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Government National Mortgage Association

The Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA, also known as Ginnie Mae) was created by the United States Federal Government through a 1968 partition of the Federal National Mortgage Association. The GNMA is a wholly owned corporation within the United States ' Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Its main purpose is to provide financial assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers, by promoting mortgage credit.

Business

The GNMA, along with the other so-called Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), sell mortgages in the secondary market. This lets investors put money in the mortgage securities market, which increases the price of the mortgage bonds and lowers their rates, which in turn lowers the rates on mortgages in the primary market so that more people are able to buy and mortgage a home. The GNMA does this by guaranteeing the timely payment of the principal and interest payments on mortgage-backed securities.

There are several types of GNMA securities that are active in the institutional fixed income markets:

* GNMA I securities. A GNMA I (the "I" is a Roman numeral one) represents a pool of mortgages all issued by one issuer, all with the same interest rate, and all issued at around the same time (within a few months).

* GNMA II securities. A GNMA II is similar to a GNMA I, except that the mortgages can have a range of interest rates, and can include mortgages issued by more than one issuer. In this case, the service fees (see below) vary, so that the new interest rate being paid to the investor from each mortgage is the same.

* GNMA "REMIC" securities. A REMIC (Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit) is an additional level of securitization. The collateral pool for a REMIC consists not of mortgages, but of mortgage-backed securities (such as GNMA I, GNMA II, or previously issued REMICs).

Pools are created by lenders. For example, a mortgage lender may sign up 100 home mortgages in which each buyer agreed to pay a fixed interest rate of 6% for a 30-year term. The lender (who must be an approved issuer of GNMA certificates) obtains a guarantee from the GNMA and then sells the entire pool of mortgages to a bond dealer in the form of a "GNMA certificate". The bond dealer then sells GNMA mortgage-backed securities, paying 5.5% in this case, and backed by these mortgages, to investors. The original lender continues to collect payments from the home buyers, and forwards the money to a paying agent who pays the holders of the bonds. As these payments come in, the paying agent pays the principal which the home owners pay (or the amount that they are scheduled to pay, if some home owners fail to make the scheduled payment), and the 5.5% bond coupon payments to the investors. The difference between the 6% interest rate paid by the home owner and the 5.5% interest rate received by the investors consists of two components. Part of it is a guarantee fee (which GNMA gets) and part is a "servicing" fee, meaning a fee for collecting the monthly payments and dealing with the homeowner. If a home buyer defaults on payments, GNMA pays the bond coupon, as well as the scheduled principal payment each month, until the property is foreclosed. If (as is often the case) there is a shortfall (meaning a loss) after a foreclosure, GNMA still makes a full payment to the investor. If a home buyer prematurely pays off all or part of his loan, that portion of the bond is retired, or "called", the investor is paid accordingly, and no longer earns interest on that proportion of his bond.

The arrangement seemingly benefits everyone involved:

* The mortgage lender has offloaded all risk to the GNMA, and has very quickly received a reimbursement of the money lent to home buyers from the bond dealer, and can immediately use this money to offer another pool of loans to the public.

* The home-buying public benefits from lower mortgage rates caused by the large amount of lender competition, in turn caused by a large supply of lenders, which is enabled by this quick reimbursement of money.

* The lower-income home-buying public benefits from a greater willingness by lenders to risk making loans to that group.

* The investors, whose money makes all of this work in the first place, benefit from the "full faith and credit" of the United States government; GNMA bonds are backed by the pool of mortgages, and even if massive defaults were to occur, the U.S. government would make good on all payments. GNMA bonds also feature higher returns than other U.S. government issued bonds.

GNMA bonds themselves are considered risk-free from the standpoint of total default, but they are subject to risks that all other bonds have, including interest rate risk. They also have the undesirable attribute of being callable every month, meaning that, unlike other bonds, all or part of a GNMA bond might suddenly "mature" next month, if all the homeowners decided to pay off or refinance their mortgages. This does not involve a risk of loss to the investor, but rather a premature payment of the principal, and now the investor has to go look for another investment for his money. This is called prepayment risk. As a practical matter, many institutional investors find it very inconvenient to own bonds which get small principal payments every month.

The GNMA said in its 2003 annual report that over its history, it had guaranteed securities on the mortgages for over 30 million homes totaling over $2 trillion. It guaranteed $215.8 billion in these securities for the purchase or refinance of 2.4 million homes in 2003.

