What Bush's Re-Election Means For Housing

"What were the two biggest homebuying and mortgage issues affected by this month's elections? Chalk up a big win for settlement-cost reform -- streamlining the expensive, paper-laden and poorly understood procedures used by Americans to close a home purchase or settle a mortgage...Chalk up a big loss, however, for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two largest suppliers of mortgage money in the country. A Kerry administration was certain to handle both congressionally chartered, private mortgage investors far more gently than a second Bush administration. Now it looks like four more rough years for Fannie and Freddie."