Are you ready for a 40-year mortgage?

May 14
17:06

2005

Charles Essmeier

Charles Essmeier

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Real estate prices have been increasing steadily over the last five years, particularly on the East and West coasts. In parts of California, homes are selling for 33% more than they were a year ago. This has made it more difficult than ever for first-time homebuyers to purchase a home.

mediaimage

Over the years,Are you ready for a 40-year mortgage? Articles a number of new mortgage options have become available to prospective buyers that ease the burden of buying a home. Buyers can now obtain a mortgage with a variable interest rate that rises or falls with the market or even a mortgage that requires only interest payments for the first few years of the loan term. This allows buyers to make smaller payments early in the repayment schedule while purchasing a more expensive home than they otherwise might be able to afford. The payments would increase in later years, but so, presumably, would the income of the buyers, so that the home would still be within the buyers’ range of affordability.

A relatively new mortgage option that may soon adjustable rate mortgage and the interest-only mortgage in popularity is the mortgage with a 40 year term. While most mortgages offered today are for either 15 or 30 years, the 40 year mortgage has been available for nearly 20 years, but few lenders offer it as an option, as they are often reluctant to tie up their money for such a long period of time. That may change, however, as Fannie Mae has announced their intention to purchase more 40-year mortgages. With Fannie Mae purchasing more 40-year mortgages on the secondary market, lenders will probably be more willing to offer them to customers.

Interest rates will likely be somewhat higher for a 40-year mortgage than a 30-year mortgage, but the extra length of the loan term will keep the payments lower than with a traditional mortgage. Prospective buyers should be aware that they will pay more in interest on a 40-year mortgage than they will on a traditional 30-year note. Studies show that most homebuyers do not stay in their homes for anywhere near 30 years, let alone 40. This being the case, the market for 40-year mortgages may remain fairly small. But for some buyers, it may mean the difference between continuing to rent and buying the home of their dreams.

Categories:

Also From This Author

Home Loans – Identity Theft Protection Could Hurt Home Sales

Home Loans – Identity Theft Protection Could Hurt Home Sales

Identity theft has been a hot topic in the news during the last few years. Just a month or so ago, forty million credit card numbers were compromised due to a computer attack on a credit card processor. Consumers are rightly concerned, as it can take years to unravel the problems created when someone’s identity is stolen. New legislation in Texas and California, also proposed elsewhere, is designed to protect consumers by letting them put a “freeze” on their credit reports. Those in the real estate industry are worried, however, that doing so may make it difficult for some people to buy homes.
Debt Consolidation – How to Protect Your Credit Accounts from Theft

Debt Consolidation – How to Protect Your Credit Accounts from Theft

Last week, a security exploit at CardSystems Solutions, Inc, a credit card processor, may have allowed thieves to obtain as many as 40 million credit card numbers from unsuspecting victims. The theft was brought about though a virus introduced into the CardSystems that allowed external hackers to obtain access to the account information. Adding to the problem was the fact that CardSystems wasn’t supposed to have the account information at all. It appears that CardSystems “inappropriately” held onto the information after clearing the credit card transactions. At that point, the account information should have been deleted. CardSystems held onto the account information for supposed “research purposes.” Fortunately for those involved, the compromised information only included account numbers and not Social Security numbers, which would have assisted the thieves in identity theft scams. This latest security breach at a credit card processor outlines how anyone can be vulnerable to account or even identity theft. Is there anything that can be done about it?
New Bankruptcy Law – Targeting the Wrong People?

New Bankruptcy Law – Targeting the Wrong People?

Last April, President Bush enthusiastically signed into law the oddly-named Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act. This bill, representing the biggest overhaul of bankruptcy law in twenty-five years, was written in order to discourage “bankruptcy of convenience.” Proponents of the bill, which included the credit card industry, say that the bill is necessary in order to stop an avalanche of bankruptcy filings by drug users and compulsive shoppers and gamblers. The law makes it harder to have debts wiped away, requires credit counseling for those considering bankruptcy, and holds attorneys responsible for paperwork errors by their clients in bankruptcy cases. The net result will probably be chaos, as fewer attorneys will handle bankruptcy cases, credit counselors will raise their fees, and more consumers with problem debt will be clueless as to what they should do next. Adding to the confusion are some new statistics that suggest that a large number of bankruptcies that are thought to be personal are actually business bankruptcies. As a result, the new law may be unfairly targeting consumers for punishment when they are not actually the biggest part of the problem. Worse, it could be harming small businesses.