在新冠疫情導致經濟衰退的最初幾周,美國房地產市場的崩潰卻似乎不可避免。然而結果相反,泡沫的破滅并沒有產生嚴重后果。政府的支持、經濟不景氣導致的低利率和急切的購房需求共同推動了美國房地產市場的繁榮。自疫情爆發以來,美國的中位房價上漲了24%,這個數字著實令人震驚。
但大部分的政府援助和支持即將停止,止贖暫停令將于7月31日結束。這項政策旨在防止聯邦政府取消抵押貸款的贖回權。9月30日,允許部分借款人暫停還款的抵押貸款延期計劃將失效。自疫情爆發以來,已有700多萬房產持有人加入了抵押貸款延期計劃。隨著經濟好轉,這個數字有所下降。截至7月11日,仍有占美國抵押貸款3.5%的175萬借款人加入了抵押貸款延期計劃。
自2008年房市崩盤后,美國止贖權危機一度非常嚴重,部分原因是數千萬財務緊張的房產持有人資不抵債,即借款人的剩余抵押貸款余額大于房屋價值,因而他們別無選擇,只能選擇止贖。但今年同樣財政拮據的房主卻不太可能出現這種情況。房屋價值減去未償付的抵押貸款后,這些房主可能仍然擁有相當高的房屋凈值。如果他們無法償還抵押貸款,可以干脆將房屋出售,讓房產進入當前炙手可熱的房地產市場中。
目前受抵押貸款延期計劃保護的175萬房主中,即使只有一小部分選擇出售房屋,沒有選擇償還抵押貸款,也可能對歷來緊張的房地產市場造成重大影響。根據全美房地產經紀人協會的數據,目前只有137萬套住房可供出售。而在過去的40年間,任何時候美國平均都有250萬套房產代售,今年的房屋庫存已經降至自上世紀80年代有數據以來的最低水平。
“供應格局中存在一個不確定因素,當房主處于抵押貸款延期期間,房屋可能發生會變化。一些人將回到工作崗位,獲得收入,與他們的貸款人一起調整貸款條款,從而允許他們繼續住在自己的房子里。而其他人就沒那么幸運了,他們會失去他們的房子,”房地產市場研究公司Zonda的首席經濟學家阿里?沃爾夫告訴《財富》雜志:“除非再次延長暫緩期,否則我們應該可以預見到,明年其中一些房屋將會出現在市場上。”
這就引發了一個問題,有多少房主可能會出售他們的資產?為了找到答案,《財富》雜志對Home.LLC的研究人員進行了采訪。Home.LLC是一家初創公司,為購房者提供首付援助,從而換取部分利潤。最終《財富》雜志發現,如果政府不選擇延長抵押貸款延期計劃,那么根據Home.LLC的預測模型,今年晚些時候房屋庫存還將增加11%,可能不足以令價格出現下降。
“對拖欠貸款的房主來說,較高的房屋凈值會降低止贖的可能性,因為人們可以重新融資或出售房屋,避免拖欠抵押貸款。” Home.LLC的首席執行官尼克?沙阿表示。選擇出售的人群不太可能改變市場。考慮到目前房產庫存處在40年間的低點,他表示:“預計未來房產庫存增加并不太多,因而我們預計,即使抵押貸款延期計劃結束,房價也將繼續快速上漲。”
雖然抵押貸款延期計劃有可能失效,但并非必然。這項計劃最初來自2020年3月耗資2.2萬億美元的《關愛法案》,現在已經延期了三次。最近一次延期來自拜登政府,6月下旬政府宣布將延期時間延長至9月30日。然而到目前為止,白宮還沒有就再次延長時限有過任何暗示。
“許多退出抵押貸款延期計劃的房主正在恢復到疫情前的收入水平,不再面臨疫情導致的財務困難。” 7月23日白宮在一份聲明中寫道:“對于有能力支付疫情前每月抵押貸款的房主及部分相關機構,評級機構將繼續對抵押貸款服務機構提供援助,允許借款人在不增加借款成本的情況下,將未支付的貸款推遲到抵押貸款的最后期限。”(財富中文網)
譯者:葛云
在新冠疫情導致經濟衰退的最初幾周,美國房地產市場的崩潰卻似乎不可避免。然而結果相反,泡沫的破滅并沒有產生嚴重后果。政府的支持、經濟不景氣導致的低利率和急切的購房需求共同推動了美國房地產市場的繁榮。自疫情爆發以來,美國的中位房價上漲了24%,這個數字著實令人震驚。
