purchase: My loan is at 5.625%
- 09/03/13 02:30 AM
Yes, I am a full time mortgage professional and the loan I have on my house is a 30 year fixed rate of 5.625%. Why didn’t I refinance into something better you ask. Because my Total Loan to Value is too high to get a new loan to refinance my home. I am sharing this to shed light on a subject in a very real way. I got a great rate of 5.625% on my own house in 2003 and then later when values were way up a few years later I pulled money out with an equity line and bought … (0 comments)
purchase: What's your rate?
- 08/14/12 01:12 PM
This is the worst question to ask a mortgage lender, period. Not because their rates may not be as good as the other guys, but because they are pretty dang close to the other guys rates usually. Mortgage rates are a moving target and change on a daily basis and sometimes more than once per day. Try calling your stock broker and asking the price of a share of IBM stock today and when he or she answers you, say you will get back to them next week…. Everyone shakes their head and tells me that is nuts so then why … (1 comments)
purchase: Home buyers - CAVEAT EMPTOR!
- 05/26/11 07:55 AM
Caveat emptor - Let the buyer beware! I have just read a bunch of blog posts here in Active rain discussing how people choose their real estate or mortgage professional. These seem to have been from peer to peer blogs and I wanted to write this one to the public. All of the blogs had one thing in common - passion. I think that if you take the time to write about how to choose a professional and you are frustrated with how people choose then you are passionaate and you care about your business and that is the person I want … (0 comments)
purchase: FHA loan limits put it firmly at the top of the heap!
- 03/09/09 05:10 PM
One little recurring theme in my articles over the last 14 months has been that FHA loans have become increasingly more useful in this market. In the last round of stimulus rules, FHA went back to 2008 loan limits. That means that in Sonoma County, the conventional loan limit is $520,950 but you can borrow up to $662,500 with FHA. In Marin County you can go to $729,750 on an FHA and you are limited to $625,500 on a conventional loan. FHA did not work well in the north bay for decades and now it is almost the loan of choice … (0 comments)
purchase: 2009 Loan Limits - SEXY!
- 01/26/09 11:42 AM
So……. Loan limits eh? Pretty exciting stuff Hans! Yeah well it may not be that exciting but if you are thinking about buying a home it is very important. So here’s the scoop, our loan limits in Sonoma County have gone up. Our basic conventional loan limit for 2008 was $417,000 but Congress voted in higher loan limits for conforming and FHA loans (as high as $729,750). It was a bit of a mess. We had one set of rules for loans up to $417,000 and an entirely different set of rules (and higher rates) for loans above $417,000. The bottom … (4 comments)
purchase: FHA LOANS ROCK!, seriously, they do.
- 04/12/08 06:13 AM
FHA loans are going to help us out tremendously in the near future and beyond. I used to do a ton of FHA loans but I have not done more than a handful in the last decade. That is all changing this week for me, I am doing a lot of FHA loans again and here is why: Approximately 97% loan to value.FHA does not change LTV if the property is in a declining market.The 3% down payment can come from a gift.6% of the sales price can come from the seller towards closing costs.There are down payment assistance programs that will … (4 comments)
purchase: SHould I use a direct lender or a mortgage broker?
- 03/04/08 12:07 PM
Here is the scoop. Direct lenders call centers are basically self service, I lump them in with internet based companies. If you know exactly what you want and need and are willing to time the market on your own, you may get a good deal. You may also get big fat headaches and a lot of running around AND quite possibly miss the good rates because you did not call at the right time. If you go directly with a mortgage professional at a bank or direct lender, that is better but you don't always get good advice and you get only … (2 comments)
Yes, I am a full time mortgage professional and the loan I have on my house is a 30 year fixed rate of 5.625%. Why didn’t I refinance into something better you ask. Because my Total Loan to Value is too high to get a new loan to refinance my home.
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