The Mortgage Files
Nationally syndicated mortgage news and advice from Senior Loan Officer Scott Sheldon.
Should you cash out refinance or take out a home equity line of credit?
So you have a situation in which you need to access cash. You have a first mortgage at 3%, lots of equity in your home and you want to cash out refinance in order to do a new improvement. What’s the best way to access that money?.. The reality of it is you pretty much…
Read More about Should you cash out refinance or take out a home equity line of credit?How to set realistic expectation for yourself when deciding to buy a home
If you’re looking to purchase a house you need to be all in. That means you need to surrender to the expectations your realtor and lender have laid out for you so you can be successful. If you’re thinking about buying a house here are some things to consider… Your realtor and your lender are…
Read More about How to set realistic expectation for yourself when deciding to buy a homeWhat is a non-qualified mortgage and why do these loan types cost more?
If you’re thinking about purchasing or refinancing a home, you may have heard the term qualified mortgage. A qualified mortgage is a term coined by the CFPB that represents a full documentation loan with a debt-to-income ratio of 43%. Generally, most loans fit this category even though they sometimes allow debt to income ratio as…
Read More about What is a non-qualified mortgage and why do these loan types cost more?How different mortgage loan types impact how much money you can get for seller credits
If you’re thinking about buying a home and you’re short on cash, here are a few things you might want to consider as it relates to downpayment and closing costs… There are two main mortgage types; government-backed loans, and government-insured loans. Government-backed loans are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while government-insured loans are FHA &…
Read More about How different mortgage loan types impact how much money you can get for seller creditsWhy the current mortgage dilemma is a bigger problem than most think!
If you have a really low mortgage rate on your home right now, but you want to buy another home, there needs to be some sort of justification, for giving up the historic, low-interest rate to go into a higher-priced mortgage, here are some things consumers have to weigh out as a relates to making…
Read More about Why the current mortgage dilemma is a bigger problem than most think!Why your credit score is not the only thing that matters when it comes to getting a mortgage loan
If you’re thinking about doing any kind of a mortgage loan to purchase or refinance a home, and your credit needs some work, that might be a sign to pull back, and it also might not. Here are some things to consider that go in correlation with getting a mortgage beyond your credit score. Let’s…
Read More about Why your credit score is not the only thing that matters when it comes to getting a mortgage loan5 signs you should wait to buy a house
If you’re thinking about buying a home, but you’re just not sure. You’re probably better off listening to your gut. That looming credit card debt, or personal loan, that you just can’t seem to kick whatever the case may be here are five reasons you might want to think about waiting to purchase a home…
Read More about 5 signs you should wait to buy a houseHere’s how to buy a house even if you think your income may not qualify
If you’re looking to get prequalified to buy a home, one of the main elements, a lender will use to determine your ability to afford that home is your income. Your gross monthly income from your W-2 wages or your net income from your tax returns is what the lender will use as a basis…
Read More about Here’s how to buy a house even if you think your income may not qualify