By Jonathan Smoke | realtor.com
This was supposed to be the year that getting a mortgage would become easier. Now that we’re halfway through, we’ve seen home sales and closings substantially improve over last year, including by first-time buyers. This must mean that access to credit is getting better, right? Well, it doesn’t look that way.
After mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac clarified their credit qualification standards last fall to encourage lenders to ease their requirements, it seems like credit access would improve. And then the Federal Housing Administration lowered its insurance premiums, and Fannie and Freddie introduced new low-down-payment programs for qualified buyers.
