NY Mortgage

The Mortgage Scoop
You are here: Home / Archives for Closing Costs

Seller-Paid Closing Costs In A Seller’s Market? Yes, It’s Still Possible

by

Seller-Paid Closing Costs In A Seller's Market Yes, It's Still PossibleFor first-time home buyers, closing costs are a major hurdle for home ownership. Coming up with a down payment and several thousand dollars for closing costs can be hard without home equity to tap.

To help, buyers often ask sellers to cover all or some of these costs. In markets favoring buyers, this is a common habit, but when the market switches to favoring sellers it becomes harder. Sellers who know they may get multiple offers are less likely to say “yes” to this request.

Yet even when the market favors sellers, buyers can still ask for this help. It all depends on how the offer is presented. Here’s how to potentially make it look appealing, even with other offers on the table.

Buyers Need To Consider The Total Amount

Many sellers build negotiation room into their asking prices. This means they anticipate some offers coming in that are lower than their asking price.

Buyers asking for closing costs can offer the full asking price or more than the asking price to make the offer more appealing.

For example, if the buyer needs $2,000 in closing costs, and offers $2,000 more than the asking price, the seller won’t stand to lose money and will find the offer more appealing. This, in effect, rolls the closing costs into the loan.

On the flip side, if a buyer makes an offer well below the asking price, then also asks for closing costs, the seller is likely to say no.

Buyers Should Consider Other Components Of Their Offer

Sometimes the problem the buyer faces is a lack of cash to cover the closing costs, particularly when using a no- or low-down payment loan option. To make the offer more appealing, buyers should look at the rest of the offer’s terms.

For example, a buyer may ask for closing costs but overlook other contingencies, such as non-urgent repairs. This makes the offer appealing, because the seller’s costs even out.

Buyers Can Offer To Close Quickly

Another way to make seller-paid closing costs something a seller will accept is moving the closing date up. Most sellers want to sell quickly, so the faster the buyer can close, the better the offer may look.

For buyers in a seller’s market who need closing cost help, the key is to make all other aspects of the offer appealing. By doing so, these buyers may just get the closing cost help they need to move forward with their home purchase.

One of the best things to do before entering into negotiation is to have your mortgage funding pre-approved. Contact your trusted home loan professional to get started today.

Financing That Dream Home with a Mortgage? Here’s What to Expect on Closing Day

by

Financing That Dream Home with a Mortgage? Here's What to Expect on Closing DayThere are so many details that lead up to the purchase of your dream home that it can be hard to realize it when the closing day is finally upon you. However, when closing day finally arrives, there will still be a few last minute details that need to be taken care of. If you’re getting ready to solidify your home purchase and are wondering about the remaining paperwork and any unknown details, here are some things you can expect when it comes to making your purchase complete.

One Last Walk Through

A home inspection is an important part of any home purchase, but buyers often have the option to go for one final walk through on closing day in order to determine if any additional damage has been done. This will help to ensure that if any additional issues have appeared, they can be discussed and taken care of by the seller. While it might seem like the home inspection should take care of things, a last walk through can be very important in ensuring you don’t get stuck with unwanted – and potentially expensive – repairs.

A Few Helping Hands

Most of the details will be taken care of by the time closing day comes, but that doesn’t mean it will be up to the lawyers to settle everything for you and the seller. Instead, you can expect a wide cast of involved parties that can range from the seller’s agent to the title company representative to the closing agent, in addition to the homeowner and yourself. It’s just important to be aware that which parties are involved will be dependent upon where you live.

A Bevy of Documents

Purchasing a home is not without an abundance of paperwork, but there will be a few more documents to deal with during your closing meeting. In addition to documents that outline the agreement and the property transfer, there will be others like the deed of trust, the settlement statement and the mortgage note that verifies that the buyer will pay back the mortgage loan.

There are many stressors that come along with the purchase of your home, but by taking all the documents you need and being prepared to deal with all the engaged parties, the day can go a lot more smoothly. If you’re currently looking into a mortgage and are on the market for a home, contact your local mortgage professional for more information.

The Type of Home You Want to Buy Determines Your Closing Cost and Here’s Why

by

Savvy home buyers who are preparing to make a real estate purchase should do their research and understand that they need to save money for not only the down payment but the closing costs as well. The closing costs can account for as much as three to five percent of the sales price in some cases, so this can be a rather sizable amount of money. Some home buyers however, may not realize that the amount of closing costs can vary considerably based on the home that is purchased. With a closer look at why this is, home buyers can make a more educated decision when selecting a home to purchase.

