Attention Home Buyers! Do not expect your loan to close smoothly if you make one of these money moves during your loan process (or right before your loan process). In fact, it could actually cause your approval to slip and fall into a denial.
“Can they do that? I have my approval in writing?” you may ask.
Absolutely. The lender can withdraw your loan approval — even after giving you a written commitment — if they perceive that you have become a greater credit risk.
Seven Mistakes to Avoid
1) Don’t apply for new credit of any kind.
2) Don’t pay off collections or charge-offs during the loan process.
3) Don’t close credit accounts, not even old ones you haven’t used in a long time.
4) Don’t increase the balance on your credit cards, which also means don’t buy furniture, appliances, or anything else for your upcoming new home until after closing.
5) Don’t consolidate your debt onto one or two cards.
6) Don’t co-sign on a loan for anyone.
7) Don’t change your name during the loan process.
If you need clarification about any of the seven, let me know. But please, take this advice as “set in stone” unless your loan officer has specifically given you an exception, because the last thing you need is more stress during your loan closing.
Listed at $202,400. Brand new home. 5 bedrooms, 3 baths Chris Samuels, Roman Realty, 706-564-5855
How much have home values increased in the past year? Has real estate been a good investment?
If you are in Colorado, your home value has increased by 12.28% (on average).
If you purchased a $400,000 home with 5 percent down, your $20,000 investment has grown to an equity of $49,120. You have more than doubled your money in only one year! (Not cash in hand, but by wealth in real estate.)
$400,000 x 12.28% = $449,120 value
The Federal Housing Finance Agency has released this annual appreciate by state for 2015:
AK 4.23%
AL 2.67%
AR 2.88%
AZ 7.14%
CA 7.9%
CO 12.28%
CT 0.78%
DC 7.14%
DE 3.32%
FL 9.67%
GA 6.29%
HI 6.34%
IA 3.79%
ID 7.9%
IL 3.4%
IN 3.42%
KS 4.09%
KY 4.13%
LA 4.12%
MA 4.85%
MI 5.47%
MN 4.75%
MO 4.28%
MS 3.10%
MT 4.25%
NC 4.64%
ND 4.8%
NE 4.72%
NH 3.6%
NJ 2.67%
NM 1.76%
NY 2.92%
OH 4.27%
OK 4.89%
OR 10.95%
PA 2.66%
RI 4.63%
SC 5.69%
SD 5.18%
TN 5.07%
TX 8.18%
UT 6.4%
VA 2.24%
VT 1.14%
WA 9.38%
WI 3.45%
WV 2.28%
WY 3.62%
No one can predict what 2016 will bring. The best reason to buy a home is simply because you want to own the space where you live and sleep. You want to stop paying your landlord’s mortgage and pay your own. You want the joy of home ownership! In the meantime, if owning real estate also increases your personal wealth, then that is great, too.
If you are a real estate agent who would like to be on my Recommended list, send me an email here.
If you’re buying a home in California or Washington state, I would love to provide you with excellent pricing, no junk fees, and stellar service.
I love California, and I am excited to announce that I am licensed to do mortgage loans in the Golden State. Whether you are a first-time home buyer, a seasoned home buyer, or a home owner refinancing, I can help you get the best loan for your situation.
Here are some of the loan programs I can help you with:
* First-time home buyer FHA loan with 3.5% down or with gift money for the down payment.
* Grant money for the down payment on an FHA loan with no pay back whatsoever. A true grant, from a private bank. No neighborhood restriction.
* 5/1 ARM: fixed for the first five years, then adjusts annually. A good loan for people who plan to keep the home for five years or less.
* VA loan for U.S. Veterans
Getting Pre-Approved is No Cost
There is no cost to get pre-approved and/or to find out how much house you qualify for. Let me know what you want, and I will take it from there.
What Does It Mean to Be “State Licensed”?
Loan originators who work for banks and credit unions do not have to be state licensed. The CFPB assumes the bank will vouch for their integrity and competence. However, mortgage brokers and direct lenders (such as myself) have to pass multiple hurdles in order to do business in California. Here are the requirements we go through that those at banks and credit unions get to skip over:
* 20 course hours plus additional class hours for California state law.
* Pass both a national test and a CA state test.
* Get fingerprinted and have a background check done.
* Have a credit report pulled and checked for personal financial responsibility.
* Be approved by the CA state authority.
You might say that state licensing ensures a higher level of scrutiny, which means more security and peace of mind for you.
Please feel free to contact me about your mortgage questions or financing needs via the Ask a Question page here.
