2021 Mortgage Loan Limits

March 23rd, 2021
loan limit

Every year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sets a dollar cap on conventional mortgages that Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae are allowed, commonly referred to as a conforming loan limit. In 2020, the conforming loan limit for a single-family home was $510,400. This year, the conforming loan limit for a single-family home increased to $548,250, nearly 7.6% higher!

This means Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae can purchase conventional loans valued at or under the conforming loan limit from mortgage lenders. In most areas, the maximum conforming loan limits are as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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What is a COVID VOE?

November 21st, 2020
career

Mortgage lenders are now required to confirm that you are still employed prior to closing on a mortgage, three business days prior in fact. Mortgage lenders are always required to verify that a borrower has not lost their job, been furloughed, laid off, or had their income altered prior to closing because it impacts their ability to repay the loan. Previously, lenders were able to document a borrower’s employment 10 calendar days prior to settlement. Read the rest of this entry »

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VA Refinance Recoupment Period

October 26th, 2020
calculator

With a VA loan, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs requires that the closing costs on a VA refinance be recouped in 36 months or less. If the recoupment period is over 36 months the loan will be rejected.

In other words, the refinance closing costs divided by the monthly savings has to be 36 or less, signifying the number of months in the recoupment period.

For example, if the closing costs on a VA refinance are $3,000 and the monthly savings on the refinance are $400 a month, the recoupment period is 7.5 months because $3,000 divided by $400 a month in savings = 7.5 (well within 36 months). Read the rest of this entry »

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Mortgage Forbearance

August 29th, 2020
no money

Forbearance, only do it if you absolutely have to. Some people are taking a Forbearance on their mortgage as a way to take a break on their mortgage payment when they really do not need to.

But forbearance does not mean you can skip mortgage payments and never pay them back. You have to repay any missed or reduced payments in the future. So, if you’re able to keep up with your payments, keep making them.

Taking a forbearance will also impede your ability to refinance. Having a forbearance on your credit report means you cannot get a new mortgage. You would have to bring the loan current. Read the rest of this entry »

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Mortgage forbearance

July 1st, 2020
no cost

Forbearance – you should only do it if you absolutely have to. Some people are taking a forbearance on their mortgage as a way to take a break on their mortgage payment when they really do not need to.

Forbearance does not mean you can skip mortgage payments and never pay them back. You have to repay any missed or reduced payments in the future. So, if you’re able to keep up with your payments, keep making them.

Taking a forbearance will also impede your ability to refinance. Having a forbearance on your credit report means you cannot get a new mortgage. You have to bring the loan current to do so. Read the rest of this entry »

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6 Tips on Choosing a Mortgage Lender or Broker

April 10th, 2020
bad versus good

People spend a  lot of time looking for the perfect home. There are the countless hours spent poring over real estate listings, the weekend trips to open houses, and the days of driving with your realtor from showing to showing. However, choosing a mortgage lender or broker is often treated as an afterthought—many buyers simply go with their own bank or a broker/lender recommended by their realtor without researching competitive rates and looking for lenders who will also educate them.

This is a critical mistake. Read the rest of this entry »

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Did The Coronavirus Make Mortgage Rates Go Down? Did the Federal Reserve Just Cut Mortgage Rates To 0%?

March 20th, 2020
interest rates are up

Mortgage rates did indeed go down after the Coronavirus spread and financial markets started to panic. But the Coronavirus and mortgage rates aren’t directly connected.

People considering a refinance continue to contact me for low rates, but now that rates have spiked it may no longer makes sense.

The recent mortgage rate reductions we saw may be gone for a period of time, but the rate changes are not as drastic as the media made it sound. Read the rest of this entry »

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Latest Bond Market Report

January 17th, 2020
bond market report

The 10 Year Treasury Bond was at 1.822% on January 10th 2020.

It was 1.847% as of October 28th 2019.

So you can see that rates have been fairly flat for the last 2+ months.

The 10 Year Treasury Bond is not a direct correlation to mortgage rates. It is simply good to know historical information on Treasury bond rates.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Latest Bond Market Report

October 30th, 2019
bond market report

The 10 Year Treasury Bond was around 1.8% as of October 28th 2019.

 

The 10 Year Treasury Bond is not a direct correlation to mortgage rates. It is simply good to know historical information on treasury bond rates.

 

On August 2nd 2019 the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 1.846%.

 

On September 3rd 2019 the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 1.461%.

 

Below are some interesting historical numbers:

In 2018 the average yield of the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 2.91%.

In 2017 the average yield of the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 2.33%.

In 2007 the average yield of the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 4.63%.

In 1997 the average yield of the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 6.35%.

In 1987 the average yield of the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 7.18%.

In 1977 the average yield of the 10 Year Treasury Bond was 7.42%.

 

Where is the 10 Year Treasury Bond headed next? Stay tuned!

 

*The source for these numbers comes from:

https://www.macrotrends.net/2016/10-year-treasury-bond-rate-yield-chart

and

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/bond/tmubmusd10y?countrycode=bx

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The Best Mortgage Rates

August 17th, 2019
fifty percent off

Often a client will start a mortgage loan conversation with, “I need to get the best rates.” And that often confuses me. What does the “best rates” mean? Does that mean you won’t work with a lender who doesn’t have the very lowest interest rate on the day you are ready to lock-in an interest rate? Does it mean you won’t give any consideration to experience, execution, responsiveness and delivery?

 

Would most people work with a mortgage lender willing to lose money? Read the rest of this entry »

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