10 Surprising Reasons You Can’t Get a Home

Getting a home signifies financial security and an investment for the future. Owning a home is part of the American Dream. There are some surprising reasons why you can’t get a home.

1. Down Payment – You may have the required 10%-25% on the asking price of the home you are interested in but how you acquired it and how long you’ve had it could keep you from getting the home. Many times relatives offer young couples the down payment. Lending institutions take this into consideration when looking at the ability of a homeowner to keep up with mortgage payments. Saving the down payment over time lends to the credibility of money management.
2. Credit– Credit history is an ongoing process. Student loans are one of the first obligations a person may have as an adult. Late payments may have a bearing on your ability to acquire a home later in life. Credit scores are also affected by utility payments. Any recurring bill that is paid late may come back to haunt you even though your financial situation is now more sound. Your debt to income ratio ideally needs to be under 45%. Less than a 3 month asset reserve in a bank account will generally keep you from getting a home. Check your credit score with all 3 agencies and make sure there is nothing being reported incorrectly. You need to aim for a score of 660 or better.
3. Job Security – Your job history may be why you can’t get a home. Lenders look for stability. If you jump from job to job, regardless of monetary or career improvement, lenders see you as a financial risk. When the economy takes a downward turn, employers tend to retain employees with seniority. Also taken into consideration is the risk of the job.
4. Parent History – If your parents have a questionable credit history, you may be dealing under their shadow. If parents foreclosed, you may be affected. If they were late with mortgage or credit card payments, you may be looked upon as having the same traits. If you are asked information on parent particulars, you may need to look elsewhere for home financing.
5. Location – The location of a home may affect whether or not a lender is willing to risk mortgaging it. LNG routes, Super Site areas, fault lines, destructive weather patterns all have bearings on mortgage risks lenders are willing to take on.
6. Inspection – More and more, home inspections are being required to seal the closing deal. Hopes have been dashed to learn major expenses must be incurred to pass inspection for the approval of the sale.
7. Condition – Fixer-uppers may offer pricing that appears affordable. If you have no background of construction or home improvement projects completed, lenders are leery to finance such undertakings. They may require a lump sum amount be in an account to cover the improvements necessary to ensure the property does not result in a loss to the lender.
8. Liens – If you owned property before and were subject to liens for unacceptable reasons such as credit card debt or unpaid taxes, you may not get the home you desire. A current homeowner may also have substantial liens that need to be satisfied at closing either from the sale itself or as additional costs to the buyer.
9. History – The history of the home may be the deciding factor that keeps a lender from financing in your behalf. A murder, haunting, nearby sinkhole, or other less favorable activity, bear upon the lender’s willingness to finance such a home.
10. The Bank – Economic conditions and bank lending history may be the reason you can’t get a home. Banks may be leaning toward only very secure clients to up their lending credibility. If a bank turns you down, look to other options before you decide to settle on thinking you can’t get a home. FHA, VHA, or a first time buyer program offer other alternatives for which you may qualify.

If you can’t get a home loan with one lender, chances are good that another institution will also turn you down. You should take some time and work at increasing the good points that will work in your favor. Try again when your situation has improved.

posted with permission by KCM

How Much Should You put Down?

Like most questions, the answer is “it depends”. Today, I thought I’d give you some things to consider.

Let’s begin the discussion with loans that don’t require Mortgage Insurance. The suggestion is to borrow as much as you can afford. As an example, borrowing $310,000, as opposed to $300,000, will increase your mortgage payment by about $51 at 4.5%. Recognize that by doing so, you will have $10,000 in the bank. It is my experience that it is easier to find $50 more every month than it is to save $10,000. Even if you had the discipline to set aside the $50 monthly, it would take you 200 months to re-accumulate the $10,000 in principal (longer with lost interest).

Understand too, that the interest paid on the extra money borrowed is tax-deductible. In a 25% tax bracket the $51 additional has a real cost of about $38!

Having the $10,000 liquid has other potential advantages as well:

1. If rates go up in the future, you could potentially make more interest than you are spending.
2. If you can avoid using credit cards for furniture, home improvements, etc., you can save a bundle on those non-tax deductible interest rate costs.
3. In a world where home values have declined, the more you borrow, the less you have at risk. You transfer the risk of the future value of the home to the lender.

Now, many borrowers today will need some sort of Mortgage Insurance, whether it’s a Conventional Loan with less than 20% down or an FHA Mortgage. These borrowers should sit with their loan officer and run the numbers because the cost of the Mortgage Insurance can vary based on loan-to-value and other factors. Examine the costs and the relative benefits.

reprinted with permission by KCM

Money to purchase and renovate your home!

