Having enough money to purchase a home outright might seem like a fantasy, but 28 percent of all homes bought in 2010 were all-cash deals, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. Areas that had more depressed housing markets had more all-cash purchases.

Among the areas that saw a lot of these purchases is Miami-Fort Lauderdale, were over 50 percent of purchases involved cash buyers. About 42 percent of real estate purchases in Phoenix were all-cash deals.

“The prices were just irresistible,” Richard Stoker, who paid cash for two condos in Miami Beach, Fla., told the Wall Street Journal. “Florida’s been hit pretty hard.”

No mortgage loans

Buyers who pay with cash may receive a discount off the price of a home.They also have the freedom that comes with owning a property free and clear of a mortgage. Often people who are able to purchase a house with cash are investors. According to San Diego-based DataQuick, “All-cash deals have become popular in many Western markets where prices have dropped sharply, luring investor buyers who don’t always qualify for traditional mortgages. Moreover, sellers favor the relative speed and certainty of all-cash transactions.”

While investors are more likely to do all-cash deal, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t buyers out there who can afford to buy a home without a mortgage. The Money Saving Mom blog describes in a series of articles how one couple scrimped and saved to get the money they needed to buy a home in an all-cash deal. Buying a home with cash isn’t for everyone and requires a lot of sacrifices and careful planning. To determine if it is even possible to aim for the goal of buying a house with cash, you may need to work with a financial advisor to put together a plan.

What if you need a mortgage?

If, however, paying cash is too unrealistic of a goal to achieve, you’ll need to plan for getting a home loan if you want to buy a house. Be prepared to provide plenty of documentation about your income and assets when applying for a home mortgage. You also want to have the best credit possible since many mortgage lenders expect you to have a credit score of at least 720 to qualify for the best mortgage rates.

African-Americans and Latinos are less likely to receive mortgage loans as the housing crisis has deepened, according to a recent report from ComplianceTech, a provider of technology and mortgage data analysis for government agencies, nonprofits and financial institutions. The analysis of data from 2004 to 2009 shows that there are disparities in the availability of mortgage credit to African-Americans and Latinos. Members of these groups have more difficulty financing a home regardless of whether they are new home buyers or homeowners looking to refinance.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis

The analysis also debunks the erroneous notion that mortgage lending to minorities was at the root of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Data in the report show that whites actually received the highest number and dollar volume of sub-prime mortgage loans, and are likely to have more mortgage loans in foreclosure. Whites received 4.1 million sub-prime mortgages between 2004 and 2009, Latinos 1.3 million, African-Americans 1.2 million and Asians 179,000.

The report states:

As the foreclosure crisis threatens the financial stability and mobility of families across the country, it will be particularly devastating to African American and Latino families, who already lag behind their white counterparts in terms of income, wealth and educational attainment. Furthermore, the indirect losses in wealth that result from foreclosures as a result of depreciation to nearby properties will disproportionately impact communities of color.Fewer prime mortgages

African-Americans and Latinos have lower origination rates and higher costs when they are approved for mortgages. Between 2004 and 2009 the market share of prime rate mortgage loans for African-Americans fell 62.67 percent and 61.62 percent for Latinos. The market share of prime rate mortgages grew 12.54 percent for whites and 19.6 percent for Asians.

All racial groups experienced a decline in the volume of prime mortgage loans. African-American prime loan volume plunged to $19.5 billion in 2008 from $82 billion in 2004. Latino prime mortgage loan volume fell to $40.2 billion in 2009 from $171 billion in 2004. Prime mortgage loan volume for whites fell to $876 billion in 2009 from $1.2 trillion in 2004, while Asians saw loan volume decline to $90.6 billion in 2009 from $121 billion in 2004. However, white and Asian borrowers saw increases in prime loan volume between 2008 and 2009, while African-Americans and Latinos experienced declines.

Should you use an inheritance or other cash windfall as a down payment on a home? Obviously, the more money you have for a down payment the better. But is getting a mortgage loan to buy a home the best use of your money at this time?

Do you have a lot of debt?

Owning a home is part of the American dream. But it can be easy to rush into home ownership without really being ready for all the financial responsibilities. For instance, many people apply for mortgage loans even though they have a lot of credit card debt, auto loans, student loans and other bills. Take a careful inventory of your finances and decide whether it makes more sense to use a cash windfall to pay off some of your debt, especially high-interest debt like credit cards.

Do you have emergency savings?

