The Mortgage Files

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

Mortgage Tip: Increase Your Credit Score

By Scott Sheldon / October 17, 2011

So you went ahead and applied for a mortgage loan and you’re all geared up to refinance refinance at today’s fantastic interest rates and your lined up to be preapproved to purchase a house. Your income is good, your assets is good, you got two years on the job, and even don’t have much debt.…

FHA Condos VS. PUD's

By Scott Sheldon / October 3, 2011

Thinking about buying a condominium or unit in a planned unit development? If yes, first off congratulations on deciding to get preapproved to purchase real estate. The best areas in Sonoma County for condominiums are Rohnert Park followed by a Santa Rosa. Sometimes the property you might be looking at is really a planned unit…

Foreclosure Vs. Short Sale Know The Risks

By Scott Sheldon / September 28, 2011

For any homeowners who are in the predicament of choosing a short sale versus a foreclosure, this information is for you. Many people will tell you to just let the property go to foreclosure and in some cases that is the best route, but more often than not, a short sale makes more sense for…

What Mortgage Lenders Want…CIA Analysis

By Scott Sheldon / September 12, 2011

Mortgage lenders today want to conduct a CIA analysis. A CIA analysis is short for credit income assets. These are the three things that we as mortgage lenders really need to see before we can tell you whether or not we can do a refinance loan or a purchase loan for you. Because I work…

FHA Loans- Which Properties Qualify?

By Scott Sheldon / September 9, 2011

There seems to be an ongoing stigma attached to FHA loans in the local Santa Rosa Sonoma County marketplace. The trend is that FHA loans are difficult to get because of specific property standards. Almost all the time, the property qualifies or the property has some small minor repairs that could easily be fixed prior…

The Difference Between Mortgage Preapproval Vs. Prequalification

By Scott Sheldon / September 5, 2011

The Sonoma County Market is presenting opportunity for those seeking to purchase real estate. For everyone purchasing property with financing listen up because this pertains to you! If you are seeking a mortgage loan and live in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Windsor, Healdsburg, or even Sebastopol.. remember a preapproval letter is what you will need to…

Finding A Bad Credit Mortgage

By Scott Sheldon / July 9, 2011

Finding a bad credit mortgage loan is this the first step to completing a purchase or a home refinance. Bad credit mortgage loans are surprisingly available. There are loans out there for people who have unique credit situations. Lenders charge what is called risk based pricing which prices out a loan according to a borrowers…

Mortgage Tip: How To Get A Home Mortage Loan Approved Fast

By Scott Sheldon / July 3, 2011

A fast home mortgage loan approval is the focal point of actually getting the loan to close escrow. The home mortgage loan approval is the point in the transaction gives everybody the green light to move forward with obtaining conditions and ordering docs. The best way to get the loan approved as quickly as possible…