Pamela T asked:


Is it easier to modify a loan if you don’t fit the underwriting guidelines for an FHA refinance?
Not in foreclosure; just have a high-interest rate ARM and too high of a DTI.
Thanks for your input.

Kimberly

AccessNational asked:


FHA home loan programs and VA home loan programs are very similar; they both attempt to give

access to affordable home loans to the American people. The biggest difference between the two is that VA home loan programs have been created for America’s veterans of the armed forces. But between the two, would-be home buyers are served. Where one program may not be the best for a borrower, the other program fills in.

About VA Home Loan Programs

VA home loan programs are made for qualified veterans as part of the benefits extended after serving in the military. But in order to qualify for a VA home loan programs, a veteran must meet specific criteria

•A veteran must have a Certificate of Eligibility from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

• A veteran must have good credit (usually for the past two years) and an adequate credit score.

• A veteran must have enough income to repay the loan.

• A veteran must meet debt-to-income requirements as outlined by the VA home loan programs.

• The home must be used as a residence after closing or renovations are complete

Some other individuals also have VA home loan programs available to them, including:

National Guard or Reserve members who meet specific requirements. Widowed spouses of servicemen who died in duty, who have not remarried. U.S. citizens and their spouses who served with an Allied country during World War II.

Benefits of the VA home loan programs include:

• No down payment loans

•Good fixed and adjustable interest rates, regardless of credit history

• Lengthened and flexible terms of 15-30 years or more

• No prepayment penalty

• Assistance during financial hardship

•Protection and warranty against discrimination and poor buildings

But some who have just limited time in the armed forces or who cannot qualify for VA home loan programs may still be able to work with the FHA home loan programs. Also, those with no military experience can work with the FHA home loan programs.

About FHA Home Loan Programs

For those who can’t take advantage of the VA home loan programs, there are FHA home loan programs available. While the FHA home loan programs do not have many advantages over the VA process, there are some. With the FHA programs, more than half of the loan is insured, a benefit not available in the VA, which should be considered by veterans.

FHA home loan programs are similar to VA loans in many other ways, aside from the insured benefit. FHA home loan programs also offer

• Low down payment

• Federal security, which can mean better terms from lenders

• Flexible terms

•Adjustable payment options

• Good interest rates and affordable payments

• Refinance options for existing loans

Qualifying borrowers can benefit from either the VA home loan programs or the FHA home loan programs. By meeting the requirements of each program, borrowers can make their home ownership goals a reality with good terms and through these good programs.



Ernest

californiagovernment asked:

If you’re a qualified veteran and ready to buy a home, CalVet is here to meet your home financing needs!

Rachel

Kristin Abouelata - Home Loans asked:


We encourage our kids to plan for their future, but we seldom include buying a first home sooner than average as a path to building that future. Let them know buying a home is easier than they think.

Most of the people who read this column are not first time homebuyers. The fact of the matter is many of you that are first time homebuyers and reading this article are relatively mature individuals who are fighting off your commitment fears of being tied to a mortgage. But there is a huge segment of the population that could buy their first home, yet it doesn’t occur to them to do so. Who are these people? Well, it’s your 24 year old son or daughter, new to the work force, and is throwing away money on rent somewhere. Encouraging your children to buy a home when they are young is some of the soundest financial advice you can give them. Equity in a home is an easy way to grow one’s portfolio with very little investment. But the fact of the matter is it doesn’t occur to most of us to encourage the younger generation to buy early in their lives. And trust me, it rarely occurs to our kids themselves to consider buying a home in the early twenties. They are more concerned with buying a new Halo 3 for their Xbox.

Why do so many people miss the boat on this opportunity? It could be they plan to be in the area for only a short time because they will job hop to advance their career, thus viewing a mortgage as “too permanent.” I counter to simply sell the house when you move. Or maybe they expect their income to double or triple over the next three years. I say buy a home now, then upgrade to a new home; sell or rent the old house. Investing in real estate is a proven, safe and solid return on investment. And with the right combination of credit history (or a history of paying utilities, cable and your cell phone on time) and no money down, you or someone you care about can start investing in the future.

When Junior starts his new job at the company and 401(K) is available, he’s been informed by his folks, boss or peers to enroll and contribute at least a little something to it with every paycheck. Yet, he is rarely counseled quit renting that apartment for $750 a month and buy a $75,000 house. Where will he come up with the money to do it? There are multiple options for first time buyers that allow for 100% financing. Get the seller to kick in closing costs (up to 6% of sales price with some products), and one can close on a loan and bring no funds to the table. If your home value appreciates 4% in the next year, that’s a nice return on a no cash investment.

