Motive for home sellers was unaffordable loan

Two-thirds of California home sellers last year put their houses on the block because they couldn’t make their mortgage payments, the California Association of Realtors said Thursday.

According to a CAR survey, 30 percent of respondents said they fell behind on house payments; nearly one in five said job loss was to blame; and 15 percent said increased mortgage payments forced them to sell their homes.

The survey results point in part to a double-whammy for homeowners: plunging home equity combined with resets in their adjustable rate mortgages. Tighter underwriting standards added to the troubles, CAR said.