatever). ThereвЂ™s a running joke in Austin that if there is a list of вЂњbest places to ,вЂќ weвЂ™re on it, and the joke causes eye rolls instead of humility (weвЂ™re sore winners and sore losers in this town). (REALUOSO.COM) вЂ“ Let us first express that although we are completely biased about Texas (weвЂ™re headquartered here, I personally grew up here), the data is not вЂ“ Texas is the best. Homeowners continue to struggle, and as has been offered during the holidays in recent years, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and major lenders are hitting the pause button on evictions so homeowners can relax for a moment, but struggling homeowners must remember that evictions resume in January, and after a foreclosure freeze, lenders may not be as forgiving. The takeawayДЄlthough housing is showing signs of improvement, foreclosures continue to remain elevated, at nearly three times their pre-recession levels. The Federal Housing Administration also announced a foreclosure freeze on federally insured homes in areas of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island that were hit by the storm. Superstorm Sandy victims see reliefДЄfter Superstorm Sandy hit, Fannie and Freddie announced a suspension in evictions for 90 days for borrowers with loans backed by either government-sponsored entity.

Edwards urges struggling homeowners to call Fannie as soon as possible.ДЄlthough evictions will be halted, freezing foreclosures does not stop the filing of foreclosure documents, and evictions will continue immediately after the freeze is lifted.

вЂњThe holidays are a chance to be with loved ones and we want to relieve some stress at this time of year,вЂќ said Terry Edwards, an Executive Vice President in Fannie MaeвЂ™s credit management division, in a statement. The freeze applies to homeowners in a single-family property and in apartments with up to four units that are financed by a mortgage from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.ДЇannie and Freddie will freeze foreclosures from December 19th through January 2nd, 2013, and Chase will suspend all evictions from December 19th through January 1st, 2013.

Freezing foreclosures for the holiday seasonДЄccording to Fannie Mae, they will be freezing foreclosures by halting evictions during the holidays, along with Freddie Mac, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, as has been true in recent years.

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