Owning a home means that you’ll be responsible for all maintenance and repair costs. It is not a good idea to purchase a home without having money set aside in savings for routine maintenance and other projects that may come up. It is also important to have money in savings for other emergencies that may occur, such as car repairs, medical expenses or a sudden drop in income. If you have little or no money saved up, you may be better off using your windfall to boost savings.

Do you anticipate a large expense soon?

Are you about to send your kid to college or anticipating some other important event that will cost big bucks? Put together a spending strategy that prioritizes future expenses. As you go through the numbers it may become apparent that this is not the time to get a mortgage to buy a home. You also may find that you need to put together a budget so that you can take care of your financial obligations and still save up for buying a place in the future.

Take time to plan ahead

Avoid rushing into home ownership even if you can qualify for a home mortgage. Too many Americans have made the mistake of getting mortgage loans when they really could not afford them. If you need help knocking out debt and building up a savings, get help from a debt counselor. If you do receive a windfall for a significant amount, a knowledgeable financial adviser can help you figure out the best way to handle it.

Are you desperate to get rid of your mortgage problems? You are not alone. Zillow recently reported that 27 percent of U.S. homeowners are underwater on mortgage loans. There also were 261,333 foreclosure filings in January, according to RealtyTrac.

But homeowners dealing with foreclosure and underwater home loans aren’t the only one struggling. Some borrowers are struggling to make monthly mortgage payments due to a drop in income, job layoff, illness or some other factor beyond their control. There is no easy solution to dealing with mortgage problems, but there are several options to consider.

Sell your home

Getting rid of a mortgage loan is the best option if you really can’t afford to make the payments. Just because you sell the property you currently live in doesn’t mean you won’t be able to purchase another home in the future. Find out what’s going on in your neighborhood in terms of home sales. If there have been a lot of foreclosures, the value of your home is likely to be affected. But even if you are underwater on a mortgage loan that doesn’t mean you have to give up the idea of selling. But you may have to consider a short sale.

A short sale occurs when the mortgage lender agrees to accept a lower payoff that what you owe on a home loan. The advantage to doing a short sale is that the lender can recover some of what’s owed. You would be able to get out from under a troubled loan and avoid foreclosure. Keep in mind that any mortgage debt that is forgiven by the mortgage lender in such a deal may be taxable, so it’s important to consult with a tax advisor.

Mortgage refinancing

Maybe you are feeling pinched by monthly mortgage payments, but things haven’t gotten so serious that you are about to lose you home. If you still have some home equity and good credit, you might qualify for a mortgage refinance. The more equity you have and the higher your credit score the better. Refinancing could be the right move it you are paying interest that is much higher than current mortgage rates. A mortgage payment calculator can help determine how much money you could actually save by refinancing.

These are just a few ways to get out from under expensive mortgage payments. There may be other solutions that suit your financial needs. Talk with your mortgage lender or a housing counselor to learn more about your options.

More homeowners than ever paid down mortgage loan balances while refinancing their homes in the fourth-quarter of 2010, according to Freddie Mac. During the period, 46 percent of homeowners who refinanced mortgages brought cash to closing to lower their principal balance. That is the highest “cash-in” share since Freddie Mac began tracking refinance activity in 1985.

Paying down mortgages and other debt

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, said in a statement:

Consumers are generally shedding debt, and mortgages are just another way they’re doing it. Between 2007 and the third quarter of 2010, mortgage debt declined more than $400 billion, according to the Fed. The estimated volume of net equity cashed out in our report do not account for the homeowners who have paid off their mortgages in their entirety.

Cash-out refinancing

Freddie Mac also reported that the percent of cash-out refinances, in which homeowners cashed out some home equity, fell to a record low. Borrowers who increased their mortgage loan balance by at least 5 percent accounted for 16 percent of mortgage refinancing. The cash-out refinance share has averaged 62 percent over the past 25 years.

Getting a cash-out refinance deal has gotten tougher for many borrowers as the housing crisis has dragged on. Lower home values, high unemployment and tougher lending standards all have put the brakes on the my-house-is-a-piggy-bank mentality that swept America before the housing downturn.

Taking advantage of low mortgage rates

Some savvy homeowners who still have good credit have can use current market conditions to their advantage. Instead of using low mortgage rates to simply lower monthly payments, you can choose to also reduce the amount of principal being refinanced by bringing cash to closing. This strategy can give you a choice of making the new lower payments or continuing to pay down your mortgage faster by sticking with the higher payments you made before refinancing. Either way you end up paying out less interest over the life of the mortgage loan.

