Till Death Do Us Part asked:


It was their fault for qualifying them in the first place. They could at least turn the tables and help them out by reducing the mortgage rate so they can make payments. Wouldn’t a steady stream of money coming in be better then not having any money coming in? The company is going bankrupt all because of GREED! They’d rather spit in their faces then turn around and lend a helping hand like they should be doing to keep afloat.
I don’t own a home or have a job and not even out of HS yet odysseus1959 It’s just a random question I wanted to ask while reading about the housing crises. So good for you, go float your ego down your gold plated sewer pipe.

Vera

Blessed Cheesemaker (cancelled) asked:


Most of the Evangelical Christians I know are convinced that Jesus is going to return or they are going to be ruptured within 10 years.

Yet these same people are taking out 30 year fixed mortgages to buy homes. Its pretty clear that they have no intent to make good on their loans and are planning on leaving the Atheists at Citicorp and BofA to foot the bill.

Should we lobby to add a non belief requirement for mortgage applicants?

Sam

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

Teresa D asked:


We have 2 medical-related judgements and one from a credit card on our credit report. We spoke to a lender about buying a home and he said every mortgage companay would deny us because the people who have the judgements against us would put a lein on the property until they were paid. Is that true?

ETHAN

Ash asked:


I’m hoping to buy a home in the near future. I have a very good job, but I am currently on contract. I have been here for close to a year and have another year still remaining on my contract, at which time I will hopefully be made perminant. I have $25,000 to put down towards a home and have a good credit score. What are my odds of getting a mortgage? How reluctant are companies to give loans to people who work on a contract?
I’m not working for a temp agency, I’m working on a contract at a University. I’m full time and salary, but after 1 year they do not have to keep me on full time if they choose.

ERNEST

Martin A asked:


One week after our closing date, the Underwriters rejected my loan due to “The value of the home is too much for the area, and there aren’t any comparable homes in the area.”. My Real-estate agent, Mortgage Broker, and the Appraiser all said “that is discrimination based on geographical location” and we have a law suit. This would have been my first home (as of 9/28/07) but they ‘pushed’ the date back to 10/02/07, and at 5:15 PM they told my mortgage broker that the loan was rejected, and they knew since 11:30 am that morning. My apartment lease was over on 9/30/07, so now, my wife and 2 daughters, are homeless; staying at a friends apartment until this gets resolved. The Underwriters pulled our (applicants) credit 3 more times, drastically reducing our credit, which in turn is making us come $5k out of pocket through a different Underwriter. Please, someone tell me i have a case.. We have already invested $2k into inspections, appraisal, etc, and would hate for it to be for nothing.
The house appraised @ $194,600.00 with the purchase price set at $166,600.00. There were 2 appraisals done; One i paid for, which lists 6 comparable homes, and the other that the Underwriters had done, listing 4 comparable homes. All homes in the area are from $130k to $200k. Which is why i am so frustrated as why they would say that. It makes NO sense.
Just in case anyone was thinking that they might have reasonable doubt that i would default on my loan…

I have a 30 yr fixed @ 6%, so the problem with the thousands of people that defaulted on their variable rate loan shouldn’t effect me what so ever. Those thousands of people are all moron’s for letting it happen to them. They should have either;
1- Refinanced into a fixed rate
2- Sold the house BEFORE they defaulted. It is very easy to find out what your payment is going to be 1, 2, 5 years down the road, even with a variable rate loan. Their fault for not planning ahead.

I make enough to pay 2x the mortgage payment, and have been @ the same job for 4 years now (only 21 yrs old). That’s not including my wife’s income, who makes almost twice more than me.

RAY

Kristin Abouelata – Home Loans asked:


When a mortgage underwriter reviews customers’ credit profiles and income histories, what’s happened in the past two years holds a lot of weight as to what their future will be.  And what the future may hold for them doesn’t always count for much at all. At least when assessing risk in mortgage lending. 

 

If your future is difficult to substantiate, your past history is what a mortgage underwriter considers.  That’s why it can be difficult these days for newly self-employed people to obtain loans.  If you start a new business, you have no track record.  Couple this fact with the other odds reflecting it’s highly likely you’ll lose money your first year in business, and you can see why you have to be out of the gate two years before you’re not considered a risk anymore.

 

The history theory is also a hard lesson for people who earn tips as a large part of their income to learn   A lender will ask these individuals what Uncle Sam has on record for their earnings for the last two years.  There’s no way to soundly document what they’ve earned year to date, except for base pay and their two year history.  So, if they’re making a ton of more money in their third year of business, typically a lender can’t substantiate the marked difference in income.  The same can be said for people who are self employed and have multiple business expense and depreciation deductions.  Lenders count the bottom line when the dust settles.  And again, a lender can’t look at year to date earnings to offset what’s on historical record.  Year to date earnings might strengthen your profile, but basically, it is what it is. 

Of course, your credit score is a reflection of your past.  It’s a great indicator of what your future will be.  I guess that’s pretty self explanatory when you think in terms of lending.  Statistics prove that this number pretty much tells a lender how likely it is you’ll pay on time in the future.  It’s a good crystal ball, in general.  So if you have an iffy credit score, you need to work to improve it, and reapply for a mortgage in the future.

Sometimes a lender can look to the future, and it’s to your advantage.  For instance, if you have a debt, like a car payment, that will be completely satisfied in 10 months or less, it won’t count against you when calculating your monthly debt.  The same can be said for child support or alimony that’s about to expire (or at least the legal obligation is about to expire). Likewise, certain payments sometimes won’t count if they’re deferred for a couple of years, like student loans.  In addition, generally, a person can just have started a salary job and provide a pay stub after loan closing.  However, some programs may be more stringent than others where these areas are concerned.

You see, a lender is going to always count what can be verified, not what the future will hold – no matter how rosy it appears.  And most programs these days would require that an applicant be prepared to verify the information, even if the underwriter doesn’t ask for it.  So, be informed when you consider buying a house.  Your credit history can mean the difference between an A+ and a C- in your interest rate secured and ability to obtain a loan.



LEOPOLDO

jen p asked:


I am looking into buying my first home. The med. price for a home in my areae is $600000. When I use the mortgage calculators available on line, I can only qualify for a $195,000. home loan.( can you buy anything for that price?) I make $90,000.00 a year. I don’t understand how anyone can qualify for mortgage with the standards they use. I

JONAS