Federal Housing Finance Agency’s REO Program

Interested investors who want to acquire and rent out real-estate owned properties from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) can begin pre-qualifying for participation in the bulk REO rental program.  The FHFA, as conservator for the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, says investors can now enter the pre-qualification process to establish whether they have the financial ability and property-management capacity to bid on transactions during the initial pilot phase of the program.

“This is an important step toward increasing private investment in foreclosed properties to maximize value and stabilize communities,” said FHFA acting director Edward DeMarco. “I am grateful for the collaborative effort by the many stakeholders including investors, nonprofit organizations, and state and local government officials, who have worked together on this Initiative.”

Investors who qualify will be able to purchase pools of foreclosed properties for the purpose of turning those homes into rentals.

The pre-qualification process will identify early on which investors have the expertise to manage the properties and the financial capacity to deal with the homes for a long period of time. Investors who participate also have to sign agreements, promising to keep certain aspects of the deals confidential.