The Mortgage Files

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

Can I purchase an investment property with less than 20% down?

By Scott Sheldon / March 4, 2013

Unfortunately no not at this time. The minimum down payment to purchase an investment property is 20% down and this cannot be gift funds either, this has to be the borrower’s own  funds. Don’t have the full 20% down needed to make the deal work?, Depositing the money into a bank account, letting it sit…

How To Buy & Transfer Family Real Estate

By Scott Sheldon / March 3, 2013

An alternative to purchasing property on the open market is to purchase family-owned property. Buying a family-owned home allows the buyer and the seller to directly set the purchase price between themselves. How To Set Up The Transaction In a family purchase buy out, relationship between parties doesn’t matter (as long as clearly explained), more…

What's the maximum loan to value permitted on a second home/ vacation property loan?

By Scott Sheldon / March 1, 2013

90% loan to value with 10% down or 10% equity whether that be a purchase loan or refinance mortgage, is the requirement for a second home or vacation property. The  property will have to located in a resort area and because it’s less than 20% equity, a monthly escrow/impound account will be required for principal…

How Long after a short sale can I get a mortgage?

By Scott Sheldon / February 28, 2013

In order to get a mortgage despite having a short sale, you’ll have to provide some things to the mortgage lender including the final closing statement and/or copy of the deed on the note that was short saled previously. This is probably in the documents you receive from the title company when you did the…

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…