Welcome to Garrett Realty vacation rentals and the beautiful Beaches of South Walton ! We have a wide selection of condos and house rentals to meet any budget. Our offices are located in Seagrove Beach, Florida, but our properties are located all along the Beaches of South Walton area. We have vacation rentals located near:

Seaside Florida
Watercolor Florida
Grayton Beach
Rosemary Beach
Seagrove Beach

The Beaches of South Walton present so many wonderful options for your next beach vacation, that it can be very hard to choose. So before you book your next vacation, be sure to check out the information we have provided about the different areas, or better yet Call on of our Beaches of South Walton Vacation Experts at 800-537-5387 or send us an email at info@garrettrealty.com

Seaside Florida
Seaside is one of the most successful new urban planned communities in the country. It had stunning artichure and one of the most beautiful streches of beach in the area. The shops of Seaside are some of the best in the area and provide a real sense of community. There are nine beach pavilions, each architecturally distinctive and each a symbol of the sharing of the beach and of Seaside’s commitment to harmony with the environment. Seaside has been designated a Blue Wave Beach from the Clean Beach Council. The Blue Wave, America’s first environmental certification for beaches, recognizes responsible beach management practices, including water quality, beach and intertidal conditions, safety, services, habitat conservation, public education and erosion management.

For many that choose to spend time in Seaside, the experience is all about enjoying the long, lazy days and soaking up sun on our award wining beach. But for those that choose to tear themselves away from that beach, they find a great deal of other fun and exciting things to do. Whatever your sport, you will find it, from sailing, kayak adventures, family croquet or playing tennis with a pro. If you're a golfer, a fisherman or have an unquenchable thirst for action Seaside provides a concierge that can arrange just about any kind of activity our unique part of Northwest Florida has to offer.

Watercolor Florida
The newest addition to the Beaches of South Walton, Watercolor is another stunning example of careful planning on the part of the develope Arvida, a St. Joe company. The 499-acre resort was designed by acclaimed architect, Jaque Robertson, on St. Jow Company land.

The stunning Watercolor Inn is a prominent feature of this new community. The inn was designed by acclaimed restaurant designer, David Rockwell, the designer of over 60 Planet Hollywoods. The inn combines the warmth and hospitality of a Southern grand hotel with the intimacy of a B&B inn and the charm of classic coastal beach house. An experience you will not want to miss and will not soon forget.

WaterColor has one of the very best and newest restaurants in the area, Fish Out of Water, which prepares choice selections of the finest local seafood and prime cuts of meat in an wonderful beachside setting. The restaurant’s wine collection has over 3000 bottles, representing some 325 vineyards.
WaterColor visitors enjoy access to a variety of diversions situated throughout the 499-acre community such as Western Lake, a rare, 220-acre coastal dune lake bordered by coastal pine forests, providing canoe, kayak, and sailing excursions. Other activities include WaterColor Workout, a full-service exercise gym, Cerulean Park, linking the gulf to the lake, and Town Center, a collection of retail shops, offices, and the WaterColor Market. There are also hiking and biking paths along an extensive woodland trail system within WaterColor as well as nearby state parks offer differing perspectives of coastal dune lakes, sand pine scrub, longleaf pine flatwoods, cypress ponds, wet prairies and titi swamps.

Grayton Beach FL
A Grayton Beach vacation rental is the perfect family vacation. The historic beach village of Grayton Beach, FL ia located minutes from our offices in Seagrove Beach. A Grayton Beach rental puts you in the center of a 20-mile long stretch of spectacular beaches, with rugged dune systems, and freshwater lakes which includes the villages of Dune Allen Beach, Santa Rosa Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, WaterColor, Seaside, Seagrove Beach, Camp Creek, Seacrest Beach, Rosemary Beach, and Inlet Beach. The landscape is absolutely stunning and the ecosystem is one of the only ones of its kind in the world. A rental in Grayton Beach allows you to stay in one of the oldest beach towns in the Coastal Southeast. It is a free-willed and free-spirited place that is hard to describe, but very easy to experience! It first belonged to the Choctaw Indians, then American pioneers braving the sand, mosquitoes and wild hogs. Currently, Grayton Beach is made up mostly of southern folks and their descendants who came to Grayton to escape the speed of modern urban life.

