first time home buyer – owner loan

October 12, 2010

First Time Home Buyer’s Guide, Part 2 – 4 Things To Do Before You Go And Look For A Home

Filed under: Real Estate — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 12:04 am
Thomas Van asked:




Before Looking for a Home

Buying a house can be a new and exciting process; it can also be very confusing and stressful. Becoming educated about the house buying process and being prepared can reduce a lot of this stress and confusion. Anyone buying a home should take the following steps before they even step out to look at a house.

Check your Credit History

The moment you decide that you are ready to buy a house is the moment you need to get a credit report. When pulling your credit report, be sure to use a service that provides you with copies of your credit history and score from all three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Not all credit information is reported to each bureau, and lenders do not all check the same credit bureaus to determine your credit score so it is important that you get a copy from each bureau.

Obtaining a credit report early on in the home buying process is important because if there are discrepancies on your reports you must write to the bureaus and request that they are corrected. Depending upon how busy the bureaus are, this process can take up to months. Fixing errors on your credit history can result in a higher credit score and improvements in your credit score may qualify you for a lower interest rate. A loan with even a .25% lower interest rate can save you thousands of dollars over the course of your loan.

It is also important to note that pulling your own credit report will not lower your credit score in any way, this only happens when companies, like banks pull your history in attempt to approve you for items such as loans and credit cards.

Research Potential Loan Programs and Lenders

A house loan is often the largest and longest term of a loan that many individuals will ever receive in their lifetimes. Therefore, time should be taken to review potential lenders and loan programs that you may qualify for. For example, if you have a not so perfect credit history or need a low down payment you might want to see if you qualify for a FHA loan. If you are a veteran you may qualify for a Veteran’s Administration loan, which among other things allows individuals to put no money down without having to pay Private Mortgage Insurance. Some lenders offer special rebates, promotions, and programs for home buyers that ease the expenses involved with buying a home. Individual lenders vary in the interest rate they charge and the fees involved in the loan process. Even the nonrefundable application fee for some banks is upwards to $500, so it is important to research a bank and become satisfied with the loan programs they offer before you apply.

Get Prequalified/Preapproved

There is a big difference between getting prequalified and preapproved for a loan. When you get prequalified for a loan there are generally no fees involved and the bank gives you a rough estimate as to what they would give you for a loan based on the information you’ve provided them. It is not completely accurate and many sellers will not accept offers from buyers who are only prequalified. When you get preapproved for a loan you will have to provide more documentation and pay an application fee. When you are preapproved the bank generally states that you are eligible for the exact amount of your preapproved amount, granted that all the information you have provided to them is accurate.

If you’ve decided that you are ready to buy a house one of the very first steps you should take is to get prequalified for a loan. Before going out to look at houses that may potentially be out of your price range, get prequalified for a loan so you know what houses you should be looking at. If after getting prequalified you find that you qualify for a lot less than you anticipated for, ask the lender what you could do to qualify for a larger loan. You may discover that your debt to income ratio is too high or that the length of your credit history is too short. You may then decide to reduce some of your debt or if you are satisfied with the amount you may decide to get preapproved for a loan.

Determine How Much you Can and Want to Spend

Now that you have checked your credit history, and have gotten prequalified or preapproved for a loan you must determine how much you can really afford to spend. Do not blindly assume that you will be able to afford the payments your lender says you can. Keep in mind that lenders often push the limits of your loan to the outer boundaries, in order to get you the biggest loan possible and to make more money. If the mortgage payment you qualify for is a lot more than your current mortgage or rent payments look at the new value realistically. Can you REALLY afford that payment? Can you live comfortably with that much less money per month? If you are used to renting, keep in mind that you will now be responsible for repairs, yard work, insurance, and taxes. Do not tell yourself that you will give up certain activities or change your lifestyle in order to afford your new payment.

House buying should be an exciting and stress free process. If you educate yourself about lending processes and take the steps above you will be more prepared than many other home buyers.

Larry

April 29, 2010

Mortgage Loans for First Time Home Buyers – 5 Tips

Filed under: Finance — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:55 am
Jed C. Jones Ph.D. asked:




First time home buyers often face some common barriers to qualifying for a new loan: poor credit, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and a lack of knowledge about available options. Here are 5 tips to get you on the road to home ownership.

Tip #1: Start now to improve your credit score: Having a low credit, or FICO, score is one of the biggest barriers to qualifying for a mortgage for first-time buyers. This is even true for people who have perfect payment histories and very little outstanding debt. Why? Because those two items only make up 65% of your credit score.

The remaining 35% of your score reflects your status in these areas: length of credit history, amount of recently-approved or “new” credit, and variation in types of credit currently extended to you. All of these latter three factors particularly affect first-time buyers. What to do? Start improving your credit score right away.