For some time, I’ve considered writing this series for first time buyers to let them know buying a home is easier than they think. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the advice I would offer would most likely not reach my target audience. So parents, it is up to you to supply your kids with this last little bit of advice and help to set them free to further establish their independence in this world. Clip this article out and tape it to their iPOD or the steering wheel of their car - someplace it will get noticed.

I think for most of us who have been through the experience, our first home buy was a very daunting experience. There are so many choices and unknowns - it can be overwhelming. In this series, I will try to break it down the process into small logical steps and make it easier understand the steps involved in financing your first home. Where do you start? That is perhaps the easiest part. Our newly established worker should first make a list of all his or her debt obligations such as student loans (unless deferred), car payments, credit card debt, etc. Hopefully at this age, this will be a small list. Then add what you think amount you could afford for a mortgage. Take that amount and divide it by your gross monthly income. If you come in at 43% or less, you’re in business. If you have something in your savings or checking - great. If not, don’t let it deter you. You have options.

Contact a mortgage specialist to drill out the details and find a good realtor who knows your market for housing you can afford. What next? Get ready to tell your landlord “Adios!.”



Peter

Kristin Abouelata - Home Loans asked:


You hear quite a bit lately that “the Fed is cutting the interest rate.” Maybe you’ve been considering a refinance, and you’re waiting to move forward till the Fed takes action again. But be smart about waiting and watching. A Fed cut doesn’t directly affect long term rates (for instance a 30 year fixed mortgage), but it does impact long term mortgage rates. The problem is the impact might not have the result you’ve been waiting for.

Who is the Fed? Well, it’s really the Federal Reserve. And when the Fed cuts rates, it usually cuts the Fed Funds Rate, which is the rate banks lend each other money. However, when the Fed lowers the Fed Funds Rate, Prime Rate, the rate banks give their best customers, usually drops as well. Ok, that’s great. But what does that really mean to the average person on the street? It means that anything that has an interest rate tied to Prime is directly affected by the Feds’ rate cut. Typically, these are short term loans. For instance: a credit card or a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). In general, these rates decline when the Fed lowers rates. On the flip side, a Fed rate cut means your savings will perhaps not yield as much interest and your CD (certificate of deposit) won’t be at such a great rate. So, it’s not all good.

Why aren’t mortgages directly affected? Because mortgage rates are typically longer term rates and are influenced by buyers and sellers in the bond market. Daily movements in the bond market cause mortgage rates to change. That’s why you might get a quote from a loan officer on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, your quoted interest rate has increased .125%. The Fed lowers rates to help stimulate the economy. Ultimately a healthy economy is good for the real estate market. Jesse Lehn, Senior Vice President for Mortgage Investors Group, believes, “…a liquid real estate market is beneficial for the mortgage market and that keeps rates competitive.” So, when the Fed lowers rates, indirectly it can help mortgage rates, but there is no direct correlation.

Another misconception is that mortgage rate changes occur in direct relation to when a Fed rate cut happens. In actuality, most mortgage rate changes, positive or negative, occur regardless of whether the Fed is actually meeting. That’s because the mortgage market anticipates what the Fed is going to do.

A good loan officer should have their finger on the pulse of the market, but again it’s a gamble. Remember to have a target interest rate in mind if you want to lock a loan but are watching the market. Trying to lock an interest rate on the day the mortgage rates have reached their lowest point in a year is like trying to get a royal flush in poker. It happens, but it’s not a realistic goal. It just means you were lucky. Just stick to your home financing goals and consider the big picture, and you’ll be fine.



Edna

Addi asked:


 

Staying in own home is a dream of everyone. People see dreams of owning home at their own choice, but everybody doesn’t able to afford that. Nowadays in the country like India, money is not a barrier of the dream of owning a home. Because all the government and on-government banks in India offer Home loan. These loans are specially given to those people who wants to build-up their own home or purchase a home.

Indian banks offer home loan under different categories, these include:-

Home Purchase Loans – This kind of basic loans are being provided for purchasing a new home.

Home Construction Loan: Banks provides this kind of loan for construction of home.

Home Extension Loan: One can get the loan for expanding or extending his existing home.

Home Improvement Loans: People can avail these loans if they have the requirement for implementing repair works and renovations of their existing home.

Bridge Loans: This loan is the best loan for those people who wants to sell his existing home and wish to purchase a new home. Banks help people by giving this loan to finance the new home.

Balance Transfer Loans: This kind of loan is given to pay off an existing home loan and avail the option of a loan with a lower rate of interest.

Home Conversion Loan: Banks provide this kind of loan to those people who has already purchased home by taking home loan and then wants to move on to another home and for that he requires some extra money. Under this category of loan the existing loan is being transferred to the new home and the extra amount is to be included.

Land Purchase Loans: One can avail these loans for purchasing land. The bank will give the loan without checking whether the borrower taking the loan for construction his home or using it for some other purposes.

Refinance Loans: Those who have taken loans from their friends or relative to purchase their homes, this kind of loan helps them a lot to repay that debt amount to them.

Stamp Duty Loans: To purchase a property, stamp duty is essential. This kind of loan helps people to pay for the stamp duty.

In India, banks provide home loans against fixed and floating rate of interest. Under the fixed rate home loans the interest rate remains fixed for the whole period of the loan. By taking loan under this category the borrower will get the facility of getting a fixed interest rate. But in this case they have to pay a higher rate of interest. On the other hand, under the floating rate loans the rate of interest fluctuates accordingly. The borrower will get the facility of getting a low interest rate. But the interest rate can rise any time and the borrower has to pay a much higher interest rate than the fixed rate of these loans. The repayment of home loans are to be given through Equated Monthly Instalment (EMI). The home loan EMI depends on the amount and the repayment period one takes.

In this age of technology, one can apply for the home loan Online. By applying online one gets relief from the lots of hassle like visiting to the lenders, seeking for the best home loan deal, do the huge formalities and fulfil the long paper works. By availing these loans online one just has to sit on a Internet enabled computer, make a search for the best home loan deal and after choosing one just has to fill a form, that’s it. By doing some simple procedures you dreams can come true.



Jacob

Davi db asked:


If you want to find out the current value of your home loan and how much interest they are paying you, then the fastest way is to use the Home loan Calculator. Different people opt for different options to assess and estimate the outcome of their saving investment. Home loan calculators helps to detail you the exact information related to your saving investment.

These calculators are very convenient to use, and are accessible for 24 hours a day. If you are a saving home loan holder, you will realize that you will be highly benefited from the usage of home loan calculator which is worthwhile. With this calculator, the value of the home loans can be estimated by a simple calculating process. It is the software program of the calculator that allows all users to decipher the value of their investment.

The Home loan Calculator is a great tool to use as it helps you prepare for the future. You can use it as often as you please with no charge. It keeps your personal information intact by making it convenient for you to calculate and find out the information that you want to know without actually having to pay a visit to the banks. This tool will tell you how much these home loans are earning you the interest. It is all set up and calculated in the home loan calculator and you no longer need to play a guess game.

They help in determining how much the saving home loans are earning you the profit. You may avail the services of the customer service online to get help with any questions that may crop up in your mind. In order to plan a comparison study and to go for further plan, this home loan calculator becomes easy with the use of internet.

A mortgage calculator serves as planning long term savings and estimating the expected return in future. They help to maintain a track record on the daily basis of the investment return.

In the world of saving home loans, to keep a constant track of the investment returns, home loan calculators are the easiest and fastest options. They not only provide you with the investment details but also alerts you and prepares you for the future endeavors.

Thus, a home loan calculator is a special device that is designed to help investors to monitor and calculate the value of the home loans and helps the saving home loan investors immensely either in a crisis or to sell the home loans at a profit.

Once you have ascertained the home loans available for purchase, this home loan calculator helps you to identify whether the particular investment is financially worthwhile. It also helps you to judge whether you must keep the saving home loan with you for long or sell it off within a shorter period of time.



Jerry

Information guru asked:


I have a temp agency who is trying to set me up with a temp to hire position in inside sales selling loan modification products to homeowners whose homes are about to go into foreclosure. I know there are a lot of homes right now going into foreclosure, but should I consider this opportunity? This is a new business getting started with seven reps that eventually will eventually expand to 30 reps. I may have the opportunity to get into management if I do well to begin.
In reference to first answer, this is one of the concerns I have had about the position.

Howard

Kristin Abouelata - Home Loans asked:


In the mid 1990’s, the mortgage industry saw the credit score and its predictive power to assess a borrower’s ability to repay a mortgage step into the limelight as one of the most indicative factors for loan approval. After conducting statistical test after statistical test, Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie, the 3 big lending institutions, mandated that the credit score should be used in conjunction with manual underwriting to assess loan approval. Not too long after, automated underwriting systems (AUS) were developed that expedited and streamlined the underwriting process even further for lenders. A loan officer today simply inputs a borrower’s key information into the preferred underwriting automatic engine, such as his/her credit score, income, amount being borrowed, cash reserves, employment and housing history, and the value of the property. A response is returned by the underwriting engine recommending approval or denial for the loan.

If your loan receives a denial from an AUS, the buck doesn’t necessarily stop there. Life happens to people, and oftentimes it’s going to take a real live person understanding the nuances of a file to make an underwriting decision. That’s when your lender may suggest submitting your file to underwriting for a manual review. After all, not everything in life can be automatic, right?

