The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced the maximum conforming loan limits for home loans to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2018. In most of the U.S., the 2018 maximum conforming loan limit for one-unit properties will be $453,100, an increase from $424,100 in 2017. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) requires that the baseline conforming loan limit be adjusted each year for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reflect the change in the average U.S. home price. According to FHFA's seasonally adjusted, expanded-data HPI, housing prices increased 6.8 percent, on average, between the third quarters of 2016 and 2017. Therefore, the baseline maximum conforming loan limit in 2018 will increase by the same percentage.
In addition, the new maximum loan limit for one-unit properties in high-cost areas will be $679,650 — or 150 percent of $453,100. Areas which exist between the base limits and maximum high-cost areas may have increased as well. For a list of the 2018 maximum loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the U.S. click here. It is expected that FHA and VA will follow suit with increased loan limits.
Source: The FHFA