Q: I applied for a refinance with my current lender. I did my application over the phone and was then told the rates and options. I was told I would most likely not need an appraisal, but if I did need one, the lender would pay for it.
I locked in the rate and terms and paid the $395 application fee by credit card. Three weeks later I was told the lender did want an appraisal - but not to worry as I would not be responsible for payment of the appraisal fee.
My home appraised $50,000 less than my mortgage balance and so the rates and terms changed drastically. I was sent an email that my initial terms and rate could not be given to me and if I didn’t take the new terms and fees, I would lose my $395 application fee.
This does not sound legal or ethical to me since the terms I was offered after the appraisal were different than what I was quoted. Am I stuck with the higher rates and points and will I lose my $395 if I don’t go through with the refinance?
A: I don't have good news for you. You told the lender on the phone what your property was worth. The lender priced the loan based on that information. Unfortunately, your estimate of what your property was worth was $50,000 short. Because you don't have the home equity that the lender requires, you cannot get the loan you were hoping to get.
The lender isn't trying to scam you. It's that the government is now backing about 90 percent of loans out there and Uncle Sam is extremely strict about what kind of home equity you have during a refinance.
In fact, the U.S. government is not only backing about 90 percent of the home loans being done right now, but it has been purchasing more than $1 trillion of U.S. housing-backed securities. If the government wasn’t buying these securities, mortgage interest rates would be far higher than they are.
If you feel that the appraiser was in error in determining the value of your property, you might want to research what homes have recently sold in your area. If homes are selling for prices that approach what you thought was the value of your home, you might be able to go back to the lender
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