Found 41 blog entries tagged as mortgage.

When applying for a mortgage, a lender may ask a borrower to show "post-closing reserves," depending on the mortgage program that the borrower is applying for (the funds must only be "shown," they are not taken by the lender). This is a very common underwriting guideline when applying for a "Conventional" mortgage on a 2-unit property. For example, if the proposed "PITI" (principal and interest, real estate taxes and homeowner's insurance) total $2,000 per month, then a lender wants to see a total of $12,000 in reserve, post-closing. These assets, that need to be shown, may be excess liquid funds in bank accounts, monies held in mutual funds or retirement funds (lenders generally let a borrower use 60% of a non-liquid retirement account when used for…

5407 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

By Timmy Rail of Citybrook Corp.; NMLS I.D. #: 12812

As a homebuyer in today's marketplace, one should be aware of all mortgage programs that are available to a borrower. The first step in the home-buying process should be getting "pre-qualified" by a seasoned mortgage loan officer that can assist in showing you all of your available options and answering all of your questions. Today, we focus on a comparison of a Conventional mortgage versus an FHA mortgage and emphasize the benefits of the Conventional loan. On a 1-family unit, a borrower can obtain a Conventional mortgage with 5% down. Assuming a 760 FICO score, let's compare a Conventional mortgage versus an FHA mortgage at today's interest rates:

  • As evidenced above, although FHA…

3478 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

By: Daniel Boxman of United Northern, NMLS ID# 1077102

Mortgage Application Process

Now that you have negotiated a sales price and reached an agreement with the seller of your home, it is time to apply for your mortgage.

You can first reach out to the lender that gave you the mortgage pre-approval, or any other lender if you desire. Since you now have a contract of sale and are ready to apply, it is not a problem to check out which lender can give you the lowest rates and fees.

Once you decide on the lender, you will need to gather up some more documents. The lender will need to get a copy of the contract of sale, as well as a canceled check you are using for your down payment. If you decide to pursue with a different lender than the one who…

3745 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

By Larry Ambrosino of Continental Home Loans

With Staten Island’s OPEN HOUSE weekend upon us, this Saturday and Sunday April 26th & 27th. Being a Senior Loan Officer with over 10+ year’s experience, the importance of a Pre-Qualification in today’s marketplace is as important as going to see a doctor when you’re sick for a proper diagnosis. Please call Larry Ambrosino at 917-952-5851 today to set up an appointment for your free Pre-Qualification.  Continental Home Loans is heavily involved in the Nation’s Union Members, Active and Retired, and their families, this includes, no processing fees, no application fees, no commitment fees and competitive rates.

15457 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Home equity is the difference between what your home can sell for and what you owe on it. You can calculate your equity by subtracting the amount still owed on the mortgage loan(s) from the market value of your property.

Generally, the longer you own your home, the more equity you build. If you can’t make the payments, you can lose your home. This is why you have to use your home equity in smart ways.

  1. Remodel your home. If you’ve wanted to add on a family room or modernize your kitchen, consider using your home’s equity to fund the project. Home improvements usually increase your home’s marketability and value.
  2. Make major repairs where need be. Your home’s equity can be a funding source for major repairs likeplumbing problems and re-roofs.…

2567 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

By Timmy Rail of Citybrook Corp.  NMLS•: 12812

Some important tips that first-time homebuyers should be aware of as this year's "Spring­ Buying Season" approaches:

  • Your credit profile is made up of 3 scores from the 3 main credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion; lenders will use your middle (average) credit score
  • A huge part of getting "pre-qualified" is to take an early look at your credit scores and credit profile, in-case there are errors or items on your report that you can "clean-up" before you find homes you like and want to put an offer on
  • Lenders generally take your "unreimbursed employee expenses," found on the "Schedule A" of your tax return (generally, page 3, line 21), off the top of your gross income (these may be…

2502 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

When you take out a mortgage on your new home as a first time homebuyer, the more you can pay as a down payment the better. The down payment on a mortgage reduces the principle of the loan and means that you will be paying tens of thousands less in interest payments over the life of the loan.

Most financial experts recommend that you should save up at least 20% of the value of the home as a down payment. Depending on the value of the home that you want to buy, this can be a serious chunk of money. You will need some strategies for saving big. Here are some tips to help you get closer to that down payment:

Make A Separate Savings Account

No matter how much you have already saved for your down payment, create a new savings account to put the money…

2544 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

By Timmy Rail of Citybrook Corp.  NMLS•: 12812


When applying for a mortgage, lenders require a 60-day history of the assets that you are using for your down payment and settlement costs. Generally, all "large deposits" that a lender sees going into your account over this 60-day time-frame need to be "sourced." For example, if a parent were to give their child a gift for the purchase of a new home, this is a totally acceptable source, but needs to be proven the correct way, whereas that Super Bowl pool you won at the office may not be such an acceptable source.

When clients are close to their wedding, I always remind them that although lenders have become very picky on wedding gift monies, if properly documented the correct way, the funds can be used…

3259 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

A recent study of US and UK home buyers, conducted by the London based Nationwide Building Society, found that more than 40% of people buying homes were confused by the jargon that lenders used to describe mortgages. Saying “more than 40%” seems like an understatement.

According to another study, only 31% of homebuyers understood what the term “LTV” meant, an acronym that stands for “loan to value” and describes the ration between the amount of the mortgage and the value of the home. Not only did the survey show that many mortgage borrowers were confused about what the terms meant, but they also were shy about asking for explanations of words that they didn’t understand. It's just like in school when the teacher asks if anyone has questions and no one…

3877 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

When you have been researching your different options for a mortgage on your home, you might have heard of an “Interest Only Mortgage”. What exactly does this type of mortgage mean and how does it work?

Usually when you take out a loan, you must pay back the capital debt (the amount you borrowed) and the interest on that debt. An interest-only mortgage offers a cheaper option for purchasing a property, because you will only be making payments on the interest and not the capital. Compared to a repayment style mortgage where you are paying down the principle of the loan, an interest-only mortgage will have much lower monthly payments.

However, when you reach the end of the mortgage term with an interest-only mortgage, you will not have paid off any of…

3336 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post