When shopping around to compare mortgage loans, let lenders know that you are interest in bring cash to closing to pay down the principal. This could work in your favor and allow you to get a better mortgage rate. Bring cash to closing also could push up your home equity enough to get rid of monthly mortgage insurance (MI) payments.

Almost a quarter of Nevada residents who lost their homes to foreclosure walked away from them. A Nevada Association of Realtors (NVAR) Report found that 23 percent of homeowners strategically defaulted on mortgage loans. The report also found that most Nevadans facing foreclosure did not know about federal and nonprofit programs designed to help them.

Many of the people who went through foreclosure had experience at least two “life-altering events” that increase their risk of defaulting on a home mortgage. Losing a job and medical expenses were the most common events that triggered a foreclosure. Also, 46 percent of homeowners blamed banks and lenders for foreclosures, 20 percent blamed the government and 13 percent blamed homeowners.

Residents don’t know where to turn for help

Nevada has consistently had one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the U.S. With so much attention given to foreclosure during the housing crisis, it seems surprising that so many homeowners would be unaware of programs that can help them.

Linda Rheinberger, 2010 NVAR president, said in a statement:

“We think this research will help the public, the real estate industry, lawmakers and others grappling with this difficult issue. Personally, it was striking to see that nearly one in four Nevadans who lost homes to foreclosure admitted that they simply walked away from their mortgage. As for solutions, there may not be a single cure-all, but this report suggests that we can do more to make distressed homeowners aware of the free and low-cost resources available to them.”

Arranging a short sale

Among the alternatives to foreclosure is arranging a short sale. A short sale occurs when a mortgage lender agrees to allow you to sell a home for less than what is owed on a mortgage loan. The mortgage lender is able to recover some of the mortgage loan, and you, the homeowner, get out from under the burden of a mortgage you can’t afford.

The economic crisis has led more people to move in with family members. As a result, there has been an increase in multi-generational households since the recession began.

A record 49 million Americans, or 16.1 percent of the U.S. population, lived in a multi-generational household in 2008, compared with 12 percent in 1980, according to the Pew Research Center. Back in 1940, about a quarter of the population lived in multi-generational households.

Use checklist before living together

If you’re struggling to pay your home loan and other bills, it could help to have extended family members move in (and pay rent). But make sure that everyone involved has realistic expectations about the arrangement. Consider the following things when trying to decide whether to invite relatives to move in.

• Do you actually like and get along with your relatives? You can’t pick your family members, but you can choose whether or not to be in close proximity to them. If you and your relatives have a history filled with disagreements and clashes, living together to get the mortgage paid could be a huge mistake.
• Who will be responsible for various household bills? Ultimately, your name is on the documents for the home mortgage, so it is your responsibility to make sure it gets paid each month whether or not your relative comes up with cash to help. If necessary, draw up a formal contract that spells out the obligations for everyone.
• If your adult children are moving back home, don’t expect them to have curfews or ask your advice for every move they make. It is important that they respect you and your home, so setting up some rules before they move in is important.
• Set up an agreement for sharing household chores. You should not be picking up after your relatives all the time. Everyone should be fully aware of their responsibilities for cleaning the home, yard work, waiting for the cable guy, etc.
• Are small children moving in with your relatives? If so, are they expecting you to be a regular babysitter? Decide exactly how much involvement you want to have with carpools, playground duty, and other child care arrangements.
• Are elderly parents moving in? If so, what kind of care are they going to need and can you handle it?

Set up a plan for everyone

Depending on your particular case, there may be other factors you need to consider before agreeing to a multi-generational living arrangement. Take time to think through your situation to make your living arrangement as smooth as possible.

There’s something about old and/or rundown houses that can bring out the inner handyman in many people. But before you get caught up in DIY dreams of renovating and restoring an old house to its former glory or turning a huge profit on a foreclosure disaster, there are several things to consider. Use the following checklist to decide if buying a fixer-upper is the right choice before applying for a home loan.