Tip #2: Educate yourself about all of the loan factors: If you have never applied to or been accepted for a home loan before, it is natural that you may not know about all of the factors to consider when applying for a loan. There are multiple ways to structure your loan and a myriad of variables above and beyond just the rate you are getting. If you are just calling around asking for a good rate, you will likely get into a mortgage situation that does not take into account all of your needs. Make sure you educate yourself about all of the options available to you before you start making phone calls.

Tip #3: Be persistent despite feeling overwhelmed: For those who have never owned a home, the idea of borrowing $100,000 or more can certainly sound daunting. This feeling of being overwhelmed can often cause would-be borrowers to put off applying for a mortgage for yet another year. If this is you, it means just another year you will not be building equity in or enjoying your new home. It is natural to feel a bit overwhelmed, but make sure that this feeling does not stop you from moving forward and making it happen.

Tip #4: Learn about unique financing options: Did you know in many cases it is possible to borrow against your IRA without incurring any sort of early withdrawal penalties? This is a privilege that people buying their second or third home do not have. Also: many locales have their own first-time buyer programs that give substantial incentives for people in your situation. Make sure you know all of your options before making your decision.

Tip #5: If you get turned down, call at least 10 more lenders: Nobody likes to be rejected for a loan. But, if you are rejected the first time, call 10 more lenders. It is not the case that one size fits all and the situation of each lender is unique in terms of your eligibility. Also, contrary to popular belief, multiple credit report queries in a short span like 2-3 months from multiple mortgage lenders will not hurt your credit score.

Buying your first home should be an exciting, rewarding experience. By improving your credit score, being persistent in the process and educating yourself about your options, you could soon find yourself in the home of your dreams with a payment you can afford.

Anthony

August 18, 2009

Easy Approval for First Time Home Buyers

Filed under: Loans — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:33 am
Melissa Kellett asked:


As a first time home buyer you may think that you don’t have enough credit history to get approved for a loan. However, mainly due to government regulations, private lenders can obtain tax benefits when they lend to first time home buyers. There are also government grants and loans for first time home buyers that will provide you with the finance you need.

Approval for first time home buyers has become increasingly simple but there are still obstacles to be overcome when you want to get a home loan for purchasing your new home. In order to understand what you need for getting approved you need to know how credit risk affects approval and how you can avoid this problem.

First Time Home Buyers Difficulties

First time home buyers seldom have a credit history long enough to create a pattern a lender could use to analyze their credit behavior. Having no credit can sometimes be worst than having bad credit. However, as regards to home loans this is not the problem as we will analyze when examining secured loans.

The real problem with first time home buyers is the lack of experience. Purchasing a home is not a simple process and unless you know which steps to take, it may take a lot more time than you expected. Proper preparation can solve this problem, so you need to gather all the information you can and learn about the legal an economic components of a home purchase.

Secured Loans: No Credit Is Overlooked

Secured loans are guaranteed with an asset which means that the risk involved for the lender is considerably reduced. The lender can always recover the money lent by taking legal action of repossession against the property to claim the amount owed. Thus, as opposed to unsecured loans, credit score and history is not so important.

Secured loans overlook the lack of credit of applicants as long as they can show proof of having enough income to cover for the monthly payments and closing costs of the loan. Nevertheless, since no credit implies a higher risk, those who lack a credit history will have to pay more interests than those who can show a good to perfect credit.

Co-Signer Further Reduces Risk

By providing a co-signer, the already lower risk implied in a secured loan transaction is reduced even more. A co-signer is at the same time responsible for the loan payments. When applying for a home loan with the aid of a co-signer, the interest rate charged for the loan is also reduced and the loan term extended to suit the applicants’ needs.

A co-signer makes a home loan approval even easier. The income requirement is easily achieved by an applicant if the co-signer income is also computed to see if the incomes reach the minimum required by law. Also, the credit requirements are more flexible as there are two people obliged by the loan. If either of them qualifies, both do.



Monica

July 31, 2009

First Time Home Buyer Loans – Joyful Beginnings

Filed under: Mortgage — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 4:42 am
Adam Hefner asked:


During much of America’s history only the wealthy could afford home ownership. It was always referred to as the “American dream”. Today it has more transitioned from a dream or fantasy to an expectation. Home ownership is viewed by many as a given part of American life. What caused this evolution? It mainly was the availability of first time home buyer loans made possible by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Prior to FHA loans lending standards were strict for all mortgages. For a brief window recently, many lenders greatly relaxed these underwriting standards. The result is seen in today’s headlines discussing waves of defaults and foreclosures. This has caused lending standards to quickly tighten again going back to what they used to be.

Lending standards relate to several aspects in which the borrower is reviewed. The first of these is a requisite minimum credit score. Unfortunately, many new buyers are too young to have established extensive credit. This served to keep this segment of would be buyers out of the home ownership universe.

FHA loans sought to address this by providing for a secondary market for loans without the required credit history. This opens the door to owning a home to many young families who otherwise would have had to wait years while developing sufficient credit history. Mortgages also traditionally required a 20% down payment.