Prepaid Taxes And Insurance

One of the most significant closing costs relates to prepaid taxes and insurance, and both of these expenses are directly tied to the location and value of the property. Consider that the property tax rate can vary based on the city, county, and state. Real estate insurance can also vary based on the type of construction of the home if the home is located in a flood plain and other factors. These are only a few examples of how the location and property type can impact these fees, and home buyers should consider the costs associated with the tax rates and insurance when selecting a property to purchase.

Third Party Reports

There are several third party reports that are commonly paid for at closing, and these include an appraisal, a survey, a pest inspection and a property inspection. The third party reports may vary in cost based on the size of the home, the amount of land that is being purchased, and even the condition of the property. Those who want to keep their closing costs lower may consider learning more about how these fees are calculated up-front before finalizing their plans to buy a specific home.

Title Insurance Fees

Title insurance fees are another typically sizable expense for home buyers, and this insurance offers protection to the lender if the title is not clean. Title insurance can increase based on the size of the property as well as different factors that are revealed with a title search. This information can be difficult to learn with an initial home search, but home buyers should be aware that title defects can increase closing costs.

The location, size, age and construction of a property all impact the closing costs. Those who are shopping for real estate may be inclined to make a decision that keeps closing costs down, and they can reach out to their knowledgeable mortgage professional for more assistance with their particular situation.

4 Ways to Help Your Mortgage Transaction Close On Time

by

4 Ways to Help Your Mortgage Transaction Close On TimeWhen you’ve finally found the home you’re looking for at the right price, it’s easy to think that the hard part is over; however, there’s still a lot to do in order to ensure your purchase goes through without a hitch. If you’re tying up the loose ends on your home purchase, here are some things you should do to avoid any unnecessary delays.

Hire A Legal Professional

However much research you may have done in regards to buying a home, there’s still a lot of legal jargon in the closing documents that can be difficult for most people to understand. Instead of doing guesswork, you may want to use an attorney who will take the difficulty out of the documents for you so there will be no holdups with the paperwork.

Arrange A Home Inspection

A home inspection is a necessary step before the sale of a home, but this is an important one to get out of the way because it can seriously impact your home purchase. Because major problems can often be discovered during inspection, getting this out of the way and deciding if an item should be fixed or the total price knocked down will ensure there are no delays at the last minute.

Acquire Title Insurance

In order to make sure your property really belongs to you, it’s a good idea to have a title search completed to see if there are any claims to your future property that could invalidate your purchase. As this is a legal safeguard for your claim to your home, it will help you avoid unnecessary issues in the event of an unknown property claim.

Determine The Closing Costs

An escrow company is responsible for holding the funds until all aspects of a home sale are complete, but there are fees that go along with this service. Before you get to the end of the process, determine what exactly the company will be charging so that you can be prepared for the final total. While fees are legitimate, if you see a higher tally than expected, you may want to negotiate for a reduced cost.

Purchasing a home is a significant investment full of hurdles you might not be aware of, but by acquiring title insurance and having a legal professional look through your documents, you can make your home purchase go a little smoother. If you’re planning on purchasing a new home soon, contact your local mortgage professional for more information.y want to

Yes, It’s True: Mortgage Closing Costs Are Down. Here’s How You Can Take Advantage

by

Yes, It's True: Mortgage Closing Costs Are Down. Here's How You Can Take AdvantageMortgage closing costs have been coming down in recent years, which is good news for buyers. But if you’re buying a home in the near future, you’ll want to ensure you’re prepared to take full advantage of these lower fees – after all, keeping more money in your pocket is always good. When you close on your mortgage, take these three steps and you’ll find that you’ll pay far less in closing fees than most buyers would.

Ask The Seller To Pay Some Of The Closing Costs

In most situations, the buyer is responsible for paying all closing costs – that’s the industry standard agreement. But just because that’s what generally happens most of the time, that doesn’t mean you need to pay all the closing costs on your new home.

Negotiate with the sellers to see if they’d be willing to cover some of the closing costs. If you want to make a deal like this, though, you’ll want to add an extra incentive for the sellers to agree to it. Tell the sellers that they can choose any closing date they wish, or offer to accept the home “as-is” rather than requesting repairs.

Use The Money You Save For An Extra Annual Payment

With lower closing costs come savings that you can either pocket or spend. One great way to leverage lower closing costs is to use the amount of money you saved with reduced closing fees as an extra mortgage payment.

Most lenders will allow you to make one extra lump sum payment per year, without penalty – and by making this extra payment every year, you’ll save on interest payments. So use the money you saved in closing costs as part of an extra payment to reduce your debt load.

Reducing your closing costs and taking advantage of the lower fees is easy if you know what you’re doing. A mortgage advisor can help you to understand what closing fees are negoitable and how you can budget for success. Call your trusted mortgage professional today to learn more.