On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling on the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. This ruling gave gays and lesbians the right to marry in all states and struck down all current gay marriage bans. While we may not realize exactly how this ruling affected the country for a few years, experts are already anticipating changes in a number of industries. Those in the real estate industry have a few predictions for how same-sex marriage will affect the mortgage market.
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More Same-Sex Couples will be House Hunting
Gay and lesbian real estate agents and services like My Mortgage Germany have been helping LGBT couples find and purchase their dream homes for years. Now that same-sex marriage is legal, many expect the number of gay and lesbian couples searching for a home to increase. Newlyweds may want to jettison everything from their single lives, including their individual homes, now that they can legally create a life together. This means that more houses are going to sell, and the number of mortgages is going to increase.
More Couples May Qualify for Mortgages
Some experts are going back and forth on this, but overall, most agree that married same-sex couples are likely to have a better chance at qualifying for a mortgage, which means lenders will be making more mortgages. This is because when married couples apply for a mortgage, they’re considered as one unit. The low income or bad credit of one can be counterbalanced by the higher income or better credit of the other. When two people apply for a mortgage jointly as individuals, this isn’t always the case. Of course, bad credit can still hurt a married couple, but it’s not necessarily going to deny them the mortgage.
More Refinancing
The mortgage market can also expect to see a surge in refinancing soon. There are a couple of reasons that many predict this will happen. First, now that they’re married, many couples will want to jointly own their property and share the responsibility. This means putting both spouses on the mortgage, and that requires refinancing. Second, as mentioned above, as a married couple, they may have a chance of getting better mortgage terms than they would have or did have when applying jointly as individuals. Savvy newlyweds may be able to take advantage of lower interest rates and other savings by refinancing their home. What better way to start their married life together than by lowering their house payment?