Whether you’re looking at a foreclosed home, bank REO, a Short Sale or really any home, you need to be aware of the FHA 203K Program. The general condition of real estate has taken a dip over the past few years, as homeowners are not sprucing up their home as they have in the past.

(Pssst…there’s a recession going on…people are afraid of losing jobs…and they believe they won’t “get back” the money they spend by renovating upon sale).

The 203K loan can be used for small repairs (with a minimum of $5000 of work) such as a new roof or replacing the boiler. It can go all the way up to practically rebuilding the home and anything in between. Maybe you love a home, the neighborhood, etc., but you hate the kitchen cabinets. The 203K may be for you. As long as the existing foundation stays intact, we can talk about any type of repair, upgrade, modernization or expansion.

With one closing, we will give borrowers money to satisfy their contract with the seller AND establish a Rehab Escrow Account to fund the agreed renovations. The Rehab Escrow Account is managed like a Construction Loan. Money is released after work is completed, the property is inspected by the lender and the title is updated.

Like all FHA loans, the property must be owner occupied and loan approval requires full documentation of income, assets and credit worthiness. At the same time, underwriting guidelines have some flexibility built in. (In theory, we can lend up to 110% of the After-Improved Value of the home for example.)

Loans are processed in the same fashion as any other loan (in terms of income, asset and credit) with the exception of the appraisal. Appraisers work in conjunction with the home improvement contractor and a HUD Approved Pre-Planner to determine: “As-Is” Value, “After-Improved” Value, costs of construction and the draw schedule of the renovation portion of the loan. This work typically adds about a week to the approval process, largely because it should be done BEFORE contracts are signed.

SOME UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE 203K

• Mixed-Use Properties may be eligible! As long as the commercial space is no more than the allowable square footage based on the number of floors in the building and none of the renovation monies are used for a commercial renovation, the 203K gives tremendous interest rates for Mixed-Use Properties.
• The loan can be used to change property usage (when appropriate municipality approval)…..converting a 1 Family Home to a 2 Family or a 4 Family to a 3 Family or any variation that stays within the 1-4 Family boundaries works.
• On major renovations we will finance up to six months payments into the loan. In these cases,the house will not be habitable until after the work is completed.
• There is a Streamline 203K for projects that require less than $35,000 of repairs. Typically, we like to see only one or two items of work that can be done quickly (with one inspection).

It is recommended that you work with an experienced loan officer when exploring the 203K Program, as there are many details that need to be considered (from selecting a qualified contractor to the inner workings of the draw schedule and preparing for different contingencies). While the program is more intricate, with the right education ahead of time, it is extremely manageable.

posted with permission from KCM

Short Sales are a better choice

Last week, RealtyTrac released its Q2 2011 U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report. The report confirmed what we are hearing in the marketplace – banks are beginning to look more favorably on short sales as option to foreclosure.

The report dissected the sales of distressed properties in the second quarter of 2011. Here are several of their findings:

• Sales of homes that were in some stage of foreclosure or bank owned accounted for 31 percent of all U.S. residential sales in the second quarter of 2011, down from nearly 36 percent of all sales in the first quarter.
• A total of 102,407 pre-foreclosure homes (short sales) sold in the second quarter, an increase of 19 percent from the previous quarter.
• A total of 162,680 REO homes (foreclosures) sold in the second quarter, virtually unchanged from the first quarter.
• Short sales on average sold for a discount of 21 percent below the average sales price of non-foreclosure homes.
• REOs on average sold at a discount of nearly 40 percent below the average sales price of non-foreclosure homes.

This could be a great sign that banks are finally realizing the advantages of short sales over foreclosures.

Bloomberg.com quoted Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac, in an article covering the report:

“This is a glimmer of hope that lenders are getting more realistic. It’s a win for borrowers who avoid foreclosure, buyers who get a house in better condition and banks that lose less money, which is also a win for taxpayers.”

posted with permission from KCM

What banks are looking for...

When lenders evaluate mortgage borrowers, they look at four things: income (the ability to repay), credit (the willingness to repay), collateral(appraised value and property condition) and assets (cash in the deal and cash reserves after closing, mostly). Of the “four legs of the table”, assets are the least discussed, and yet may be the most important.

What do we mean when we talk about assets?

• Monies needed for the down payment (the difference between the purchase price and the loan amount which may or may not be the same as the money deposit at contract signing)
• Monies needed for closing costs (fees to the lender and third parties for things like appraisals, title insurance, settlement services, and so on)
• Monies needed for Pre-Paids (homeowners insurance, flood insurance, real estate taxes, etc.) and establishing escrow accounts for future payments
• Monies for Reserves- the money you still have left after closing. Monies that would be available, if a problem were to arise

Why do we care about assets?

