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Buying a New Home? Here’s Why Mortgage Pre-Approval Should Be Your First Step

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Buying a New Home? Here's Why Mortgage Pre-Approval Should Be Your First StepAre you thinking about buying a new house, condo or apartment? Whether you are upgrading, downsizing or investing, if you intend on borrowing the funds you’ll need to be pre-approved for a mortgage. In today’s blog post we’ll explore mortgage pre-approval and why this should be one of your first steps in buying a new home.

Pre-Approval Helps To Determine Your Budget

Do you know your budget? Mortgage lenders consider many factors when deciding how much they are willing to lend to a home buyer. While your employment status, salary, assets and credit rating are important, they are all pieces of a larger puzzle that help a lender to determine your risk. So regardless of how spotless your credit rating might be, you’ll want to get pre-approved for a mortgage before trying to figure out your total purchase budget.

The size of your down payment will also be a factor in determining your overall budget. If you still have a bit of time before you’re ready to buy a home, continue to put money aside for your down payment. The more you have, the less you’ll need to borrow.

Once Pre-Approved You Are Ready To Make An Offer

Once you’re pre-approved for your mortgage, you’re ready to submit an offer for the home. Note that you do not need to bid high just because you are approved for a large mortgage. Work with your real estate agent to determine the right asking price for the home. Submitting a bid that’s a bit lower than you’re willing to pay leaves you with a bit of room in case the seller makes a counteroffer.

Many Sellers Will Demand Pre-Approval

Finally, don’t forget that many sellers will require that you are pre-approved for mortgage financing before they’ll accept a bid or offer. Many listings end up receiving multiple offers, especially those in hot real estate markets or popular communities. So if you table an offer without pre-approval, you may find that it is rejected in favor of another buyer who is ready to go.

Once you’ve been prequalified for mortgage financing, pre-approval is the final step in the process before you’re ready to make an offer and purchase your new dream home. For more information about the pre-approval process, contact your trusted mortgage professional today.

Buying a New Home? Four Key Questions to Ask Your Mortgage Advisor

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Buying a New Home? Four Key Questions to Ask Your Mortgage AdvisorAre you in the market for a new home? If you are planning on borrowing some or most of the home’s purchase price, you’ll want to prepare yourself for the mortgage process. Let’s take a look at four key questions that you will want to ask your mortgage professional when you first meet to discuss your home loan.

What’s The Best Mortgage Option For Me?

As you probably know, there is a wide variety of mortgage loan options and programs on the market today. You may qualify for a number of mortgage loans along with certain government programs or specialty mortgages. Your mortgage advisor will be able to share the pros and cons of each type of mortgage loan so you can decide which option best suits you.

What Interest Rate And Amortization Period Fit My Budget?

Next, you’ll want to determine what loan term and interest rate combine to produce a monthly payment that fits your budget. For example, in some cases, you may prefer a lower interest rate over a longer amortization period like 15 or 20 years, which can reduce the amount you pay each month. Conversely, you may decide that you want to pay the loan down faster and take a shorter term with a slightly higher interest rate.

What Fees And Closing Costs Will I Incur?

When you borrow a mortgage to buy a home, you will inevitably incur some additional costs and fees. Some are connected to the home itself, such as home inspection or home appraisal fees. Others are due to the mortgage and might include loan origination fees or discount points that you choose to buy to lower your interest rate. Your mortgage advisor will be able to give you an honest assessment of what fees you’ll need to pay and which you can potentially avoid.

What Documents And Paperwork Do I Need To Prepare?

Finally, you’ll want to get an idea of what documents and other paperwork that you’ll need to prepare. Your mortgage lender will require a number of items to verify your income, credit history and for risk assessment purposes. This might include past income tax forms, pay stubs, bank statements or other materials if you’re self-employed.

These are just a few of the talking points you’ll want to cover when you first meet your mortgage advisor. For more information about the mortgage process and to get things started, contact us today. Our mortgage team is happy to share our insight and answer any questions you might have.

Home Builder Sentiment Highest in Five Months

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Component readings used for calculating Housing Market Index readings also rose in October. Builder sentiment for current market conditions gained five points for a reading of 75. The index reading for builder perception of market conditions in the next six months also rose five points to an October reading of 78.

Builder sentiment for home buyer traffic in new home developments rose one point to 48. Buyer traffic readings seldom exceed a Home Builder Index reading of 50.

NAHB Chairman Granger Mc Donald said builders were recovering from the initial shock of damage caused by hurricanes, but this was prior to numerous wildfires adding to demand for contractors and home builders.

