Rising mortgage rates create new obstacle for potential homebuyers

Christine Curtis is trying to make the dream of owning a home a reality.

"I'd like to become a first time homebuyer even at my age of being 50," she said. "I want home security. I want my children to have a place to live and call home for the rest of their lives."

However, now that the average 30-year mortgage rate has gone over 7 percent potential homebuyers like Curtis are deciding on whether to put their dreams on hold.

"The housing prices are extremely high so it all depends on what you can get," Curtis said.

Nathan Kowarky , CEO of Clear Mortgage Capital, said because mortgage rates have more than doubled in the last year some people have less spending power.

"If you're looking at the same home that you were let's say last year, somehow it's still on the market right now, you would be either going to be paying a significant higher payment or you're going to not be able to get the house," he said.

Also, Kowarsky said, "It's going to impact people that are looking to purchase a home. It's going to impact people that use their home equity to pay off debts, credit cards, car loans, home improvements; just the overall cost of financing will be higher."

Some mortgage companies have been forced to layoff staff because of the high mortgage rates.

Kowarsky said business has slowed down but they're adjusting to the change.

He said, "There's a lot of guys in the industry that are autopilot or have been on autopilot for a while and this is not the right environment for that. It's time to get back to basics and get to work."

Kowarsky hopes to see mortgage rates drop in the next eight to 18 months.

He said there are other options when buying a home including adjustable-rate mortgages which may offer lower interest rates for a fixed period of time.