The Mortgage Files

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

How changing your preapproved amount may affect your home buying chances

By Scott Sheldon / December 26, 2021

So, you’re looking to purchase a house, you’re preapproved, and you’re on the home search. You and your realtor are going out on nights and weekends looking at homes and deciding if the house is the right fit for you and your family. Here’s some following information you should be aware of as it relates…

2022 conventional, FHA, VA, loan limits now rise

By Scott Sheldon / December 6, 2021

If you’ve been on the sidelines for residential financing, or you’re thinking about doing a loan, and you’ve had some difficulty as it relates to borrowing money for home mortgage financing. The new loan limits for 2022 could help bridge the gap from where you are to where you’re going in support of your financial…

Signs you’re not ready to buy a house

By Scott Sheldon / November 14, 2021

Everyone wants to purchase a house and buying a home is considered the American dream. However, not everyone is ready to buy a house, and here are some things you might want to give some consideration to as it pertains to whether not you should or should not buy a home.   You must have…

Don’t be an “I don’t want to waste your time” mortgage consumer

By Scott Sheldon / November 3, 2021

Mortgage companies must look at the overall picture in helping you qualify to purchase or refinance a home. If you think you might not qualify or there’s something in your financial picture, the lender still must look at the overall financial scenario to see if they can help you. So, if you think that there’s…

How to get a first time home buyer program

By Scott Sheldon / September 5, 2021

Buying your first home requires careful consideration of your cash, credit, and income. A first-time homebuyer is anyone who has not owned a house or any real estate in the last 2 years. Here’s what you need to know… The reality of it is that there aren’t any special first-time homebuyer programs out there in…

Borrowing a down payment to buy a home? Watch our for these two retirement accounts

By Scott Sheldon / July 12, 2021

One of the best things you can do to proactively position you and your family to buy a home is to borrow money from your 401K after all, it’s your money. If you’re thinking about pulling money from retirement to buy a home here’s what you need to know and the 2 types of accounts…

Can you get a mortgage with a brand new job or a recent raise?

By Scott Sheldon / June 14, 2021

One of the most important things consumers have to deal with when securing mortgage loan financing besides having a good credit score and a good down payment is having income to actually offset the proposed liability i.e, a  mortgage payment. Income is single-handedly the most important thing because it drives affordability. Lenders and banks know…

How to spruce up your offer to buy a home

By Scott Sheldon / May 18, 2021

Let’s say if you are in the market to be buying a home in the current environment here some things you might want to be aware of with regards to acting on a house that’s within your budget… Let’s say as a result the house you could afford is say $650k. For whatever reason, you…