The Mortgage Files

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

Considering Home Buying: Is There A Simple Way To Determine A Payment?

By Scott Sheldon / April 29, 2013

Yes, this is especially useful when you’re out on the weekends with your real estate agent looking at houses and you can’t get reach your lender on the weekend. Best possible way to determine your house payment is by using an equivalent of every $100,000 borrowed Here’s the math: For every $100,000 in purchase price…

I'm preapproved for a Santa Rosa Mortgage. Why can't I get my purchase offer accepted?

By Scott Sheldon / April 26, 2013

Fantastic question!  Before we dive down to the nuts and bolts, consider the present market. There’s been more government regulation including a recent legal settlement heavily influencing banks to remove bank owned property from the market, clean up their books and expedite short sales (which now take 3 to 4 months).As a result, less homes…

Who Has The Best Rates For A Sonoma County Home Loan?

By Scott Sheldon / April 22, 2013

The answer is nobody. Not anyone lender has a monopoly on the market. Interest rates change on a daily basis. When you hear interest rates advertised on the radio or online or you hear that interest rates drop again the information is automatically outdated. Why is this? Very simple answer-mortgage rates are tied to mortgage…

Why Should I Work With a Lender Whose Interest Rate Is Higher?

By Scott Sheldon / April 20, 2013

Question is a pretty common one, most consumers typically  compare at least 2 to 3 lenders to see who has the best combination of the lowest interest rate and lowest fee. What people are really trying to find is the lowest cost mortgage and rightfully so, taking out a home loan is a big financial…

New Home Builder says I have to use his lender for purchase financing. Is this true?

By Scott Sheldon / April 18, 2013

Here is a previous post describing this exact situation, builders steering buyers into working with their lender. Know this- everything in a real estate purchase contract is negotiable, everything. No real estate agent, broker, or builder can dictate who you use for financing for your home purchase. That choice entirely yours to make. New home…

How Does Co-Signing Affect My Ability To Qualify For A Mortgage Loan?

By Scott Sheldon / March 18, 2013

If you can find a cosigner for your mortgage, come programs include FHA loans and conventional mortgages, you could potentially qualify for a larger purchase price by taking on larger payment on a monthly basis. The other person has to provide a letter of explanation to the lender explaining specifically why they are willing to…

Another lender is asking me for my business tax returns, including my K-1's and 1120's, is this normal?

By Scott Sheldon / March 14, 2013

Yes, if the lender is requiring tax returns, then most likely the reason this is coming up is because there’s some link between your business tax return and your personal 1040s. In other words for every business you own, that files a corporate tax return then yes mortgage lenders underwriter is going to require each…

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…