The Maryland Mortgage Program announced two very important updates that will have even more positive impact for buyers. SMARTBUY 2.0 UPDATE Effective for Smart Buy 2.0 reservations dated on or after October 1, 2018, the following will be implemented.: * The dollar cap for the second lien is being raised to $40,000 from $30,000. Buyers are eligible to receive up to 15% of the sales price capped at a $40,000 loan to pay their student loan debt. All student debt from at least one buyer must be paid ENTIRELY in full prior to closing. * The second mortgage is a 5-year forgivable loan of up to 15% of the purchase price, not to exceed $40,000. * This second loan will be used to pay off the borrower’s outstanding student debt balance at the time of home purchase. If there are two Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) borrowers, only one borrower’s student loan balance must be paid off. The funds also may be used to pay off the other borrower’s student debt ONLY if the … [Read more...]
Montgomery County Program Announced
Montgomery County mortgage announced today by the Community Development Administration. The funds are on a first come - first serve basis. And they will go lightning fast! As a result of the very successful Phase I and II of the Montgomery Home Ownership Program. The Community Development Administration in collaboration with Montgomery County is pleased to announce Phase III is open to accept reservations. The Montgomery Home Ownership Program is designed to assist eligible home buyers who purchase a home in Montgomery County. Combining a Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) first mortgage loan with a generous down payment assistance (DPA) second loan. Highlights of the program are as follows: * Montgomery Home Ownership Program second lien will be a zero percent deferred down payment loan * Maximum down payment loan will be 40% of total household income up to a maximum of $25,000.00 * Down payment funds may be used for down payment and/or closing costs * … [Read more...]
Grant Assist Program Super Sized
Grant Assist Program supersized by the State of Maryland (mmp.maryland.gov). This change will help many, many buyers throughout the State of Maryland. Initially the program was rolled out to help with ONLY the closing costs but they have just changed it so that the 4% can be used towards down payment and/or closing costs. This is HUGE News, if you have a minimum 640 credit score you could have your entire down payment covered by using this program instead of the flat $5,000 the State offers through the CDA program. Example: A buyer wants to purchase a home for $300,000. The minimum the buyer has to contribute is 3% for the down payment. The Grant Assist will cover that ENTIRE down payment. The seller has agreed to give 3% for closing costs and the program will also cover another 1% towards closing costs for a total contribution of $12,000. And viola, the buyer is in with no money out of their pocket! Grant Assist * Grant Assist program is a grant of 4% of … [Read more...]
The Basics of Mortgage Financing
The basics of mortgage financing for each type of mortgage financing as it relates to credit, income and assets follows. We have included helpful tips that will help home buyers in situations that are unique and do not follow cookie cutter conventional financing. Credit score: Currently, the lowest credit score is 620 if no mortgage insurance is needed. And, 640 if mortgage insurance is required. Loan officers cannot manually underwrite conventional loans. They must have an Approve/Eligible in the automated underwriting system. Unlike Federal Housing Authority (FHA) loan - Conventional loans carry risk based pricing adjustments so the lower the credit score the higher the rate and mortgage insurance rate. Typically, a buyer with low credit scores will be much better served using FHA financing because the rate and Mortgage Insurance (MI) will cost less for them. Income: The maximum debt to income ratio is typically 45%. However, a Loan Prospector with good … [Read more...]
Veteran Buyers
Veteran buyers will be faced with several changes in the coming months when applying for a VA loan. As of now, the Senate is reviewing a law that has already passed The House of Representatives to make two big changes to VA loans. The first change is to get rid of VA loan limits entirely so buyers do not have to come up with a down payment. Right now, a buyer can purchase up to $417,000 with no money down at all. If they go above this amount - they have to come up with some money for the down payment. Let's say it is 25% of the difference of the sales price over $417,000. As an example, if a buyer purchases a $500,000 house then they need to come up with $20,750 ($500,000-$417,000=$83,000 x 25%). Under the new law - they would not need any money for the down payment if they purchased over $417,000. This will have a huge impact on the cash needed for high end veteran buyers. The second change is in regards to VA non - allowables. Right now there are … [Read more...]
Helping Military Veterans and Active Duty Military Buy a Home
Helping Military Veterans and Active Duty Military buy a home has gotten a bit easier. Now, CDA offers the Maryland Home front program which provides military veterans and active duty military with a special interest rate discount of 0.25% for a 30-year, fixed rate mortgage. This program can also be used in combination with the $5,000 plus or more down payment and closing cost monies that are offered through the program. A refresher course on CDA loans...if you have not owned a home in the past three years in the State of Maryland - there is an EXCELLENT chance that you will be eligible for down payment monies and/or closing cost help of $5,000 at a MINIMUM. And even if you have owned a home in the past three years there are targeted areas where you can buy again without the 3 year wait. For example - the entire City of Baltimore is classified as targeted so anyone can get $5,000 CDA down payment monies and or closing cost help as long as they don't own any other … [Read more...]
Home Buyers Assistance – State of Maryland
Home Buyers Assistance - State of Maryland have a great program to help home buyers obtain home ownership. And now, first time home buyers can get a tax credit too! If you have not owned a home in the past three years in the State of Maryland, there is an EXCELLENT chance you will be eligible for assistance of $5,000 at a MINIMUM. And, even if you have owned a home in the past three years, there are targeted areas where you can buy again without the 3 year wait. For example, the entire City of Baltimore is classified as targeted so any buyer can get $5,000 in assistance as long as they don't own any other property when they go to settlement. The Maryland Mortgage Program offers $5,000 in assistance or potentially more depending on the buyer's employer for down payment or closing cost assistance. So, if a buyer is purchasing a $200,000 home and they need 3.5% of the purchase price ($7,000) as a downpayment, this program will give them $5,000. If they then receive a full seller … [Read more...]
Buying a Home
Buying a home gets easier! The latest market news - Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) replenished their funds for 2015. Funds are limited and will go very fast because the grant is very popular and easy to obtain for buyers. Federal Home Loan Bank is offering $5,000 to first time homebuyers if they contribute a minimum of $1,250 into buying their home. And, those monies can actually be gifted as well. Buyers can actually contribute less monies but their grant will be reduced because it is based on a 4:1 ratio. For example, if a buyer wanted to obtain $2,500 of grant monies then they would only have to contribute $625 or half of the $1,250. And, the fees they pay upfront can be used to meet their contribution so the earnest money deposit and appraisal fee can be used towards their minimum contribution. The reasons why this grant is better for buying a home over other programs if a buyer's income qualifies: • The grant is forgivable after 5 years entirely. If a buyer vacates the … [Read more...]