但大部分的政府援助和支持即將停止,止贖暫停令將于7月31日結束。這項政策旨在防止聯邦政府取消抵押貸款的贖回權。9月30日,允許部分借款人暫停還款的抵押貸款延期計劃將失效。自疫情爆發以來,已有700多萬房產持有人加入了抵押貸款延期計劃。隨著經濟好轉,這個數字有所下降。截至7月11日,仍有占美國抵押貸款3.5%的175萬借款人加入了抵押貸款延期計劃。
自2008年房市崩盤后,美國止贖權危機一度非常嚴重,部分原因是數千萬財務緊張的房產持有人資不抵債,即借款人的剩余抵押貸款余額大于房屋價值,因而他們別無選擇,只能選擇止贖。但今年同樣財政拮據的房主卻不太可能出現這種情況。房屋價值減去未償付的抵押貸款后,這些房主可能仍然擁有相當高的房屋凈值。如果他們無法償還抵押貸款,可以干脆將房屋出售,讓房產進入當前炙手可熱的房地產市場中。
目前受抵押貸款延期計劃保護的175萬房主中,即使只有一小部分選擇出售房屋,沒有選擇償還抵押貸款,也可能對歷來緊張的房地產市場造成重大影響。根據全美房地產經紀人協會的數據,目前只有137萬套住房可供出售。而在過去的40年間,任何時候美國平均都有250萬套房產代售,今年的房屋庫存已經降至自上世紀80年代有數據以來的最低水平。
“供應格局中存在一個不確定因素,當房主處于抵押貸款延期期間,房屋可能發生會變化。一些人將回到工作崗位,獲得收入,與他們的貸款人一起調整貸款條款,從而允許他們繼續住在自己的房子里。而其他人就沒那么幸運了,他們會失去他們的房子,”房地產市場研究公司Zonda的首席經濟學家阿里?沃爾夫告訴《財富》雜志:“除非再次延長暫緩期,否則我們應該可以預見到,明年其中一些房屋將會出現在市場上。”
這就引發了一個問題,有多少房主可能會出售他們的資產?為了找到答案,《財富》雜志對Home.LLC的研究人員進行了采訪。Home.LLC是一家初創公司,為購房者提供首付援助,從而換取部分利潤。最終《財富》雜志發現,如果政府不選擇延長抵押貸款延期計劃,那么根據Home.LLC的預測模型,今年晚些時候房屋庫存還將增加11%,可能不足以令價格出現下降。
“對拖欠貸款的房主來說,較高的房屋凈值會降低止贖的可能性,因為人們可以重新融資或出售房屋,避免拖欠抵押貸款。” Home.LLC的首席執行官尼克?沙阿表示。選擇出售的人群不太可能改變市場。考慮到目前房產庫存處在40年間的低點,他表示:“預計未來房產庫存增加并不太多,因而我們預計,即使抵押貸款延期計劃結束,房價也將繼續快速上漲。”
雖然抵押貸款延期計劃有可能失效,但并非必然。這項計劃最初來自2020年3月耗資2.2萬億美元的《關愛法案》,現在已經延期了三次。最近一次延期來自拜登政府,6月下旬政府宣布將延期時間延長至9月30日。然而到目前為止,白宮還沒有就再次延長時限有過任何暗示。
“許多退出抵押貸款延期計劃的房主正在恢復到疫情前的收入水平,不再面臨疫情導致的財務困難。” 7月23日白宮在一份聲明中寫道:“對于有能力支付疫情前每月抵押貸款的房主及部分相關機構,評級機構將繼續對抵押貸款服務機構提供援助,允許借款人在不增加借款成本的情況下,將未支付的貸款推遲到抵押貸款的最后期限。”(財富中文網)
譯者:葛云
A crash in the housing market seemed inevitable during the early weeks of the COVID-19 recession. However, that bust didn't come to fruition, in fact, the opposite happened: A combination of government support, recession-induced low interest rates, and eager homebuyers set off a housing boom. Since the onset of the crisis, median home prices are up a staggering 24%.
