Financing Options For The Housing Market Crash

However, hope might be on the horizon for the victims of the mortgage disaster of 2007/2008. Home buyers who were foreclosed upon years ago, or boomerang buyers, are beginning to be eligible to buy homes again. While some feel hope after feeling bamboozled by lenders and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, some feel anxious and fearful of the thought of buying again. Yet there are lessons that have been learned by the mortgage meltdown. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provided a lesson for the

Why would these Boomerang Buyers want to jump back into homeownership and at what cost would they “buy” another home? It’s understood that the American Dream of homeownership runs deep in the American belief system. Even people who have experienced foreclosure in the past, still dream of owning another home of their own even BEFORE they move from the foreclosed home. Why is this so important to Americans? The answer is partly based on marketing and myths that have been around for many years. The ability for one to create a pathway back to homeownership is varied and like many things, has potholes along the road. From predatory lenders to landlords who participate in rent to own or owner financing

The housing crisis of the late 2000s rocked the economy and changed the landscape of the real estate business for years to come. Decades of people purchasing houses unfordable houses and properties with lenient loans policies led to a collective housing bubble. When the banking system faltered and the economy wilted, interest rates were raised, mortgages increased, and people lost their jobs amidst the chaos. This all culminated in tens of thousands of American losing their houses to foreclosures and short sales, as they could no longer afford the mortgage payments on their homes. The United States entered a recession and homeownership no longer appeared to be a feasible goal as many questioned whether the country could continue to support a middle-class. Former home owners became renters and in some cases homeless as the American Dream was delayed with no foreseeable return. While the future of the economy looked bleak, conditions gradually improved. American citizens regained their jobs, the United States government bailed out the banking industry, and regulations were put in place to deter such events as the mortgage crash from ever taking place again. The path to homeowner ship has been forever altered, as loans in general are now more difficult to acquire and can be accompanied by a substantial down payment.

The Federal Housing Authority has put a similar plan together called the “Back to Work Program” which can help the buyer return to the housing market in as little as one year if the buyer is able to meet certain guidelines. The guidelines included in the “Back to Work Program” are: the buyer must pay their bills on time, had a 20 percent reduction in income, and a minimum credit score of 620. The “Back to Work Program”, has strict guidelines to make sure that the buyer is responsible, they must pay their bills on time and cannot miss one payment, or else they will be ineligible for the program. The 20 percent reduction in income must be demonstrated to be in the result of loss of employment and the reduction in income must be for a duration of 6 months. The Federal Housing Authority primarily requires the boomerang buyerthat is purchasing a home to have an hour long credit counseling session with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, after the session is completed a plan is created for the buyer.

Boomerang buyers who are returning to the housing market is great for the American economy. Former President Bill Clinton once said, “If you live long enough, you 'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you 'll be a better person. It 's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.” Boomerang buyers are the individuals that did not quit. Just seven years ago, these people lost their homes and most likely, ruined their credit at the same time. For those who are now in a position to buy a home again, it really says a lot about their character. The hope is that they have learned from their mistakes and are ready to take on the

potential homeowners to purchase their own homes. Loans that had at one point been impossible

When the housing bubble burst in 2007, 7.3 million borrowers lost their homes due to foreclosure or short sale. These “boomerang buyers” are slowly but surely recovering from financial setbacks and reentering the housing market. Conventional lenders have seasoning requirements that prevent buyers from obtaining a new mortgage until they have repaired their credit: a seven-year window for foreclosures and four years for short sales.

Renting to own can be a valuable solution to the boomerang buyer with tainted credit. The benefits far outweigh the other options for these buyers. During a 3 to 5 year period of renting a home, an individual’s credit can improve and open up possibilities of homeownership. This allows the potential homeowner time to prove they are reliable. Since a foreclosure stays on your credit report for 7 years the person is going to need a place to stay. With a “foreclosure” attached to their name they will not be able to hop into another house right away. This is the perfect window for someone to get his or her feet back under themselves while chipping away at owning another home.

Now enter the “Boomerang Buyer” (BB). This is a relatively new term that we are hearing more and more often. One of the newest trends in the Real Estate market today, is the reemergence of these gun-shy homebuyers. “Boomerang Buyers” are those people who lost their residence when the economy crashed due to reduced or loss of income or other unforeseen hardship and have since tried to re-build their credit, and save a down payment to re-enter the buyer’s market.

First of all, the rent to own option is a superb option that allows the renters to apply the monthly rent to the purchase of the house. Renting to own, otherwise known as a lease-option, allow those people that are not in the

After the bursting of the United States housing bubble, many homeowners found themselves in a dire situation. Following the dot-com bubble burst, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates, meaning credit was cheap. Lower lending standards also meant that consumers with not-so-great credit were suddenly able to attain adjustable rate mortgages with a minimum of money down and easy initial terms. In 2004, approaching the pinnacle of the housing market’s climb, former Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, actually encouraged Americans to take out adjustable rate mortgages. Then, as 2006 came, Americans saw the housing market reach its peak and subsequently plummet downward. As a result, it became difficult to impossible forthe borrowers

When paying the commission of a realtor is no longer an issue, the seller is more likely to pass along the savings to the buyer and lowers the price of a home even more. Once both parties agree on a “rent-to-own” payment option, the potential monetary saving that is available to the buyer develops into realistic saving and also the development of investment.

Several years ago, many of us could not imagine mortgage meltdown ending. It seemed as if the foreclosures/short sales were increasing and the American dream of buying a home was decreasing. Many people felt hopeless and cheated when it came to the economy’s poor status due to the housing crash. Many lessons were learned from the collapse and although it may seem hard to believe, there were silver linings in the mistakes made during the mortgage meltdown. Today, real estate buyers are benefiting from the past mistakes and have more confidence in their home buying purchases.

The Housing Disaster and subsequent Great Recession of 2007 were predicted by several well-known Economists, although it still caught a majority of the Country and World by surprise! I wasn’t prepared for this economic shock either, as I had just finished real estate school and passed my State and National licensing exams during the previous year. It was a tough start to a real estate business but proved valuable in the lessons I learned during those next several years.

Brooklyn, NY – December 30, 2009 Foreclosures continue to rise drastically across the United States due to the recession, and have effected, and continue to affect thousands of families and individuals every day. One aspect we must take into consideration is that most people are not informed of what foreclosure means, or the process, even those who are homeowners. I believe that one step to preventing foreclosure is to educate first-time homebuyers. In addition, first-time homebuyer programs should not only assist potential buyers with financially preparing them to buy a home, but to keep the home once