Twenty percent of all U.S. mortgages are underwater, seventy percent of Nevada mortgages have no equity. The number of underwater homes in Florida and Arizona are also pretty dismal. The only way for underwater homeowners to sell their homes is if they have some serious cash reserves, or can get the bank to approve a short sale.
This stat is pretty staggering really. The real estate market in Nevada during the boom was too drastic, and their recovery is most painful. With the way things are headed in both the national and local real estate market, it’s possible that Homes in Arlington Texas or Riverton Utah Real Estate values will decrease. We probably won’t be seeing any significant price appreciation anytime in the next decade.
Is there way we can prevent any more decline in real estate values? Is there any way that we can prevent this from happening to us?
Well… we can’t really control the external factors associated with the real estate market, the federal government has already tried that, but we can control the amount we owe on our mortgages. 30 year mortgages have only a small percentage of the payment that actually goes towards principle during the first twenty years.
One of the ways that you can easily reduce principle is with a 15 year fixed mortgage. Right now, the interest rates on 15 year fixed mortgages are at all time lows, about 4%. Refinancing to a fifteen year loan will result in a higher monthly payment, but a lot more of the payment will go towards equity.
After the one year of paying off a fifteen year mortgage the principle is reduced by five percent. This would keep your equity percentage equal with a five percent market decline.
But, this was the first year reduction. The amazing thing about amortization is that the amount, and rate, of principle payed off increases every year. During year 5, the loan amount will be reduced 7.5%, year 10, a reduction of 15%, year 14, 50.6% and year 15, it will be reduced 100%. At this point, you will actually OWN the property. With 30 year mortgages, the owner still owes 70% of the original loan value after making payments for fifteen years. 50% equity isn’t acheived until after the home owner has made payments for more than twenty years.
The attitude towards real estate investments has definitely changed in the last decade. The so called real estate investment guru’s used to recommend buying with no money down because home values always increase and savings could be used for better investments. The smart thing to do is pay off a mortgage so you can own a home free and clear. By paying down your mortgage, you are also in position that you can sell anytime you need too, or if you just want to.