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Archive for September, 2009

4BestRate FAQ’s

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Q:  Why should i consider refinancing my current home loan?stockxpertcom_id4684651_size0[1]

A:  There are several different reasons to refinance your home.  The most popular is to lower your monthly payments and saving on interest expense.  Another is to tap in to the equity of your home with a cash back refinance.  Everyone situation is different.  We’ll tell you whether or not it makes good economic sense for you to refinance.  The numbers wont lie, see for yourself!

Q:  How do i calcualte my monthly payments?

A:  Use our mortgage calculator.  Fill in the blanks with accurate data and click “calculate”.  Find out what your proposed monthly payment is in seconds.  Depending on where you are purchasing will dictate things like property taxes and insurance.  Consult with a good realtor for more information about the property taxes in your area. 

Q:  What is the minimum credit score needed to qualify for a home loan?

A:  The answer to this question has changed frequently over the past year.  FHA loans typically require a minimum FICO score of 620.  There are instances to where you can go down to a 580 with compensating factors.  Conventional conforming loans differ depending on down payment.  A 720 credit score is what you will need with a 5% down payment.  Before you apply for a home loan get a free credit report and see where you stand.

Q:  What can i do with my home equity loan funds?

A:  Anything you want to.  Consolidate higher interest rate debts for lower total monthly payments.  Make home improvements.  Take advantage of potential tax deductibility on the mortgage interest you pay.  Consult your tax advisor to make sure you qualify for interest deduction.

http://www.4bestrate.com Home Loan Education, Mortgage Calculator, Premium credit monitoring with Free Credit Report offers.

Timely closings – Everyone plays a key role

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

stockxpertcom_id1214931_jpg_f62c2895e6b249c703e1c103c0fb3be6[1]When buying a home there are four main players involved and all play a key role in this process to ensure that the closing happens on time. The Borrower, the Realtor, Mortgage Broker and Title Company must all do their part to make it happen.

Lets start with the borrower. First things first. Obtain a credit-checked pre approval before you shop for a home. Get with a good mortgage broker and find out what you can qualify for. Use a mortgage calculator to determine what your monthly payments will given different scenarios. Make loan application as soon as possible and gather together every document requested. You don’t want the closing to be delayed because you took forever to send your loan officer a recent pay stub!

The Realtor must set realistic expectations upfront and throughout the transaction with the listing agent, the seller and borrower in regards to potential closing dates. Under current market conditions and changes in lending disclosure it is wise to plan for at least a 30 day close. Your realtor should provide the Title Companies contact info to your mortgage broker as early in the process as possible.

Your Mortgage Broker should be quick to take a written application and get all of the required disclosures submitted for processing as soon as possible. Here is where you will be provided with all of the various loan product options available to you. Your lender will help you understand timelines and anything that can impact the closing date. The most significant change in lending regulations that is affecting closing dates lies with the Truth in Lending Disclosure. The final APR cannot vary more than .125 from the initial disclosure. The crazy thing about this is that the Good Faith Estimate is what calculates the APR. Should the rename it Good Faith Exact? I don’t think so. It is an estimate for a reason. No one knows exactly what the total fees are going to be until you are well in to the transaction. For example, not all transactions need a survey. Fees vary depending on the loan product. Your APR will change from the initial application. And if it changes more than .125 your lender must re disclose this and you have to wait three days to close. The lawmakers are pretty stupid but these are the facts. To avoid delays lenders are having to scramble the week before closing to make sure that they properly disclose the APR to you. At that point its too late to switch lenders so what’s the point. However, it must be done to make sure you don’t suffer any closing delays.

The title company must gather the title commitment, insured closing letters and uncover any potential breaches of title as early as possible. They must also work proactively on providing a preliminary closing statement with accurate fees to lenders enabling them to issue the Truth in Lending at least a week before closing to avoid delays due to inaccurate APR calculations.

Everyone must work together to make it all come together. Open communication is vital so that everyone is on the same page. Find the right lender and realtor and you will be just fine.

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