Blog – Page 784 of 791 – First Rate Financial Group

17

Jun

Mortagage Tips

What To Do When Your Real Estate Loan Is Declined

What To Do When Your Real Estate Loan Is Declined There are many reasons why a mortgage loan could be declined. It doesn’t have to be the end of your real estate dreams. Here are a few things to consider if you’ve been turned down for a mortgage.

Loan-To-Value Ratio

The loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is the percentage of the appraised value of the property that you are trying to finance. For example, if you are trying to finance a home that costs $100,000, and want to borrow $75,000, your LTV is seventy-five percent.

Lenders don’t like a high LTV. The higher the ratio, the harder it is to qualify for a mortgage. To reduce the percentage, you can save up a bigger down payment. Some lenders may approve the loan if you buy mortgage insurance, which protects the lender in the case of default, but makes your mortgage payment higher.

Credit To Debt Ratio

Lenders will be less likely to approve your mortgage loan if you have a high credit-to-debt ratio. The ratio is figured by dividing the amount of credit available to you, on a credit card or auto loan, and dividing it by how much you are currently using.

High debt loads will scare away most lenders. Try to keep your debt to under fifty percent of what is available to you. Lenders will appreciate it, and you will be more likely to be approved for a mortgage.

No Credit Or Bad Credit

Few things can derail your mortgage loan approval like credit issues. Having no credit record can be as bad for your approval chances as bad credit. With no record of timely loan payments from anywhere, a lender is unable to determine your likelihood to repay the mortgage. Some lenders will consider other records of payment, like utility bills and rent reports from your landlord.

If you have frequent late charges or collections, you’ll need to work on getting those paid on time, every time. There aren’t many lenders who will approve someone with bad credit, especially in today’s market.

Talk to your loan officer to determine which problem applies to you, and learn the steps to fix it. Then, you can finance the home or condo of your dreams.

If you’re ready to buy a home or condo, I can help. Together, we’ll determine how much you can afford, and I’ll negotiate to get the best price and terms for you. Get in touch with me so I can help you.

16

Jun

By support

Market Outlook

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 16, 2014

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week June 16 2014 Last week’s economic news was quiet in the housing sector, but retail sales and employment-related reports provided indications of less consumer spending and reduced consumer confidence.

On Monday, James Bullard, St. Louis Fed President, commented that inflation appears to be rising. Although not a voting member of the Fed’s Open Market Committee (FOMC), inflation has been a topic of concern to the FOMC in recent years. Mr. Bullard had previously noted that inflation was stable.

His remarks set the stage for this week’s FOMC meeting and press conference by Fed Chair Janet Yellen. Analysts expect the Fed to continue tapering its asset purchases as it winds down its quantitative easing program.

Labor related reports were mixed last week. Job openings in April rose to 4.46 million in April; this was the highest reading since September 2007 and exceeded the March reading of 4.17 million job openings in March.

More good news came from the U.S. Labor Department, which 4.71 million hires in April. This was the highest rate of hiring since June 2008 and represented a year-over-year increase of 6.00 percent. At the start of the recession at the end of 2007, about 5 million job openings were reported.

Mortgage Rates, New Jobless Claims Rise

Weekly jobless claims were reported at 317,000 as compared to expectations of 310,000 new jobless claims and the prior week’s reading of 312,000 new jobless claims. The four-week rolling average of new jobless claims rose by 4,750 new claims for a total of 315,250 new jobless claims. The four-week gauge of jobless claims evens out weekly volatility and is viewed by analysts as a better indicator of labor market trends.

Mortgage rates were higher according to Freddie Mac. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose by six basis points to 4.20 percent; discount points rose from 0.50 to 0.60 percent.

The average rate for a 15-year mortgage rose by eight basis points to 3.32 percent with discount points unchanged at 0.50 percent. The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage rose from last week’s reading of 2.93 percent to 3.05 percent. Discount points were unchanged at 0.40 percent.

The Fed’s quantitative easing program was implemented to control long-term interest rates, including mortgage rates. Gradual tapering of this program is allowing mortgage rates to rise. Other influences include investor concerns over recent decisions made by the European Central Bank.

Consumer sentiment slipped slightly for June according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index. June’s reading was 81.20 as compared to an expected reading of 82.80 and May’s reading of 81.50.

What’s Ahead

Next week’s scheduled economic news includes the NAHB Housing Market Index for June and Housing Starts for May. These readings are important indicators for housing supplies, as a lack of builder confidence can translate to fewer housing starts. Housing markets were impacted by high demand for homes against low inventories of available homes during 2013 and into 2014.

Also noteworthy is the FOMC post-meeting statement and Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s press conference. The FOMC sets the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy and is expected to announce further tapering of the Fed’s quantitative easing program. It will be interesting to learn the Fed’s perspective on inflation, which has been stuck below the Fed’s target level of two percent.

Friday’s release of Leading Economic Indicators for May round out this week’s economic reports.

13

Jun

By support

Home Mortgage Tips

What Are The Closing Costs Of Real Estate?

What Are The Closing Costs Of Real Estate You’ve found the perfect property and a great mortgage loan with the best interest rate you can find. What’s next in the home buying experience? Signing the contracts and paying the closing costs. But what exactly are closing costs?

Here Is A List Of The Most Common Closing Costs:

Titling Fees – These include the title search and title insurance, and the associated attorney fees. These costs are usually paid by the seller but can be assigned to the buyer.
Recording Fees – The government charges a fee to record the change in ownership of the [city] real estate. This can be paid by either the seller or the buyer.
Survey Fee – A survey fee can be required by the lender. It is a fee for the survey of the land or lot, and its structures, to determine that it matches the property description.
Mortgage Application Fees – Occasionally mortgage application fees are included in the closing costs, but usually are paid prior to closing by the buyer.
Appraisal And Inspection Fees – An apriaisal and inspection are required by the lender to ensure that the value of the property is equal to that of the loan, and to make sure there aren’t any underlying problems that detract from the property value. These fees are usually paid by the buyer.
Points – Points are equal to one percent of the principal of the loan. These discount points are paid by the buyer to the lender to reduce the final interest rate of the loan.
Brokerage Commission – The seller pays the real estate agent the brokerage commision fee for listing, showing the property, and handling the contract negotiations. The commission is usually a percentage of the sale price of the property, and determined in advance by the seller and the real estate agent.
Underwriting Fees – The buyer pays underwriting fees to the lender to pay for the costs of determining if the buyer qualifies for the mortgage loan.
Property Tax – County property taxes are usually required to be paid for six months in advance at the time of closing. The buyer is responsible for these fees.