But much of that government aid and support is about to go away. The foreclosure moratorium, which prevents foreclosures of federally-backed mortgages, will come to an end on July 31. Then on Sept. 30, the mortgage forbearance program, which allows some borrowers to pause their payments, will lapse. Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 7 million homeowners have been enrolled in the forbearance program. However, as the economy has improved that number has fallen. As of July 11, there are still 1.75 million borrowers, or 3.5% of U.S. mortgages, enrolled in the forbearance program.
The foreclosure crisis following the 2008 housing crash was so bad, in part, because tens of millions of financially strained homeowners were underwater (meaning a borrower's remaining mortgage balance is greater than the home's value) and had no choice but foreclosure. That's unlikely to be the case for financially strapped homeowners this year. These homeowners are likely sitting on sizable home equity (home value minus the outstanding mortgage), and if they can't repay the mortgage they can simply sell into the currently red-hot housing market.
If even a small fraction of the 1.75 million homeowners currently protected by the mortgage forbearance program opt to sell instead of going back to repaying their mortgage, it could have a big impact on the historically tight housing market. According to the National Association of Realtors, there are only 1.37 million units currently available for sale. Over the past four decades, the U.S. has averaged 2.5 million units at any given time. This year, housing inventory hit its lowest level since the data started getting tracked in the '80s.
"The wildcard in the supply landscape is what happens to the homes where the owners are in mortgage forbearance. Some will have returned to gainful employment and will work with their lenders to adjust the terms of their loan, allowing them to remain in their home. Others will not be so lucky and will lose their homes," Ali Wolf, chief economist at Zonda, a housing market research firm, told Fortune. "Unless the forbearance period is extended again, though, we should expect some of those homes to hit the market over the next year."
That begs the question: How many of these behind homeowners are likely to sell? To find out, Fortune asked researchers at Home.LLC, a startup that provides down payment assistance to homebuyers in return for a share of profits, to run the numbers. The finding? If the government doesn't extend the mortgage forbearance program, Home.LLC's model forecasts an additional 11% increase to housing inventory later this year. But that may not be enough to lower prices.
"High positive home equity among delinquent homeowners results in lower likelihood of foreclosure since people can refinance or sell the home to avoid defaulting on their mortgage," says Nik Shah, CEO of Home.LLC. Those who do choose to sell are unlikely to shift the market. The forecasted uptick in inventory, he says, "isn't much given that inventory is at a 40-year low. So, we project that home prices will continue to grow rapidly even if the forbearance program ends."
While a lapse of the mortgage forbearance program is likely, it isn't guaranteed. The benefit, initially created by the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March 2020, has already been extended three times. The last extension came from the Biden administration in late June when it extended forbearance to Sept. 30. However, so far, the White House hasn't suggested another extension is looming.
"Many homeowners exiting mortgage forbearance are returning to their pre-pandemic earnings and are no longer facing financial hardship associated with the pandemic," the White House wrote in a statement on July 23. "For homeowners who can resume their pre-pandemic monthly mortgage payment and where agencies have the authority, agencies will continue requiring mortgage servicers to offer options that allow borrowers to move missed payments to the end of the mortgage at no additional cost to the borrower."