The Mortgage Files

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

Why is My Home Loan Rate 3.5%, but my APR is 3.793

By Scott Sheldon / December 11, 2012

The difference in the interest rate and the annual percentage rate is the spread expressed as a dollar finance over the life of the loan. The aPR is always going to be higher than the mortgage rate because the APR, is a function of the total closing costs express as a dollar percentage over the…

Where To Get Information On Sonoma County Home Buying?

By Scott Sheldon / December 8, 2012

You will want to speak with the local mortgage loan officer upfront. Ideally a loan officer who, as a Fannie Mae Freddie Mac lender and has access to various mortgage loan programs including FHA loans, conventional loans VA loans, USDA loans and home path loans. Put another way, the lender that has the full gamut…

What Santa Rosa mortgage can I use to purchase an income property?

By Scott Sheldon / December 2, 2012

This depends if you meet the eligible requirements to purchasing an investment property. The best Santa Rosa mortgage would allow you to put 20% down and use fair market rents to offset the purchase price. Additionally, most investors look at using a 30 year fixed rate mortgage to improve cash flows and provide the highest…

What Sonoma County loan programs are available for little or no down payment?

By Scott Sheldon / November 6, 2012

Great question There are several different programs which would help you decide on purchase price, and monthly payment and certainly loan qualifying. The minimum down payment to purchase a house anywhere in Sonoma County’s 3.5% which would be on an FHA insured government loan program. If your income is $92,000 per year or lower, and…

Which Mortgage Company For My Home Loan?

By Scott Sheldon / October 28, 2012

How to select the right mortgage company for competitive rates. Choosing the right mortgage company to handle your loan is much easier said than done. Mortgage companies have so many designations, “mortgage broker”, “mortgage lender”, “mortgage bank” and then there’s individual banks and local credit unions. Begin by understanding the differences between the various mortgage…

Does monthly mortgage insurance last for the life of the loan?

By Scott Sheldon / August 28, 2012

Monthly mortgage insurance can usually be removed at 20% equity if you have a conventional loan. The mortgage lender must remove the mortgage insurance at 22% equity.if you feel you have 20% equity in your property and your currently paying monthly mortgage insurance, contact your mortgage lender and request they remove the monthly mortgage insurance.…

What Is A Debt to Income Ratio?

By Scott Sheldon / August 24, 2012

A debt income ratio, DTI for short, is the percentage of your gross monthly income that is allocated for reoccurring monthly debt obligations plus your total mortgage payment. The way the math is calculated is by taking any consumer monthly debt obligations on a monthly basis and adding them to the proposed monthly house payment…

I have given you pay stubs, why do you need W2's

By Scott Sheldon / August 24, 2012

The answer is for a few reasons: Lenders did you make sure your in the same line of work lenders need to make sure you’re doing the same type of occupation lenders need to make sure you have a history of employment with that particular employer Paystub’s are only part of the full financial picture,…