Tag: financing

About the money

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New Survey Finds Misconceptions About Down Payments Keeping People From Purchasing Homes​

One of the main reasons people aren’t buying homes is they think they can’t afford it—especially the down payment. But, as it turns out, there are plenty of buyers out there who actually can afford to purchase a home, but their misconceptions about affordability are holding them back from making a move.

According to a recent survey from lender Laurel Road, 53% of Americans are concerned about their ability to afford a home. But a lot of that concern is because they don’t know what their options are.

A solid 58% of Americans surveyed said they planned to put down a 20% payment on a home, but 35% (and 46% of millennials) didn’t think they could afford to save that kind of down payment. But with alternative lending options, you don’t need 20% in order to buy a home! According to the National Association of Realtors, the median down-payment for first-time buyers is at 6%—significantly less than the 20% the majority of Americans believe they need in order to purchase a home.

The Takeaway

Your misconception about how much you need for a down payment could be holding you back from purchasing property. Explore the alternative loan options available to you and make your dream of owning a home a reality!

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Can we avoid becoming like them?

Alana Semuels for The Atlantic asks “Can Portland Avoid Repeating San Francisco’s Mistakes?”

“This city that prides itself on being different has been experiencing a problem all too common of late. It used to be unique, people say, a utopia where people could get tattoos and ride their bikes everywhere and just be weird. Portland was so affordable, as the slogan went, that young people went there to retire.

Then the city got “discovered,” people started flocking here, the tech companies came, and Portland became more expensive. Oregon has been the top destination for people to move to for three years in a row, according to United Van Lines.”

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Dealing with Financing

As the events of the last few years in the real estate industry show, people forget about the tremendous financial responsibility of purchasing a home at their peril. Here are a few tips for dealing with the dollar signs so that you can take down that “for sale” sign on your new home.

Get pre-approved. Sub-primes may be history, but you’ll probably still be shown homes you can’t actually afford. By getting pre-approved as a buyer, you can save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can’t afford. You can also put yourself in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Unlike pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history. By doing a thorough analysis of your actual spending power, you’ll be less likely to get in over your head.

Choose your mortgage carefully. Used to be the emphasis when it came to mortgages was on paying them off as soon as possible. Today, the debt the average person will accumulate due to credit cards, student loans, etc. means it’s better to opt for the 30-year mortgage instead of the 15-year. This way, you have a lower monthly payment, with the option of paying an additional principal when money is good. Additionally, when picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points (a portion of the interest that you pay at closing) in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you plan to stay in the house for a long time—and given the current real estate market, you should—taking the points will save you money.

Do your homework before bidding. Before you make an offer on a home, do some research on the sales trends of similar homes in the neighborhood – ask me to help with that. It’s my job! Consider especially sales of similar homes in the last three months. For instance, if homes have recently sold for 5 percent less than the asking price, your opening bid should probably be about 8 to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking.

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Nearly 75% of First Time Buyers Purchased Home With Less Than 20% Down Payment​

Most first time buyers believe that in order to purchase their first home, they need to come up with a sizeable down payment—typically 20%.

But the truth is, you can buy a home for a lot less and, in fact, most first time buyers are.

According to the most recent REALTORS® Confidence Index from the National Association of Realtors®, a whopping 72% of first time buyers purchased their home with a down payment of less than 20%.

So what’s changed? While 20% used to be the standard in order to secure a loan, options like FHA loans are more lenient with their requirements. As long as a first time buyer has the financial stability to support their mortgage payments in the long term, they can get approved—even if they aren’t able to save a substantial amount for their down payment.

The Takeaway

If you’re thinking about purchasing a home but have been putting it off to save a substantial down payment, there’s no reason to wait. With the flexible loan options on the market, you can secure a loan with a far smaller down payment than you’d imagine—and make your dream of owning a home a reality.