Thinking of investing in real estate in the U.S.? Mortgage rates have never been better!

But there’s a catch.

Getting a mortgage is still really, really tough. According to a recent Wall Street Journal blog, major lenders report that many potential buyers are having trouble raising the 3.5% downpayment that is required now to even start the lending process. Most mortgage lenders have tightened their standards, and Fannie Mae has also tightened standards for what kind of mortgages they are willing to buy and under what conditions they will buy them, making lenders even more skittish.

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