One article from today sez---

The federal government wrapped up its 10th day of shutdown on Friday and sent senators on Capitol Hill into the weekend still in gridlock.

While most federal funds are frozen, a Lexington managing broker said that mortgage loans from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Housing Administration are being processed at a normal pace of 30 to 45 days. However, she believes there’s a possibility that could change if the shutdown continues.

“All the clients that we have under contract now, their FHA loans, their USDA loans are moving right along,” said Ivy Barksdale with Guide Realty.

Barksdale said her average client, who is typically a first-time home buyer, relies on federal loans from the FHA and USDA to take that next big step.

In her 16-year-long real estate career, she recalled one time when loan uncertainty on the federal level trickled down to affect her clients in Lexington. It was in 2011, and Barksdale said mortgage approvals were taking twice as long as normal.

“We’ve seen delays, week-long delays, in closing because [loan agencies] don’t have the people, or they’ve gotten backed up, so it takes longer to process,” said Barksdale.

After a couple of conversations with lenders, Barksdale said what people might experience first in the case of a longer shutdown is a longer wait time to pull important IRS documents. Without things like a tax record, federal agencies won’t approve a mortgage.

Barksdale said her lender has experienced a tax transcript delay before, but not since the government shut down on Oct. 1.

Whether the shutdown is resolved next week or next month, Barksdale said there’s one thing she does know.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen three months down the road, god forbid it lasts that long, [but] you know what’s happening today, so that’s what makes now the best time to buy,” said Barksdale.

A survey by Redfin found that one in every six people in the U.S. is delaying major purchases due to the shutdown; the majority of people have continued with normal spending.

The people I rent to that are fed employees are still working, just not getting paid right now.

Excellent question.