The Mortgage Files

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

What To Know When Buying A Flipped Home

By Scott Sheldon / March 2, 2014

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…

Home Repairs To Improve Value?

By Scott Sheldon / June 2, 2013

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…

Quick Calculation For Determining House Payment

By Scott Sheldon / February 18, 2013

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…

Do I really need to get a second pre-approval when buying a house?

By Scott Sheldon / January 22, 2013

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…

Why APR is Higher Than The Interest Rate

By Scott Sheldon / January 19, 2013

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…

Why 2013 Will Be The Year To Buy A House

By Scott Sheldon / December 23, 2012

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…

What credit score do I need for a VA home loan?

By Scott Sheldon / December 18, 2012

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…

Higher Mortgage Rates For Conforming High Balance Mortgages

By Scott Sheldon / December 18, 2012

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…