The Mortgage Files

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

5 practical ways to increase your purchasing power when buying a home

How to avoid a contingent offer to buy a new home without selling your current home first

By Scott Sheldon / March 14, 2024

Buying a new home while still owning your current home can be a challenging process, especially in today’s market. When you want to purchase a new home without selling your current home first, you may be required to make a contingent offer. A contingent offer means that the purchase of your new home is dependent…

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How to use your FHA mortgage to sell your home for more

How to use your FHA mortgage to sell your home for more

By Scott Sheldon / February 11, 2024

If you have an FHA mortgage on your home and are planning to sell, you can take advantage of the fact that the loan is assumable. This means that the buyer of your property can take over your existing loan, which can help you get a higher price for your home… Here’s how it works:…

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How to determine which mortgage loan program is best based on your credit score

How to determine which mortgage loan program is best based on your credit score

By Scott Sheldon / January 28, 2024

Choosing the right mortgage is crucial when you’re looking to finance your dream home. Two popular options are FHA loans and conventional loans, each with its own set of guidelines and requirements. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key differences between FHA and conventional loans, focusing on credit scores and how recent updates in…

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How buying a condo may carry the same mortgage payment as a single family home

How buying a condo may carry the same mortgage payment as a single family home

By Scott Sheldon / December 30, 2023

If you’re debating between purchasing a condominium unit versus a single-family home, there are several factors to consider. You’ll want to evaluate the monthly mortgage payment, market conditions, and whether you can handle the mortgage payment affordably. Typically, condominium units are less expensive than single-family homes, sometimes by as much as $100,000 or more. However,…

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why being a picky home buyer could be an issue

Why being choosy as home buyer could be problematic

By Scott Sheldon / October 29, 2023

You’ve decided to buy a home, you’ve gotten preapproved with a lender, your file has even been pre-underwritten. Here are some things you might want to give some consideration to- what you want versus what the market might support… Here’s to considerations to think about.. Consideration one- Let’s say you’re pre-approved to $700,000, the house…

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How to align expectations with market conditions to buy a home

How to align expectations with market conditions to buy a home

By Scott Sheldon / September 17, 2023

You have decided to you want to buy a home. You supply the lender with all your paperwork, and you know you can afford a mortgage even if it’s a little outside of your payment comfort, but for whatever reason you just can’t seem to get into a contract. The stars are not aligning, which,…

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Why an FHA Mortgage is by far the best out of the box loan option to buy a house

Why an FHA Mortgage is by far the best out of the box loan option to buy a house

By Scott Sheldon / January 29, 2023

FHA loans which are loans ensured by the federal housing administration oftentimes have gotten a bad rap, for the costs associated with them as well as the types of properties that will be insured by the FHA. The reality of it is that the NFA chain loan is by far unequivocally the most flexible loan…

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self employed mortgage challenges

Are you Self employed having a tough time getting a mortgage?

By Scott Sheldon / January 1, 2022

Are you self-employed in having a tough time getting a mortgage? Here’s what you need to know… When it comes to being self-employed one of the biggest challenges that you’re going to have as an entrepreneur is reporting income. The more income you show the more taxes you pay the less you have for savings…

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