"as long as they realize going in that they could get hosed, pj. i don't want them crying for a bailout in the 5th year when their place is worth 67% of what they paid for it, "the payments just jumped and i can't afford them anymore, so the government should pay off my loan for me.""
Exactly, papa.
That's the problem, PJ. If they lose equity in their homes, the scenario you painted is the same one people are going through right now.
It doesn't work. The government can't bail you (or the banks) out again if you can't sell your home in 5 years without taking a huge loss, or stay and afford the adjusted rate.
And ultimately it's the banks again that would take the heat, because people (like today) would just stop paying their higher mortgages and wait for the banks to foreclose on them. There's a long queue right now. Some have missed as many as 4 payments, and the banks are already backlogged on this "dumped" property. They'll catch up I'm sure eventually... but this problem can NEVER happen again. And if the banks are dumb enough to issue ARM loans again, they'll be getting what they deserve by starting the whole "pyramid scheme" over again. God, help us all if they do.
And YWIY---if they can afford a 30-year fixed rate house with an interest free down payment, great! When that happens to all "average" Americans looking for "average" homes, that's when the housing market will finally be back to normal, and we can start looking to the future again.
Right now, the future holds further drops in the housing market. It ain't over yet.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22