A perfect scenario for a manually underwritten file would be someone who has no credit scores. No credit scores? Yes, it is possible. I’ve had customers who, being old school and always having paid for everything in cash, had never established traditional credit lines that reported to credit reporting bureaus. In a case such as this one, I had to submit non-traditional lines of credit to underwriting, something a machine can’t assess. This means I had my customer bring in bills he had paid on time for the past year to create a credit history. Typical ones used are car insurance, utility bills, cell phone bills and cable bills. You can expect to have to provide 3-4 different trade lines if you haven’t established a traditional credit history and score.

“The most typical reason we see a file submitted to us for manual underwriting is for either no credit score or an error reported on a credit report,” reflects Patricia Haynes, onsite Government Underwriter at Mortgage Investors Group. “For instance a judgement that doesn’t really belong to the borrower. Maybe it’s really Dad’s judgement reflected on the son’s report because Junior and Dad have the same name. That’s when I can overwrite an AUS decision because I have the documentation to support my decision to do so in front of me.”

Another very common reason to submit a loan for a manual underwrite is when your customer’s credit score is below 620 and gets an AUS denial. If this is the case with your loan, be prepared to provide more than average documentation about your credit history, as well as written explanations as to why your credit score has suffered recently. Maybe two years ago you had a financial meltdown due to a medical illness, but in the last twelve months, you can prove you are back on your game and have been repaying debt. However, your credit scores haven’t exactly caught up with your actions. An underwriter is going to piece together the different aspects of your file and see if it makes sense. Your home lender should be able to review your file and guide you as to what documentation an underwriter will want from you to grant you loan approval.

Naturally, if your credit score is really low and you have very little explanation for your state of credit affairs other than you failed to pay your bills on time, don’t hold your breath for loan approval. An underwriter can see through smoke and mirrors. After looking at files as long as they have, they can basically sniff out a loan that has merit from the ones that are too risky.

So, even as our world gets more and more automated every day, it’s nice to know that you can’t replace genuine common sense, even in the mortgage industry. And it’s nice to know that you can plead your case for credit worthiness to a real live human being.



Darryl

Kristin Abouelata - Home Loans asked:


Just out of school and considering buying your first home? You’ll be surprised how easy it can be to qualify for a loan. Too often, the newly minted workforce doesn’t realize the confidence lenders have in their ability to be responsible homeowners.

Ok, so Mom and Dad told you that you need to buy a house. You’ve graduated from college and you’re earning a decent income. Even though you don’t feel like it most of the time, you are officially all grown up. But you ask yourself, “I’m only twenty-four years old, who would possibly loan me money to buy a house?”

First time homebuyer programs are established with flexible guidelines to attract - you guessed it -first time homebuyers! You are in a great position to buy a home provided you have established some history of decent credit. Even if you don’t have traditional lines of credit to show for yourself, you may have established non-traditional credit and not even realized it. Do you have utilities, a cell phone and cable bill in your name? Have you paid them on time for 12 months? Then you have established non-traditional credit. Granted, many of you already have a credit card or gas card in your name. That’s why Dad wanted your name on it, too. Good thinking on his part. At the time, you were just excited to get the credit card “for emergencies.” It didn’t even occur to you that you were establishing a good credit history.

Most lenders want to see at least a year under your belt earning income. The majority of new job workers are making at or under the median income limit for their area. There are those that beat the curve, but then, if you’re making that much money on your first job, you don’t need a first time homebuyer program. You can probably take another route to your first home. Also, recent graduates can get credit for having a diploma. If you have a diploma and an employer who is willing to verify that you earn what you say and are likely to continue on with them, then you’re good to go -even without a year’s employment history to show for yourself.

Some lending programs ask that a borrower have maintained an excellent rental history, preferably a two year history. But, you don’t get penalized if you have been living at home. Especially, if home is in the same city that your school is located. You are simply asked to provide explanation as to how you managed to live rent free. Sometimes, Mom and Dad have to provide a written statement. They’re probably willing to do that to get you out of the house and off the payroll.

What about a down payment and closing costs? Most programs will allow a seller to chip in 3% of the sales price toward your closing costs. This allowance can cover most if not all of your closing costs. Your Realtor simply needs to be aware that you need this concession so she/he can negotiate it with your purchase contract. And how much do you have to come up with for a down payment? How about $0? Nearly all first time homebuyer programs are designed for empty pocket consumers with potential to earn more and maintain good credit. Some programs don’t require you to have any reserves in the bank. Since so many first time homebuyers live on a budget, these programs allow for the reality of life. And you can be rewarded for being a conscientious consumer with lower than average interest rates being available to you.

You may be ready to buy your first home and not even know it. A good mortgage specialist will pre-qualify you, find out what you can afford or what your comfortable paying. Then, you just have to find the right home. It’s easier than you think!



Joann