Don’t Let Student Debt Hold Back Your Homeownership Dreams
A college education is essential for anyone whose career goals require a diploma. As recently as last year, studies showed that college graduates earned 80% more than high school graduates. However, student loan debt is usually part of the curriculum.
Recent statistics found that 70% of college graduates are currently paying off student loans, and the average balance is around $37,000. Managing this debt isn’t limited to the 20-somethings, either. Around 13% of people with outstanding student loan balances are between the ages of 30-39, and around 8% are in the age 40-49 group*.
If you’ve assumed that homeownership will have to wait until you’ve paid off your loans, think again. Certainty offers several mortgages with qualifying features that differentiate between student loan balances and other types of debt. You may even qualify for a mortgage that can help you to pay your student loans off sooner, so you can begin building equity sooner. Here are a few of the options that may be available to you.
Seller Paid Interest Rate Buy-Downs lower your monthly mortgage payments for the first two years of your home loan.
Here’s an example of how the Smart Start mortgage program through Certainty makes homeownership more affordable for homebuyers with student loan debt. If a homebuyer qualifies for a Smart Start mortgage with a 4% interest rate, the homebuyer would pay 2.5% interest on their home loan for the first 12 months and 3.5% on the second year. Certainty would pay 1.5% interest towards the home loan the first year, and 0.5% the second year. Since buy-downs improve cash flow for these borrowers, managing your mortgage and student loan payments should be easier during the first two years after the loan closes.
Lender-paid mortgage insurance is another strategy to consider. Mortgage insurance is usually required when a borrower buys a home with a down payment that’s less than 20%. These insurance payments are in addition to the monthly mortgage payment. Since cash flow is especially important for borrowers with outstanding student loans, Certainty offers a Seller-Paid Buy-Down program to improve cash flow. Borrowers who qualify for the home loan can use this additional income to pay down student loans.
While these programs are designed to assist first-time homebuyers, most also require a minimum credit score, also known as a FICO® score. If you’re making all of your student loan and other bill payments on time, student loan debt can actually have a positive influence on your credit. On-time payments help to prove you’re a financially responsible person. Here are some other factors that can impact credit scores:
Are you ready to take on the financial responsibility of owning a home? Will taking on a major, long-term debt be something you can manage? It’s very important to review your priorities, discuss it with any co-borrowers, and to decide what matters most to you.
Contact a Certainty mortgage professional in your state or online to learn more, and to discuss your home loan options. If you’re ready to move up to homeownership, ask to get pre-qualified so that you’ll know how much home you can afford before you start your home search.
* New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel.
Recent statistics found that 70% of college graduates are currently paying off student loans, and the average balance is around $37,000. Managing this debt isn’t limited to the 20-somethings, either. Around 13% of people with outstanding student loan balances are between the ages of 30-39, and around 8% are in the age 40-49 group*.
If you’ve assumed that homeownership will have to wait until you’ve paid off your loans, think again. Certainty offers several mortgages with qualifying features that differentiate between student loan balances and other types of debt. You may even qualify for a mortgage that can help you to pay your student loans off sooner, so you can begin building equity sooner. Here are a few of the options that may be available to you.
Seller Paid Interest Rate Buy-Downs lower your monthly mortgage payments for the first two years of your home loan.
Here’s an example of how the Smart Start mortgage program through Certainty makes homeownership more affordable for homebuyers with student loan debt. If a homebuyer qualifies for a Smart Start mortgage with a 4% interest rate, the homebuyer would pay 2.5% interest on their home loan for the first 12 months and 3.5% on the second year. Certainty would pay 1.5% interest towards the home loan the first year, and 0.5% the second year. Since buy-downs improve cash flow for these borrowers, managing your mortgage and student loan payments should be easier during the first two years after the loan closes.
Lender-paid mortgage insurance is another strategy to consider. Mortgage insurance is usually required when a borrower buys a home with a down payment that’s less than 20%. These insurance payments are in addition to the monthly mortgage payment. Since cash flow is especially important for borrowers with outstanding student loans, Certainty offers a Seller-Paid Buy-Down program to improve cash flow. Borrowers who qualify for the home loan can use this additional income to pay down student loans.
While these programs are designed to assist first-time homebuyers, most also require a minimum credit score, also known as a FICO® score. If you’re making all of your student loan and other bill payments on time, student loan debt can actually have a positive influence on your credit. On-time payments help to prove you’re a financially responsible person. Here are some other factors that can impact credit scores:
- Keep credit balances manageably low. Keeping your credit utilization at around 30% or less of your total available credit will look better on your credit report.
- Don’t close old credit accounts, even if you never use them. While it may seem wise to reduce temptation and close accounts if you’re not using them, the FICO computer algorithm sees longer credit histories as a positive sign.
- Use and pay off different types of credit. Credit scores are favorably affected when you responsibly manage a variety of debts such as car payments, student loans, and credit cards.
Are you ready to take on the financial responsibility of owning a home? Will taking on a major, long-term debt be something you can manage? It’s very important to review your priorities, discuss it with any co-borrowers, and to decide what matters most to you.
Contact a Certainty mortgage professional in your state or online to learn more, and to discuss your home loan options. If you’re ready to move up to homeownership, ask to get pre-qualified so that you’ll know how much home you can afford before you start your home search.
* New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel.