fha: VA Jumbo Mortgages in California
- 06/05/18 07:51 AM
VA Jumbo Mortgages in California
I marked this year's Memorial Day with a weekend full of kids' activities --- my son's t-ball season wrapped up and then there were about a half-dozen birthday parties that followed. Fairly typical, I am told, for parents these days. But quick on the heels of the three-day weekend, I realized the anniversary of D-Day was coming up and that just a couple of years ago I had the good fortune to visit the beaches of Normandy, France. The two occasions together got me thinking about our nation's veterans and how our industry helps them use one of … (0 comments)
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fha: Should You DIY Your DTI?
- 05/16/18 06:09 AM
Should You DIY Your DTI?
Just like the Julian and Gregorian calendars separate time between B.C. and A.D., the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Financial Reform Act separates the way mortgages have been qualified. Loosely, before Christ (and in my opinion, Barney and Chris did hold themselves in quite high regard) many claimed you just needed to "fog a mirror" to get a home loan. But in the crusades that followed the birth of the new law, most residential mortgages must follow the provisions of ability-to-repay or "ATR." In other words, before Dodd-Frank, lenders had much greater leeway to approve or deny a … (2 comments)
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fha: It's 2018. Will I Lose My Tax Deduction if I Refi?
- 12/31/17 07:02 AM
It's 2018. Will I Lose My Tax Deduction if I Refi?
If you're asking this question, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're experiencing some anxiety right about now. But no matter how bad it gets, realize things could always be worse. You could be the Internal Revenue Service and tasked on a couple weeks' notice with retooling your shop to both comprehend and implement the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. So whether you're a homeowner, a CPA, a Californian, an IRS employee or a blue state Democrat, let's wash down a couple of Xanax with a strong martini … (22 comments)
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fha: The Older I Get The More I Conform
- 12/10/17 08:40 AM
The Older I Get The More I Conform
If you know me, you know that I don't like to stick to convention. I was the teenager who skipped college, moved to Hollywood and played rock guitar. In my 20's, I saved up vacation time not for sandy white beaches but instead for expeditions to the harsh mountain environs of the world's highest peaks. In my 30's, I dove (literally) into the sport of triathlon --- an endeavor, to quote my Aunt Marge, that would be something she'd "rather die a thousand deaths" before contemplating. When I come to the fork in the road where … (6 comments)
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fha: The Silent Assassin - Unreimbursed (2106) Business Expenses
- 05/10/17 06:11 AM
The Silent Assassin - Unreimbursed (2106) Business Expenses
Death and taxes, right? Of these two certainties in life, let's leave our mortality out of the discussion for now. That leaves us with taxes and unless you're the president, at some point you must come face to face with the reality of your tax returns. I think we can universally agree that we are always striving to minimize the taxes we pay. This tends to work well, year after year, UNTIL we go to get a home loan. Because, you see, reducing your taxable income and maximizing your expenses and deductions for Uncle Sam … (2 comments)
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fha: VA Jumbo: The Mother of All Loans
- 05/02/17 06:55 AM
VA Jumbo: The Mother of All Loans
Say what you will about the current adminstriation's foreign policy (or any of its policies, for that matter), but the headline news about dropping some really big ordnance got me thinking about something else that can go really big in a veteran's favor --- VA jumbo mortgages.
At least here in Marin County, CA, just north of the Golden Gate, we don't see a lot of VA loan scenarios and it's a shame. Because I'm licensed to originate mortgage loans throughout the state of California, I am aware that there are geographical pockets where Veteran's Adiminstration … (21 comments)
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fha: Consolidation Refinances Reign Supreme
- 04/18/17 07:18 AM
Consolidation Refinances Reign Supreme
"Someday I'd really like to see these loans together."
No, that was never a hit song in the '60's but it is a situation that we encounter frequently in the world of loan origination. It's a scenario that occurs where a homeowner has both a first and second mortgage and would like to consolidate the two into a single, usually fixed rate, loan. We'll call this a consolidation refinance for now, and we'll distinguish it from a "debt consolidation" refinance for the purposes of this discussion because a debt consolidation refinance usually implies combining the existing mortgage balance with … (1 comments)
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fha: How to Not Get Burned When Financing a Flip
- 02/20/17 10:03 AM
How to Not Get Burned When Financing a Flip
"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Well, when buying a home, sometimes the heat permeates not only the kitchen but the entire joint because the home is considered a "flip." You mean like the proverbial burger flip? No, I'm talking about a flipped property.
