How To Afford A Mortgage

Premier Finance Group offers Minimum Cash Requirements and Interest Only Loans

The main deterrent in buying a home today is not income or credit requirements, but rather finding the necessary funds to cover the initial costs and downpayment. Traditionally a 20% downpayment is required and in many instances the related closing costs and escrow funds can run another 10%. In today's market of high prices for even modest homes, up front fees of 30% present more of a barrier than credit history or mortgage payment ratios. Funds for the purchase of a home can include obtaining a cash gift from a relative, cashing in an insurance policy or retirement account, but fortunately there are other more available methods to lower the initial costs of obtaining a mortgage.

Many real estate agents do not push FHA or VA loans because they believe that the paperwork involved with these loans is too burdensome. While the so-called ""government"" programs are more detailed than a straight conventional loan, they are by no means overly difficult to process if you deal with an experienced lender like PFG. FHA loans require only about 3% downpayment and most any resident of the U.S. is eligible for a loan. Contrary to what many people believe, the FHA insured loan program is not a subsidized loan for low-income individuals. VA loans do not call for a downpayment at all. That's right; VA loans offer 100% financing for many veterans of the U.S. armed forces. The FHA and VA programs offer more lenient loan terms than conventional loans, but there are still certain guidelines on income, credit, and property requirements to meet.

Conventional loans also offer low or no downpayments with PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance). PMI is not life or accident insurance, but rather insures the mortgage itself and covers the lender in the event of a foreclosure on the property. Generally, lenders will require PMI when there is less than a 20% downpayment. PFG offers many loans with no downpayment at all and also several loans with as little as 3-5% down. Generally conventional loans with PMI are subject to more restrictive credit and income guidelines than FHA or VA loans. Interest rates among most types of prime loans are roughly equal.

The key to using the minimum in up-front funds is to have the seller pay most or all of your closing costs. Depending on the down payment you make, the seller may be permitted to absorb all of your closing costs. Under the VA program, the seller can also pay the tax and insurance escrow allowing the buyer to get in the home with little or no funds. FHA and most conventional programs allow the seller to pay up to 6% of the sales price to the closing costs; conventional loans at 95% LTV (Loan-To-Value) allow the seller to pay only 3% of the sales price towards closing costs. You may have to make the seller a full price offer to have him absorb the closing costs, but any offer can be presented. If the seller does agree to pay the closing costs, ask your lender if you can obtain a loan without escrowing for taxes and insurance. This will mean that you will have to come up with hefty payments when the property taxes and insurance are due periodically throughout the year but you will have avoided establishing a fat escrow fund at closing. Beware however, finding money to pay taxes and insurance in a lump sum can be difficult and most lenders won't allow it unless you have a large (20%) downpayment. Also, try to set up your closing to occur towards the end of the month because you will have less pre-paid interest due at settlement for the month of closing.

Many times a 5% cushion is built into the sales price of a home to allow negotiation of a sales offer. Just remember that in a hot real estate market, the seller may not be anxious to accept a low offer and may reject the agreement on a home that you really want due to small differences. If you play the game, you must be prepared to lose and go on to the next property.

You should have PFG preapprove you before shopping for a home. We will preapprove you at no cost and also assist you with any questions you may have in choosing the home that is right for you. A pre-approval is a strong marketing tool when making an offer that may contain many a number of seller concessions. Telling a seller that you are already approved for a loan makes the acceptance of a low offer or one where he may be paying the closing costs much more palatable. A preapproval will also let you know what price range you should be shopping for.

How to Maximize Your Income

Most lenders will require that you disclose your income from the previous two years and use this income to qualify you for a mortgage. They will ask for W-2 forms, tax returns, or bank statements to verify the income. The lender will then apply a formula to the income to determine your ability to repay the loan. A common requirement is that the mortgage payment cannot be greater than 28% of the borrower's gross monthly income, and the mortgage payment plus all other monthly obligations cannot exceed 36% of the gross monthly income. PFG offers stated income loans, which allows you to state your income without documentation. PFG also allows higher ratios, and there are always exceptions to the guidelines.

One way to expand your purchasing power is to obtain a low, low, rate mortgage such as PFG's adjustable rate mortgages. They may begin with an introductory rate 3% under the going rates. PFG's adjustable rate mortgages are a great idea, especially if you are buying in an area of high appreciation or if you only intend to live in the home for a few years. This type of loan can add thousands to your purchasing power due to the low initial rate.

If you aren't interested in an adjustable rate mortgage, explore 5/1 or 7/1 type loans. The rate will stay the same for the first 5 or 7 years, and then it changes to a one-year ARM for the remainder of the term. The initial rate is lower than a fixed 30-year mortgage, and by the time the rate is due to change in 5 years, you may be ready to move or refinance.

Take a look at your monthly installment payments. It can be advantageous to use some of your downpayment money to pay off high interest rate or short term debt to ease your qualifying ratio. Paying off a car loan with a few years to run may erase a high dollar monthly payment for only a few thousand dollars. The result may be a higher mortgage due to less downpayment, but monthly you will be spending less and mortgage payments only increase by only a few dollars per thousand due to longer amortization.

In general, shorter-term loans do save interest over the long run but decrease buying power up front. You can always make extra payments later if you want to shorten the term of the mortgage. Forget about bi-weekly mortgages, they just force you to make extra payments whether you want to or not. It may be smarter to save money in a mutual fund or other vehicle that could offer a better return and easier access to funds when needed than a mortgage. Owning a home with a mortgage could allow you to itemize your taxes for the first time and save money on April 15th as well!

