loans: The Hard Facts About Hard Money Loans - 05/26/10 07:31 PM
Hard money loans have been around for quite a while, but just not so much in the forefront as are more traditional loans. There are a variety of uses for hard money loans, and they have evolved in the past several years as to how they are used and what is now required to obtain one. Although they have their advantages, hard money loans also have their limitations. Before applying for one, make sure that you cannot be approved for a more traditional loan. A hard money loan should be your last resort.

What is a Hard Money Loan?

… (3 comments)

loans: Home Loan Advantages and Benefits for Military Personnel - 03/08/10 07:14 PM
United States Military Veterans have a plethora of home loan advantages and benefits available to them. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan guaranty program was expanded and extended by the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 and the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008.

Home loan refinancing is available for up to 100 percent of the home's appraised value. Maximum guarantee amounts were temporarily increased for loans closing January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2011. Until September 2010, the VA is allowed to continue to guaranty adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) and hybrid ARMs (HARMs).

… (1 comments)

loans: Federal Grant and Home Loan Assistance for Native Americans - 02/28/10 06:26 PM
There are two federal home programs that provide assistance specifically to Native Americans - the Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program and the Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program (Section 184). Each provides uniquely different opportunities.

Managed by a local, authorized Public Housing Agency (PHA), the Indian Home loan Guarantee Program is a grant that provides and manages cost-effective, respectable, safe and affordable real estate for low-income families. Tribal governing bodies decide on a tribally designated housing entity (TDHE) that prepares an Indian Housing Plan (IHP).

Assistance is provided annually in the form of a block grant based on an … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Fall and Hit New Low for 2010 - 02/28/10 06:10 PM
The 30 year rate fell from 4.97 to 4.93 this week. Overall rates have been pretty stable. In fact during all of 2010 30 year mortgage rates have stayed between 4.93 and 5.09. This is the 2nd week in a row where rates have fallen. The current rate of 4.93 is the lowest rate reached in 2010 and is somewhat near the all time low of 4.71 reached on December 3, 2009.

The other major mortgage products fell as well this week. The 15 year dropped from 4.34 to 4.33. The 5 and 1 year arms dropped from 4.19 to … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates The Volatility is Gone - 02/08/10 04:07 PM
After dropping for 4 weeks in a row the 30 year rate rose slightly this week moving from 4.98 to 5.01. The 15 year rose from 4.39 to 4.40. The 5 and 1 year arms rose from 4.25 to 4.27 (5 year arm) and 4.29 to 4.22 (1 year arm). Below are rates from the weeks from Jan 07, 2010 to Feb 04, 2010

Feb 04, 2010
30-fixed 5.01 15-fixed 4.40 5 ARM 4.27 1 ARM 4.22

Jan 28, 2010
30-fixed 4.98 15-fixed 4.39 5 ARM 4.25 1 ARM 4.29

Jan 21, 2010 … (3 comments)

loans: How Mortgage Loan Rates Are Determined - 01/31/10 06:06 PM
It is a common misperception by the general public that fixed rate mortgage interest is tied directly to Federal Reserve interest rate movement. On the contrary, the determinant is the performance of mortgage backed securities (MBS), most of which are issued by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What does that mean in layman's terms? MBS are securities traded on the open stock market and are backed by assets, like real estate. When you obtain a home loan, it is typically sold, pooled into a group of home loans as a securities package called MBS to be sold as … (2 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Start Off The Year Falling Four Weeks In A Row - 01/31/10 05:59 PM
The 30 year rate fell slightly this week moving from 4.99 to 4.98. This is the 4th week in a row where rates have fallen. Although rates have been falling for 4 weeks in a row all the drops have been slight. Four weeks ago rates the 30 year rate stood at 5.14 and today it stands at 4.98 for a total drop of only .16 points. The other major mortgage products fell as well but all the drops were similarly quite small. The 15 year dropped from 4.40 to 4.39. The 5 and 1 year arms dropped from 4.27 to … (2 comments)

loans: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae - Who Are They? - 01/24/10 05:36 PM
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae are common names associated with federal lending and home loans. They have offerings that stem from no down payment home loans to helping dislocated residents of disaster areas, to providing assistance to the elderly. If you are any age and are considering a home loan, you're struggling with mortgage payments and need assistance, or you're elderly and cannot afford repairs on your home, one of these entities may be able to assist.


Who Are Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie?

The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), better known as Fannie Mae, and the … (2 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Fall For The Third Week In A Row - 01/24/10 05:28 PM
The 30 year rate fell from 5.06 to 4.99 this week. This marks the 3rd week in a row where rates have fallen. Although rates have been falling they are still quite a bit off the all time low of 4.71 we saw on December 3, 2009. That said it's nice to see rates falling again. Looking at other rates the 15 year dropped from 4.45 to 4.40. The 5 and 1 year arms dropped from 4.32 to 4.27 (5 year arm) and 4.39 to 4.32 (1 year arm). Below are rates from the weeks from Dec 24, 2009 to Jan … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Continue to Rise - 12/31/09 06:14 PM
Mortgage rates jumped up again this week with the 30 year rate moving from 5.05 to 5.14. In the last month mortgage rates have risen rapidly moving from 4.71 on December 3rd to 5.14 today. The other major mortgage products have risen over the same time period but not as substantially as the 30 year rate. Below are rates from the weeks from Dec 03, 2009 to Dec 31, 2009 and rates from July 2, 2009.