• Assets may be the truest reflection of a borrower’s fiscal strength. Their ability to save and properly budget could be a significant indicator to their future paying habits
• The source of the assets is important. Savings? Gift or inheritance? Lottery victory? Insurance settlement? Sale of a baseball card collection? Each reflects differently on the borrower.
• Many people don’t show all their income on their tax returns (it’s just a fact). Undocumented income can’t be used to qualify; however, often assets become a truer representation of a borrower ability to pay than their 1040s.
• Reserves are an issue. A client with $50 in the bank after closing is riskier than one with $50,000. Also, clients who have money in the bank but have some sporadic lates on their credit are looked at differently than those who didn’t have the money to make the payments.

Common Asset Issues in Mortgage Packages:

• Large deposits (defined as those which are excessive for the income level) raise an underwriter’s eyebrows. Where did the money come from? Maybe the borrower took a loan that doesn’t yet show up on their credit report.
• Cash deposits are another red flag. In this day and age, people keep their money in the bank, not under their mattress. Where did the cash come from?
• Gift monies and seller’s concessions, while considered as borrowers assets when doing calculations, will give an underwriter pause when assessing the borrower’s real ability to replay.

Guidelines have tightened. When borrowers are paying off credit cards to get their ratios in line, lenders are asking where that money came from now. That act has nothing to do with the home purchase, but may be a sign of something fragile in the borrower’s financial make up.

The best advice is to consult a loan professional to discuss the proper way to position your assets and the timing of it that will put you in the most favorable light.

posted with permission from KCM

This is the time to put your house on the market! Every day you wait is a missed opportunity for buyers to see your house....and buy someone else's

Selling Your House? Waiting May Not Make Sense

There have been some bright spots in the residential real estate market over the last couple of months. Several price indices have reported a stabilization of prices and some regions have even shown small levels of appreciation. This has led some to believe that we may have reached a bottom for home values. We must realize that what we are actually experiencing is a ‘window of opportunity’ as the banks are delayed in bringing certain inventories of distressed properties to the market. Let’s look at what others are reporting:

Bloomberg Businessweek

“The crux of Simon’s analysis is that the loose lending practices seen during the housing bubble allowed 5 million renters to become homeowners, and that the market is in the protracted process of evicting this group. He believes housing prices will decline 6 percent to 8 percent nationally, with 6 million to 7 million more foreclosures yet to come.”

Yahoo Finance

“The problem with the real estate market remains excess inventory. Based on Shilling’s research, there are 2 million to 2.5 million excess homes in the country — a supply that will take 4-5 years to work-off. The result: Housing prices will fall another 20% and underwater mortgages will balloon from 23% to 40%, he says.”

Housing Wire

“Both warmer weather and the drop in distressed sales percentage have contributed to recent home price improvements. However, given the disappointing pace in housing demand recovery, both factors may turn against us in the coming winter and push home prices lower again…

This supply-demand imbalance affirmed JPMorgan analysts’ estimate of a further 4% drop in home prices from the first quarter of 2011 to a new bottom next year.”

DS News

“Home prices have gotten a little bit of a boost in recent months thanks to a seasonal uptick in market activity. Most analysts, however, expect further declines to characterize the later part of the year and possibly extend into next year, largely because of the huge supply of foreclosures on the market.”

Bottom Line

If you are thinking of selling in the next twelve months, you would probably do much better if you sold your house sooner rather than later.

shared with permission from KCM Blog

Why a Buyer should use a Realtor

There are many obvious reasons as to why an agent or broker would be necessary when you are selling your property. From market knowledge to pricing to marketing, an agent is a good friend to have when selling your home.

But what about the buyers side?

Does a buyer really need an agent to represent them? Well, being a broker I would have to say yes. But I will back up my claim with some very important reasoning.

First of all buyer representation is something that is really not all that old, but came about due to a lot of buyers being taken advantage of at the closing table. There are things that a normal buyer really isn’t privy to nor should they have to be. That is where a good agent representing the buyer earns their share. They are there to protect the interests of the buyer and negotiate the best possible price for the property being purchased.

A good buyer agent will walk their buyers through the entire process and make sure that they understand the ins and outs of what is going on and why. They are there to make sure that the correct inspections are requested and completed, they are there to make sure that any repairs that need to be done are done, and they are there to make sure that when the keys are handed over, both parties are walking away feeling good about the deal.

A buyer’s agent should be able to let their clients worry about other things rather than all the technical aspects of purchasing a home. Buying a home should be fun and exciting, rather than stressful and unpleasant.

A good buyers agent will always work for their clients best interests, negotiate the best price and terms of a contract, see that all inspections and repairs are requested and completed on time, and will make sure that there is a smooth transition at the closing table.

posted with permission by Tim Brown