Finding a Bargain Home

One of the clichés of the real estate world is the most important thing to consider when buying a home is ""location, location, location."" That also applies when trying to find a bargain in a home. Generally it is better to buy a ""fixer-upper"" in a terrific neighborhood rather than a great but bargain priced home in a less desirable neighborhood. There are always bargains in run down areas, but while these houses may offer a lot of house for the dollar, they will be difficult to sell and may have little or no appreciation despite the time, energy, and money you have poured into them.

Forget about buying a home from the newspaper foreclosure notices, they are difficult to purchase and better left to the pros. Instead foster a relationship with a real estate agent and remain loyal to that agent. You want to find a home that may need some cosmetic work but is basically sound. Estate sales are probably the best area you want to explore, and try to investigate listings that have been on the market for awhile. Keep in mind that the reason a property has been on the market for a long time is because it less desirable for some reason. Remember, most every property has its price and will ultimately sell when the price/value ratio becomes attractive. Multi-family homes can offer some additional income if you are willing to put up with the headaches of being a landlord with tenants in close proximity. It can be financially profitable to live in the multi-family for a few years and then keep the property as an investment after you move to a single family home.

If financially able, look to buy a home during periods of high interest rates or economic recession. During those times home prices may drop or the seller will be more amenable to accepting low offers. High interest rate periods don't last forever, and when rates come down or the economy improves you can refinance for a lower rate and even take out some excess cash from appreciation.

Credit Scores and Sub-Prime Loans

Prior to the early 1990's home buyers had to have a very good credit history to qualify for a loan. Those who had foreclosures, repossessions, or bankruptcies in their history were told to wait 7 years and to walk the straight and narrow credit path in the meantime. This is no longer the case! During the 1990's a new type of financing became available called ""sub-prime"" lending, which is PFG's area of expertise Those who could not previously obtain a loan were eligible for a sub-prime loan where the interest rate charged may be 2% to 5% higher than the prevailing ""prime"" mortgage interest rates. Basically there is a trade off by the lender for receiving a higher interest rate in return for accepting a perceived higher risk loan. The good news is that now many more people are eligible to obtain a mortgage albeit at a higher than the prevailing rate.

During the 1990's credit scoring also came into effect. Credit scores, or FICO scores, attempt to classify a person's credit history into one three-digit number ranging from 300 to 900. A credit score of 650 or above is deemed to be a ""good"" credit risk by many lenders, the higher the better. In fact, a credit score of 700 or above can allow for a 100% LTV loan at only a little higher interest rate. A score of 625 may be acceptable, but scores from 525 to 625 usually fit into the sub-prime loan category. A score under 500 makes it very difficult to obtain financing of any sort. There are three credit repositories in the United States and their method of determining a person's credit score is somewhat a secret but mainly based on the past payment history and overall amount of debt.

Correcting Past Credit Problems

Contrary to what you may have heard, credit reports are for the most part accurate. Common last names and a ""Jr."" in the family does cause a few problems, but credit reports identify people by social security number, address, and name. If you have an issue with your credit report, credit-reporting agencies are required to attempt to resolve the problem. Most of the information has to be provided by the individual and they should stay in touch for as long as it takes, frustrating or not. There are three main credit repositories in the United States: Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian. These companies each hold a database of information and provide it to a more local credit-reporting agency that may actually be issuing the report. If you have a dispute, we can help direct you to the three repositories to attempt to clear the issue. Their addresses are listed below.

As mentioned before, credit scores in the 500 range can cause problems when attempting to obtain new credit. You can raise your score if the original information was incorrect, or you can over time improve your payment history but it may take a few years of diligent pay history to appreciably raise your credit score. If unfortunately you are unable to work your way out of debt on your own you can turn to credit counseling agencies such as Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) a non-profit that has offices in many cities that will work with your creditors to reduce your installment payments. It will most likely take awhile to improve your credit history and score.

If worse comes to worse declaring bankruptcy may be your only answer, but despite its growing popularity, we recommend it only as a very last resort. A bankruptcy will stay on your record for years and makes obtaining credit difficult. There are two methods to declare bankruptcy: Chapter 13 and Chapter 11. Chapter 13 is where an individual attempts to restructure his debts and pay them off over time. Chapter 11 is when an individual is relieved of his obligations included in the bankruptcy petition. The descriptions above are overly simple and general, but the bankruptcy option is a poor one and you should explore your options with an attorney before making a decision. After a bankruptcy is discharged (finalized) a new mortgage can be obtained usually on a sub-prime loan arrangement. Most lenders state that at least a year must pass after Chapter 11 bankruptcy discharge and a new good credit history must be established, which is a difficult chore but it can be done. Make sure that rent or mortgage payments have no late payments for at least the previous twelve months. Avoid paying in cash; make all payments by check or credit card where your payment history can later be verified. It will also help to explain to your lender that the situation that originally caused the problem, a job loss, illness, etc., has now been resolved.

Three Main Credit Repositories Contact Info:

Why do we offer this report free of charge?

The ideas contained in this report took us years to learn and formulate. We are offering this free of charge because we want to be your mortgage advisor. We offer more than simply a loan, we'll personally advise you on how to use and apply the principles contained in this report. Worried that you can't remember all of what is contained here or do you have more questions? Call us and we'll provide you with the highest level of service. We want to earn your business.

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