The Mortgage Files

Nationally syndicated mortgage news and advice from Senior Loan Officer Scott Sheldon.

Government Loans: To FHA or USDA

By Scott Sheldon / July 1, 2012

Any home buyer putting less than 20% down today has probably been offered or researched the possibility of using a government loan to buy a home. Government loans offer flexible financing alternatives to the standard 20% down conventional loan. Although government loans do contain monthly mortgage insurance, these options allow for a more complete story…

How The Delayed Financing Rule Works: The Buy & Refi Solution

By Scott Sheldon / June 24, 2012

In 2011, Fannie Mae introduced to the mortgage market, the Delayed Financing Rule, effectively allowing a home buyer to pay cash for a property and then immediately re-mortgage that money back post closing on a new refinance transaction. Since 2011, Fannie Mae has been offering this product, but hasn’t had much effect in Sonoma County…

FHA Streamline Refinances: HUD Reduces Monthly Mortgage Insurance!

By Scott Sheldon / June 15, 2012

“FHA ANNOUNCES PRICE CUTS TO ENCOURAGE STREAMLINE REFINANCING Millions of FHA borrowers could save average of $3,000 a year WASHINGTON – Today, Acting Federal Housing (FHA) Commissioner Carol Galante announced significant price cuts to FHA’s Streamline Refinance Program that could benefit millions of borrowers whose mortgages are currently insured by FHA.   Beginning June 11, 2012,…

How To Get A Mortgage Loan Post Short Sale, Foreclosure or Bankrucpty Revisited

By Scott Sheldon / June 10, 2012

Not a week goes by when we are not asked “how soon can you buy a home or refinance a mortgage with a previous foreclosure, short sale or bankruptcy”. As the market continues to improve, many people are still seeking mortgage loans. Home buying opportunities have never been more affordable coupled with the low interest…

Buying A House: What To Expect

By Scott Sheldon / June 3, 2012

Buying a house is certainly a smart financial move given low mortgage rates and the most affordable home prices, ever.  Each market is different so for our purposes we will be looking at the Sonoma County California housing market. Following is what you can expect if you plan to purchase a house in Sonoma County…

Mortgage Comparison Shopping: How To Read The Good Faith Estimate

By Scott Sheldon / May 20, 2012

Taking out a mortgage loan requires careful consideration of all the costs associated with a purchase or refinance transaction. For many, trying to do their due diligence of mortgage comparison shopping, reading, analyzing and interpreting the good faith estimate can be somewhat of a misnomer. The revised good faith estimate goes into much greater detail…

Sonoma County Home Loan Refinance: When and How

By Scott Sheldon / May 10, 2012

There’s an old saying amongst homeowners that you shouldn’t refinance your mortgage unless you can save 1% in interest rate. So in other words, if your mortgage is 5% for example, and you can get for 4.125% on a new home loan refinance, you shouldn’t do it because you’re not saving the full 1%. This…

Get Preapproved To Buy A House: Start House Hunting!

By Scott Sheldon / April 29, 2012

Thinking about taking the plunge into the Sonoma County Real Estate Market? Summer is right around the corner and now couldn’t be a better time to get preapproved with a mortgage lender to begin the home search. What you’ll experience as a home buyer in today’s market is a lower inventory of homes for sale…