Low Interest Rates Good For Wealthy Homeowners

The Federal Reserve’s is buying mortgage-backed securities to keep mortgage rates low and that may be bolstering upper tier home values rather than helping to make homeownership more affordable for entry-level buyers. For decades home buying demand has reflected mortgage interest rates, but no more. One question that has baffled policy makers for six year is: Why haven’t housing markets responded to historically low mortgage rates? In fact, record low rates have had an impact, according to a new analysis by three contributing editors of Home Value Forecast, just not the impact that the Fed anticipated. Affordability definitely improves when mortgage rates are lower and yet the beneficiaries of these more attractive mortgage rates are not evenly distributed among households of all incomes and wealth. It is very likely that the top tiers of the owner occupied housing market are the ones benefiting the most from lower mortgage rates as this group has been less affected by credit score downgrades or more restrictive underwriting,” the economists said.