Brad Stroh asked:


Qualifying for a Mortgage

Before you buy a home, it is crucial that you weigh how you can afford to pay for it. You don’t want to waste time or money by bidding on a house that you cannot afford or by applying for a loan that is beyond your means to pay month after month and year after year. Figuring out your budget for your home will make it easier to get the right loan and also to know what changes you may need to make to your finances and to you credit profile.

As a standard rule you are advised to buy a house worth no more than 3 times your gross household income. Use this figure if you have some other debts, such as student loans, car payments, or sizable credit card balances. If you have no other debts, you likely can afford a house that costs as much as five times your annual household income.

When potential lenders review your ability to qualify you for a home loan, they are going to pay close attention to your debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To determine your DTI, start by computing your total net monthly income. This includes your monthly wages and any overtime, commissions or bonuses that are guaranteed; plus any pension monies or monies that come from alimony or child support, if applicable. If your income varies month-to-month, calculate your monthly average over the past two years. Don’t forget to include any other monies earned, whether from rentals or any other additional income.

To determine your monthly debt obligations, make sure to include all of your credit card bills, any loans, such as automobile, student, or personal and the amount of the new mortgage payment in the loan that you will apply for. Make sure to include your monthly rent payments if you rent. When you are adding up your credit card obligations, use the minimum required monthly payment. Divide your total monthly debt obligations by your total monthly income. This is your total debt-to-income ratio. The lower your DTI, the better. A high DTI can prevent you from getting the loan. It also can be a warning sign that even a loan that you qualify for could be a serious burden to make each month.

Most lenders traditionally will qualify your for the loan with a DTI of 28% to 44% of your monthly income. In other words, if your monthly income is $4,000, the lender would ordinarily want you to pay no more than $1,760 (.44 x $4,000) toward all your debts. Some sub-prime lenders will allow borrowers to have DTI ratios as high as 55%.

You may have compensating factors that will allow you to qualify for the loan, even with a less than desirable DTI. For instance, f you have an excellent credit record, a lender might allow you to go more deeply into debt. Just how high a DTI you can have and still qualify for the loan will depend on such factors as the amount of your down payment, the interest rate on your new mortgage, your credit history and score, and how much other debt you are carrying.

Bills.com has mortgage calculators that will help you quickly determine monthly payments on different size mortgages so you can learn how much house you can afford. All calculators are not created equal — but all of them are free. You should investigate different scenarios, so you can see how the amount of down payment, the length of the loan term, and the interest rates will affect the size of the monthly payment. (http://www.bills.com/mortgage/)

Before you start shopping for a loan and a home, you need to know some terms you will encounter:

Pre-qualification. Getting pre-qualified for a loan is a good thing, but it is NOT a guarantee that you will actually get the loan. To get pre-qualified, you will speak to a lender and go over the standard questions: your income (and DTI), your credit rating, and the size of your down payment. Prequalifying lets you determine exactly how much you’ll be able to borrow and how much you’ll need for a down payment and closing costs. Still, the lender is not asking to see the proof of your income claims, so any ‘approval’ you receive you can vanish into thin air.

Pre-approval. If you are serious about moving forward, it is recommended to get pre-approved for a specific loan amount. To get pre-approved, the lender will actually verify your credit and income documents, rather than relying on the numbers you provide them about your income and debts.

The documents that you will need to assemble for the lender to get your pre-approval are: Federal Income Tax Returns and W-2 forms for the past two years; the two most recent months’ pay stubs with your name and year-to-date earnings; proof of any other income you claim on your application, such as alimony, pensions or Social Security income; a list of all your creditors that shows the total balances due and the minimum required monthly payments, and proof of all assets, such as savings, stocks and bonds, or any other real estate owned.

Funds to be used for a down payment likely need to be in your account for two months before you can use them, IF they are coming from someone else, like your parents. Just having the funds in your account is NOT enough. Lenders will demand that any funds used to satisfy down payment and closing costs must come from your own resources. Funds must be ‘seasoned’ in your possession for at least two to three months. You can prove the funds are ‘seasoned’ by supplying two to three months of bank statements or documentation demonstrating that funds have been in your possession.

Almost every lender is going to ask to see the credit reports supplied by the three main credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The credit report will show your financial history, showing the different transactions you have made, as well as providing your credit risk score. This score is known as the FICO score, named after Fair, Isaac, & Company, who developed many of the computer scoring models. It can be almost impossible to fully understand why your FICO scores is what it is, but key factors that are weighed in determining your score are: How timely you have paid your bills, how much debt you are carrying, how much of your available credit you are using (the size of the balance compared to the size of the credit line), how many credit cards and loans you have open, how many people have looked at your credit report recently, and if there is any negative information about in the public record area of your report. This area is where a judgment against you would appear as well as items like tax liens filed by the State or Federal Government.

