The Mortgage Files
Nationally syndicated mortgage news and advice from Senior Loan Officer Scott Sheldon.
What To Know When Buying A Flipped Home
House hunting? If your appetite for a turnkey renovated home is a flipped house, you may end up jumping through more hoops to close escrow. What Is A Flipped Home? A flipped property is a situation where the house is acquired usually by a real estate investment company (also could be an individual) and is re-offered…
Read More about What To Know When Buying A Flipped HomeHome Repairs To Improve Value?
Home equity has come roaring back. Many, can now refinance, others, are in a better position to sell as the intense demand for real estate continues. Everyone wants to attain maximum value for their home. So what’s the best indicator of a home’s worth? Simple: the amount a ready, willing, and able buyer is willing…
Read More about Home Repairs To Improve Value?Quick Calculation For Determining House Payment
As consumer taking out a mortgage loan, computing a house payment can be a time-consuming process running calculations, let alone qualifying these days. What consumers don’t oftentimes realize, there’s a much easier way to calculate a house payment. Some terms to become familiar with: House Payment or rather PITI Principal-represents principal balance being paid down…
Read More about Quick Calculation For Determining House PaymentDo I really need to get a second pre-approval when buying a house?
In short sometimes. Here’s what happens, the bank that owns the property is typically trying to control the transaction both on the listing side as well as on the buying side. Example-a bank such as Bank of America owns a house, in order for them to even consider looking at your purchase offer, they will…
Read More about Do I really need to get a second pre-approval when buying a house?Why APR is Higher Than The Interest Rate
The annual percentage rate is always higher than the actual interest rate, because the annual percentage rate takes into consideration all of the costs associated with financing including prepaid items such as property taxes, hazard insurance and mortgage interest lumps them all together against your loan and re-amortizes the figures over the life of the…
Read More about Why APR is Higher Than The Interest RateWhy 2013 Will Be The Year To Buy A House
As we round up the fiscal year 2012 and move into 2013, the next 12 months is showing compelling reasons why would-be home buyers are going to be buying more homes. In the beginning of 2012, the consensus was the real estate market was low, even flat in some parts. In summer 2012, purchase business…
Read More about Why 2013 Will Be The Year To Buy A HouseWhat credit score do I need for a VA home loan?
While HUD, does not have a minimal credit score requirement for VA loans, or even FHA loans, most lenders have a credit score requirement of at least 640 or higher in order to successfully fund and close a VA home loan. If your credit score is 640 or better, you meet them credit score eligibility…
Read More about What credit score do I need for a VA home loan?Higher Mortgage Rates For Conforming High Balance Mortgages
If you are in the market for a mortgage refinance or home purchase, plan to pay more if you are borrowing more than the conforming loan limit. The national conforming loan limit for the best mortgage rates is $417,000 extending through December 31, 2013. If your loan is up to $417,000 or lower, generally you’ll…
Read More about Higher Mortgage Rates For Conforming High Balance Mortgages