National Disasters Add to Ongoing Materials and Labor Shortages

Factors contributing to stronger builder sentiment included an industry concentration of building homes for purchase instead of multifamily rental projects. Single-family homes have been in short supply in recent years and building more homes is the only remedy for a market skewed in favor of sellers and rapidly rising home prices fueled by high buyer demand and few choices available to buyers.

Recent hurricane damage is likely to raise materials prices and worsen labor shortages; Widespread damage caused by wildfires in California is expected to increase demand for contractors and skilled laborers as they work to repair and rebuild homes and buildings ruined in storms and fires.

Regional Readings Mixed

Three-month rolling averages of builder sentiment for regions tracked by NAHB were mixed. In the Northeast, builder sentiment rose one point to 50. The South gained two points for a reading of 68. The reading for builder sentiment in the South was unchanged at 63; the reading for the West was also unchanged at 77.

Winter weather and challenges caused by higher demand for services against rising materials costs and ongoing labor shortages can be expected to challenge builders, but the need for new housing caused by multiple national disasters will likely create many new jobs for builders.

Current Servicemember or Veteran? 4 Reasons Why a VA Home Loan Is an Excellent Choice

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Current Servicemember or Veteran? 4 Reasons Why a VA Home Loan Is an Excellent ChoiceAre you current or former member of the US military service who is looking to buy a new home? If so, you will be pleased to know that there are some special mortgage programs that are open to you. Let’s take a look at five reasons why a mortgage backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs is an excellent choice when buying your new home.

You Can Borrow Up To 100% Of The Home’s Value

You read that correctly! VA-backed mortgages are available to you even if you choose to put no money towards your down payment. This can be a huge benefit for those individuals and families who are looking to buy a new home but don’t have a large chunk of cash on hand to fund the down payment. Instead, you can work with your VA mortgage advisor to get financing for the entire purchase price of your home.

You Can Qualify For A ‘Jumbo’ Loan

Depending on the real estate market in your city, the size of home you need and how luxurious you want it, you may need a larger mortgage. The great news is that there are ‘jumbo’ options available with VA-backed home loans. In some cases, you may qualify for over $1 million in mortgage financing, which is likely to put most homes in your area within reach.

You Can Avoid Mortgage Insurance Fees

Home buyers using a conventional mortgage with less than 20 percent down are typically required to buy private mortgage insurance or “PMI.” However, this is not a requirement with VA-backed mortgages. If you qualify for a VA home loan, this can save you a significant amount of money over the loan’s term.

You Can Accelerate Your Payments At No Cost

If you decide that you want to pay your VA mortgage off a bit faster by accelerating your payments, you can do so without incurring fees or penalties. For example, if you are gifted a large sum of money or have a significant income tax return, you can contribute that amount directly against your mortgage.

These are just a few of the many great reasons to explore using a VA-backed mortgage to fund your next home purchase. For more information about VA home loans and to see if you qualify, contact your trusted mortgage professionals today.

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – October 16, 2017

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Last week’s economic reports included minutes of the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting held in September along with releases on inflation and weekly reports on mortgage rates and new jobless claims.

FOMC Meeting Minutes Indicate December Rate Hike is No Sure Thing

According to minutes for the September 19 and 20 meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed has adopted a wait-and-see posture concerning a possible rate hike at December’s meeting. Although analysts previously indicated that additional rate hikes were expected by the end of 2017, the Fed chose not to raise the federal funds rate in September.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Impact Industrial Production

Hurricane damage was expected to slow industrial production in the short term. The impact of hurricane damage in Texas and Fl0rdia are expected to be short term, but the full impact of the two hurricanes had not been fully assessed at the time of the FOMC meeting.

Labor and real GDP readings rose, but the year-over-year reading for inflation was lower than the two percent inflation rate set by the Fed as a positive economic indicator. The Fed’s dual mandate also includes achieving maximum employment as measured by the national unemployment rate. The Fed originally set a goal of 6.50 percent unemployment in the immediate aftermath of the recession, but the national unemployment rate has exceeded expectations and currently hovers near 4.30 percent. Strong labor markets help propel renters into housing markets as they have more confidence in maintaining long-term employment.

Mortgage Rates, New Jobless Claims

Mortgage rates rose last week. Freddie Mac reported an average rate of 3.91 percent, which was six basis points higher than for the previous week. Rates for a fifteen-year fixed rate mortgage also rose by six basis points to 3.21 percent. The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage dipped two basis points to 3.16 percent. Discount points averaged 0.50 percent for fixed rates and 0.40 percent for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage.

New jobless claims fell to 243,000 as compared to expectations of 258,000 claims and the prior week’s reading of 260,000 first-time jobless claims filed.

What‘s Ahead

This week’s scheduled economic readings include the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index, Commerce Department reports on housing starts and building permits issued. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new unemployment claims will also be released.