The higher your credit score, the easier it will be for you to qualify for a loan. If you routinely pay your bills late, you will have a lower score, in which case a lender may either reject your loan application altogether or insist on a very large down payment or high interest rate. Because your credit history has such an important effect on the type and amount of mortgage loan you’ll be offered, make sure that you check your report regularly. If you find it necessary to clean up your report, you will want to do so before you apply for a mortgage. Almost every lender is going to ask to see the credit reports supplied by the three main credit bureaus reporting your file: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The credit report will show a history of your financial transactions as well as providing your credit risk score. This score is known as the FICO score, named after Fair, Isaac & Company, who developed many of the computer scoring models. It can be almost impossible to fully understand why your FICO score is what it is, but key factors being weighed in the scoring are: How timely you have paid your bills, how much debt you are carrying, how much of your available credit you are using (the size of the balance compared to the size of the credit line), how many credit cards and loans you have open, how many people have looked at your credit report recently, and if there is any negative information about in the public record area of your report.

At the end of the day, if your mortgage and home fit into a well thought out financial game-plan, home ownership can be one of the most rewarding investments in your portfolio. Be sure to consider all of the issues, and make sure you get the right loan for your needs.



JULES

Emanuele Allenti asked:


The US Federal Housing Administration offers loans that enable individuals to acquire a home with a down payment as low as 3% – a percentage comparatively lower than most limits for regular loans. Thus, the loan program under the FHA – a division of the Department of Housing and Urban Development – is ideal for first-timers and those with limited funding. It should be noted that the FHA insures your loan and does not offer home loans. In case of a default, an insurance fund will cover payment for the lending institution. To do a FHA refinance home loan with bad credit, this aspect can be a real challenge for most people.

An FHA loan applicant should be backed up by a positive credit history, a reasonable income level and adequate cash down payment to close the loan. To qualify under the program, a borrower should also settle closing costs worth about 2%-3% of the house price. This could also include fees for attorneys, title search and insurance, FHA insurance funding, and loan origination.

The borrower’s monthly housing cost must not surpass 29% of his gross monthly income to qualify for the loan. Property taxes, mortgage principal and interest and insurance are computed to determine total housing cost. This total housing cost and long-term debt make up total monthly cost, which must not exceed 41% of gross monthly income. Credit card balances, auto loans and other borrowings are included under long-term debt.

These percentages reflect greater leniency on the part of the FHA, as the ceiling for total housing cost under conventional loans is at 26%-28%, while the cap for total monthly cost is at 33%-36%.

Can You Really Get A FHA Refinance Home Loan With Bad Credit?

The agency has been allowing refinancing schemes on insured loans since the start of the 1980s. A “streamlined” FHA refinance covers the lender’s underwriting and documentation requirements, and does not imply the absence of costs. Key conditions of a refinance include FHA insurance of the target mortgage, updated payments, and a reduction in the payments made by the borrower due to the refinance. Borrowers must note that a FHA refinance home loan with bad credit also bars any cash take-out on the home loan.

For lending institutions, one refinancing approach they can follow is the “no cost” plan, which does not entail out-of-pocket costs for the borrower but will involve higher loan interest rates compared to a cash settlement of closing costs. The premium from the higher charge will he used by the lender to cover the transaction’s closing costs. With a FHA home loan bad credit lender, this can be the factor to approve a loan. With a FHA refinance home loan bad credit option, the lender can also choose to integrate the closing costs with the new mortgage amount, assuming appraisal of a target equity level for the asset. The alternative to this scheme is to exclude appraisal, but this means the original mortgage amount will remain higher than the new mortgage. Insured mortgage programs under the FHA for single families include a plan covering disaster victims; the energy-efficient mortgage program; reverse or home equity conversion mortgage; title I home improvements; rehabilitation mortgage; and a program covering Indian reservations and similar restricted property.

Is There FHA Refinance Home Loan Bad Credit Options For Disaster Victims?

The Section 203(h) program for disaster victims enables the FHA to cover loans by applicants whose homes have been destroyed by natural disasters and are either rebuilding their home or chosen to acquire a new house. The reverse mortgage or HECM, which targets the country’s senior citizens, allows the cash conversion of part of the individual’s home equity. The federally-insured program is often sought by older Americans to augment social security, cover home improvements and finance medical emergencies. When you are considering a FHA refinance home loan bad credit lender, be sure to have an experienced accountant and attorney explain the details before you sign your refinance documents.



EMANUEL