Dec 31, 2009
30-fixed 5.14 15-fixed 4.54 5-yr ARM 4.44 1-yr ARM 4.33

Dec 24, 2009
30-fixed 5.05 15-fixed 4.45 … (0 comments)

loans: Finance Options for a Home Flip - 12/24/09 04:35 AM
Although the current state of the economy has made it difficult to obtain financing for home flipping, it's not impossible. You can still make money flipping homes. With a little creativity and a little bit of elbow grease, you can do it in style.

Your first consideration must be your credit score. There are available online programs that provide your credit score, but the best one to use is the Fair Isaac Corporation, better known as FICO. Your FICO credit score is the predominant score the majority of lenders use to determine your creditworthiness.

Is your credit score … (1 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Rise Off of Historic Lows - 12/14/09 04:55 PM
Two weeks ago mortgage rates hit historic lows with the 30 year falling to 4.78. The next week they fell even further to 4.71. This week they rose back up to 4.81. Although they rose a tenth of a point the mortgage rates are still near historical lows. Below are the nine lowest rates of all time. Not surprisingly they all occurred in 2009.

1. Dec 3rd - 4.71
2. April 30th - 4.78
3. April 2nd - 4.78
4. Nov 26th - 4.78
5. April 23rd - 4.80
6. Dec 10th - 4.81
7. April 16th - 4.82
8. … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Reach New All Time Lows - 12/05/09 06:14 PM
Last week mortgage rates matched their all time low of 4.78. This week rates fell even further reaching a new low of 4.71. To put this in some context in terms of historical mortgage rates before the last 12 months the all time low was 5.24 which was reached in the middle of 2003. Today's rates are a full half point below that.

Although the 30 year rate is the most significant of the 4 major mortgage products the other 3 fell as well. The 15 year mortgage hit a new all time low for the second week in … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Hit Historic Low - 11/27/09 09:28 PM
Mortgage rates fell this week with three of the 4 major mortgage products hitting all time lows. The most important of the four mortgage products the 30 year rate fell to 4.78 from 4.83 equaling the previous low. The 15 year mortgage product hit 4.29 beating the previous low of 4.32 reached last week. The 5 year arm came in at 4.18 breaking the previous low of 4.25 also reached last week. The 1 year arm stayed at 4.35. Below are rates from the weeks from Oct 29, 2009 to Nov 26, 2009

Nov 26, 2009
30-yr 4.78 … (3 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Plummet: 6th Lowest of All Time - 11/22/09 05:04 PM
Rates fell for the third straight week. They hit the lowest point since May 21st and they reached the 6th lowest point in history. It will come as no shock to those that have been following rates that the 5 lower rates all occurred this year. Below are the 6 lowest rates of all time.

April 30th - 4.78
April 2nd - 4.78
April 23rd - 4.80
April 16th - 4.82
May 21st - 4.82
Nov 19th - 4.83

As we can see although it's the 6th lowest it's extremely close to the all time low of 4.78 reached … (0 comments)

loans: Preparing to Buy a Home - 11/15/09 05:06 PM
Are you preparing to buy a home for the first time? Or have you closed on a number of homes in the past and are preparing to buy your next home? Regardless, you'll want to keep in mind the steps necessary to successfully navigate the preparations for buying that next home.

Initially, you'll want to determine your income, debts and savings and decide what you can afford. Instead of doing all the calculations and attempting to make the determinations yourself, you may want to decide on a reputable lender and have them do it for you through a prequalification. If … (4 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Continue to Fall - 11/15/09 04:51 PM
While the expectation has been that mortgage rates would start to rise they have fallen for the last 2 weeks. This week the 30 year rate fell from 4.98 to 4.91 (last week it fell from 5.03 to 4.98). Besides October 8th its the lowest rate we have seen since the start of the summer. So how does 4.91 fit in with historical mortgage rates. Its lower than any point before March 26, 2009. Its also the 11th lowest recorded rate in history (all of the 10 lower recorded rates occured in 2009).

While the 30 year mortgage rate is … (0 comments)

loans: Traditional Home Loan or ARM? - 11/01/09 05:16 PM
If you're obtaining a mortgage and contemplating whether to get a traditional home loan or adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), there are definitely some things you'll want to consider.

Before deciding on either, you'll want to understand the dynamics and look into the advantages and disadvantages of each. Some considerations to keep in mind are how long you intend on keeping the home; whether one of your intentions in buying a home is to build credit and what will give you the best annual percentage rate (APR) in the beginning and throughout the lifetime of the loan.

Traditional home loans … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Continue To Rise: Are Sub 5 Rates Gone Forever? - 11/01/09 04:57 PM
So are sub 5.0 rates gone forever? The short answer is probably yes. While rates might briefly fall below 5 in the next month for the most part the era of sub 5.0 rates is over. Mortgage rates rose for the third straight week. The thirty year rate rose from 5.00 to 5.03. The 15 year rate rose from 4.43 to 4.46. The 5 and 1 year rates rose from 4.40 to 4.42 and 4.54 to 4.57. Its interesting to note that the 1 year arm has had a higher rate than the 5 year arm for the last few weeks. … (0 comments)

loans: Mortgage Rates Start to Rise - 10/15/09 09:11 PM
After falling for the last 6 weeks mortgage rates started to rise this week. The 30 year rate rose from 4.87 to 4.92. The 15 year mortgage rose from 4.33 to 4.37. Both arms rose as well with the 5 year arm rising from 4.35 to 4.38 and the 1 year arm rising from 4.53 to 4.60. Below are mortgage rates for the last several weeks along with mortgage rates from March 19, 2009.

Oct 15, 2009
30-yr 4.92 15-yr 4.37 5-yr ARM 4.38 1-yr ARM 4.60

Oct 08, 2009
30-yr 4.87 15-yr 4.33 5-yr … (1 comments)