Home Equity Loans – Not so easy anymore!
Home Equity Loans are just not so easy for homeowners anymore
Originally Published by Adrain Sainz of the Associated Press
Hocking the house for quick cash is a lot harder than it used to be, and it’s causing headaches for homeowners, banks and the economy.
During the housing boom, millions of people borrowed against the value of their homes to remodel kitchens, finish basements, pay off credit cards, buy TVs or cars, and finance educations. Banks encouraged the borrowing, touting in ads how easy it is to unlock the cash in their homes to “live richly” and “seize your someday.”
Now, the days of tapping a house for easy money have gone the way of soaring home prices. A quarter of all homeowners are ineligible for home equity loans because they owe more on their mortgage than what the house is worth. Those who have equity in their homes are finding banks far more stingy. Many with home-equity loans are seeing their credit limits reduced dramatically.
Fortune magazine says South Florida home prices could drop another 30% in 2010
Fortune magazine says South Florida home prices could drop another 30% in 2010
In a recent article released in their December 2009 issue, Forbes Magazine and Economy.com both say that home prices in South Florida (especially Palm Beach and Broward Counties) could drop by as much as 30% from current values for 2010.
Forbes Magazine recently released their 2010 housing outlook, and quite honestly this could come as a big punch in the gut for many people who believe the markets are improving and are often heard saying that ”prices will come back” and this is big cause for concern to many of the Realtors and Mortgage Professionals that we speak to on a daily basis.