S & J Journal

First-time homebuyers are struggling to buy in this recovering real estate market, the Sun Sentinel reported last week. Although prices are affordable and mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low, first-timers are facing competition from banks who have tightened lending requirements and investors who are cash buyers. Sellers prefer cash or even buyers that have pre-approved conventional loans because they are weary of FHA loan transactions. Even when these first-time buyers put down offers on a home over the list price, they often lose it to cash buyers. Today’s first-time buyers also face a shortage of available homes. First-time buyers accounted for roughly a third of all home sales nationwide in May, according to the National Association of Realtors. Ideally, the percentage should be 40 percent or more, said Walter Molony, a spokesman for the Realtor trade group. It is conventionally first-time buyers that stimulate confidence in the real estate market. To compete...