Lyn Collier asked:




There was a time when experts said that a mobile home was a bad investment. In years past, a home built on a foundation was considered to be the best place to put your money. Foundation homes, for many years, grew in value (appreciated) over time. Mobile homes go down in value (depreciate) over time. That was then. This is now. Things have changed.

Our economy is in a downward turn and is not expected to recover for awhile. Anyone who bought a house three to five years ago and tries to sell that house now will probably have to take less than they paid for it. In the past, those people could have expected to make a healthy profit. Now, they do well just to break even on the sale.

Mobile homes are gaining in popularity because for some people, it is the better alternative to renting. There are two ways to own a mobile home.

#1 Buy land and put a mobile home on it. As my dad used to say about land, “It’s a great investment. After all, they aren’t making any more of it.” That is true. Land is a non-renewable resource. That simply means, that there is a fixed amount of land, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. There is only so much land to go around, right? Because of the fact that land is a non-renewable resource, it will most likely appreciate in value over time. The house that is built on that land may not appreciate. So, the safest way to invest in real estate and do it with the least amount of investment is to buy land and then put a mobile home on it. Lenders will loan money to purchase the land and the mobile home just like they lend to people who are buying a home on a foundation. You can get one loan to pay for both land and mobile home, or you can get two separate loans. One to pay for the land and another to pay for the mobile home.

#2 Buy just the mobile home . If you can’t afford land, you can still do better than renting by purchasing a mobile home and putting it in a mobile home community or park. If you buy the mobile home, you have to have a place to put it, right? When you live in a mobile home community, you pay rent on the lot. Lot rental is usually pretty cheap. Even added to the payment on the mobile home, it is still usually way cheaper than renting a house or apartment. And, if you live there long enough, the mobile home will eventually be all yours.

You may be wondering, “What if I don’t live in it long enough to pay it off?” You can sell the mobile home even if you haven’t paid it off yet, and can sometimes make money on the sale depending on how long you have owned it. I would suggest trying to rent it out, though. That way, someone else is paying your mobile home payment for you, and you are reaping the benefits of paying down the loan.

Judy

79T40P asked:


I should move in my new house in july, how long do i have to wait before i can get a home equity loan? or what is my best option for getting 50K?

I will no car notes, no credit card payments, nothing more than my mortgage and bills that are associated with anew how. I have a fixed rate so im not in the whole.

Im just trying to do some research.

Thanks

Ronnie

Mary Ny asked:




Fannie Mae was chartered in 1938, as the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), with the responsibility of creating a secondary market for home mortgages. It operated under direct federal control. In 1968, the Federal National Mortgage Association was partitioned into two separate entities- one wholly owned by the government and known as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and the other to retain the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) name. It was privatized by legislation enacted in 1968 and became fully private in 1970.

Fannie Mae (along with Freddie Mac) sets the limit each year on the size of a conforming loan based on the October to October changes in mean home price. Mortgages above this limit are considered jumbo and super jumbo loans because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac only buy conforming loans to repackage into the secondary market, making the demand for non-conforming loans much less. Thus, interest rates for jumbo and super jumbo loans are higher than for conforming loans.

According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), borrowers see mortgage rates 25-50 basis points lower because of what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do. This is reflected in lowered interest rates of up to a half percentage on each individual homebuyer’s mortgage, which translates to lower payments and increased consumer cash flow for other purposes. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also were the agencies that recommended that FICO scores be used in mortgage lending. Now, FICO scores are the mortgage industry standard for originating conventional loans, adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) based on various prime rate indices, jumbo loans and 2nd home purchases as well as the popular cash out mortgage refinance loans.

Today, Fair Isaac estimates that more than 75% of all mortgage originations in the U.S. involve the FICO credit score. FICO scores are being used in almost every sector of the nation’s economy, and largely determine whether or not you will be approved for credit (including mortgage loans), what interest rates you will pay and what loan terms are available to you. This is why it is important to maintain a high FICO. But, if you’re a homeowner who’s had credit issues in the past, a timely mortgage refinance or home equity loan (second mortgage) for debt consolidation can help raise your score substantially and save you a lot of money.

Vera