Interest rates for a 30 year conventional fixed rate mortgages are currently at 3.47% according to Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey. For the past 16 weeks, rate have remained historically low at or below 3.5%. The interest rate the borrower secures when buying a home not only greatly impacts their monthly housing costs,but also impacts their purchasing power. Purchasing power, simply put, is the amount of home they can afford to buy for the budget they have available to spend. As rates increase, the price of the house they can afford will decrease if they plan to stay within a certain monthly housing budget. The chart below shows what impact rising interest rates would have if they planned to purchase a home within the national median price range and planned to keep the principal and interest payments at or about $1,100 a month. Buyer's Purchasing … [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...]
Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP)
Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP): Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP) DROPPED their credit score requirement to 640 on conventional financing up to 97% LTV. Now - Home buyers who qualify for a Federal Housing Authority (FHA) mortgage loan can easily go conventional under this program because the MMP sets the debt to income limit at 45% which follows conventional guidelines exactly. The MMP program also have a flat interest rate for all buyers. It is not credit score dependent when determining the interest rate as traditional conventional loans. This means a lower score buyer will still receive a great rate! And, buyers only have to put 3% down instead of 3.5% under FHA requirements. Be mindful that the seller can only contribute up to 3% of the closing costs if the LTV is above 90%. Here is a quick look at the Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP)... If you have not owned a home in the past three years in the State of Maryland, there is an EXCELLENT chance you are … [Read more...]
Are you Ready to Make the Leap into Home Ownership?
Are you ready to make the leap into home ownership? Are you still living at home? Renting a home to own? While everyone moves at their own pace now is the time to take advantage of the historically low interest rates. In addition to, local and federal programs available to first time home owners. Here are some a few signs to observe to determine if it is time to own your own home. Let's take a look at some of the reasons you should consider to justify your home buying decision. Are You Sticking Around? If you plan on moving soon for a job transfer. Or, plan on moving in the future for other family reasons - it may be better to rent. However, if you are thinking about living in the same city, town or within the same county for years to come - it is time to put down roots! You will appreciate the stability that comes with home ownership. Home ownership can make you more prepared for a marriage and/or a family if that's the lifestyle you prefer. The stability of … [Read more...]
First Time Home Buyers Credit
First time home buyers credit - The State of Maryland has a great program to help home buyers obtain home ownership and now first time home buyers can qualify for the the Maryland Mortgage Program! If you have not owned a home in the past three years in the State of Maryland, there is an EXCELLENT chance you will 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 anyone 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 your employer for down payment or closing cost assistance. So, if are purchasing a $200,000 home and you need 3.5% of the purchase price ($7,000) as a down payment, this program will … [Read more...]
Grant monies are back
Grant monies are back! The Federal Home Loan Bank replenished their funds for 2016. They are limited though and will go very fast because the grant is very popular and easy to obtain for buyers. Federal Home Loan Bank offers $5,000 to first time home buyers 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. Here are some other reasons to consider this grant over the other grant programs if a buyer's income qualifies under it. The grant is forgivable after 5 years entirely. If a buyer vacates … [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...]
Interest – Only Mortgages
Interest - Only mortgages received a lot of bad press during the aftermath of the housing bust, but they have stuck around as a viable mortgage alternative to home buyers who meet rigorous lending guidelines enacted by the federal government in recent years. Interest - Only mortgages can lower monthly mortgage payments by allowing borrowers to delay paying principle on their loan for several years. The down side of this mortgage program is the increase in mortgage payments when interest-only period comes to the end. At that time, borrowers begin to pay a combination of principal and interest until the loan is paid off. The shock of the increase in monthly mortgage payments as a result of higher interest rates on adjustable-rate interest only loan loans have caused many borrowers to default on their loans in the past. This shock in monthly payments is often accompanied with a higher interest rate which results in many borrowers falling behind in their monthly … [Read more...]
First Time Home Buyers
First time home buyers in Prince George's County have easy access to money to buy a home through the MyHome Programs. And, these grant programs can also be used with 203k streamlines loans so it helps when the property is in need of repair. Here are some highlights of the program: MY HOME II * Loan amount up to $20,000 based on 120% area median income * Zip codes restricted to 20706, 20737, 20743, 20744, 20745, 20746, 20747, 20748, 20772, 20774, 20784 and 20785 * Loan is given at 0%, deferred payment. Buyer must pay back in full if the house is sold, transferred or ceases to be their primary residence, regardless of tenure in property. * No maximum sales price if buyer is between 81% to 120% of the area median income, limited to same restrictions as MyHome if median income is up to 80% * Debt to income ratios of 33%/43% And, this program can be combined with The Maryland Mortgage program as long as the loan does not need a 203k streamline for another … [Read more...]
April – 2014 Housing Trends eNewsletter
The April - 2014 Housing Trends eNewsletter ....Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general. The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau and Realtor.org reports, videos, key market indicators and real estate sales statistics, a video message by a nationally recognized economist, maps, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, plus local neighborhood information and more. Please click here to view the APR-2014 Newsletter Housing Trends eNewsletter. If you are interested in determining the value of your home, click the Home Evaluator link for a free evaluation report. … [Read more...]