Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Well Wishes, And Tip For 2015…

small brett pic Well Wishes, And Tip For 2015...
I can’t believe 2014 is over!
Have a safe New Years Eve.
…and, I hope you have a happy and prosperous 2015!
Top Tip for 2015:
Remember, highly effective people think on paper.
Write down everything… Your goals. …Your dreams. …How to solve problems.
Before you tackle any project write down the steps it will take to complete it. You’ll be amazed how much quicker you complete the project.
…plus it feels so good to check off the items as you complete them!
That’s it for today!
Thanks for reading.
Brett

Monday, December 29, 2014

Update To Short Sale Law…

small brett pic Update To Short Sale Law...
I hope you had a great Christmas!
Update on Short Sales:
On December 16, the Senate passed an extension of the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act by a vote of 76-16.
The extension applies to any short sale conducted in 2014.
If Congress had failed to act on the renewal of the tax breaks, any forgiveness on a home loan achieved in a short sale would have been counted as income for homeowners whom banks allowed to sell their homes for less than the amount of their mortgage.
That’s important, because the average short sale nationwide is reported as having a forgiveness of about $75,000.
That’s it for today!
Thanks for reading.
Brett

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

FHA Gift Tip, And Short Video On Giving You Have To Watch…

small brett pic FHA Gift Tip, And Short Video On Giving You Have To Watch...One quick note on FHA gifting, and a short video on Giving that you have to watch…
Acceptable gift donors for FHA loans…
1) Borrower’s relative.
2) Borrower’s employer or labor union.
3) A close friend with a clearly defined and documented interest in the borrower.
4) A charitable organization.
5) A governmental agency or public entity that has a program providing home ownership assistance.

I’m a huge fan of Simple Truths.
Since it’s the Christmas Season please watch this short video on giving. I can’t watch it without choking up a bit…


That’s it for today!
Merry Christmas! …and thanks for reading.
Brett

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

This Deduction Can Kill Your Loan…

small brett pic This Deduction Can Kill Your Loan...
If you have a W-2 job, and you are considering getting a mortgage here’s something to keep in mind as tax season approaches…
The deductions you take on Schedule A for “unreimbursed job expenses” will come out of your adjusted gross income as a direct deduction off your income.
This deduction would be things like job travel expenses, union dues, job education, etc.
I’ve seen some rather large deductions in this category over the years – and sometimes it’s meant the difference between loan approval and denial.
So, if you know you will be applying for a loan in the next couple of years – be aware of how this “unreimbursed job expenses” deduction will impact your overall income.
That’s it for today!
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
Brett

Monday, December 15, 2014

Fannie Mae Re-Introduces A 3% Down Product…

small brett pic Fannie Mae Re Introduces A 3% Down Product...
Fannie Mae used to have a 97% loan product.
Then they got rid of it.
Now they have brought it back. Effective December 13, 2014 Fannie Mae re-introduced the 97% loan product.
This is a lown down payment alternative to FHA.
Just wanted ya to know…
That’s it for today!
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
Brett

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

What You Need To Know About Money To Close When Buying A House…

small brett pic What You Need To Know About Money To Close When Buying A House...
I’ve touched on this before, but I think it’s worth repeating…
Before you go out house hunting make sure you have enough money available to get your house closed. 
…I know it sounds simple, but many people don’t realize the amount of funds they will need available to get into a house.
Here is a simple breakdown of your out of the out of pocket costs you could expect by loan program.
1) VA: 100% loan. No down payment.
2) USDA: 100% loan. No down payment
3) FHA: Minimum 3.5% down payment.
4) Conventional: 5% minimum down payment. (There is also a 97% conventional if you have good credit).
…but you can expect more out of pocket than just the down payment. There are two other costs you can expect to pay when you purchase a home…
1) One, is prepaids. This is pre paid interest, taxes, and insurance. Typically your prepaids will run 1% to 1.5% of a sales price.
2) Then there’s your closing costs… Typically closing costs (from all entities – title, appraisal, mortgage, survey, etc.) will add another 1% to 1.5% to a sales price. 
Be prepared for these additional costs. However, there are a couple of ways to help you lower the closing costs and prepaid expenses.
The best way is to ask the seller to help you. 
If the seller refuses to help you pay your closing costs and pre paids – there are other ways to get this done. Contact me and we can discuss some options for you.    
That’s it for today!
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
Brett

Monday, December 8, 2014

Take Advantage Of This Opportunity To Get Out Of Your FHA MI…

small brett pic Take Advantage Of This Opportunity To Get Out Of Your FHA MI...
As mortgage rates have been dropping, home values have been climbing.
Many homeowners now find themselves with a little bit of equity.
This creates an opportunity to refinance out of low down FHA loans. By refinancing out of an FHA loan you can many times either eliminate the FHA MI, or at least lower it considerably.
If you would like to see if we can switch you over to a Conventional loan to lower your overall payment – just let me know.
I’ll be happy to help you out!
That’s it for today!
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
Brett

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

How To Refinance At No Cost To You…

small brett pic How To Refinance At No Cost To You...
This is a good time of the year to refinance because your taxes are getting paid about now.   …We don’t have to pre-fund your escrow account with a lot of taxes.
I wanted to take a minute and tell you exactly how a no cost refinance works.
There are two pools of funds you have to address when you refinance…
1) Closing costs.
2) Pre paids. (taxes, interest, and insurance)
A no cost refinance will cover your closing costs. You would still be responsible for the pre paids (although we can roll them into the loan) – because you would pay these costs whether you refinance or not. Now, if your current loan is escrowed you would be reimbursed the balance in your escrow account after closing. So, this would be a wash for you.
Let me give you an example of how a no cost refinance works…
Let’s say your current rate is at 4.50%. …and let’s say normal closing costs on your refinance loan would be $4,000.
There are two ways to approach this refinance…
1) You can take the very lowest rate in the market at the time. …Let’s say it’s 3.50%. If you elect to go this route – you would either have to pay the closing costs yourself, or we could roll them into the loan. Either way you are paying for the closing costs.
2) You could take a slightly lower rate – say 3.75%, and we (the lender) can pay the $4,000 closing costs for you.
Option 2 is a true no cost refinance. You were able to lower your rate and monthly payment for free. It didn’t cost you any money to do it!
If you would like for me to review your current situation for a no costs refinance – I’ll do it for free! …just give me a call, or shoot me an email.
That’s it for today!
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
Brett

Monday, December 1, 2014

Two Quick Loan Tips…

small brett pic Two Quick Loan Tips...
- Did you know we can accept debt to income ratios over 55% on a VA loan? …Many companies will stop at 45% or 50%. …Just something to keep in mind.
- Did you know we can do USDA loans down to 560 scores? …Yep!
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday!
That’s it for today!    …thanks for reading!
Brett