Monday, July 30, 2018

How Much Money You'll Need To Buy A House...

Good Morning!
 
I've written about this before, but it's important, so I wanted to touch on it again.
 
Before you go house hunting make sure you have enough money available to get your loan approved and your house closed.
 
…I know it sounds simple, but many people don’t realize the number of funds they will need to get into a house.
 
Here is a simple breakdown of your out of the out of pocket costs you could expect from the 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, or 3% down.
 
…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 prepaid. This is prepaid interest, taxes, and insurance. Typically your prepaid will run 1% to 2.5% of a sales price.
 
2) Then there are your closing costs… Typically closing costs (from all entities – title, appraisal, mortgage, survey, etc.) will add another 1.5% to 3% 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.
 
That’s it for today!
 
Have a good day today!  …and thanks for reading.
 
 

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

How To Structure A Repair Escrow On An FHA Loan...

Good Morning!

You may not be aware of this be we do allow repair escrows on FHA 203b loans. (203b is the most common FHA loan)
Repair escrows are monies that are set aside (out of seller’s proceeds) to make minor repairs on the home purchased after the closing has occurred.

I wanted to let you know some of the items that are eligible for repair escrows, and some that are not allowed.

These items are eligible for repair escrows:

1) Repair roofs, gutters and downspouts
2) Repair/Replacement/upgrade of existing HVAC systems
3) Repair/Replacement/upgrade of plumbing and electrical systems
4) Repair/Replacement of flooring
5) Painting, both exterior and interior
6) Weatherization, including storm windows and doors, insulation, weather stripping, etc.
7) Purchase and installation of appliances, including free-standing ranges, refrigerators, washers/dryers, dishwashers and microwave ovens
8) Minor repair to exterior decks, patios, porches
9) Minor basement waterproofing
10) Minor mold remediation
11) Window and door replacements and exterior wall re-siding
12) Other minor repair(s) as indicated by the appraiser as being cosmetic in nature and conform to HUD’s repair escrow requirements

These items are NOT eligible for repair escrows:

1) Major rehabilitation or major remodeling, such as the relocation of a load-bearing wall
2) New construction (including room additions)
3) Any repair that, according to the appraiser’s report, not cosmetic in nature
4) Repair of structural damage
5) Repair(s) requiring detailed drawings or architectural exhibits
6) Landscaping or similar site amenity improvements
7) Any repair or improvement requiring a work schedule longer than 60 days
8) Repair/Rehabilitation activities that require more than one (1) final disbursement
If you are buying a home and you think you may need a repair escrow. Give me a call or shoot me an email and we can discuss whether your scenario would qualify!

Have a good day today!  …and thanks for reading.

Brett

 

Monday, July 23, 2018

What To Do When Changing Jobs During The Loan Process...

Good morning!
 
I have many people apply for mortgages that have recently changed jobs.
 
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you or someone you know is about to change jobs and apply for a mortgage…
 
The underwriter will want to see your first paycheck at the new job at a minimum, and often they will want to see your first 30 days of paychecks.
 
The underwriter isn’t trying to make your life difficult by asking for your new paychecks. …This is a common guideline in the mortgage industry.
 
There is one circumstance where you can change jobs and not have to supply your new paycheck prior to approval…
 
If you continue to work for the same company, but you are just changing jobs within that company then you won’t have to produce a new paycheck.
 
If you have more questions on this – don’t hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email!
 
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
 
Brett
 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Best Loan Program For Rural Property...

Good Morning!
 
I’ve written about this before, but I think it’s a good idea to touch on it again…
 
If you need financing to purchase a home in the country I would recommend you consider using USDA, FHA, or VA.
 
The reason I didn’t mention conventional is that a conventional loan generally will have more restrictions on the comparable sales used in the appraisal.
 
Specifically conventional loans have a conservative limit on how far they will allow the comparable sales used in the appraisal to be away from the subject property.
 
For this reason, you often run into a Catch-22 using conventional loans in a rural environment.
 
…Yes you can use a conventional loan, but the comps are too far away from the subject property so you can’t use a conventional loan, etc…
 
Generally speaking FHA, USDA, and VA will accept comparable sales that are “common for the area”. …So, in other words if the comparable sales are all 5 miles away and that’s what is common for the area – then generally they will accept this.
 
If you are unsure what type of financing is best to use for your next purchase – shoot me an email or give me a call and tell me about your situation.
 
That’s it for today!
 
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
 
Brett
 

Monday, July 16, 2018

USDA Tip For You...

Good Morning!
 
Here’s a USDA tip for you…
 
First, you should know that USDA has family income caps.
 
…In other words if you make too much money you won’t qualify for a USDA loan.
 
 
Important: USDA goes by total household income!
 
In other words, if you are getting a USDA loan with you as the only borrower, but you have a live in boyfriend/girlfriend that also lives in the house.
 
…and, that boyfriend/girlfriend has a job and makes money – then their money would also be included in the total household income calculation for USDA.
 
So, please be aware of this before you apply for a USDA loan.
 
Have a good day today! …and thanks for reading.
 
Brett
 

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Do You Own Property In An LLC?

Good Morning!
 
Do you or someone you know own property in an LLC?
 
Did you know FNMA is allowing property owned in an LLC to count towards the 6 months ownership seasoning and can be refinanced?
 
In order to close the refinance transaction, ownership must be transferred out of the LLC and into the name of the individual borrower or borrowers.
 
How's that for a short nugget?
 
Thanks for reading!
 
Have a good day!
 
Brett
 

Monday, July 9, 2018

Two Tips To Make You More Productive...

Good Morning!
 
This tip isn’t about mortgages.
 
It’s about being more productive.
 
Many of you use Gmail. I use Gmail. I like many things about it, but I won’t go into all the details here.
 
One of the cool things about Gmail is that you can add things to it to make yourself more productive. Some of these things are free, some cost a modest amount of money.
 
I wanted to tell you about two things specifically you can download into your Gmail to turn it into a CRM (customer relationship manager).
 
One is called Boomerang. Boomerang does many things, but one of the things I like the most is that you can tell it to have an email show up in your inbox at any time in the future to remind you of something.
 
Another add-on for Gmail I like is called Active Inbox. This add-on allows you to integrate tasking to your emails, and also has many follow up features.
 
Both of these add-ons allow you to be more productive and make it easier to stay on top of relationships with customers as well as friends and family.
 
…just wanted to share!
 
Have a good, safe week!
 
Thanks for reading!
 
Brett
 

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Few Fun Facts About July 4th...

Good Morning!
 
I hope you and your family have a great 4th of July tomorrow!
 
Few fun facts about 4th of July...
 
- Only John Hancock actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. All the others signed later.
 
- The average age of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was 45. The youngest was Thomas Lynch, Jr (27) of South Carolina.  The oldest delegate was Benjamin Franklin (70) of Pennsylvania. The lead author of The Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, was 33.
 
- Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird but was overruled by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who recommended the bald eagle.
 
I appreciate you!
 
Have a good day, and thanks for reading!
 
 

Monday, July 2, 2018

How Long You Have To Wait To Get A Mortgage With A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy...

Good Morning!
 
I wanted to let you know how the major mortgage programs treat Chapter 7 bankruptcy…
 
FHA: 2 years from discharge date, but not less than 12 months w/extenuating circumstances.
 
VA: 2 years from completion date.
 
USDA:  3 years from discharge date.
 
Fannie Mae: 4 years from discharge date, or dismissal date.
 
Freddie Mac: 4 years from discharge date or dismissal date.
 
That’s it for today!
 
I hope you have a great day! Thanks for reading!