The Mortgage Files

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

How Generating A Bigger Income Plays A Role In Your Borrowing Power

By Scott Sheldon / November 13, 2015

Ever wonder the best way to gain more control of your debt? A low rate and payment helps, but discipline and smart income choices play an important role as well… Income is a crucial component lenders look at when granting you a mortgage loan. It is the basis by which they are going to get…

Why Renting May Delay Your Home Buying Efforts

By Scott Sheldon / October 22, 2015

Renters everywhere are feeling the constraints of rising rents. Rising rents erodes your ability to save for the cash needed to buy a home. It becomes a catch 22 because the longer you rent the more you need to save in order to offset rent increases while maintaining the rate at which you are saving.…

Your Student Loan Credit May Secretly Limit Your Mortgage Options

By Scott Sheldon / October 17, 2015

If not handled properly, your student loan may adversely change your home purchase plans. Here’s what you probably don’t know regarding your student loan servicer… Just like any other credit obligation, your student loan servicer reports to the credit bureaus. Even if the payment is deferred, the obligation still reports every 30 days much like…

How Mortgage Interest Works

By Scott Sheldon / October 9, 2015

Mortgage interest is a double edge sword, on one hand it’s a tax-deductible expense, but by and large it is the heaviest cost of homeownership. What to pay attention to if you have not done a mortgage in a few years or bought a home before. Interest Works The Opposite Of Rent The amount of…

Five Things Consumer Still Do In The Loan Process That Hurts Their Loan Closing

By Scott Sheldon / October 2, 2015

Lending requirements are starting to loosen, and gone are the days of overly stringent mortgage underwriting. While this remains… here are five things borrowers still do in the loan process that make things more dicey. Co-mingling Gift Funds-let’s say you’re receiving gift monies from family to buy a home. You instruct your family member providing…

Can You Still Get A Mortgage With Bad Credit?

By Scott Sheldon / September 23, 2015

Looking for a bad credit mortgage loan? If your credit is not up to par, yes, you can still get a mortgage with hoop jumping. Believe it or not you may even be able to seal the deal even with credit score sub 620. Here’s what to expect… FHA- that’s right, the only program out…

Does Improving Your Credit Score For A Mortgage Pencil Out?

By Scott Sheldon / September 7, 2015

Credit is the biggest hot button topic in mortgage lending by far. Most would probably agree, any time you can raise your credit score to improve your mortgage scenario, take advantage of it. Every situation is different and here’s what to be mindful if your credit needs a little love. There are three different loan…

Why Cash Is king In Real Estate Negotiation

By Scott Sheldon / August 28, 2015

It is no surprise there is significantly more demand for housing than there is enough supply creating intense competition. If you’re pre-approved and home hunting, here’s what you need to know if your competition has cash… All Cash Offers No matter what there is a chance you will lose out to the competition on a…