Oct 27

Today's Mortgage Rates: Which home loan is best?

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Today\'s Mortgage Rates: Which home loan is best?

With the current “mortgage meltdown” we hear so much about these days, your average consumer thinks that the days of 100% financing have gone by the wayside. True, you are hard pressed these days to find a bank or lender that will want to carry a second mortgage that combined with a first mortgage adds up to 100% financing. That’s because if there is a default, sitting in second lien position is particularly dicey. Too much risk is involved. And since, in recent history, that scenario of the 80/20 combo was the most common 100% financing vehicle available to a certain group of consumers (non first time homebuyers), there’s a misconception out there that 100% options are all but dried up.

But, a-ha! There is hope for someone who has great credit but prefers to invest his/her assets elsewhere when rates are so low. It’s called the Flex 100. And it can apply to purchases and refinance transactions.

I heard an analyst mention on television the other day that mortgage money is so cheap right now it’s like a sale at Macy’s. That made me chuckle, but it’s true. In which case, why not invest your money elsewhere if you qualify for 100% financing. After all, the homes are still appreciating in most areas, but not at the stellar rate we saw in the past.

The Flex 100 requires you to invest $500 of your own cash towards the transaction, so I guess it’s technically not 100% financing, but it’s pretty darn close. And no, you don’t have to be buying your first home to get this deal. You can actually have owned a home in the past three years! However, it does apply to financing your primary residence only. You can’t get this deal for that nice cabin in Gatlinburg you want to use on the weekends or for that great rental down the street you think you can get a good deal on. You’ve got to live in the house to qualify for this financing.

But you can do a refinance, as long as it’s not a “cash-out,” meaning you’re not paying off debt or taking equity out of the property. It must be a rate term refinance only. However, you can pay off that second mortgage or home equity line of credit you hate, IF you obtained that 2nd lien mortgage when you got your first mortgage (a piggy back closing, we call it). Or to make it clearer, you originally had that 80/20 combo mentioned earlier. If you got that home equity mortgage a month or two after your initial closing to build a deck or payoff a credit card, than it that won’t work for a Flex 100 refinance.

What about your credit score? Well, it will affect the price you get, but there is no “minimum” credit score required for this program. You just have to get an approval through the automated underwriting system required. But be realistic – if you’ve got “iffy” credit, you probably won’t get an approval. A borrower with a credit score below a 620 would probably have to have a low loan to value or debt to income ratio for a chance of an approval.

A Flex 100 may or may not make sense for you. But hey, at least you know it’s an option. Your lender should be able to help you determine if this opportunity to flex your mortgage muscle makes sense for you.

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Texas Mortgage Info: How your mortgage person structures your loan is more important than the getting a low rate. To get the lowest 30 year or 15 year fixed rate consider avoiding PMI (mortgage insurance) even though these loans have higher rates; they have lower payments.

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Can I take out a home loan for land and a manufactured loan?
By home loan I mean a home loan and not a personal property loan like on a trailer home/manufactured home in a trailer court. I qualified for a home loan and I want to keep it cheap, so I want to purchase a piece of land and a manufactured home. Wil this work as a home loan if its on private land?
Wow, there is quite the array of scams out there! Why would anyone take out a loan from the internet without talking to someone face to face?

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Sep 12

Veteran Administration (va) Loans – Thank You for Your Service

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Veteran Administration (va) Loans - Thank You for Your Service

In 1930, Congress and the President established the “GI Bill” which allowed the Veteran Administration (VA) to coordinate benefits for its service people.  One of these programs, known as the Home Loan Guaranty Program, was created to help returning veterans and their families assimilate back into civilian life after sacrificing so much personally for their country. 

Who qualifies for VA loans?  If you served in the military, naval or air service and are active duty or released from duty for reasons other than a dishonorable discharge, you may qualify.  You had to serve for 90 days active duty or 181 days consecutively in peacetime. If you served less than the minimum requirement because of discharge or service connected disability, you may also qualify. In addition, if you are the surviving un-remarried wife or husband of an eligible service member who died for his/her country, you may too be eligible.  This program was designed to reward you and your loved ones for your service.

“The VA program, in general, is an exceptional program.  Many veterans don’t know it can even benefit them if he/she is overseas.  We’ve been helping active duty service people by putting their families in homes, and giving them peace of mind that their loved ones and their immediate needs are being taken care of while they’re away”, reflects Jamie Utton, Director of Product Development at Mortgage Investors Group.

These loans are available only for a primary home you intend to occupy.  You can’t go and buy a beach house for weekend use with it.  However, you can also use your eligibility to refinance your primary residence and pay off debt (except for Texans, for some reason, they don’t allow it in that state).  Or, if you had a VA loan prior, and the interest rates have dropped dramatically, you can do a “streamline” refinance – no worries about paying for a new appraisal or the hassle of verifying your income.  You’re all set to go.

