Why First Time Buyers are Hardest Hit by the Credit Crunch

By Kelly McMahon

In the past, banks loved first time buyers, who would take out their first house mortgage and then come back again and again for services and new mortgages, which meant a lot in profits for the bank. Now, first time buyers are being seen as less important because their finances are less stable and they pose a bigger risk to banks. You may ask yourself how first time buyers are getting hit by the credit crunch exactly.

The answer to this question is complex. The first thing you have to look at is what first time buyers got before. Usually, they were able to get a mortgage with a really good interest rate or a mortgage without needing to put a lot down for a down payment. The problem is that a lot of first time buyers who only put down five or ten percent of the price of the home ended up not being able to afford their homes when the economy turned bad. This ended up causing a huge headache for banks, and a lot of banks are reconsidering their first time buyer strategies.

You may want to know what is going to happen with your current first time buyer mortgage. You don't have anything to lose sleep about if you already have your first time buyer mortgage with a good rate or other deal. It is only those who are currently looking for a mortgage that won't get the same first time buyers deals that you did. First time buyers can expect to have to purchase special insurance to cover any low-down payment deals that they get, if they are able to get them. This insurance will add to the cost of the mortgage, and take away a lot of the benefits of being a first time buyer.

Also, you can probably expect to see fewer first time buyer deals offered by banks. Add to that the fact that mortgages are going to get more and more expensive because banks are going to be more careful with their money because of the bad economy. In the past almost anyone could get a mortgage, but in the future, you are going to need to be financially secure and do a lot more in order to secure a mortgage. This can be an advantage if you are someone who has good credit, because you are going to have to pay less for those who ruin the system by foreclosing on their homes. When someone defaults on their mortgage, a little bit of that mortgage is passed onto everyone else in the form of higher interest and fees. If your credit score is not so hot, you might not be so happy to hear about these changes.

Those looking for their first mortgage are absolutely going to be affected in a negative manner by the credit crunch. There is no changing the situation, so hopefully you already have your mortgage in place and don't have to worry about what the future holds for you.

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