1. How much will it cost? Don’t just factor in the purchase price and then name a dollar amount that you are willing to spend. You must do the math to actually determine the realistic costs that are going to be associated with the particular property you want to buy, not just the payments on a home mortgage. You’ll need to thoroughly evaluate the property and note all the repairs needed and what they are likely to cost in your area. If you hope to sell the home after fixing it up, it’s important to research current market values in the neighborhood.
2. You must get a home inspection. Do not even think of skipping this step. To get arrive at a realistic cost estimate, it is imperative to have a thorough home inspection. Hire someone who is reputable and knowledgeable about what it will take to update the home. When you make an offer for a house the contract should have a contingency for the inspection so that if major deficiencies are discovered you can get out of the contract or try to negotiate for a lower price if you still want the property.
3. Does the home need major structural improvements? Replacing plumbing, totally re-doing wiring, or fixing foundation issues can really drain your wallet. Are you willing to pay for these expenses and deal with any surprises that come up in the process?
4. Will you need to apply for a home equity loan to pay for all the repairs? While many homeowners assume they’ll be able to get home equity loans when they apply for them, the fact is that many lenders are turning down many applicants even if they have good credit. Make sure that you aren’t going to be stuck without the funds you need to spruce up a fixer-upper once you’ve committed to monthly mortgage payments.

It’s important to choose the right repairs and renovations if you are on a limited budget. If you plan to remain in the home for many years, you’ll have time to budget and save for any work that is needed as you go along.

U.S. home prices fell 4.1 percent in 2010, according to a report from Clear Capital. The provider of data services for the real estate industry also said that home prices dropped in 70 percent of major markets, pressured by high unemployment and REO saturation above 22 percent during the year. REO saturation is the proportion of homes that are sold as bank-owned.

Is there a recovery?

Dr. Alex Villacorta, senior statistician with Clear Capital, said in a statement:

Some housing markets are well on their way to recovery, while others are experiencing a renewed downturn reminiscent of the housing crash only two years ago. Understanding which path a given market is likely to follow is dependent on several key factors, but the two clear drivers are local unemployment rates and the prevalence of distressed homes.

Housing markets change

Only eight major markets experienced double digit declines during the year, indicating that rapid and severe declines are subsiding. Those markets were Dayton, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wis.; Tucson, Ariz.; New Haven, Conn.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Virginia Beach, Va.; and Richmond, Va.

Of the 15 major markets that had price gains, six were in California, a state that has been hit hard by the housing crisis and had a lot of homeowners default on mortgage loans. Those markets were Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, and Fresno.

Home mortgage applications

Some housing markets were lifted by home buyers taking advantage of a government tax credit. The tax credit encouraged many people to apply for mortgages while interest rates were at or near historical lows. Without the tax credit some homeowners may not have enough money saved up for a mortgage loan down payment and may put off buying a house.

Markets expected to continue struggling

The clear Capital data indicates that housing markets in the West may continue to struggle this year, and that Arizona may post double digit declines. Major Arizona cities have unemployment below the national average, but REO saturation in Tucson is more than 12 percentage points above the national level and more than 19 percentage points for Phoenix.

California markets that improved this year and posted gains may not experience that again this year. Also, housing markets in the South also are expected to struggle, with four of the 10 worst declining markets being in that region.

The state of the nation’s housing market is a frequent topic of discussion. Stories about mortgage rates, home prices, and foreclosures often lead the day’s headlines. If you are a renter you may be wondering if the time will ever be right to buy a home. Regardless of what happens with the broader economy, here are four questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to make the leap into homeownership.

1. Have you paid down debt? Or do you still have a lot of debt from credit cards, student loans, auto loans and other types of financing? When you apply for a home loan your finances are scrutinized by mortgage lenders. One of the factors they are going to focus on is your current debt-to-income ratio. So if you seem to be struggling to pay all the bills with your current debt level, it’s unlikely you are going to get approved for a mortgage. Work on tackling that debt before getting serious about shopping for a mortgage loan.
2. Do you have a hefty down payment? The more you have saved up for a down payment, the better off you are. When you make a down payment that decreases the amount of principal you have to finance with mortgage loan. Aim for a down payment of 20 percent of the purchase price to avoid mortgage insurance (MI) payments. While there are mortgage loan programs for buyers who don’t have a 20 percent down payment, do yourself a favor and take the time to save as much money as possible.
3. Can you afford a home? Do you have enough income to cover all the expenses related to owning a home? In addition to monthly mortgage payments for principal and interest, you’ll pay for homeowners insurance and property taxes. Depending upon the community to live in there may be monthly dues. There also will be expenses for routine maintenance and repairs, yard care, snow removal, etc.
4. Is it a smart move? Are you likely to move anytime soon because of a job change? If there is a good chance that you may have to move soon, buying a home at this time may not be the right move for you. If you’re refinancing, it’s important to look at how long it will take to recoup the closing costs involved with refinancing a home mortgage. Ideally, you would want to remain in the home for at least that amount of time.

Making the move to homeownership is a big step. While current mortgage rates may have you chomping at the bit to get a home loan, it’s important to make sure that your finances can really handle everything that is involved.