Navigating the Current Housing Market: Trends and Strategies.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The New York Times
As mortgage rates continue to rise, an emerging trend in the real estate market is the transfer of assumable low-rate mortgages from seller to buyer. Real estate agents are advertising these mortgages as an amenity, and investors are seeking out struggling homeowners willing to transfer their low-rate mortgages. However, experts caution that mortgage transfers can come with risks, and most U.S. mortgages are not directly assumable. To compensate for rising borrowing costs, mortgage companies are marketing products in which borrowers can "buy down" rates, and interest rate compensation is becoming the norm in real estate deals.