Housing prices were up slightly in July, but there’s also this:
The number of homes lost to foreclosures rose about 17 percent in the second quarter of this year despite the launch of an extensive government program aimed at helping borrowers save their home, according to government data released Wednesday.
….The report also reflected the risks still posed by hundreds of thousands of risky home loans known as option adjustable-rate mortgages, which reset to significantly higher payments. With these “option ARMs,” also known as pick-a-pay loans, a borrower chooses how much to pay each month, often less than the interest due. But the payments on these mortgages eventually rise significantly, putting the borrower at risk of losing the home.
So: rising foreclosures, another wave of ARM resets, the summer home buying season is over, and the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers is about to expire. Buckle your seatbelts.
