ShareAs expected, FHA published its 2020 loan limits on December 3, 2019. Mortgagee Letter 2019-19pdf includes links to all the limits, with the high-cost limit the same as the GSE limit at $765,600. The FHA floor (the lowest FHA limit) also rose to $331,760. Nearly every county in the country saw an increase in their loan limits.
The way that loan limits are calculated, all counties within the same Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) benefit from the highest limit in that MSA. Over the last year, the government changed some definitions of MSAs. The result is that 11 counties, who were removed from their nearest MSA, will see decreases in their loan limits. View the list of 11 countiespdf showing decreases in their loan limits.
Communities that wish to contest their loan limit only have 30 days to do so by contacting by providing the Santa Ana Homeownership Center with sufficient housing sales price data, listing one-family properties sold in an area within the look-back period, January through August of the previous year. Requests should differentiate between single-family residential properties, and condominiums or cooperative housing units. Ideally, the data provided should also distinguish between distressed and non-distressed sales. Requests for a change will only be considered for counties for which HUD does not already have home sales transaction data for the calculation of Mortgage limits.
Look up your 2020 loan limit (be sure to specify 2020). These limits are effective from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020.