Still looking for help with your mortgage loan? The government has extended its Home Affordable Refinance Program for another year. The refinance program was set to expire in June, but the Obama administration hopes that a larger chunk of distressed homeowners can be helped.

Originally the government had hoped that about 5 million homeowners would be helped by the program. So far about 200,000 have gotten help with troubled mortgage loans.

Who knows if the new timetable will result in more people being able to stay in their homes. Some homeowners who thought they qualified for the program were unable to refinance because they were too underwater on their mortgages. Others gave up efforts to get help after getting little assistance from mortgage loan servicers that scrambled to keep up with the demand.

Hopefully mortgage lenders and loan servicers can make more progress with the extra time. They’ve had ample time to work out snags such as updating computer systems, adding more workers, and getting guidance on how to deal with second liens and other complications.

Homeowners who have been discouraged about getting help might want to make another attempt to contact their mortgage loan servicer to discuss their options.

The percentage of mortgage loans that were delinquent at the end of the fourth quarter 2009 fell to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.47% from 9.64% the previous quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The data seem to indicate that fewer homeowners are getting behind on mortgage loan payments.

Included in the figure are loans that are at least one payment past due, but not loans in the foreclosure process. There were 4.58% mortgage loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the fourth quarter. The survey recorded the highest combined percentage (15.02%) of mortgage loans that were in foreclosure and at least one payment behind.

The data give some hope that the housing market could be improving. Jay Brinkmanm, MBA’s chief economist, said in a statement:

The continued and sizable drop in the 30-day delinquency rate is a concrete sign that the end may be in sight.  We normally see a large spike in short-term mortgage delinquencies at the end of the year due to heating bills, Christmas expenditures and other seasonal factors.  Not only did we not see that spike but the 30-day delinquencies actually fell by 16 basis points from 3.79 percent to 3.63 percent … If the normal seasonal patterns hold for the first quarter, we should see an even steeper drop in the end of March data.

Time will tell if more homeowners will avoid becoming delinquent on loans or ending up in foreclosure. Unemployment rates are still high and some people who have been without a job for a long time have given up on finding anything and dropped out of the work force. So until more people find steady full-time employment, the housing recovery is still on shaky ground.

Drew Myers of Zillow and Geek Estate recently asked me if I’d be interested in hosting the Carnival of Real Estate.  Naturally I was excited that he thought of our site and eager to participate since we’ve been active contributors for a while now but have not yet hosted.  Without further adieu, here’s the submissions for this week’s Carnival of Real Estate.

Julie Broad presents Networking Your Way to Real Estate Investing Success « posted at Life as Real Estate Investors.

Bob Schwartz, CRS, GRI presents San Diego Real Estate 2010 Forecast posted at San Diego real estate market blog.

Marty Millner presents Real Estate property tax appeal update, Bucks County, Pa. posted at Bucks County area real estate update.

Donna Johnston presents Charlotte Sucks* posted at Talk Charlotte Real Estate Blog.

Alison Paoli presents Best-Performing Cities of 2009 posted at Zillow Blog – Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News.

Chris Lang presents Selling your house: 12 tips for a beautiful home that will capture all the possible buyers. posted at Home I Own.

DR presents A Buyer’s Guide to Rent to Own Homes posted at The Dough Roller.

David McDougal presents Real Estate Alert: Are You Ready For Google+Trulia | Digital Pure, LLC posted at SEO, Local Search, PPC, Design Talk | Digital Pure, LLC.

SVB presents Rent vs Buy A House: How To Evaluate Your Options posted at The Digerati Life.

Jonathan Dalton presents Phoenix Real Estate REOs, Short Sales and Traditional Sales posted at Phoenix Real Estate | Phoenix Homes for Sale | All Phoenix Real Estate.

Claudia Gonella presents What’s the cheapest real estate you can find in a master planned community in Central America? posted at International real estate in Central America.

Dan Green presents Comparing The Fed Funds Rate To 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgages posted at The Mortgage Reports.