Boston Real Estate & Condos
Loading...
Mortgage rates bounced higher again this week, making homebuying even more expensive at the start of the all-important spring market.
With home prices skyrocketing, any rise in rates knocks even more potential buyers out of the running, and yet somehow the housing market is more competitive than ever.
Original Boston Real Estate Blog Post
The long-term mortgage, which began as a Depression-era remedy to keep Americans in their homes, may be out of step, given the current housing crisis.
American Homeownership
American homeowners, it turns out, have a very sweet deal to buy their home sweet homes, with the government being their candy man. For instance, America is nearly alone in not charging a fee for paying off mortgages early. And it’s one of the most liberal countries in allowing interest to be tax-deductible.
Could it be time to say good-bye to the popular 30-year mortgage?
“The 30-year mortgage is outdated, the standard fixed-rate mortgage is outdated, and it has to be improved,” housing expert Robert J. Shiller told CNBC. Shiller is Yale University professor and author, who is best known for co-creating the S&P/Case-Shiller Housing Indices, which track home prices in the United States. “People want a more modern vehicle, and that’s something we need to think about next,” Schiller said.
The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage — the bedrock of American home ownership — but for how long?
Boston Real Estate and the Bottom Line
Once Americans look more closely at this country’s housing situation, they may realize, and maybe even be surprised by, the fact that even though the US leads the world in 30-year mortgages, it doesn’t in home ownership.
Your thoughts?