Short Term Homeowners And The Interest Only Mortgages

Short-Term Homeowners and Interest Only Loans


Let's assume that you're one of the new age consumers, who fit into the fastest growing segment of the mortgage market today, the interest only mortgage. It is time to you to secure a mortgage, and there are several loan options that can be tied to the features you desire; you're particularly interested in the interest only feature that seems so appealing to many consumers today. But have you stopped to question why the interest only feature has become so popular with consumers today? Are you aware that it is a re-born feature laid to rest in the great depression of the 20s?
Have you stopped to examine the purpose of the interest only loan and what purpose it will serve in your particular situation? The original intent of the interest only mortgage was to make home ownership more appealing to young couple; not every prospective buyer, however, is a young person looking to buy home. Careful evaluation of your situation and the interest only mortgage must be performed in order to secure the best mortgage possible.
Let's take a look at the original intent of the interest only mortgage, and the greatest benefactor in the interest only mortgage segment: the short term homeowner. The idea behind the interest only mortgage product was to give the short-term homeowner a race in the buy home, with or down payment requirements associated with the standard mortgage. This idea worked so well, that now almost every kind of homeowner is exercising their interest only mortgage option. As it was only ever really intended to benefit the short term homeowner, the interest only mortgage product is currently used as a means to buy "more home for less money".
The appeal to the short term homeowner segment of the market was a way to grow the housing industry, since this particular type of buyer, normally only rented. In most short-term home ownership, situations, the buyers are young professionals in the beginning years of their career, who have tremendous potential, and almost always a guarantee of purchase from their company should their home remain unsold after one year on the open market. As you can see, the consumer who was initially targeted for this type of loan would truly see a benefit from the interest only mortgage product. Today, however, the consumer actually applying for the interest only mortgage product is a consumer who seems to be spending beyond their income means.
What we have discovered, with today's consumer there is an overwhelming tendency to purchase more home than can possibly be afforded; the reasoning behind such a purchase? Since the term of the interest only segment of the loan will normally run three to five years, many homeowners are borrowing based on "anticipated earnings". Quite often, the anticipated earnings never materialize, and at the end of a five year interest only term, the homeowner is left with a much higher mortgage payment minus the increased earnings.
As with many other modern-day products packaged and sold to the consumer, it sometimes is not always the wisest choice, the best buy, or the greatest benefit to simply follow suit; sometimes, educating yourself as a consumer is a much better, and a much more affordable choice.
The long-term, homeowner purchasing to procure a safe haven from which he or she can retire and be assured of a decent home, is not a benefactor, nor suggested candidate for the interest only mortgage product; however, in the attempt to grow this product into a larger share of the mortgage market, many interest only loans have been advertised as ways to pay off credit card debt, avoid a down payment, and create greater tax savings at the end of the year. None of these reasons, within itself would be a "good" reason to purchase an interest only mortgage product.
Many of the local lending institutions, especially the banking industry, have shied away from the open arms welcome that the interest only product received in the mortgage company circle, simply because the loans are a riskier prospect, and many times consumers aren't as educated about the choices they are making. When you misuse a product, you begin to run into problems, and create a potentially dangerous market situation.