Even for a modest $125,000 home this equates to $25,000. Many first time buyers did not have this amount saved yet. Requiring a full 20% down payment further delaying many first time purchases. FHA loans also address this problem. With an FHA backed loan the borrower does not have to come up with the full twenty percent at closing.

FHA loans only require 3% down payments. That $125,000 home can now be purchased with a down payment of $3750 putting it well within the reach of most anyone who desires it. Also reduced are closing costs and points. These are fees typically charged to the borrower and payable in full at closing. These fees each tend to be small but can add up quickly.

FHA loans allow for these fees to be cut in half. Furthermore, the portion still owed by the borrower can be paid over the life of the mortgage, most usually 30 years. This often translates to another few dollars a month on top of the normal payment. This again removes a former obstacle to first time buyers.

First time home buyer loans backed by the FHA are a wonderful creation for those just starting out and desiring to own their home. There are more details and requirements to be eligible for an FHA backed loan. Do the research to find out if you can benefit from this great program.



Stanley

May 3, 2009

Obama’s First Time Home Buyer Stimulus Plan Helps American’s Live the Dream

Filed under: Finance — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:14 am
Bryan Hendersen asked:


oint in his/her life, everyone dreams of owning his/her own home. This will probably be the biggest purchase you every make. You might be a single person, a couple or a family, but you have decided it is time to buy a home. The qualifications for eligibility in the First Time Home Buyer program is that you have not owned a home in the past three years. If this applies to your circumstances, then congress passed the First Time Home Buyer Stimulus Program in 2008 and 2009 just for you.

Like all other large purchases, you need to plan before buying a house. You have to decide on location, do you want it to be near where you work, where your children go to school or are you more concerned with the scenery? Start by looking for your dream home in the area you want. Decide how big you want the house to be, the furniture you have, and the things you want to include in your home. After you have an understanding of what you want, you can start the more serious part of your planning.

Now decide on how much you can spend. There are two parts to this, the down payment and your monthly payments composed of your mortgage and the taxes. This will also help you decide on the type of home you can purchase and where. Now you need to look at your credit history. A good credit history will make it easier to be approved for a mortgage loan.

You can learn more about this stimulus package from your bank or lending institution. These programs were created so the housing market would grow as well as to offer financial help to first time homeowners. Homeowners benefit from lower interest rates, a tax credit and help with the down payment. People who are disabled or who live on a low income might qualify for an even lower interest rate.

The First Time Home Buyer Stimulus Programs, created just to help first time homebuyers, gives them all the incentives needed to enter the housing market.

Allan

March 29, 2009

Getting a First Time Home Buyer Mortgage

Filed under: Mortgage — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:24 am
Kozsun Huseyin asked:


Buying a first property can be one of the best choices you make or it soon can become a choice you wish you never made. However, with the right information, you can go on to get the dream home you always wanted.

Buying a first property is not an easy choice to make. There is so much involved in getting your first property. For one, getting your first time home buyer mortgage is a enormous commitment to make. However, when done properly, you can have your dream property for life.

It is not as if wanting to buy your property is the hard part. In fact the hard part comes with getting a first time home buyer mortgage. It is a enormous commitment to make, and you will need to research to find the best mortgage rate for your needs. There may be a few differences in obtaining a new property mortgage loan rather than simply obtaining a loan for an existing property you own, and this is primarily in the inspection process.

The largest aspect with getting a first time home buyer mortgage is determined by your credit worthiness. You see, from the mortgage loan lender point of view, it is a large sum of money they will be entrusting to you. And because of this, the process to get your first time home buyer mortgage is going to be one that will require your time. The amount of money usually involved in property mortgages makes many mortgage loan lender nervous especially if the loan is to purchase an existing property.

Getting the best mortgage rate will largely depend of your credit worthiness. If you have a good credit history, then the process of getting your first time home buyer mortgage will be much easier, and you also will have access to many more mortgage products with the best mortgage rates.

There are many factors which determine how a lender chooses who to accept when giving a first time home buyer mortgage, and no two mortgage loan lender will reach the same result. They all use different scoring systems to decide who to give a first time home buyer mortgage to. It all boils down to how much risk the mortgage lender is willing to take. However, rest assured as there are many mortgage loan lender out their, and by researching mortgage mortgage loan lender, you will find a mortgage that is right for you.

Another point which comes to your rescue is that mortgage loan lender are normally more ok with a new property mortgage loan because they can guarantee the quality of the property. And this is due to when buying your new property, there are many checks done which protects not just you, but also the mortgage lender. This is in the best interest of both of you, as it means you won’t be buying a property which has potential problems. After all, you would not want to buy your new property, only to find that there are structural problems with the building! That is why there are many parts involved in getting from seeing a property you want to buy, and finally getting the keys to move in.

One thing to keep in mind, when you are getting your first property is that getting a mortgage takes time. Research to find the best loan for your needs. A mortgage is something that will be with you for anywhere up to or over 25 years.



Allen
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