The Top 4 Reasons Why A Loan Doesn't Go Through

1. Credit Scores

This is probably the scariest and most common reason why people's applications won't go through - but this is exactly WHY you should talk to a Loan Officer early in the process, they can set you in the right path in case you don't have a perfect credit score. Also, there are products that only need a mid 600 score which a lot of people don't know. The sooner that you address this problem, the sooner that you can fix it and move on with the process of buying a home. 

2. Debt to Income Ratio

This is something that can be a little hard to understand but basically if you have too much credit card debt or maybe an auto payment that is high compared to the amount of income you earn every month, you may not qualify for the amount that you'd like. Yes, you may still qualify but knowing how much you qualify for is important when shopping for a home. Speak to a L.O. before you start home shopping and figure out what you can afford. 

3. Cash Due at Signing

Depending on the type of loan that you get, you may be required to bring a lump sum of cash to closing. There are programs that allow you to bring 1-3% and then there's other programs that require 20%. The more you put down, the lower the interest and the shorter loan you can get. Either way, it's important to have some money set aside for closings costs and unexpected expenses. 

4. Change in Employment / Financial Responsibilities

If you lose your job while applying for a home loan or if you buy a car or open a credit card while in the process of getting a loan might affect your chances of getting one. This can also be a factor even if you decrease the number of hours that you're working. For example if you were working full time and then end up working part time or maybe you're just not working enough hours. These are all different scenarios that could prevent your application from getting approved in the end. 

This list is a short one, but it covers some of the basic things you want to fix to avoid doing when you apply for a home loan. Even though some of these circumstances are unexpected, some can prevented or you can prepare for them. If you have any questions about any of this, please make sure to give me a call so we can get you straight for when you decide to apply! 

State Housing Finance Agency Programs

How can you make owning a home a reality? You know, a lot of people that I talk to everyday don’t realize that homeownership could be a reality for them. Why? Finances. Most people stress out about money and that they don’t have enough of it to buy a home. What’s so amazing about homeownership is that in some cases, your bills will stay about the same as if you were renting and in some cases, they may be lower! That’s pretty insane right? But it’s true, depending on what type of home you decide to purchase, your mortgage payment could be lower than your current rent. 

So how do we get you in a home without having a big downpayment? There’s quite a few State Housing Finance Agency programs which can help with not only the downpayment but with some of the closing costs too. Yes, you will have to bring some money to the table but it could be much lower than what you think! And if for whatever reason this isn’t an immediate goal for you, it’s important to meet with a Loan Officer to help you establish goals and checkpoints in order to get your finances in order and eventually become a homeowner. 

If you ever want to learn more information about what kind of assistance programs are available to you, make sure to give me a call! I’d love to speak with you about it. 

New Tax Reforms Could Benefit the Wealthy

How to Get Rid of Private Mortgage Insurance

08/28/2017 12:52 pm ET
By Marilyn Lewis
You can find the original article by clicking here

If you have private mortgage insurance, you’re probably looking forward to the day when it ends, sweetly reducing your mortgage payment. Here’s good news: While PMI eventually is canceled automatically, there are several things you can do to make that day arrive faster.

You pay for PMI, but it protects your lender, not you, against the risk that you’ll stop making your mortgage payments. You aren’t the only one paying for it; about 13% of all mortgages in the U.S. have PMI. On average, homeowners with PMI make payments for 5 1/2 years before the insurance ends, according to U.S. Mortgage Insurers, a Washington D.C.-based industry group.

PMI is the only type of lender protection that you can escape. Department of Veterans Affairs mortgage funding fees can’t be canceled. Neither can Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance premiums, which are paid to the government. Lender-paid mortgage insurance is paid in full when the loan is issued, and the borrower repays it through a higher interest rate. With all of those, you must sell or refinance to get clear.

Homeowners with PMI have six options for getting rid of it.

1. Wait for automatic cancellation

You don’t have to do a thing. Eventually, your mortgage insurance will fall away. Your lender is required to cancel your PMI when either of these things happens:

Your mortgage reaches 78% loan to value. The federal Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 requires lenders to terminate PMI, free of charge, at that loan to value ratio. To find your LTV, divide the loan balance by the original purchase price or calculate it here. For example, with a balance of $250,000 and a purchase price of $320,000, the LTV is 0.78, or 78%.)
The mortgage hits the halfway point. Regardless of your LTV, your lender terminates your PMI automatically when the mortgage is halfway finished — in year 15 of a 30-year mortgage, for instance. That could happen before the lender’s equity reaches 78% if your mortgage has a balloon payment, an interest-only period or principal forbearance.
Lindsey Johnson, executive director of U.S. Mortgage Insurers, an industry group representing large insurers, tells borrowers to request a written copy of their PMI cancellation schedule and their lender’s requirements. Call the number on your monthly mortgage statement and do it now, she says, long before you need it. That way you’ll know when your payments are supposed to stop and can watch your progress.

2. Request early cancellation

You can save money by acting to remove PMI sooner. “When your mortgage balance reaches 80% of your home’s original value — the lesser of the sales price or the appraised price at origination — your mortgage servicer must cancel [PMI] at your written request,” says Marc Zinner, vice president of commercial operations at Genworth, one of the largest private mortgage insurance companies.

Use your PMI schedule, which is based on your home’s original value, to track your progress. Make a written request to your lender several months before the mortgage is scheduled to hit 80% loan to value and get the process moving.

