Archive for the ‘First Time Home Buyer’ Category
FHA Loan Changes
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
No doubt about it – in the last 18 months, the mortgage and housing industries have experienced more policy and program changes than ever before. Here we highlight the new FHA changes – still, a great program for first time home buyers, distressed home buyers, and credit challenged home buyers. Also, some new changes for property investors to take notice of.
Courtesy of The Washington Post, Dina ElBoghdady: WASHINGTON — The low down-payment mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration are back in vogue. But recent policy changes make it harder to qualify for an FHA loan, and more restrictions are on the way. The agency does not make loans. It insures qualified lenders against losses if borrowers default. Since its creation in 1934, it has collected fees from its borrowers to pay lenders for loans gone bad. In the past year and a half, FHA-insured loans made up roughly 30 percent of all new single-family home-purchase mortgages — up from 3 percent in 2006 — and about 20 percent of new refinancing deals. But as the agency’s loan volume expanded, its default rate shot up. The cash reserves set aside to pay for unexpected losses have eroded to dangerously low levels. If FHA funds are depleted, taxpayers would have to come to the rescue for the first time in the agency’s history. The agency is now trying to protect itself against risk without undermining its key role in propping up the housing market. To that end, it has tightened some standards while loosening others.
Seller concessions
What are they? Contributions that sellers kick in to help defray a buyer’s costs. They can include closing costs, inspections, appraisals and free upgrades.
What’s changing? The FHA proposes slashing allowable seller concessions in half, capping them at 3 percent of the home price instead of the current 6 percent.
Why? FHA analyses show a strong correlation between high seller concessions and high default rates, possibly because the concessions can lead to inflated home prices. The theory is some sellers might make concessions only to add the cost to the price.
What does this mean to me? This buyer’s perk will soon be less generous. The proposal does not ban concessions above 3 percent. But concessions exceeding 3 percent would result in a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the home’s sales price and reduce the amount of the allowable loan.
Credit scores
What are they? Three-digit numbers that help lenders determine how likely a person is to pay back a loan in a timely manner. The FHA uses the most common scoring formula, FICO, with scores ranging from 300 to 850. The higher the number, the better the rating.
What’s changing? This year, the FHA plans to impose a minimum credit-score requirement: 500. Borrowers with credit scores below 580 would have to make a down payment of at least 10 percent instead of the usual 3.5 percent minimum.
Why? Low-scoring borrowers default at a higher rate than more creditworthy ones. As of January, the percentage of FHA borrowers who were seriously delinquent was three times as high for borrowers with scores below 580 than for those with scores above 580.
What does this mean to me? Lenders are already imposing tougher credit-score requirements on FHA borrowers than the agency is proposing, which could explain why only 1 percent of borrowers with FHA-insured single-family home loans have scores below 580.
Underwriting
What is it? Lenders must document information about the property (such as its value) and the borrower (such as income, debt, credit score) to assess whether the person is likely to repay the loan. Most lenders feed that information into an automated underwriting system for approval.
What’s changing? High-risk borrowers whose loans were flagged by the automated system could soon be subjected to a more in-depth manual review by the lender’s underwriting staff.
Why? The agency is trying to reduce its exposure to risk by limiting the discretion lenders have in approving loans.
What does it mean to me? Borrowers whose loans are manually underwritten would be required to have cash reserves equal to at least one monthly mortgage payment. Borrowers with credit scores below 620 would be more closely scrutinized. For instance, their overall debt would not be allowed to exceed 43 percent of their income.
Short refinancing
What is it? A new program that allows borrowers current on their mortgage payments to refinance into an FHA loan if they are underwater, meaning they owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth.
What’s changing? Borrowers who have no equity in their homes would be allowed to refinance into an FHA loan. The FHA would allow refinancing of the first mortgage only. If there is a second mortgage, the two loans combined cannot exceed the current value of the home by more than 15 percent once the first loan is refinanced.
Why? Many people are vulnerable to foreclosure because their home values have plummeted, making them unable to refinance or sell their properties if they lose their jobs or face a financial setback. This programs aims to help them.
What does it mean for me? Refinancing in this manner will probably hurt your credit, and qualifying won’t be easy. The lender or investor who owns your existing mortgage must voluntarily reduce the amount owed on that loan by at least 10 percent. Also, you generally must have about 31 percent or more of your pretax income available for the new monthly payment for all mortgages on the property.