Looking for a Recommendation for a Licensed Real Estate Agent?
I have worked with fine real estate agents in California. If you would like my recommendation for an agent who will work hard and put YOUR best interests first, send me a message here.
Above all, the most important strategy for making the most you can when you sell your home is how you price it right from the start. This is not a step you can afford to make an error on.
Zillow, the company that tracks more home sales and amasses more stats than any other company I know of, tells us these surprising facts:
1) If you price your house too high and then reduce it later, you will end up selling for LESS than if you had priced it correctly from the get-go.
2) If you live in a neighborhood with a Chinese population of over 10%, your house will sell for more if the price ends in a lucky number (lucky according to Chinese culture).
3) The same applies if your address ends in a lucky Chinese number.
4) For the general American population, house prices that end with the two digits 99 sell faster and for more. There seems to be something about 99 that makes people think it is a bargain.
In an experiment where the same dress was put for sale at $35 and $39.99, it sold better at $39.99. In another example, a wine seller sold more bottles of a particular wine when the price ended in .99 even though it was more expensive than the previous price. Evidently, the same applies to selling houses.
5) Women and men real estate agents seemed to be equal at selling homes. That is, according to Zillow, neither sex outsold the other. However, women tended to over-price homes more often than men, but they were also quicker to drop the price. The men who over-priced a home tended to stick with it longer and lower the price by less when it was reduced.
That last point may prove to be controversial. If you disagree, I’d love to hear it! To leave a comment, see the top of this post, right side.
6) There is nothing you can do to control this one, but I found it interesting that house addresses that contained the words Place, Way, or Court sold for more than addresses with the more generic words of Street or Avenue.
The second most important strategy for home sellers is to present their property in the most favorable light possible. If you were going for a job interview, would you wear a rumpled shirt, dirty slacks, and smelly shoes? The same goes for your home. Clean it, fix it, de-clutter it, and stage it to best advantage. Listen to the advice of your experienced real estate agent. He or she is not emotionally attached to your belongings, so when they tell you that something has to go, take the advice.
Third, don’t over-do the remodeling right before placing your house on the market. Your taste in décor might be different than a buyer’s, so you will not recoup the total cost. Discuss the possible advantage of selling “as is” with your Realtor and make only the improvements he or she suggests. Not everyone is going to pay more for a swimming pool, sunroom, or granite counters.
Attention home buyers! For a better, smoother loan closing, take these steps:
1) Stay in town during the loan process.
This is not the time to travel so that you are unavailable to provide additional documents the underwriter might ask for. If your vacation to Europe was pre-planned and cannot be changed, then allow ample time after you return home before the closing date. It is unrealistic to think you can check out during the loan processing and come back to sign one day later.
2) Leave your money where it is.
Do not transfer funds from one account to another during the loan process without your loan officer specifically instructing you to do so. In addition, do not transfer funds the two months prior to applying for a mortgage. The reason is because doing so can cause a paper-trail nightmare for you and the underwriter.
3) Leave your credit as is; open no new accounts.
If you open a new credit card or installment loan during the loan process, you are potentially sacrificing your home. Don’t do it! Although your credit has been checked and approved, it is likely your credit will be checked again right before closing. If new accounts appear, then your debt ratio and/or your credit score could suffer.
One first time home buyer decided to buy new appliances for the new home during the loan process. When her credit was re-checked, the new Sears account showed up and the payments put her debt ratio over the line. Her loan was denied! In order to proceed, she had to return the appliances and prove with receipts that she had done so. How embarrassing, right?
The same goes for buying a new automobile. Don’t even think about it! Your priority must be buying the house.
4) Write your purchase offer contingent on a home inspection.
Waiving a home inspection is a dangerous move. Inspectors are paid to find fatal flaws and major problems that are not obvious to the eye. When you visit a home, do you climb up on top of the roof? Do you crawl under the house? Do you inspect the electrical wiring, plumbing, water heater, sump pump, etc.? That is what your home inspector is for. It is an important step that prevents you from having to shell out thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars later.
5) Obtain your own buyer’s agent.
Calling the real estate agent listed on the for sale sign is a colossal mistake. The same goes for using the agent that is hosting the open house. When you use the seller’s agent, it is like using your opponent’s attorney in a court of law. Who would do that?! The seller’s agent is required by law to get the highest price and best terms for the seller. Dual-agency is not in your favor!
Since the seller pays for both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent, it is free to you to have your own expert agent representation. Therefore, there is never a reason not to do so. You do not save money or get a cheaper price on the house if you use the seller’s agent. Be smart and get your own agent representation.
