If you're thinking about buying a house this summer, it might make sense to pay close attention to upcoming changes slated for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The changes officially take place Oct. 1, so that means you'll need to have your loan in place well before the end of September. The changes won't impact all counties, but most of the metro-area counties will see meaningful declines in FHA-backed loan limits. In Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, for example, the proposed loan limits will fall from $365,000 to $318,550.

These changes are part of an ongoing effort to get the government out of the loan business and to increase lending from the private sector, which has played a diminished role in mortgage lending since the housing crash. A story in the Wall Street Journal today includes more details and there's an interactivegraphic that let's you see the proposed changes in your county.