Nearly 10 Million Mortgaged Homes are Still Underwater

A collapse in housing prices has trapped nearly 10 million U.S. homeowners in homes worth less than their mortgages, according to a new report by real-estate price tracking website, Zillow.

The report estimates that in the first quarter of 2014, 18.8% of mortgaged homeowners were stuck in homes that would sell at a loss. That marks an improvement over the final quarter of last year when 19.4% of home mortgages were underwater and a significant improvement over the 2012 high of 31.4% — but still leaves nearly 10 million households struggling in negative equity.

The report estimates that another 10 million homeowners have 20% or less equity on their homes, known as “effective negative equity” as homeowners can’t draw enough home equity to swallow the costs of selling the home and moving upmarket. Many home owners rely on home equity to fund the broker’s fees and meet the next home’s down payment.

Underwater borrowers threaten to leave a lingering chill in the housing market, the study’s authors concluded. “The unfortunate reality is that housing markets look to be swimming with underwater borrowers for years to come,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries.