Financing Your Home

It is useful for home buyers to understand the difference between loan pre-qualification and pre-approval. Pre-qualification, which in today’s marketplace is usually done by mortgage brokers, means working with the buyers to determine how much they can afford and which loans are the most likely to be available to them. Loan pre-qualification can save buyers time and money and can even be a bargaining tool with a seller. However, pre-qualification is not the same as loan “pre-approval”. The mortgage broker can often get the buyer a pre-qualification letter, but pre-approval must be issued by the mortgage lender.

Pre-approval means that the lender has definitely committed to loaning the buyer money, once the house itself is approved. Since it is a much stronger pledge, it is a much more valuable negotiating tool. When you hear someone talking about “pre-approval”, they are referring to specific acknowlegment by a lender that they are willing to loan the buyer money. The real estate agent can be of assistance in this process.

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If you are selling a house in which you have a lot of equity, and you don’t need that equity to buy a new home, an owner-financing agreement may benefit you and your buyers.

Seller financing arrangements usually involve the buyers securing the largest portion of their purchase money from a mortgage company and getting a smaller second loan from the sellers. For example, they may finance 75% from a lender, put in 15% from savings, and ask the sellers to finance the remaining amount. The terms and interest rates on seller carry-backs are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Sellers may be able to negotiate a note that provides a better return on their money than 1-to-5 year CD’s or treasury notes. They should ensure that the note protects them to the fullest. Use common sense when considering such a loan, and verify the buyers’ income, credit history, and job stability before making your final decision.

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New mortgage loan products offer a more complex selection of terms. Lenders now offer mortgages that are blends of short-term ARMs and 30-year fixed-rate loans with a lower fixed-rate of interest for a period of five, seven or ten years. Be sure that you understand what happens at the end of the initial term before you sign on the dotted line for such a loan.

Many of these loans revert to a 1-year adjustable rate loan at the end of the initial term and can be adjusted once a year based on an index tied to the cost of money. You should know how much over the index your rate will be set and the limit or cap on how much your payments can increase. A “balloon” note requires the entire balance to be paid to the lender after the initial period of the loan ends. Most of these loans require the lender to guarantee to refinance the note at that point if payments have been timely. The lender should spell out how the re-finance rate will be determined and what costs will be involved. These loans can help you buy a more expensive house than you could afford with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, but be sure that you understand the terms and the potential risks.

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It is not unusual for home buyers to feel that the lender is being very critical during the loan approval process. The buyer is required to provide all kinds of financial information, and then the lender asks for more. If this is your experience, and the process seems discouraging, remember that none of this is personal!

Some lenders have more stringent requirements than others, but every lender requires a substantial amount of documentation on a mortgage loan. They must verify employment, credit history, and recent financial transactions involving your liquid assets. If your Visa payment was late, they may ask for a letter explaining why. If you are self-employed, they will ask for tax returns from at least three years and probably a year-to-date profit and loss statement.

Government regulations require mortgage companies to document everything. And while the loan officer may know that you are a reliable risk, the underwriters must be able to defend the loan to a federal bank examiner or auditor.

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Lenders are always looking for new ways to help buyers get into the home of their dreams. Today they frequently use adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) to increase the buyer’s options. The interest rate on an ARM changes periodically to reflect changes in the national market. Since the loan starts at a rate that is lower than the national average, lenders can reduce the borrower’s qualifying criteria.

One way to distinguish between different ARMs is by the national index to which they are tied. Some ARMs are tied to a slow-moving index called the cost-of-funds index; these are usually the most desirable. ARMs that are tied to a more volatile index, such as Treasury Notes, can be adjusted upward at a quicker rate. Look at all the factors before choosing a loan. The faster index loan may start out with lower rates and lower monthly payments, but the slower index ARM may eliminate your concern about having to re-finance down the road.

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If you wish to buy a home but consider yourself incapable of getting credit, you may be living in the past in terms of assessing your financial situation. Lenders have become more flexible in underwriting mortgage loans.

