Ability To Pay
The ability to pay is a self-explanatory term used in Real Estate to determine if the Home Buyer has the financial health to honor a deal.
Mortgage Lenders can't afford to lend out money to whoever they like; they need to know if the borrower is able to pay the loan back. There are several calculations done to assert a home buyer's (or a borrower's) ability to pay, and the debt-to-income ratio calculation and the credit score evaluation are the most famous ones.
In many ways, it was the lack of attention to this economic principle on the Lender's part that led the country and, especially, the business into the "Great Recession" of 2008. Both lenders and borrowers didn't care about the ability to pay and suddenly no one was paying for the loans anymore. Lots of foreclosed homes and the rest is History... and we hope it stays like this: History!
Real Estate Tips:
Test your ability to learn by continuingly searching terms on our Real Estate Glossary!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Expected market value of property if sold today. ...
Some plausible, but not completely clear-cut indication of ownership rights. It supplements a claim to title to property, but does not actually establish it. ...
A bilateral contract is a pretty straightforward term. No horseplay there. It’s a legal agreement between two individuals who both agree to do (or not to do) a specific act. The ...
A graduated payment mortgage (GMP) developed to overcome the negative amortization aspects of the GMP. The key to the FLIP mortgage is the use of the buyer's down payment. Instead of being ...
Used to support two properties; it is attached to both. ...
Law of the state establishing guidelines and requirements for constructing buildings. The standard may differ between the states. ...
A type of real estate investment trust (REIT) that does not own property but gives short-term financing for construction loans or for permanent mortgage loans for major projects. ...
(1) Written statement by a responsible individual or entity of the correctness and reliability of something. (2) Written permission to do something, such as receiving a real estate ...
You may have heard the term codicil in a conversation but might have yet to understand it entirely. What’s the codicil definition? “Codicil meaning” refers to a supplement ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.