The main attraction while staying at your Grayton Beach Rental is the beach itself. It is wide, with bright, clean sand and warm, clear Gulf water. Many first-time visitors are surprised that the water is clear and turquoise much like the Caribbean. The Western Lake of Grayton is one of a dozen or so freshwater lakes in the area that open to the Gulf, which provide a unique natural habitat and an abundance of fish and marine life. The lake extends to the beach and is a grat place for families and children to swim and play in the shallow lake adjacent the normally calm Gulf surf. There are numerous parks in the area including the beautiful Grayton Beach State Park which offers camping, cabins, boating, fishing, hiking, and more. While staying at your Grayton Beach Rental you will have access to some of the very best restaurants in the Southeast, including the unique and “must visit” Red Bar


Rosemary Beach
Inspired by the small, waterfront towns of the Caribbean, Rosemary Beach was realized by a skilled group of planners, architects and local craftsmen. Its neighborhoods form an intricate patchwork: Singular homes, open spaces and intimate courtyards, woven together by lanes, sand paths and boardwalks.
Time- and climate- tested building traditions from the West Indies and American South combine with a rich palette of colors and architectural forms. Deep eaves, shuttered sleeping porches and hipped roofs are both beautiful and functional. High ceilings allow sea breezes to circulate; open balconies offer space to appreciate the sounds of the gentle surf. Rosemary Beach is named for the native species of rosemary herb that lines our sand paths and can be found throughout our town. As you stroll along our footpaths, you will discover some delightful surprises.

Here are a few of the many fine dining choices presented to Rosemary Beach visitors:

Onano Neighborhood Cafe at Rosemary Beach is situated on the ground floor of the Pensione, a minute's walk from the beach and the beautiful blue-green water of the Gulf of Mexico. This establishment, owned and operated by Penny and Mark Dragonette, specializes in Northern Italian cuisine and features fresh local seafood, choice beef and exciting foods from the Tuscany region. Tel. 850.231.2436

Courtyard Wine & Cheese, featuring 50 wines by the glass and a wide variety of upscale wines from around the world stored in the only environmentally controlled wine store in the Panhandle. Gourmet cheeses from Europe and America priced by the pound or served by the plate. Enjoy your wine and cheese in a beautiful and unique open-air courtyard. Wireless high speed internet available. Open daily from 11 am - 11 pm. Cheers! Tel. 850.231.1219

Summer Kitchen and Blue By Night is by day a casual breakfast & lunch hangout adjacent to the Lofts East, with an eclectic menu of roll-ups, salads, sandwiches, desserts and daily specials. Nighttime brings our metamorphous into Blue by Night, serving fresh Gulf seafood at it's finest. Hours are: 8am to 10:30am CST for Breakfast & 10:30am to 3pm CST for Lunch, 7 days a week (closed Christmas day). Sesonal dinner hours are Tue - Sun, 5:30 - 9:30 pm. Please call for more information. Tel. 850.231.6264

Sugar Shak is the place to enjoy ice cream cones, shakes, malts, homemade lemonade, cookies, sodas, special candies and even real sugar cane stalks! Everything tastes better at the Sugar Shak, a fun stop for the young… and the young at heart. Tel. 850.231.3655

Seagrove Beach
Visiting Seagrove Beach is like a trip to the past. It is one of those charming old towns that families have been visiting since the 1940’s and 50s. In Seagrove Beach, you will find charming seaside cottages with wide screened front porches tucked among scrub trees which provides a cozy, peaceful retreat. Seagrove Beach also has many recreational activities to chose from such as swimming, sandcastle building, surfing, snorkeling, sunning and swimming with dolphins. At nearby Eastern and Deer Lakes you have the choice of canoeing, kayaking, picnicking, fishing or boating. For those land lovers out there are many non-beach activities as well including nearby hiking and biking trails, golf and tennis. And just down the road from Seagrove Beach you will find an amazing selection of antique stores, art galleries, unique shops, and award winning restaurants. Seagrove Beach provides a great “Home Base” to explore the other nearby beach communities, including famous Seaside, site of the 1998 Jim Carrey movie, “The Truman Show.” If you are looking for a vacation that is pure Florida at it’s best, then Seagrove Beach could be the answer to your dreams.

Garrett Realty - The Choice for Beaches of South Walton Vacation Rentals including Grayton Beach Florida Rentals, Rosemary Beach rentals, Seaside Florida rentals and Seagrove Beach rentals