Tag Archives: guides
Debt is not holding back graduates in the US buying a home, new research shows
Having a lot of student debt doesn't greatly reduce young people's chances of home ownership in the United States, as long as they graduate, a new analysis has found. The findings challenge a popular concern that giant student loan payments are holding back people from home ownership. As it turns out, graduates' debt loads don't materially hurt their chances of buying a home, especially if they get at least a four year degree. Overall student debt has only a small negative effect on the odds of home ownership for a person with a bachelor's degree or higher, according to the research from real estate firm Zillow. The chances of a married couple with no student debt owning a home are about 69.8% if at least one of them has a bachelor's degree. If the same couple has $30,000 in student debt, their homeownership chances drop slightly, to 67.7%. ‘The income advantage of getting a degree pays off in terms of being able to buy a home in the long run. Student debt isn't the evil-doer it's made out to be, at least not when it comes to homeownership,’ said Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell. ‘As long as students stay in school and get a degree, student debt doesn't deter them from homeownership, although it is possible that student debt could delay home ownership. People in their 20s and 30s are renting longer because they're delaying marriage, paying a lot in rent, and struggling to qualify for a mortgage when they finally find an affordable home. Add to that list that they are paying off student debt,’ she explained. The research also found that the least likely to own homes are people who have student debt, but no degree. In fact, a couple who borrowed more than$30,000 for school but never graduated has a less than 40 percent chance of home ownership. Graduates with advanced degrees are the most likely to own a home, even if they racked up a lot of student debt. For example, if a couple owes $50,000 in student loans, but one of them has a master's degree, they have a 75% chance of home ownership. A similar household with just $10,000 in loans and only a bachelor's degree has just a 69% chance of home ownership. Student debt has the greatest impact on the home ownership rate of people with two year associate's degrees. A couple with AA degrees and no debt has a 70% chance of owning their home. That declines significantly as debt grows. If the same couple has $50,000 in student debt, they own their home only 57% of the time. Getting an associate's degree improves chances of home ownership until a person has borrowed $70,000. After that, their chances of home ownership would have been better without a degree and no student loan debt. Getting a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree, regardless of debt, increases the chances that people will… Continue reading
Research suggests UK home owners over 50 with a mortgage could get a better deal
One in three home owners in the UK aged over 50 still have a mortgage and many have never tried to renegotiate for a better deal, new research shows. Mortgagees in this age group have still got around £50,000 to pay and one in 14 think they have been prevented from moving their mortgage to a more competitive deal because of their age. The research by the Saga Equity Release Advice Service also shows that of those home owners in their 70s who still have a mortgage on average they have £40,000 to pay. While many of those in their early 50s still have years of working life to chip away at their debt, around one in seven people in their 70s are faced with having to use their weekly pension to pay off what’s owed instead of using it to enjoy their retirement as they had planned. Saga says that shopping around for a new mortgage could help people pay it off quicker but one in 10 over 50s say they are concerned about their lenders maximum borrowing age and it appears they are right to be worried as 7% say they have been prevented from moving their mortgage to a more competitive deal because of their age. ‘Millions of older homeowners have found themselves abandoned by mortgage lenders and stuck in uncompetitive deals because of the unfair age restrictions that many lenders have in place,’ said Alex Edmans, head of retirement at Saga Personal Finance. ‘If these people had access to a better deal they wouldn’t have to pay as much back each month which would leave them with more money to enjoy their retirement. For those in retirement struggling to meet their monthly mortgage costs it may be worth considering a lifetime mortgage to help ease the burden of the monthly repayments,’ he explained. ‘This may not be suitable for all, so it is well worth speaking with a specialist adviser, who would consider all alternatives and review whether any state benefits could help provide some relief. It is also extremely important that people discuss their options with their family or loved ones and we advise our customers to do this before taking out a lifetime mortgage,’ he added. Continue reading
Court ruling means UK new home targets are more difficult, it is claimed
A land broker has warned that a recent High Court ruling lessens the likelihood of the UK ever hitting its house building targets. Following a legal challenge by Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire District Council, the ruling by Justice David Holgate forced ministers to scrap guidance which excluded developments of 10 homes or fewer from the requirement to provide or contribute to affordable housing provision. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has said it will appeal the High Court’s ruling. However, according to Home Counties land broker Aston Mead it will lead to fewer homes being built as a result. ‘It has already stopped a stack of proposals in their tracks and a lot of sites in our pipeline are now being renegotiated,’ said Aston Mead director Adam Hesse. ‘Sites that may well have been suitable for 10 units will now be reduced to whatever the new threshold is, so full use won’t be made of the brownfield land available. Consequently it will mean less income for districts and boroughs, the very same organisations fighting for a change to the guidance in the first place. It’s utter madness,’ he added. He also pointed out that the contribution that small developers make to the house building programme should not be underestimated. ‘Small sites are the engine rooms of UK development. They are invariably built by small firms who have proportionately higher costs. The economic viability of their schemes is often on a knife-edge, with little ability to challenge local authority demands for affordable housing,’ said Mead. ‘This latest ruling now means that they will simply give up trying to build on certain sites, leading to fewer homes of all types. What’s more, small and little used commercial sites which could be more productively turned over to residential housing won’t even be attempted,’ he explained. ‘The country desperately needs more homes. It is already falling far short of current house building targets. A ruling like this is a significant blow for smaller residential developers and will only serve to ensure that those targets are even harder to meet,’ he concluded. Continue reading
