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Ten Credit Do Do I Need To Sell My Home Before I Can Qualify For A New Mortgage On Another Property? How Much Can I Afford? Ten Things You Can Do To Protect Your Identity Is There A Rule-of-Thumb Regarding The Number Of Credit Lines To Have Open? Alternate Sources For Establishing Credit
 
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Ten Credit Do's and Don'ts To Bear In Mind Prior To Getting Your Mortgage Loan

How can a fully approved loan get denied for funding after the borrower has signed loan docs? Simple, the underwriter pulls an updated credit report to verify that there hasn’t been any new activity since original approval was issued, and the new findings kill the loan. This generally won’t happen in a 30 day time-frame, [...]

Top of Mind Rent

Do I Need To Sell My Home Before I Can Qualify For A New Mortgage On Another Property?

Although every situation is unique, it is not uncommon for homebuyers to qualify for a mortgage on a new home while still living in their primary residence. Perhaps you are outgrowing your current house, or have been forced to relocate due to a job transfer?  Regardless of the motivation for keeping one property while purchasing [...]

Top of Mind Piggy Bank

How Much Can I Afford?

How much mortgage money can I qualify to borrow? This is typically the number one question mortgage professionals are asked by new clients. Of critical importance when considering mortgage financing: There is sometimes a difference between what a client ***can*** borrow and what they ***should*** borrow. In other words, what makes for a comfortable long-term [...]

Identity Theft Top of Mind

Ten Things You Can Do To Protect Your Identity

Facts About Identity Theft: It’s estimated that there were 10 million victims of identity theft in 2008, and 1 in every 10 U.S. consumers have reported having their identity stolen. The U.S. Department of Justice reported in 2005 that 1.6 million households experienced fraud not related to credit cards (i.e. their bank accounts or debit [...]

Top of Mind Rule of Thumb

Is There A Rule-of-Thumb Regarding The Number Of Credit Lines To Have Open?

While the actual credit score has a big impact on a loan approval, it’s not the only component of the credit scenario that underwriters consider for a mortgage approval. Since loan programs, individual lenders and mortgage insurance companies all have their own credit report restrictions, it’s difficult to define a standard Rule-of-Thumb to follow. However, [...]

Credit Resources Top of Mind

Alternate Sources For Establishing Credit

While the basic Rule-of-Thumb for acceptable credit history is a minimum of four trade lines documented on a credit report, there are alternative methods of building a credit picture that an underwriter can use to make a decision for a loan approval. For potential home buyers with little or no credit history, keeping records for [...]

Top of Mind Mortgage Questions

Seven Things Your Agent Should Know About Your Mortgage Approval

01 April 2010

While many experienced real estate agents have a general understanding of the mortgage approval process, there are a few important details that frequently get overlooked which may cause a purchase to be delayed or denied. New regulation, updated disclosures, appraisal guidelines, mortgage rate pricing premiums, credit score, secondary approval layering, rescission deadlines, property type, HOA [...]

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Posted in Home Buying Process0 Comments

Ahhhhhhh!!

Ten Credit Do's and Don'ts To Bear In Mind Prior To Getting Your Mortgage Loan

01 April 2010

How can a fully approved loan get denied for funding after the borrower has signed loan docs? Simple, the underwriter pulls an updated credit report to verify that there hasn’t been any new activity since original approval was issued, and the new findings kill the loan. This generally won’t happen in a 30 day time-frame, [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Mortgage Approval Process0 Comments

Top of Mind Rent

Do I Need To Sell My Home Before I Can Qualify For A New Mortgage On Another Property?

01 April 2010

Although every situation is unique, it is not uncommon for homebuyers to qualify for a mortgage on a new home while still living in their primary residence. Perhaps you are outgrowing your current house, or have been forced to relocate due to a job transfer?  Regardless of the motivation for keeping one property while purchasing [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Blog, Mortgage Approval Process0 Comments

Nest

Four Possible Reasons To Refinance

31 March 2010

A mortgage is generally the largest debt most homeowners have to manage.  It’s a good idea to give your personal real estate finance portfolio a check-up at least once a year. Since there are many reasons a homeowner may choose to refinance, we’ll take a look at the four most common. 1.  Mortgage Rates Drop: Typically, the [...]

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Posted in Refinance Process0 Comments

Top of Mind Piggy Bank

How Much Can I Afford?

31 March 2010

How much mortgage money can I qualify to borrow? This is typically the number one question mortgage professionals are asked by new clients. Of critical importance when considering mortgage financing: There is sometimes a difference between what a client ***can*** borrow and what they ***should*** borrow. In other words, what makes for a comfortable long-term [...]

Read the full story

Posted in Mortgage Approval Process0 Comments

Businessman and Computer

8 Questions Your Lender Should Answer About Mortgage Rates

31 March 2010

Simply checking online for today’s posted rate may not lead to your expected outcome due to the many factors that can cause each individual rate and closing cost scenario to fluctuate. We can preach communication, service and education all day long, but it’s our ultimate goal to earn your trust so that you can be [...]

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Posted in Mortgage Rates0 Comments

Top of Mind Appraisal

What Do Appraisers Look For When Determining A Property's Value?

29 March 2010

Most people are surprised to learn what appraisers actually look at when determining the value of a real estate property. A common misconception homeowners generally have is that the value of their home is determined after the appraiser has completed their physical property inspection. However, the appraiser actually already has a good idea of the [...]

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Posted in Real Estate Appraisals0 Comments

Top of Mind Vintage Safes

Where Does My Earnest Money Go?

28 March 2010

Hey, I gave my real estate agent a $5000 Earnest Money Deposit check… Where does that money go? A basic and very obvious question that most First-Time home Buyers ask once their purchase contract gets accepted. According to Wikipedia: Earnest Money – an earnest payment (sometimes called earnest money or simply earnest, or alternatively a [...]

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Posted in Home Buying Process, Mortgage Closing Costs0 Comments

Top of Mind Painting Home

Renting vs Buying A Home

28 March 2010

Buying a home versus renting is a big decision that takes careful consideration. While there are several biased sources that can make arguments for or against owning a home, we’ve found that most home buyers base their ultimate decision on emotion. Yes, there are some tax advantages of owning real estate, as well as the [...]

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Top of Mind – Deed

What Does Title Insurance Protect Me From?

28 March 2010

By including title insurance when purchasing property, your title insurer takes on accountability for legal expenses to defend your property title, should it ever be challenged. Many different occurrences can come into play to warrant the need for title insurance. The title company responsible will then take on the legal expenses to defend the property [...]

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Posted in Mortgage Closing Costs0 Comments