Are You Ready for a 40-year Mortgage?


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.

Over the years, 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.

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.







Related News




Conference puts focus on foreclosure amid calls for feds to ... - Daily Record (subscription)

Daily Record (subscription)

Conference puts focus on foreclosure amid calls for feds to ...
Daily Record (subscription), MD -10 hours ago
... of the mortgage mess in the midst of the biggest financial turmoil since the Great Depression. Their solution? A systematic and large-scale refinancing...

HUD expands mortgage modification program - MarketWatch

Boston Globe (registration)

HUD expands mortgage modification program
MarketWatch -12 hours ago
The new HUD rules will also help second lien holders by providing them cash settlements up front to release their liens and clear the way for a refinance...
HUD Said to Entice Banks to Enter Foreclosure Program (Update1)Bloomberg
Mortgage aid falls short, Bush admin official saysBusinessWeek
US tries new tack on housingCNNMoney.com
Seattle Post Intelligencer - EasyBourse.com
all 84 news articles

Is Now the Right Time to Refinance Your Mortgage? - Eastside Business Journal

Is Now the Right Time to Refinance Your Mortgage?
Eastside Business Journal, Washington -Nov 18, 2008
Refinancing your mortgage depends on your individual set of circumstances. For example, do you have excess credit card debt? If so, it may be possible to ...

When refinancing mortgage makes sense - Chicago Tribune

When refinancing mortgage makes sense
Chicago Tribune, United States -Nov 14, 2008
But you don't have to be in financial trouble to benefit from mortgage refinance, real estate experts say. "At this point, there are thousands of good ...

Are you an idiot to keep paying your mortgage? - Scripps News

Are you an idiot to keep paying your mortgage?
Scripps News, DC -17 hours ago
If you refinanced your home to buy a Mercedes or own another home, you won't be expected to sell them to pay your mortgage. Peter Schiff, president of Euro ...

US MBA’s Mortgage Applications Index Decreased 6.2% Last Week - Bloomberg

The Money Times

US MBA’s Mortgage Applications Index Decreased 6.2% Last Week
Bloomberg -21 hours ago
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of applications to purchase a home or refinance a loan fell 6.2 percent to 398.6 for the week ended Nov. ...
Week-to-week mortgage applications off 6.2%: MBAMarketWatch
Mortgage application volume falls 6.2 pctThe Associated Press
US mortgage purchase applications near 8-yr low-MBAReuters
Originator Times - RTT News
all 139 news articles

Rell announces: homeowners reducing monthly payments - TownTimesNews.com

Rell announces: homeowners reducing monthly payments
TownTimesNews.com, CT -1 hour ago
... November 13, announced that Connecticut homeowners using the refinancing program she created last December in response to the subprime mortgage crisis ...

CMBS Market Begins to Show Fissures - Wall Street Journal

CMBS Market Begins to Show Fissures
Wall Street Journal -15 hours ago
Property owners have been unable to refinance mortgages as they have become due, forcing defaults if existing lenders have been unwilling to extend loans ...

Should Obama name FDIC's Bair as a Special Advisor for Mortgage ... - BloggingStocks

Consumer Affairs

Should Obama name FDIC's Bair as a Special Advisor for Mortgage...
BloggingStocks -Nov 18, 2008
Although he has shown support for mortgage refinance programs aimed at achieving lower payments - - 'payment relief' in Washingtonspeak - - Paulson has ...
FDIC Revises Proposal to Refinance Troubled LoansDSNews.com
New Year US Housing Market Forecast: No Gain, More PainMoney Morning
Bair’s Testimony: More Aggressive Intervention Is NeededWall Street Journal Blogs
Boomers-Bank - CNNMoney.com
all 981 news articles

FHA Relaxes Program Rules for Homeowners - Washington Post

FHA Relaxes Program Rules for Homeowners
Washington Post, United States -8 hours ago
FHA officials said the changes, which will take effect in a few weeks, should make it easier for borrowers to refinance into more affordable fixed-rate, ...
FHA lowers limits on loansArizona Republic
all 3 news articles