Upfront insurance premium
What is it? A fee the Federal Housing Administration collects from borrowers that can be paid in cash at the closing table or rolled into the loan.
What’s changed? The FHA raised the premium earlier this year from 1.75 percent of the loan’s value to 2.25 percent.
Why? The money will replenish the funds the FHA uses to compensate lenders for default-related losses.
How does this affect me? If you take out a $300,000 loan, you will now pay $6,750 in premium instead of $5,250. If you roll the premium into the financing, you will also pay interest on it during the life of the loan.
Cash-out refinancing
What is it? Refinancing a mortgage for a higher amount than is owed on the loan and taking the difference in cash — in effect, pulling equity out of the house.
What’s changed? Borrowers can tap up to 85 percent of the home’s current value. Previously, they were allowed to take up to 95 percent of value.
Why? The agency is trying to prevent people from draining equity, which would make it tough for them to sell their homes or refinance if they faced financial problems.
How does this affect me? Cash-out deals have become tougher to find. Even with conventional loans, many lenders offer this type of financing only to people with top-notch credit and significant equity.
Flipping
What is it? The practice of buying a home and quickly reselling it for a profit.
What changed? On Feb. 1, the FHA suspended a policy for one year that banned FHA borrowers from buying a home if the seller had owned it for less than 90 days.
Why? The goal is to encourage investors to buy poorly maintained foreclosures, fix them up and sell them to FHA buyers as soon as they hit the market. This should help clear the glut of homes for sale.
How does this affect me? This opens up a wider range of properties to FHA borrowers. But inspections must be done to determine whether the home is in working order. If the price of the home is 20 percent higher than what the investor paid, a second appraisal is required to determine whether the increase is justified.
Condominium spot approval
What is it? To purchase a condo in a building that is not FHA-approved, FHA borrowers had to receive “spot approval” for the unit. The process required the condo’s management to fill out a questionnaire addressing the agency’s must-meet conditions.
What’s changed? The agency eliminated spot approval earlier this year. Now, any condo buyer with an FHA loan must stick to an FHA-approved building. A lender, developer/builder, homeowners association or management company can submit a package to the FHA seeking approval. The change was part of a broader initiative to tighten FHA condo policy. Some elements have been temporarily loosened through Dec. 31 to try to stabilize the condo market.
Why? Condos are widely considered the market’s shakiest segment because they are popular with speculators and financially vulnerable entry-level buyers. A lot of foreclosure-related losses have come from condos, which is why industry policies have forced lenders to look more closely at the makeup of entire complexes before extending loans.
How does it affect me? As part of the temporarily loosened guidelines, the FHA will insure the loans on up to 50 percent of the units in a condo building, though it will back 100 percent if a project meets certain criteria. At least 50 percent of the units in a project must be owner-occupied or sold to owners who plan to occupy the units. As for new construction, 30 percent of the units must be presold before an FHA loan can be financed there.
Want to know more about your credit, and the mortgage process? Just ask. We have some great tools to help you – and it’s all free. If you would like a copy of our Client Information Pack (CIP) filled with lots of helpful advice about your credit, lending, and mortgage guidelines, simply navigate to the contact page, send an email, or complete the online application for more helpful information. To claim your copy, simply click here:
or visit the Empower Home Loans website by clicking here:
rate vs product. which is better?
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Today many large lenders are advertising nothing but the interest rate. They would have you believe that the rate of a Mortgage is the most important component of your loan. We feel that rate is only a small piece of the loan puzzle.
With the increased frequency of people changing jobs in the United States, individuals rarely stay with the same companies for the duration of their careers. This translates to people moving around more frequently than in the past. People who stay in the same house for longer than five years are quickly becoming the minority in the real estate market. The need now for competitive products to facilitate these changes in housing is more important than ever. Borrowers need options that allow them more flexibility to move around.
So which is it?
To answer this question let’s take a look at a 30yr fixed loan. Consumers choose a 30yr fixed based on two things-a low fixed rate and a low fixed payment. Contrary to public opinion, the interest rate on a 30yr fixed rate mortgage is not fixed. Let’s use the example of a 30 year fixed rate mortgage of $150,000. In the first ten years of your loan you would pay the bank $84,000 in interest. Only $25,000 in the first ten years would go to principal. After 21 years, half of the initial balance is still owed. At this point, the consumer will have paid $226,000 with only $75,000 of it going to principal. All of a sudden, that low fixed rate you received does not seem as low. With people only staying in a home for 5-7 years, paying the bank interest is not as appealing to today’s consumer.
Is there a solution? The answer is “yes”. Loan products such as Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM’s) or first position lines of credit allow consumers to pay less in overall interest during the course of their loans. We believe that matching up a consumer with a product that better fits their needs is far more powerful than trying to find the lowest rate. “But who needs these types of Mortgages?” A regional manager for a large retail chain would be good example. These positions come with a higher rate of relocation. In this case someone who knows they are only going to be in a house for a couple of years would be better served by a product that offers them payment options and possibly a low introductory start rate. This would allow the consumer to pay more towards the principal balance of their loan rather than paying most of the money to interest. Also, it helps the consumer generate more equity in their home by putting greater distance between what is owed on the home and what the current value is.
In the lending world there are a vast number of loan products and loan programs. Keep an open mind about the loan process and be open to the advice that a seasoned mortgage professionals offers. Rates may look great on paper but in the larger financial picture, they are not as important as the products they are associated with. We strive to find our clients a perfect balance between rate and products, and believe it to be the path to greater financial prosperity and less unnecessary debt.
Your best days are ahead,
Want to know more about your credit, and the mortgage process? Just ask. We have some great tools to help you – and it’s all free. If you would like a copy of our Client Information Pack (CIP) filled with lots of helpful advice about your credit, lending, and mortgage guidelines, simply navigate to the contact page, send an email, or complete the online application for more helpful information. To claim your copy, simply click here:
or visit the Empower Home Loans website by clicking here:
A 40 Year Mortgage? Why not?
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Over the years, a number of new mortgage options have become available to prospective buyers that ease the burden of buying a home. Buyers can now obtain a mortgage with a variable interest rate that rises or falls with the market or even a mortgage that requires only interest payments for the first few years of the loan term. This allows buyers to make smaller payments early in the repayment schedule while purchasing a more expensive home than they otherwise might be able to afford. The payments would increase in later years, but so, presumably, would the income of the buyers, so that the home would still be within the buyers’ range of afford-ability. A relatively new mortgage option that may soon adjustable rate mortgage and the interest-only mortgage in popularity is the mortgage with a 40 year term. While most mortgages offered today are for either 15 or 30 years, the 40 year mortgage has been available for nearly 20 years, but few lenders offer it as an option, as they are often reluctant to tie up their money for such a long period of time.
That may change, however, as Fannie Mae has announced their intention to purchase more 40-year mortgages. With Fannie Mae purchasing more 40-year mortgages on the secondary market, lenders will probably be more willing to offer them to customers. Interest rates will likely be somewhat higher for a 40-year mortgage than a 30-year mortgage, but the extra length of the loan term will keep the payments lower than with a traditional mortgage. Prospective buyers should be aware that they will pay more in interest on a 40-year mortgage than they will on a traditional 30-year note.
Studies show that most homebuyers do not stay in their homes for anywhere near 30 years, let alone 40. Over the last few decades, it has been common for people to stay in their homes only 5-7 years at a time. This being the case, the market for 40-year mortgages may remain fairly small. However, cash is king, and the payment is much lower with a 40 year mortgage. But for some buyers, it may mean the difference between continuing to rent and buying the home of their dreams.
Your best days are ahead.
Want to know more about your credit, and the mortgage process? Just ask. We have some great tools to help you – and it’s all free. If you would like a copy of our Client Information Pack (CIP) filled with lots of helpful advice about your credit, lending, and mortgage guidelines, simply navigate to the contact page, send an email, or complete the online application for more helpful information. To claim your copy, simply click here:
or visit the Empower Home Loans website by clicking here:
how do mortgages work?
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
Do you want to know more about the how the mortgage process works? Are you to embarrassed to ask any questions? Don’t be. When you make a real estate decision, that’s a big move. Even refinancing your mortgage is a big deal and should be treated with care and a lot of education. Follow this link from our friends at How Stuff Works to learn more about the process:
Link to How Stuff Works Mortgage page
Your best days are ahead.
Want to know more about your credit, and the mortgage process? Just ask. We have some great tools to help you – and it’s all free. If you would like a copy of our Client Information Pack (CIP) filled with lots of helpful advice about your credit, lending, and mortgage guidelines, simply navigate to the contact page, send an email, or complete the online application for more helpful information.
To claim your copy, simply click here:
or visit the Empower Home Loans website by clicking here:
