American Financial Network, Inc. (AFN) today introduced AFN Protection+, an innovative mortgage product that protects a homebuyer’s down payment and is available immediately on all applicable AFN mortgages. AFN Protection+ will include +Plus SM down payment protection by ValueInsured SM embedded directly into homebuyers’ mortgages.
Most homeowners believe that low mortgage rates are a thing of the past. The ValueInsured survey indicated that 72 percent of existing homeowners believed the era of historically low rates and affordable mortgages was coming to an end. This sentiment was particularly acute among homeowners of expensive homes, with 95 percent of those who reported owning a home valued at $1 million or more expecting the end of low mortgage rates in their lifetime.
It’s a seller’s market across much of the U.S. thanks to brisk growth in home prices and low for-sale inventory in many areas. While that’s great news for homeowners who want to enjoy the financial benefits of increasing equity—such as refinancing to lower mortgage payments or even take out cash—it’s bad news for buyers, many of whom are afraid to make the largest investment of their lives at what could be the apex of another real estate bubble.
In fact, though the Fall 2017 Modern Homebuyer Survey from ValueInsured revealed that 79 percent of homeowners believe now is a good time to sell, only 57 percent of the 66 percent who are interested in selling think they’ll actually be able to do so within the next three years.
“This dichotomy is caused by greed and fear,” Joe Melendez, founder and CEO of ValueInsured, explained to Reward Expert. “On the greed side of the equation, people realize that prices have recovered, and in some markets, are at all-time highs. However, they also realize that if they want to buy a new house, it’s going to cost them more than the one they just sold. So, they decide to just stay put. That’s the fear element.”
Fortunately, Melendez says there is a way to take fear out of the equation: ValueInsured +Plus Down Payment Protection.
