Every week we hear about historically low rates on home loans. 30-year fixed loans are available with interest rates well below 5%, and they’re still going lower! 15 and 20-year loans offer even lower rates. Interest rates like these would have home buyers lining up to buy any available real estate in any other market. So who is getting these super low interest home loans? Very, very few people. What’s wrong?
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. Homeowners who bought their houses when values were higher now owe more than their homes are worth. Even those who bought their homes several years ago are now under water because they took out cash when they refinanced their homes or got second mortgages.
Banks will only make loans of some percentage – 80% up to 97.5% - of a home’s current value. The thousands of people who owe more than their homes are worth can’t pay off their old loan with the proceeds from a new loan. That’s true for a refinance or for selling one house and buying another. Unless a homeowner can come up with the cash to make up the shortfall, they’re stuck, no matter how well qualified they are.
In this economy the unemployment rate is high, but as concerning is the length of time it has been so high. Many homeowners have been out of work for an extended period of time. There are also a lot of people who are working jobs that are far below their qualifications - and pay less - or working part time jobs. Somehow many of these people are making ends meet in spite of the challenges. They’ve found creative solutions, including starting their own businesses, cutting back on spending and sending stay-at-home parents back into the work force. 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. Contract work is not considered stable until it has a two year history, even if the work is in the same field that the person was originally employed in.
Lending standards have risen. 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. This isn’t a comfortable time for a beginner to take the plunge.
So those tantalizing interest rates that we keep hearing about in the news remain just out of reach. Something that’s technically true, but simultaneously too good to be true.
If you are one of those in a position to buy a new home in California, this is the time to do it. Once the market turns around, interest rates will rise quickly. San Marcos new homes
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