If you have a steady income and good credit then weakened property prices and lower mortgage rates in South Florida can come of great advantage to you. For many, the double-digit jumps in the prices of real estate had prevented them from buying a house. All this can change now with the mortgage rates hitting a record low the previous week. Such low rates haven’t been seen since the 1970’s. However, according to mortgage brokers, not many home owners are taking advantage of the situation and refinancing their mortgage loans or buying a new house. If you are looking to buy property in Florida then this is the best time as the record low mortgage rates and first time home buyers’ incentive such as federal tax credit of $7,500 and increased access to FHA loan will make the process of home buying a lot less expensive.
South Florida is a region with high levels of unemployment and the property values here are also quite depressed. As a result of this, many borrowers find it difficult to obtain a mortgage as lenders keep demanding better credit records and proof of income before they agree to refinance a loan. On an average, about half of the people seeking to refinance a loan can actually meet with the terms and conditions to qualify for it. This is quite a low number. However, significant activity is being noticed with the drop in mortgage rates recently, according to Claudine Claus who is the owner of Home Financing Center operating in Broward, Miami and Palm Beach counties. She said that refinancing of mortgages have increased four times in the previous thirty days as compared to what it was for thirty days before that. With the drop in interest rate, it is seen that a new group of people are interested in refinancing although every loan can’t be refinanced. The people who are mostly going for refinancing are the ones who didn’t get caught in the housing bubble and bust.
In general, lenders are agreeing to give borrowers a loan with a credit score of 740 or above, to qualify for the lowest rate mortgage loan. This demand is quite a hike from the 680 credit score that was acceptable even two years back. Lenders now are also demanding for a full documentation of the income of the borrower which is unlike the no documentation loans that were available during the housing boom. Thus, it can be understood how important the drop in interest rate is, to get a suitable refinance loan.
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