YSH asked:


While my income of 48K a year is relatively low, I do have 130K available to put as a down payment. I know several ratios are used to calculate if i qualify, so i was wondering if i even could get a mortgage? my loan amount would still come to 195k. what would my options be? do they even allow cosigning?

Cheryl

Lannie B asked:


I recently applied for a FHA loan to buy a home in another state b/c my husband’s job is relocating him. We own a home in our current state, and the loan officer said we were approved after submitting documentation (W-2s, pay stubs, etc) verifying we had the income/assets to carry the costs of two houses. Our FHA financed home in our new state will be our primary residence; we likely plan to rent out our current home to wait out the bad market. Our LO said we don’t have to list our current home as an investment property since we haven’t listed it to rent. He also said that they pretty much don’t care what we do with the current house since our income shows we can carry both mortgages and still fall in line with their desired DTI ratios. I’m just worried things will fall through b/c they’ll decide for some reason we can’t have two mortgages. Is this a senseless fear?

FREDRICK

Dean Shainin asked:


The first thing which home buyers will need to know is how much they can afford. There are various rules of thumb which are used to determine the size of a home loan you can afford. However, it is noteworthy that these formulas and guidelines will need to be taken within the context of every home buyer’s particular situation.

Home lenders now offer all sorts of loan packages with various options for the borrowers. It is therefore even more important for you to be fully informed on the short and long term implications of the home loan packages you are offered.

What Are The Important Considerations For The Mortgage Home Loan Procedure?

An income or mortgage ratio can give you an estimate of the price you can afford when you are to purchase your home. This formula is 25% of your gross income per paycheck to be used toward a house payment. Based on this formula and the indicative amount of what you can afford, you can then begin to look for a home and stay within a price range suitable for you. Although there are many variances, this formula gives you the basic guideline to help you keep within your budget. Another formula that is also used is 2 ½ to 3 ½ times your annual gross income calculated for the amount of the home loan.

It is important to note that these formulas do not consider interest rate or the type of loan you might obtain. In addition, they also do not consider living expenses or other debt.

These ratios are used by lenders as guidelines against monthly income and debt in order to determine the home loan payment a person is qualified to make and still have money left over at the end of a month for other living expenses and/or other financial obligations.

For some home buyers, a few issues are however not clear with the rule of thumb formulas and ratios. If one does not have a good understanding of how they may or may not be used, then it is possible that one may make some mistakes on the amount they can borrow. Sometimes it is not clear for some people the exact meaning of the rule of thumb that they can use up to 30% of their income for a loan payment for a home. Does the 30% include principal and interest? Is it the principle and interest? Does it include anything else? Is the 30% based on gross or net income? All these specific details about the rule of thumb formulas are not clear for some people.

Before a home buyer start to look for a house or discuss the house selling price, he/she will need to know the specific details of the rule of thumb ratios so that they know the amount of a mortgage they can take up. All rule of thumb formulas and ratios should only be used as a guideline until a person has full understanding of how to use them effectively, and know they include or exclude.

Home buyers search for their financial options when they are close to decide on their home selection. However, knowing your financial options beforehand will save you a lot of time and will make home selection hassle free.

In most cases, the real estate agencies you will be dealing with will refer you to the mortgage agents they normally deal with. It is recommended that you assess if these agents meet your needs and expectations. If they do not, it is a good idea that you talk to other lenders.

A mortgage is a long term financial commitment. It is very important that you get a home loan with monthly repayments you are comfortable with, and which suits your financial situation.



ANTON