80 20 mortgages, and 75 25 mortgages are all that seem to be available these days. The reason for this is the policies of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have ruined the concept of creative financing. These agencies pushed way too many shady loans and because of this, they and the taxpayers and all future borrowers were burnt. So, we are left with the more traditional 80 20 mortgages. This is true even for people with great credit ratings. This article explains all about it.

A mortgage where 80% of the value of the property will be loaned to the buyer is known as an 80% 20% mortgage, or sometimes simply, an 80 20 mortgage. Throughout the years 2006 and 2007, the parameters of mortgages that were written were ridiculous. Some people were able to borrow more money than the property they were buying was worth. These people actually came out of their closings with their new homes and extra money in their pockets. Besides this, some people with extremely low credit ratings were able to buy homes without making any down payment!

The Wisdom of Bob Dylan

It has been said, people who rent don’t take as good care of their dwellings as people who own them. This makes sense because people who buy homes have a vested interest in making their property as valuable as possible. However, to quote Bob Dylan, “when you ain’t got nothin’, you got nothin’ to lose.” So obviously, when people were able to buy homes without using any of their money, these people became, essentially, renters. This is because they had nothing invested, so they had nothing to lose.

Irresponsible Lenders and Borrowers Have Hurt the Economy

When these people who had nothing to lose, were defaulting on their mortgages in great numbers, it became a problem for the economy. So the government, in its infinite wisdom, essentially gave more money to these people so they wouldn’t have to be foreclosed upon. This simply made matters worse because with this money there were no incentives attached for these people to try to make their properties more valuable and pay them off.

Putting Money Down Encourages Responsibility

Insisting borrowers pay 20% or 25% of the value of the properties they are buying erases Bob Dylan’s sentiments from the equation. These people who must take their hard-earned money to pay toward their homes now have incentive to take good care of them and to pay them off. Unlike people who bought homes with no money down, these people stand to lose $ 100,000 of their money if their houses become foreclosed properties. Therefore, it is logical they will do their best to avoid having their homes foreclosed. This is a good thing for the economy in general.

Some think it is cruel to revert to past policies which make it more difficult for first-time buyers to purchase their own homes. At first glance, it may look like these people have a point. However, how did people purchase their own properties throughout history and more pertinently, throughout the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and most of the 90s? The answer is; people who want their own homes very badly will work hard and sacrifice to purchase them. These are the kind of responsible people who should own homes; not people who just plain don’t care.

Related Home Mortgage Articles