What Does the Stock Market Volatility Mean for Mortgages?

If you’ve been paying attention to the news recently, you’ve undoubtedly thought, “What does the stock market volatility mean for mortgages?”

Housingwire.com summed it up best:“pretty much nothing”—unless the recent volatility is dragged out over the next few weeks, which is good news for lenders and real estate professionals. The greatest impact will be to homeowner and potential homeowner perceptions for the near term. Managing those perceptions won’t be easy given the amount of negative information stock market volatility can create.

When you add concerns about the stock market to existing concerns among current homeowners about not being able to find an affordable new home if they list, we are likely to see fewer homes on the market this spring. That is not good for anyone and will mean higher prices and affordability issues for some. On the other side, potential home buyers might be leery of giving up that nest egg to put down on the new nest and taking on the big bill that comes with it if they perceive some potential impact from market volatility.

While market volatility is not expected to last for long, the perception it creates might. This week’s market roller coaster had little impact on rates, which are still affordable for most. Right now, it is more important than ever for potential home buyers and even potential sellers to get the best information possible about their mortgage options and the market. Contact Embrace in the next week to talk about how we can help you bring and keep potential homebuyers and sellers into the market.