The Mortgage Files

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

How long after a bankruptcy can I buy a house?

By Scott Sheldon / February 27, 2013

This depends on whether or not the bankruptcy was a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is typically 12 months with court approval for the purposes of getting a mortgage with at least a 620 credit score or better. Lets assume for our purposes it was a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the full…

5 Ways To Buy A Home

By Scott Sheldon / February 26, 2013

With more home buyers entering the market, competition increasing, driving  prices in most pocket areas up, consumers begin to place more emphasis on sustainable payment over time considering they could be paying more for the property than anticipated. Such real estate market conditions are also causing many buyers to switch mortgage loan programs during the…

I'm a self-employed, run a small business, was recently turned down for getting a mortgage because they don't show income. Are there any programs for people like me?

By Scott Sheldon / February 25, 2013

Because one of the big benefits of working for yourself again to write off expenses you incur in the operation of your business. Because of this, this counts against income or rather the income is reduced to offset the liability. In order to qualify for a mortgage there have to be enough income to offset…

$72,000 Income: How Much House Payment Can I Qualify For?

By Scott Sheldon / February 22, 2013

This it depends on all four factors of creating a mortgage, credit, debt, income and assets. Assuming you have the necessary assets for down payment and/or reserves in the bank and your credit score is considered good, let’s look at the meat and potatoes, is there enough income to offset all monthly liabilities? How the…

I just switched jobs, how does that affect my ability to qualify for a loan?

By Scott Sheldon / February 21, 2013

Great question! This comes up very frequently. When you’re applying for a mortgage, most mortgage companies are going to require two years of stable job history explaining any job gaps from one job to another as well as doing a full two year history showing all dates of employment began and when employment ended during…

My credit score is 620, what type of mortgage can I qualify for?

By Scott Sheldon / February 20, 2013

You are in luck! A middle 620 credit score or higher is needed for a conventional loan with at least 20% down. This could be your own funds or the funds can come in the form of a gift from family or close friends. This would typically be a non-mortgage insurance loan such as a…

Quick Calculation For Determining House Payment

By Scott Sheldon / February 18, 2013

As consumer taking out a mortgage loan, computing a house payment can be a time-consuming process running calculations, let alone qualifying these days. What consumers don’t oftentimes realize, there’s a much easier way to calculate a house payment. Some terms to become familiar with: House Payment or rather PITI Principal-represents principal balance being paid down…

I live In Santa Rosa, trying to refinance my mortgage, why am I getting a higher rate?

By Scott Sheldon / February 17, 2013

First off, refinancing your home is a great decision, interest rates are low and there are many programs available to help homeowners refinance some even without loan-to-value restrictions, see more on the Harp 2 Refinance. In order to get the lowest possible interest rate, understand there’s two critical components most lenders will typically not sure…