So what makes the VA loan stand out above other types of financing? It allows for 100% financing for loans up to $417,000 with no reserves (checking and savings money to burn) required. The loan amounts allowed go up to $1.5 million, but you’d have to put some type of down payment into the transaction if you want to borrow that much money, plus show you have enough money to pay your mortgage for two months sitting in the bank if you need it.   And if you’re buying a home, the program allows for the seller to pay up to 4% of the closing costs, based upon the purchase price.  Basically, you can get into a home for very little or no money at a more than affordable market rate.

And the best part?  No extra money is added to your payment for mortgage insurance if you put a less than 20% down payment on the home.  That’s a pretty unique feature that makes this loan more affordable than others.  Most of the time, the veteran  will be required to pay a VA Funding Fee, but it is financed into the loan amount.  So, the funding fee is not an out of pocket expense for closing.  A veteran can be exempt from paying the funding fee for different reasons, including service connected disability, or if he/she is a surviving spouse of a veteran who died in service or from a service related disability.  And regarding credit scores, the VA loan program has more flexibility than some other programs offer. 

If you think you may qualify for this loan, let me first of all say, “Thank you.”  I really appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made for this country.  And if you’re looking to purchase or refinance your home, call a lender today who specializes in VA loans, and take advantage of this great benefit.

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Acorn has been helping illegal aliens receive home loans for years. Finally the media is catching on that the government is complicit in helping the loans to go through.

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Sep 6

What's the Low Down on Loan to Value?

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What\'s the Low Down on Loan to Value?

It’s not very often that a borrower takes into heavy consideration what his loan to value is when shopping for a loan.  In fact, if the subject is brought up by the customer, it’s mostly in relation to avoiding paying monthly mortgage insurance.  But sometimes, a loan to value can affect even more aspects of your loan – like pricing and approval!

What is loan to value?  Well, it’s exactly what it says.  The loan amount compared to the value of the home you are buying or refinancing.  For example, if you are buying a $100,000 home, and your loan amount is only $50,000, your loan to value or “LTV” is 50%.  It’s also very common to refinance a home to obtain a lower LTV and drop mortgage insurance that was before required.

Different types of loans have different minimum requirements for LTV’s.   With primary residence purchases, for instance, an FHA loan can have as high as a 97.75% LTV (soon to change to 96.5% in 2009).  A conventional loan can have as high as a 97% LTV (but more common is 95% LTV).  VA and Rural Housing loans can have 100% LTV’s.  People who have cash to put down on the property they are buying and financing with a conventional loan oftentimes try to amass 20% of the purchase price in order to avoid mortgage insurance.  Mortgage insurance is required when your LTV for a primary residence is above 80% and is issued by independent mortgage insuring companies like Genworth Financial or PMI.  Fannie and Freddie, the big purchasers of conventional loans, will require one of these or other approved companies issue mortgage insurance unless the loan has an 80% LTV.  And if you’re refinancing the home you live in?  The whole grid of acceptable LTV’s changes for the most part, with a few exceptions.  And furthermore, if you’re talking about investment properties, it’s another can of worms.

But when else does LTV mean something?  Consider when a loan specialist prices your loan.  Oftentimes there are pricing differentials based upon the loan to value.  For instance, if you carry mortgage insurance and your LTV is 85.01% or higher, you might actually get a better interest rate than if you had an 85% LTV (but don’t get too excited because your monthly mortgage insurance will be higher).  Or if your LTV is 60% or lower, you might also get a better interest rate.  If you are close to tipping the scales on one of these ratios, it may be to your benefit to ask your loan specialist how close you are to a pricing break one way or another.  You’d be surprised to find out it might change your mind as to how much money you decide to put down on your loan. 

And guess what else?  A low loan to value may be the difference between loan approval and loan denial.  Why is that?  Because if you are investing enough of your own money into the equity of a property, chances are you won’t default on the loan.  And if you do, it’s probably a last recourse.  Not to mention, the lender who holds the note won’t lose money because there is enough equity in the property to cover foreclosure costs, re-sale costs and any value loss from an upside down market.  The lender is covered.  So, the lender will consider the loan less risky and a higher debt to income ratio is tolerated when reviewed with a high credit score. 

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Rare clip of very underrated bluesman

Help answer the question

What loan companies will give you a loan for a motorcycle if your credit is really bad?
I helped an ex get a motorcycle and now need him to repay me. He needs to take out a loan and repay me or buy the bike from me. His credit is horrible but there has to be places that will still give you a loan. Please help me with advice!

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