According to this article, published on AOL’s real estate section, if a homeowner simply “walks away” from a mortgage, Fannie Mae is raising the stakes.  Here is a short quote from the article:

Here’s the breakdown for eligibility depending on how you got out of your last mortgage:
Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure> — reduced from four years to two years if you can put down 20 percent on your house, four years if you can only put down 10 percent.

Preforeclosure Sale — remains at two years if you can put down 20 percent, four years if you can only put down 10%.

Short Sale — will be the same as pre-foreclosure sale. Currently there are no set rules for short sale.

Strategic Default (Walk Away) — seven years.