A flip is a home that was recently sold to the current owner and quickly put back on the market. Just how short a span of ownership can be a matter of debate but we're going to limit the scope of our discussion to a time period of less than six … (3 comments)
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fha: Foreclosure to the Edge
- 01/21/17 08:44 AM
Foreclosure to the Edge
Years ago, I felt the call of the mountains and dabbled in high altitude mountaineering. Man, I just loved the adversity of it all and the higher the peak and taller the challenge, the more I seemed to feel a sense of freedom and accomplishment upon having the experience. Once down from a summit, I would soon contemplate my next big adventure and often found myself referring to the French alpine rating scale to see what might be within the realm of possibility. Of course, in the language of love, even the deadliest of ascents had a nice ring … (4 comments)
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fha: There's Never Just One Cockroach
- 01/17/17 07:28 AM
There's Never Just One Cockroach
I mean you have to admit that as far as sayings go, the one in the subject line is just about perfect; short, funny, edgy and all too close to home for any of us who have ever called home someplace a little less than luxe. So it must be true that as we begin 2017, for every call I field where a prospective home buyer will say, "Well, I had a short sale a few years ago..." there are probably a hidden, greater number of those who, for whatever reason, just don't call. And by all means, … (24 comments)
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fha: Sigmund Freud & Low Down Payment Jumbo Mortgages
- 01/07/17 08:42 PM
Sigmund Freud & Low Down Payment Jumbo Mortgages
In psychology, projection is a form of defense in which unwanted feelings are displaced onto another person, where they then appear as a threat from the external world. Now in a minute, I am going to ask you to relax and tell me a little bit about how you feel about down payments. Specifically those that equal less than 20% of a home's purchase price. We'll analyze if you're projecting your own beliefs, right or wrong, onto reality.
Just for a little background, in mortgage lending, we are not immune from projection. This happens all the … (4 comments)
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fha: 'Tis the Season for Gifts (and Gift Funds)
- 12/04/16 07:43 AM
'Tis the Season for Gifts (and Gift Funds)
As we come to the end of the year, we, here in Marin County, CA, tend to notice that purchase and sale activity can slip into "holiday mode" even if the weather outside is not particularly frightening. There's
not much inventory available for buyers to pick over --- and here in 2016 that implies an already slim market --- and sellers are reluctant to list a home for fear it will sit through Thanksgiving and Christmas and then appear "stale" come the New Year. In short, despite mistletoe, spiked egg nog and holiday cheer it … (5 comments)
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fha: One (Unit) is the Loneliest Number
- 09/18/16 07:41 AM
One (Unit) is the Loneliest Number
Have you noticed the convenient trend of pegging the millennial generation as either permanent couch surfers or hoodie-wearing, 20-something millionaires? Well, which is it? Are they going to be forever confined in impecunity to their parents’ basements or are they going to snap up that funky, San Francisco Victorian for $3+ mill with their stock payout, wall it off and inspire the envy of "The Social Network" himself?
The answer is, “I have no idea.” But a pattern I do see emerging is one where the economically viable
younger set, especially here in the San Francisco Bay … (2 comments)
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fha: Happy Paper Trails to You
- 06/26/15 07:18 AM
Happy Paper Trails to You
If you want to realize, first hand, just how far the mortgage lending industry has gotten away from the days of the "Wild West," there is no single better way to do it than to hath the fury of an underwriter's scorn of your assets --- you know, the very bank statements, down payment funds, deposits and gift money that are integral to your home loan application. There's a new sheriff in town, pardner, and if you don't want to get hung at high noon when you go to get a conventional, jumbo or FHA loan, here's what you ought to … (25 comments)
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fha: How Much Down Payment Do I Need to Buy a Home?
- 11/21/14 10:43 PM
How Much Down Payment Do I Need to Buy a Home?
As kids, there are just some things we all learn while we’re growing up:
Never drink soda after you eat Pop Rocks. Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis. You’ll catch a cold if you go outside without a jacket. It takes a 20% down payment in order to buy your first home.
After having both a good laugh and some time to gain a little experience, we come to find out that things are not always as we believed when we were much younger. However, in … (5 comments)
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fha: Back to the Future: Mortgage Options Post BK, Foreclosure & Short Sale
- 02/03/14 11:35 PM
Back to the Future: Mortgage Options Post BK, Foreclosure & Short Sale
In the year 2007... War is surging in Iraq. The iPhone is unveiled. Barry Bonds clocks 756 and people still choose to think it's the broccoli that's doing it. La Scala's walls will never again reverberate to Luciano's tenor and you foreclosed on your home. Fast forward to 2014 and you are again eligible for a conforming loan.
In the year 2009... Barack Obama is President. We hope the economy changes. Madoff's Ponzi "fin e' fatto." Michael Jackson checks into Neverland for good, but it's Chesley Sullenberger … (12 comments)
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fha: Killing Us Softly: Washington's Real Estate Revenge
- 12/11/13 01:16 PM
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fha: FHA to Increase Mortgage Insurance Premiums
- 02/03/13 11:26 PM
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fha: California Mortgage Rate Update for the Week of 11/05/12
- 11/05/12 12:31 AM
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fha: California Mortgage Rate Update for the Week of 10/31/12
- 10/31/12 05:30 AM
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VA Jumbo Mortgages in California
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