Lowering the federal funds rate might not have the immediate intended effect of making it easier for people to buy a house. There are many other hurdles to buyers trying to obtain financing. As the secondary market for mortgage-backed securities has dried up, many lenders large and small have disappeared. According to the Mortgage Lending Implode-o-meter, 130 lenders have gone out of business or have been bought out. Greenpoint Mortgage owned by Capital One was shut down just yesterday.
There are very few lenders issuing subprime or Alt-A loans. These are loans that many people turned to in the last few years as home prices increased dramatically. These lenders had expanded guidelines that allowed self-employed and lower credit borrowers to obtain financing. They are also where many borrowers found 100% financing. Even prime lenders have tightened their guidelines significantly in the past months in response to investor fears of mortgage defaults. Many have increased credit score and down payment requirements. They have also required borrowers to have more money in reserves as well.
Unfortunately with fewer places to find a mortgage, and with much tighter guidelines at the remaining lenders, many buyers are now out of the market. A rate drop may help the people who already qualify to afford a larger home, but it won’t necessarily bring more buyers into the market.
As it has become more difficult to obtain financing, it has become even more important to have an Integrated Agent in your corner. When anyone could get a loan, deals didn’t fall apart on financing as often as they had historically. Now that borrowing has become more difficult, our track record of closing 98% of our purchases will stand above the rest. Find out more about Integrated Agency and myself at www.seanday.net.
