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Teaser Rates
August 19, 2010 by man
Filed under Michigan Refinance
Every week we hear about historically low rates on home loans. Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages are well below 5% and still falling! At any other time, interest rates like these would have jump started the real estate market from a standstill to a frenzy in no time. But now very few people are taking advantage of these low, low home loan rates. Why is that?
The biggest problem is that a lot of homeowners are upside down on their mortgages. Property values have fallen significantly in the last few years. Many homeowners are finding that their homes are worth less now than when they bought them. Cash out refinances have exacerbated the problem, and sometimes even caused homeowners to owe more than the current value of their home.
The maximum loan amount is typicallly a percentage of a home’s current value – current value being the key word. It’s not possible for people to pay off their old loan with proceeds from a new loan with a lower balance. Whether you want to sell your house and buy another, or just refinance the one you have, this is a deal breaker. So even if they are well qualified borrowers, unless they can come up with the cash for the shortfall, they’re stuck.
Unemployment Rates have been very high for a very long time. There are more than a few people who have been out of work for years. Many more are underemployed – working part time jobs or jobs far below their qualifications and income. In spite of this, a lot of them are making ends meet somehow. They’ve cut back on spending, stay-at-home moms have gone back to work, and they’ve started their own businesses. Still, proving to a lender that they can make payments on the new proposed loan is difficult. And this in spite of the fact that they can show that they’ve been successfully making payments on their existing loan at a higher interest rate! Even for those who have sufficient income, changes in employment can make it difficult to qualify. Two years of steady employment in the same field is considered standard by most lenders. Borrowers who switched to a different field because they couldn’t find work in their chosen field, or borrowers who took a contract position won’t qualify until they have a two year history to show.
The standards for qualifying for a loan have become more stringent. The fact that lending practices were too lenient, causing the large number of defaults that we’ve seen is to blame. As a result, lending requirements have become much tougher. They want to see higher credit scores and lower debt ratios than they did years ago. If a homeowner has been keeping it together through falling home values, employment problems and other challenges, the chances that they have near-perfect credit and lots of money in the bank is slim.
First time buyers face all of these problems, except for being upside down on their mortgages. There are not many first time buyers out there with great credit, a hefty down payment and sufficient verifiable income. Fear of losing their jobs or of home prices falling further has detered many of those who actually are in a good position to buy a home. Buying your first home is a scary experience. The current economic conditions don’t make it easy to take that risk.
So while we all drool at the latest reports of historically low interest rates, they remain just out of reach for most. An enticing treat that we can see and smell but not taste.
If you are one of those in a position to buy a new home in San Diego, this is the time to do it. Once the market turns around, interest rates will rise quickly. New homes San Marcos
