The Mortgage Files

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

Navigating the Decision to Wait for Lower Mortgage Rates

Navigating the Decision to Wait for Lower Mortgage Rates

By Scott Sheldon / April 22, 2024

Are you holding off on buying a home, hoping that interest rates will come down? It’s a common sentiment among consumers, but before you delay your homeownership dreams, let’s take a closer look at the financial implications… Let’s start with an example: Suppose the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage today is 6 1/2%, and you’re considering…

Read More
New Fannie Mae rule for using social security income to get a mortgage

New Fannie Mae rule for using social security income to get a mortgage

By Scott Sheldon / December 27, 2023

Are you or someone you know planning to purchase or refinance a home using Social Security income? If so, there’s some good news! Fannie Mae has recently announced new guidelines that will make it easier for families with Social Security income to qualify for a mortgage loan… Under the new guidelines, mortgage lenders can now…

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

What happens with real estate prices when interest rates ultimately fall?

By Scott Sheldon / November 19, 2023

It’s no surprise that interest rates drive the housing market. If more people can buy a home, more demand is created and more demand drives housing prices up, which subsequently results in gaining home equity. Following are the dynamics that transpire in the market when interest rates come down… Homeowners stand to gain more equity…

Read More
How different mortgage loan types impact how much money you can get for seller credits

How different mortgage loan types impact how much money you can get for seller credits

By Scott Sheldon / July 16, 2023

If you’re thinking about buying a home and you’re short on cash, here are a few things you might want to consider as it relates to downpayment and closing costs… There are two main mortgage types; government-backed loans, and government-insured loans. Government-backed loans are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while government-insured loans are FHA &…

Read More
How hourly wages impact mortgage loan approvals

Why hourly wage earners sometimes have a hard time getting a home loan

By Scott Sheldon / May 9, 2023

You’re all excited to purchase your first home, you have a good job, you have a good down payment, and you’ve got a good credit score. What could go wrong, right? Here’s an occurrence that happens pretty frequently you might not know about and more specifically what to do about it as it relates to…

Read More
how to get make the right mortgage loan decision for you

Why most financial experts get mortgages wrong

By Scott Sheldon / July 18, 2021

There’s so much financial misinformation online it’s inundating. Here are some things the experts say as it relates to housing and mortgages for you to consider when trying to get financially ahead… You have to put down 20% to purchase a house  The reality is nothing could be further from the truth. They say this…

Read More
what to know about home loan appraisals right ow

What’s happening with home appraisals

By Scott Sheldon / June 4, 2021

When you go to purchase or refinance a home you need to get an appraisal. More often than not you usually will be based on the type of transaction that you’re doing. Here is the reality of today’s world with regards to appraisals and what you should expect when you’re buying or refinancing a home……

Read More
mortgage income covid 19 202

How to get a mortgage if your income was affected by Covid_19 in 2020

By Scott Sheldon / May 25, 2021

If you experienced any financial difficulty in 2020 and are now back on your feet and looking to purchase or refinance a home this information is for you… Every mortgage company is going to review your situation a little bit differently unfortunately, it’s not one size fits all as a result some lenders have an…

Read More