In order to help stabilize the housing market and home prices, the Federal Housing Agency has decided to extend their anti-flipping waiver until December 31, 2012. The Acting FHA Commissioner, Carol J. Galante, said, “This extension is intended to accelerate the resale of foreclosed properties in neighborhoods struggling to overcome the possible effects of abandonment and blight. FHA remains a critical source of mortgage financing and stability and we must make every effort to promote recovery in every responsible way we can.”

There are certain conditions outlined by the FHA that home sales must meet in order to be eligible for the FHA anti-flipping waiver:

-“All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.” The property should be marketed openly and fairly.

-“In cases in which the sales of the property is greater than 20 percent above the seller’s acquisition cost, an FHA-approved mortgage is eligible for the waiver only if the mortgage justifies the increase in value…and orders a property inspection.” The inspection must show that there were significant improvements made to the house.

-“Only forward mortgages are eligible for the waiver. Mortgages insured under HUD’s HECM program are ineligible for the waiver.”

You may want to check with your insurance company to find out what changes are coming your way. Homeowners are seeing a 4 to 8 percent increase in their rates depending on their policy. Insurance companies have been seeking, and winning, rate increase approval in states around the nation. Even people who have never made a claim on their insurance are seeing an increase in their rates.

There are two main reasons why insurance rates continue to rise. Devastating weather events and insurance fraud (like roofing scams) have hit cash reserves hard and insurance companies are now looking to make up the difference. The weather you heard about in last year’s news may cause a problem this year, too. In 2011, there were more federal disaster declarations than there have ever been—99 cases to be exact. Disasters ranged from the February blizzards, the tornado in Joplin, Hurricane Irene, wildfires, flooding, and 646 tornadoes. Between January and September, the insured losses totaled $32.6 billion. The Insurance Information Institute reports that this is about double the average. This means that insurers have to pay out approximately $1.85 for every dollar they make.

Insurance frauds are another problem. Sometimes homeowners themselves make faulty claims that raise the rates for everybody. However, such claims are often not the fault of homeowners. States that do not require their contractors to be licensed are seeing an especially high number of fraudulent claims. A roofer, who became a roofer yesterday, may offer to inspect a roof after a storm, and then cause damage in order to make a claim and get money. When this happens, insurers have to pay out money, and then recoup their losses. This can be troublesome for everybody.

When you live on a budget, it can be hard to afford a designer room in your home. There are tricks you can use to make your home look like something you would see in a magazine, without the hefty price tag.

1. 1. Don’t be afraid of neutral.

When you want a new design style for your room, it is much easier and cheaper to change out accessories than buy new furniture and carpeting. Neutral can seem boring to some people, but if you use beige and tan on big ticket items, and save your color for small items and paint color, you can easily change your design when it suits you.

1. 2. Redesign what you already own.

See what you have in your home and find a new use for it, or, simply change its look. If you have a piece of furniture that looks outdated, you can paint it a new color. You can also stencil a design on a piece of furniture to make it look fun and trendy.

There is a new way to make money that originated in Europe, but has now made its way into the United States - renting out your driveway to strangers for parking. It may sound like an odd concept, but there are instances that make renting your driveway convenient for people and profitable for you. However, before jumping onto this new money-maker, consider the following factors.

Look At Your Insurance

Does your homeowner’s insurance allow you to run a business out of your home? You will need protection if someone should get injured on your property. This would not only include renting your driveway, but a room in your home. Typical homeowner’s liability insurance may not be enough for this endeavor.

Talk With an Accountant

Find out and keep track of expenses that you can deduct from your taxes. Keep receipts, and discuss your business with an accountant. Any business you run out of your home will need to be kept separate from your personal taxes.