Available at most fine booksellers.Available at most fine booksellers.
Are you (or someone you know) planning to buy a home in WA state? Would you like to refinance your existing loan?
If so, I have good news for you. After looking at local banks, credit unions, and other lenders, I have joined VITEK Mortgage Group, a lender with a stellar reputation. As a mortgage loan officer, I can shop the wholesale divisions of lenders such as Wells Fargo, Chase, Ditech, Caliber, and more — as well as VITEK’s own line of loan products.
It is important to me to get the very best loan at the very best pricing available for my clients. Having the ability to shop without being limited to only one lender’s loan products gives me the ability to do that. If I worked for a bank or credit union, I would be limited to their loan products only — and when it comes to a mortgage, it is NOT a “one size fits all” situation.
If you want a seasoned professional who wrote the book on mortgage rip-offs and money savers to do your loan shopping for you, then I am your gal. Not only that, but I go another step in helping you get a good title and escrow company, because now in 2015, too many title and escrow companies are piling on the junk fees and over-charges.
As a loan originator for VITEK Mortgage Group, I can extend their Peace of Mind Guarantee:
* Guaranteed On-Time Closing
* Guaranteed Real-Time Status Updates
* Guaranteed Best Value
VITEK stands for Value, Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence, Knowledge.
That is pretty much everything you and I want in a company.
I am licensed in WA state and will soon be licensed in CA as well. (I have met all the requirements for California and am awaiting on the Dept. of Business Oversight for their acknowledgement.)
Please let me know how I can help you with your home purchase or refinance.
A Missouri couple thought they were having their $680,000 dream home built in the perfect location. They purchased a lot in the gated community of Ocean Hammock, an exclusive community that is accessible by beach or air.
As you can see from the photo, it’s a three-story home with balconies from which to enjoy the impressive view. What a vision! The only problem is that Keystone Builders constructed it on the wrong lot, not the land Mr. and Mrs. Voss bought.
How could this happen? East Coast Land Surveying incorrectly marked off the stakes for the home — and didn’t catch their error during any of the three surveys they conducted during the construction process.
The mistake was finally caught by a different surveyor working in the area, but only after the home had been rented out several times.
“We are in total disbelief,” the Vosses told local media.
Both the Flagler County Home Builders Association and the Flagler County appraiser said that houses built on the wrong property “happen more often than people think.”
Perhaps a trip down to the construction site early in the process is a prudent step for home owners to take. In the case of the Vosses, it will be interesting to find out what happens next.
A new Gallop poll suggests Americans are ready to buy real estate again. Optimism about the housing market is up, especially in the West where 72% of respondents said they expect home values to rise. And it’s no wonder.
Home prices have recently risen by double digits in several Western states, and especially so in California.
People in the South are slightly less optimistic, where 54% said it’s a good time to buy.
Midwestern folks seem to agree with 53% home values are rising.
Skepticism runs higher in the East where only 44% expect an increase in values.
Home owners are more optimistic than renters. Of all Americans who own a home, a big majority at 81% expect real estate prices to increase. On the other hand, only 44% of renters expect prices to increase.
Perhaps there’s a marketing clue there for real estate agents and mortgage lenders. Current home owners are feeling more urgency to sell and move up before prices continue upward than are renters.
And speaking of pessimism among renters, those who would have eagerly sought loan approval in the past are now of the mindset that they won’t qualify. A surprising 56% of renters said in a national consumer survey that fear of rejection is holding them back for applying for a home loan. The two biggest concerns are credit and income qualifications.
Good News for Home Buyers
It comes as a surprise to some that perfect credit is not required. Not all lenders have the same requirements. If you fear that your bank is too strict, call a local mortgage broker. Brokers, somewhat like travel agents, have access to multiple wholesale lenders. A mortgage broker will do the shopping for you. Brokers know which lenders will go down to a 620, or even lower, credit score for an FHA loan. And the good news is that a mortgage broker does not necessarily cost any more than a bank. Nowadays, many small and midsize lenders are both brokers and direct lenders (with their own money). This gives them greater flexibility and gives you a greater chance of approval than going to a bank or credit union that has only their own money and strict guidelines to offer.
Something to Think About: How You and I Control House Prices
When people think the economy is improving, they are more willing to spend money; therefore, their mindset actually improves the economy. The same goes for the housing market. If people think values are going up, they want to buy now before their desired home costs more. When more people are selling and buying, the housing market improves and values increase. So even if you don’t think real estate is increasing in value, if your neighbors believe it is, their attitudes and actions can make that happen.
