What Is Negative Equity On Your Mortgage?
May 28, 2024
5-MINUTE READ
AUTHOR:
VICTORIA ARAJEquity refers to the amount of your home that you own. In most cases, your home equity increases over time as you make your mortgage payments.
Negative equity means you owe more on your mortgage loan than the current value of your home.
When property values fall, you may be left with no equity or negative equity in your home because it’s worth less than you owe your lender. To calculate how deeply “underwater” your mortgage is, subtract your home’s current market value from your outstanding mortgage loan balance. To understand when negative equity can happen – and, most importantly – how to avoid it, keep reading.
How Does Negative Equity Work?
Negative equity occurs when the value of an asset you own is less than the outstanding balance on the loan. A lender may refer to a loan with negative equity as “underwater” or “upside-down.”One commonplace scenario that typically results in negative equity is when housing prices plummet.
Let’s say you bought a home worth $150,000 and took out a $135,000 loan. Fast forward 1 year later, and your local housing market has experienced a downturn. Homes are selling for less than the previous year – and it’s dropping your home’s value.
Your home is now worth $120,000 instead of the $150,000 you originally paid for it, and you owe your lender around $134,000 after making a year’s worth of payments. In this scenario, you would have $14,000 in negative equity because you owe your lender $14,000 more than your home is worth.
What Can Cause Negative Equity?
Negative equity can occur in several ways. Here are a few examples of how it can happen:
- Buying a home when market prices are high, then local home prices fall
- Missing payments early in your loan term and interest begins to balloon
Negative equity can cause several problems for homeowners. You may struggle to refinance your mortgage loan because lenders can’t lend more money than a property is worth.
In our earlier example, you could only refinance up to $120,000 of your home loan because that’s what your home is worth. You’d need to pay off your negative equity before you qualify for a refinance loan.
You may also find it challenging to sell your home. When you sell your home, you typically use the sale proceeds to pay off your existing mortgage. If there’s still an outstanding balance after the sale, you’ll need to cover the difference between the sale price and what you owe on the mortgage before your lender can declare your loan paid off.
How To Avoid Negative Equity
No homeowner wants to experience negative equity. Here are a few precautionary steps you can take to help avoid negative equity:
Consider Current Market Prices
The best way to avoid negative equity is to aim to buy a home projected to increase in value. Because favorable market conditions drive real estate values up, you can build home equity faster without making extra payments. Consider talking with a real estate professional before you buy a home to help you assess whether market conditions are ideal for a home purchase.
Put More Money Down
You don’t need to make a 20% down payment to buy a home, but a small down payment can impact how quickly you build home equity.
For example, if you take out a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan with no money down and your local housing market experiences a downturn, you can fall into negative equity almost immediately. Avoid this situation by saving for a large down payment or buying a property below your maximum budget.
Don’t Buy More Home Than You Can Afford
Falling behind on payments early on can quickly lead to negative equity because more of your initial mortgage payments go toward interest than principal. That’s why it’s crucial to consider all the costs of owning a home before you sign a loan.What Can You Do To Reverse Negative Equity?
While there’s no guaranteed way to reverse negative equity, there are strategies you can apply for some financial relief. Let’s take a look at a few.Continue Making Payments
Every time you make a mortgage payment, you gain a small amount of equity in your property. If you can afford it, consider making extra payments on the loan to bring your total loan balance down faster. When home values rise again, you can eventually sell or refinance your home.Make Home Improvements
Consider making permanent home improvements. These improvements can increase the value of your property and help shield it from negative equity. Some examples of improvements that can increase a home’s value include:
- Replacing large appliances with newer models
- Adding a home security system
- Replacing old, worn-out cabinets in the kitchen
- Installing a patio in your backyard
Only permanent improvements count toward your home’s value. Purely aesthetic changes, like painting, and temporary improvements won’t build equity.
Sell Your Home
Negative equity won’t technically stop you from selling your home, but a mortgage lender won’t settle your loan until you’ve paid your entire outstanding loan balance. If you sell your home for less than your current mortgage, you must pay your lender the difference in cash.
Refinance Your Loan
When you refinance, you replace your original mortgage loan with a new one. With a refinance, you can lower your monthly payment by getting a lower interest rate or lengthening your loan term. A refinance won’t increase your home’s value, but it may help you avoid foreclosure while you wait for local home values to rise.
Can You Refinance If You Have Negative Equity?
Refinancing a home loan with negative equity is more complicated than a standard refinance. Under most circumstances, a lender can’t lend more money than a home is worth. If your home has negative equity, your lender may require you to bring cash to closing to make up the shortfall.
Homeowners may have a few types of mortgage refinancing options to consider.
If you have a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, you can refinance with an FHA Streamline Refinance, which often involves less paperwork. Lenders may offer a streamline refinance with various options, such as folding closing costs into the loan, to save money upfront and time.
Below is a list of requirements to qualify for an FHA Streamline Refinance:
- You must have an FHA loan.
- You must be current on your mortgage loan.
- Your refinance must offer a tangible net benefit. The streamline refinance must benefit you in some way, either a lower interest rate or a lower monthly payment.
VA IRRRL
VA loan borrowers may qualify for a VA interest rate reduction refinance loan. You can refinance up to 120% of your loan value with a VA IRRRL, making it a valuable lifeline for homeowners with negative equity.
Below is a list of requirements to qualify for a VA IRRRL:
- You must have a VA loan.
- You must prove you live in the home or used to live there.
- If you have a second mortgage on the home, your second mortgage lender must agree to allow the VA IRRRL to serve as your first mortgage.
The Bottom Line
Negative equity occurs when you owe more money on your home than your home is worth. Falling local property values, missed early mortgage payments and snowballing interest payments can lead to negative equity. And negative equity can make selling or refinancing your home more challenging. To safeguard your real estate investment from negative equity, try buying a home when market prices are low, putting more money down or buying within or below your house buying budget max.
Ready to refinance your home? Explore your options and begin the approval process today with Rocket MortgageⓇ.
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