Government shutdown: Mortgage broker says home buyers could be affected

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- With the partial government shutdown, it may seem that only federal employees are impacted, that's not the case.

December is usually a slow month for real estate because of the holidays, but it has been an unusually active month according to one mortgage broker in Phoenix. He says that the government shutting down affects the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Housing Administration and the Social Security Administration, just to name a few. That is making things dicey for some potential homebuyers.

Soon after they married two years ago, Luis Delgado and his wife moved into their central Phoenix townhome. They like it, but the arrival of their baby boy has them looking to move.

"Two bedroom, spacious.. we were happy with it, but now that the baby's here, we feel like we need more space," said Delgado.

The Delgados have been looking for a house for well over a year. The partial government shutdown could complicate things even more if they find something soon.

"With the government shutdown, a lot of prospects don't realize how much the government is involved with the process," said Valley mortgage broker Jeremy Schacter.

Schacter says the IRS, Social Security Administration, FHA, even the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide documentation to borrowers. He has one jumbo loan in limbo as they wait for documentation from the IRS. Schacter is telling his other clients to stay calm and they are finding ways to work through any snags caused by the shutdown.

"A lot of people need to be understanding and hopefully this won't last longer than I'm hearing.. maybe the beginning of January," he said.

Delgado, an IT consultant and his wife are both self-employed, which means the IRS will need to confirm their earnings when they do find a house they want to purchase. He says he is thinking of slowing down the house search for now.

"A little frustrated. We have so many things going with the baby and work. I just focus on that. I'm sure the government will open, right? Eventually, hopefully."