More and more Americans are facing enormous debt. The average college student already has significant credit card debt in addition to any student loans when they graduate from college. As a result, we have become a debtor society.
Many things can happen to a person that may cause them to have bad credit. An extended illness, loss of a job, underemployment and many other factors too numerous to mention can and will inhibit one's ability to pay down their debt. Needless to say, the lower one's credit score, the more difficult it becomes to obtain credit. No where is this more true than when purchasing a home.
Because of more choices and the number of people buying homes is fewer than the number of homes being built in some places, lenders have become less stringent on their loan requirements and a new line of loans known as bad credit mortgage loans have emerged.
Second Chances
Lenders are offering bad credit mortgage loans that can help those who have suffered setbacks and in some case, even bankruptcy to buy a quality home. Even if one does not have a down payment, one still may qualify. Many lenders including banks are offering bad credit mortgage loans known as 100% loans that cover all upfront costs and leave little, if any, out of pocket expense except the monthly mortgage payments.
Buyer Beware
Not all bad credit mortgage loans are created equal. First of all, credit score is still taken into account. Depending on the lender, one may still not qualify if one's credit score is under 500.
Further, because these are bad credit mortgage loans lenders charge higher interest rates, in some cases extremely high, as much as 25% or more interest depending on state law caps on interest rates. This can mean enormous monthly payments. On these high risk loans, the higher the payment, the more likely default.
In addition some of the options may start with lower payments, but over the life of the loan, the payments may increase. These loans that offer lower upfront interest for gradual increases can skyrocket payments ten and twenty years down the line until, if the person has failed to refinance, the interest may be more than the principle and the person may find themselves upside down in the home as they say.
Still, for first time buyers, this might work, provided they budget their money and put together a solid debt repayment plan. Anything that repairs credit can increase the chance that upon refinance, the loan may be more favorable. Any time one is making a large purchase like a house, one should always carefully plan ahead for all contingencies so that debt does not overwhelm and make things worse.
