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 »
Tags: Forbearance, mortgage forbearance
Posted in credit, Home Buying Process, Loan Process, mortgage, Refinance, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
When you buy a new home, you need a mortgage to purchase it. And before you get a mortgage, you need to determine how much mortgage you qualify for. Different sources may qualify you for different mortgage amounts. And how much you qualify for does not necessarily equate to how much you can afford.
How much you can afford is based on your personal budget. When a mortgage lender tells you how much you can qualify for, that is the highest mortgage amount they’ll approve you for. But this may not be the mortgage size you end up closing on. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: affordable, mortgage, preapproval, prequalification
Posted in Home Buying Process, Lifestyle, Loan Process, mortgage, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
Prior to 2020, veterans could borrow more than the Veteran’s Administration (VA) Loan Limits capped amount, but had to have a down payment of 25% of the difference between the maximum loan limit and the sales price. As of January 1, 2020, the VA has started to allow $0 down loans that exceed the county loan limits.
So now, if a veteran wants to buy a home for $1,000,000 with no money down, they can. $2,000,000? Sure thing. $3,000,000? No problem! However, there are rules and guidelines that come with this new change. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: VA down payment, VA mortgage, VA mortgages
Posted in Home Buying Process, Loan Process, Loan Types, mortgage, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
It is very common for a buyer and seller to negotiate a seller credit in lieu of repairs after a buyer does a home inspection. Most sellers do not want to bother with doing a small amount of repairs, and some may not have the money until after they go to settlement, so they negotiate a credit and offer to pay some money at settlement for these repairs. The problem comes when the Realtors word this incorrectly in the contract and end up causing last minute problems.
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Tags: home inspection, home repairs, seller credits, seller credits for closing costs, seller credits to closing costs
Posted in Underwriting Rules | 49 Comments »
I have clients who are buying a rental property or who are buying a primary residence and already own rental property and think they need to provide a copy of a current lease for the rental property as part of the loan application. But, that is not always the case.
The borrower may be able to document rental income by providing tax returns, rather than leases. In either a purchase or refinance the borrower should have a history of renting property. If the request is for a refinance, the borrower needs to have owned the property long enough to qualify for this option, typically a 2 year history is needed.
If the request is for a loan to purchase a new rental property, then having existing rental property with a 2 year track record income may allow them to use the tax return option.
If the borrower does not have a history of renting the subject property or if the borrower’s tax returns do not reflect the accurate income or expenses, then a mortgage lender may require one of two things: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: mortgage, rental income, underwriting
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A VA loan is a mortgage loan guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. There are numerous mortgage guidelines for a VA mortgage. I wanted to list some of the more important ones below, but you always need to speak to an experienced mortgage loan officer and have them discuss your specific circumstances as there are many other things to consider in addition to the below. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: va loan guidelines, VA loans, VA mortgages, veterans administration
Posted in Loan Types, mortgage, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
Jumbo mortgage loans are usually confusing to the average mortgage consumer. No one seems to know what defines a Jumbo mortgage loan, and no one realizes that there can be different underwriting guidelines for Jumbo mortgage loans than for non-Jumbo (also called Conforming) mortgage loans.
Jumbo loan amounts may vary county by county.
It is first important to know that there can be three different loan amount categories. There are:
- Conforming loans, which in 2019 go up to $484,350
- Conforming “High Balance” loans, which can go from $484,351, to as high as $726,525 if you are in a high cost area.
- Jumbo loans (also called Non-Conforming loans) are loans higher than the county Conforming loan limit.
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Tags: Jumbo, Jumbo loans, Jumbo mortgage, Jumbo mortgage guidelines
Posted in Loan Process, Loan Types, mortgage, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
Here at Capital Bank Home Loans we have a new dynamic loan application that we use. Being dynamic means that it can potentially verify your assets and income during the application process, allowing you to avoid having to upload any documents. And of course we all love to avoid paperwork!
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Tags: mortgage application, pre-approval
Posted in Loan Process, mortgage, Refinance, Sales, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
When is an approval really an approval? When is an approval only a conditional approval? Below are the different levels of “loan approval” you can get for a mortgage:
1. Pre-Qualification:
This is done before you make an offer on a home. This is only a loan officer analysis, and supporting financial documents are not required. This is a review of the applicant’s income and debts using standard methods of determining housing and debt ratios to indicate the maximum loan amount for which an applicant would qualify, subject to the satisfactory appraisal, further verifications of income, employment and credit history. This is the lowest form of analysis you can have done.
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Tags: approval process, mortgage approval, pre-approval, pre-qualification
Posted in Home Buying Process, Loan Process, mortgage, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
When you’re ready to buy a new home, one of the first things you have to do is take steps to get your financing in place. Mortgage approval is based in part on an automated underwriting process. Unless you plan to pay in cash, you need to secure a mortgage loan. It is beneficial to get a pre-approval letter from a mortgage lender before you even make an offer. Having your loan pre-approved can show a seller you are a serious buyer with adequate funds. You can also reduce the risk of the contract falling through.
Lenders typically use one of two underwriting processes for mortgage loans: automated and manual. Understanding the basics of how these types of loan approval work can give you confidence when applying for your mortgage. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Automated Underwriting, loan approval, manual underwriting, pre-approval, underwriting
Posted in Home Buying Process, Loan Process, mortgage, Underwriting Rules | No Comments »