To make the case for early cancellation you’ll also need:

A good payment history. The rule is no payments 30 days late in the past 12 months and no 60-day late payments in the previous 24 months. Timely payments count when it comes to getting rid of PMI. Late payments can put you in a high-risk category, making it harder to cancel.
No other liens. Your mortgage must be the home’s only debt, including second mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit.
Proof of value. An appraisal, at your expense, to prove the home’s value hasn’t fallen. Certain lenders accept a broker price opinion instead.
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3. Get a new appraisal

If property values are rising where you live, you can request early cancellation based on the home’s current value. You’ll probably need a new appraisal for that.

Before spending $300 to $500 on an appraiser, check your lender’s rules. Some lenders require borrowers to use certain appraisers. Others accept a broker price opinion, a quicker process costing about half or less of an appraiser’s fee.

Here’s a caveat: To cancel based on current value, you must have owned the home for at least two years and have 75% LTV. If you’ve owned the home for at least five years, you can cancel at 80% LTV.

4. Boost value with home improvements

Depending on your market, you may be able to boost your home’s value with a well-chosen remodeling project. Remodeling Magazine says projects that enhance curb appeal, like upgraded siding, doors and windows, add the most value for the money spent.

5. Refinance your mortgage

Refinancing might also let you escape PMI, but make sure the premium payments you avoid are greater than your refinancing costs (use this calculator to decide).

6. Sell your home

The last resort when it comes to ditching PMI is to sell the home. It’s unlikely you’ll want to or need to, however, given the range of other choices.

Know your rights

Occasionally, borrowers and lenders knock heads over canceling PMI. If you run into insurmountable obstacles when trying to cancel, complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at 855-411-CFPB (2372).

Ray Rodriguez, a regional sales manager for Cherry Hill, N.J.-based TD Bank, says lenders vary in how they work with borrowers over canceling PMI. Think about mortgage insurance when getting a mortgage, he says. Tell the lender you need a copy of the loan’s PMI cancellation policies before you’ll sign the mortgage agreement.

“It’s the lender or whoever is going to service this loan who will make the rules on this,” Rodriguez says. “Your lender should know their servicing policy right upfront. If they say ‘No’ or ‘If’ or ‘Maybe’ and you call two other lenders and they say, ‘Absolutely, we would do that for you,’ you can vote with your feet.”

Marilyn is a personal finance writer at NerdWallet, specializing in mortgages and homeownership.

Special Announcement: VHDA Maximum Income Limits Update

From the VHDA:

"We are pleased to announce new VHDA maximum income limits will become effective with new applications beginning September 1, 2017. Although most area limits increased, the Charlottesville MSA limits are slightly lower. This is due to in a reduction in the published HUD area median incomes for the Charlottesville MSA. Standard program limits apply to all loan programs (FHA/FHA Plus/VA/RD/Fannie Mae) and MCC’s. Lower income limits apply to the VHDA Grant Program. Income limits have also increased for the FHA Streamline Refi and VA Interest Rate Reduction loan programs. These limits are available in the FHA Streamline Refi and VA IRRRL program guidelines. A chart with the new limits is attached. VHDA’s website will be updated September 1, 2017 to reflect the new limits."

Pro's, and Con's, of Buying New Construction

If you’ve been shopping the Richmond Real Estate Market you’ve probably find yourself a little frustrated. There is a higher demand for housing than there are houses themselves. This is due to a number of things: there is a growing job market, people from surrouding metropolitan areas are moving to Richmond, the cost of living is reasonable and it is centrally located in Virginia. This makes Richmond an attractive place for people to move to. Fortunately, builders throughout Central Virginia have taken notice to this problem and they are proactively building to accomodate the housing demand. 

Pro’s

- It comes with a warranty so there won’t be a lot of out of pocket expenses if something breaks down

- No previous tenants, so you get a fresh start in a new home, everything will be brand new

- Most people in the neighborhood will be homeowners, at least for the first few years there won’t be a lot of rental properties

- In most cases you get to pick certain components of your home, such as: hardwood floors, additional bedrooms or bathrooms, finishes, etc. 

Con’s

- There is no way to see the finished home, the model home can provide an insight but not a definite design

- Sometimes your home might be finished before others, so you might have to deal with construction in your neighborhood

- There probably won’t be much room for negotiation

- Most houses will have a uniform look, at least on the outside, which depending who you ask may or not may be a good a good thing

This list doesn’t cover all the Pro’s and Con’s, but it does cover some of the most important ones. 

If you don’t know how to get started in the process of buying new construction, make sure to give me a call, because the very first thing you’ll want to do is get pre-approved. This way, you’ll know exactly which kind of new construction you can afford and you’ll be ready to make a purchase when the time comes. 

Grants Available for 1st Time Home Buyers in Virginia

VHDA is pleased to announce a special allocation of funding available to eligible first time homebuyers financing with either of VHDA’s Fannie Mae Programs.

Details

Assistance in the amount of $1500 provided towards the borrowers closing costs (including prepaids and upfront MI) – not toward downpayment

This is a grant – no deed of trust – no repayment required

Funding is limited – funding available for 150 purchases transactions – first come first serve

We anticipate funds will be utilized very quickly

Lower income limits – lower income limits apply (limits are lower than the VHDA grant program see attached limits)

Limited time – loans must close by October 17, 2017

Closing Costs assistance may be used in conjunction with VHDA’s DPA Grant and MCCs

Borrowers may not receive cash back at closing

Lenders may offer the closing costs assistance to borrowers currently locked with a VHDA Fannie Mae loan

- Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico income limit is $62,960, Richmond City is $62,960.