That would make them right then, wouldn’t it? Hmmmm, something to think about.
In honor of Thanksgiving week, so here are three things we can be thankful for:
1) Interest rates are still very attractive at 4.375% to 4.5% for the 30-year fixed rate and 3.5% for the 5/1 ARM.
(The 5/1 ARM is fixed for the first five years, then adjusts every year thereafter. It is a make-sense choice for people who plan to keep the property for six years or less.)
2) The housing market has been improving for the past year, giving home owners more equity, and giving more sellers the ability to sell which gives buyers more inventory to choose from.
3) Buyer’s agents are free to home buyers. They are paid by the seller. Your buyer’s agent is required by law to get you the best price, best terms, and look out for your best interests in every aspect of the real estate purchase.
It is my opinion that making an offer between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is a good strategy for getting the best price. Typically, the market slows down during the holidays, so there is not as much competition. Sellers aren’t receiving offers or even lookers, so this is the time for you to pick up a good deal. Furthermore, the market tends to pick up in January when renters make New Year resolutions to become home owners.
Some years back, I bought a condominium for a great price in December. My agent told me later that the home owner was so angry when he saw my purchase offer that he threw the papers across the room. (Thankfully, I didn’t have to see it, because I had a buyer’s agent representing me.) But then his wife said, “Honey, let’s just make a counter-offer.”
The counter-offer was not bad. I countered again, per my agent’s suggestion, and I got a lovely home at an attractive price. I lived there for five years and made a nice profit when I sold.
What happens when the appraised value for the home you’re buying comes in below the purchase price? That is a good question, and you do have options if that happens.
The first thing you should do is have your real estate agent show the appraisal report to the seller’s agent and ask them to lower the price to match the appraised value. If they agree, then that is your best option. The purchase agreement is amended to the new price, you send that page to your loan officer, and then the loan officer adjusts your down payment and loan accordingly.
If the seller does not agree to lower the price, then you have two choices. You can either make up the difference with cash out of your own pocket, or you can walk away from the deal.
To Make Up the Difference in Cash
Let’s say the sales price is $200,000 and the appraised value is $190,000. In this case, you would have to kick in an extra $10,000 out-of-pocket if the seller will not lower the price. This is because lenders will not go higher than the appraised value for their loan. I suggest you think do a thorough market analysis and put your emotions in check before you take this option. Why would you want to pay more than the property is worth? You’d want to have a very compelling reason to make such a financial decision.
To Walk Away
The seller might disagree with the appraised value and think that a different buyer with a different lender will get a different appraised value; therefore, they might not agree to lower the price. You should have a contingency clause in your purchase contract that allows you to walk away and get all of your earnest money refunded if this happens. A good buyer’s agent always makes sure you have such a clause, and this is one mistake do-it-yourselfers who are not represented by an agent sometimes make. I once witnessed a terrible fight break out between a For Sale By Owner seller and a buyer who went straight to the seller without agent representation. Believe me, it was quite a spectacle when the yelling turned into threats to “take it out onto the street.”
One More Option
Occasionally, there is an appraiser who royally messes up the value. The report that comes in is nothing short of idiotic. The comparable properties are totally inappropriate with better comps in the neighborhood ignored. Not only that, but special features that increase the property value have been ignored. When this happens, the seller probably won’t lower the price. If you want to continue to fight for this house, you can ask your mortgage broker to go to a different wholesale lender for the money and thus start fresh with a new appraiser.
This works because your loan file goes to a whole different company with a different underwriter who never saw the bogus appraisal. Of course, you will need to pay for another appraisal.
If your lender is a direct lender or a bank and does not have the option to shop wholesale lenders for you, then this choice is not available. Once an underwriter has seen an appraisal, she (or he) will not consider a different appraisal, even if the second one is more accurate. Only if the original appraiser will change the report will the underwriter accept a different value. (Getting underwriters to change their reports, even when they are dead wrong, is impossible 99% of the time.) So in this case, you would have to withdraw your application from the bank and shop for a mortgage broker yourself in a super speedy manner. Depending on the closing date, this could be problematic.
No matter which option you choose, you need to discuss the situation with your real estate agent and your loan officer. With the three of you working together, you should be able to select the best choice and protect your earnest deposit.
make one of these money moves during your loan process (or right before your loan process). In fact, it could actually cause your approval to slip and fall into a denial.
But please, take this advice as “set in stone” unless your loan officer has specifically given you an exception, because the last thing you need is more stress during your loan closing.