A recent survey of mortgage lenders revealed some interesting trends. Ninety-six percent of those surveyed had cut their standard down payment requirements for moderate-income buyers, and 93% said they are more lenient regarding debt-to-income-ratios. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed said they now have more flexible approaches to credit histories, and look at rent and utility payments more than credit cards. Seventy-nine percent of lenders say they have relaxed employment criteria. They now look more at your capacity to generate a stable flow of income rather than requiring a long history at one job.

There are more lenders today, and they are in fierce competition with each other. The home loan industry has created entire markets that cater to those with less-than-perfect credit.

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There’s no question that it could be more difficult for you to get a mortgage loan if you are a free lance viola player than if you are a government accountant. Traditionally, lenders have been more cautious when evaluating loan applications of buyers who are self-employed than people who work for a regular salary.

However, if you are self-employed, there is no reason for you to shy away from applying for a home mortgage loan, especially if your earnings have been in the same field for at least two years. It is a good idea to meet with one or more loan officers before you begin your search. They will probably want to analyze your tax returns for the past 2 or 3 years, keeping in mind that many self employed people can look impoverished on paper, since you can write off some expenses that salaried individuals can not. Try to get pre-approval from the lender, and ask for a letter stating that you have pre-qualified for a loan which your real estate agent can attach to any offer you submit on a home. This will make you more attractive to the sellers.

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In the field of home financing, “hybrid” mortgages have grown in popularity with home buyers. With interest rates gradually rising in today’s market, the hybrid mortgage product saves money, provides a period of fixed-rate security and helps buyers qualify for financing.

Hybrid mortgage loans offer a very low fixed-rate for a period of time, usually from 5 to 7 years, then revert to an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) for the remainder of the term of the loan. The interest rate is typically lower than with a 30-year fixed-rate loan, and the borrower has the assurance that the rate will not change for a period of years. Such a loan works well for buyers who plan on reselling the home within a finite period.

Other specialty mortgages now available include an ARM loan with a provision allowing it to be converted to a fixed-rate loan when that is a practical step for the borrower. Still others offer an interest-only loan that requires payments to be made on the interest only for a specified number of years, then reverts to an amortized loan with interest and principal payments each month. Consult with an experienced mortgage professional to determine whether one of these loan products will meet your needs.

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Conventional wisdom says, “Don’t pay off your mortgage early.” Are you foolish to consider an early payoff? Absolutely not! By adding just $50 to $100 to your mortgage payment every month, you can save thousands of dollars in interest, pay off your loan quicker, and eliminate a major monthly expense.

The argument usually given against paying off a mortgage early is that you can make investments with your extra cash, such as mutual funds, stocks or bonds, which pay higher returns. This approach enables you to take the mortgage interest deduction and have easy access to your money, in case you need it. These are all definite pluses, but are not guaranteed savings results.

Any extra income which an investment might generate above your home equity appreciation can be offset by a bad year in the investment market. Investment earnings can virtually eliminate the income tax advantage of your mortgage interest deduction, since stocks and bonds are likely to generate a fair amount of dividends, interest income and capital gains.

It isn’t as simple as conventional wisdom–consult a financial expert.

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As the number of mortgage lenders increases, competition forces lenders to get more creative in finding ways to lend people money. This often takes the form of giving homebuyers a “break” in the down payment. The downside of this approach is that statistically, the smaller the down payment, the more likely the borrower will default. Lenders have put together an education program to prevent delinquencies, which fills a much-needed gap in the increasingly complex world of home finance.

Home buyer education classes focus on a variety of money management topics, including all the costs connected with obtaining and owning a home. One lender got together with FANNIE MAE (a government-sponsored loan guarantor) to launch a 3 percent down payment loan which requires participation in this education course. Other lenders have shown a decline in the default rate with five percent loans that are associated with similar education courses.

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