First Time Home Buyer

Qualifying for FHA loans with Student Loans is Easier Now

Qualifying for FHA loans with Student Loans is Easier Now

  A recent announcement by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has made qualifying for FHA loans easier for borrowers with Student Loans. The debt to income ratio plays an important role in qualifying for any mortgage including FHA loans. It's the ratio of your monthly obligation towards debts vs your monthly qualifying income. Before: Earlier student loan payment was calculated as follows: either the greater of 1 percent of the outstanding balance on the loan; or the monthly payment reported on the Borrower’s credit report; or the actual documented payment, provided the payment…continue reading →
Why Your Asset Statements Matter to Mortgage Lenders in 2021

Why Your Asset Statements Matter to Mortgage Lenders in 2021

Applying for a loan can feel like an invasion of your privacy. As if lenders want to pull back the curtain on your life and analyze every detail, including your job, your income from that job, your tax returns, and, worst of all, copies of your asset statements. You want to ask them what they're looking for and why! Well, many borrowers do ask that question and with good reason. When strangers dig around in your personal life, it feels invasive. When they dig even deeper, asking questions about the documents you've provided,…continue reading →

How to Apply for an FHA Loan in 2021? Who can Qualify?

          How to apply for and who can qualify for an FHA loan in 2021? FHA loans offer incredible alternatives for first-time homebuyers and existing homeowners. Traditional fixed and adjustable-rate FHA mortgages for homes continue to exist, but special opportunities which include energy-efficient incentives, graduated payments, and reverse mortgages are also available in 2021. While we provide an overview of available FHA loan products and qualification guidelines below, a personalized assessment is the best way to find the loan product that will work best for you and your home-owning…continue reading →
FHA Loan Guidelines, Rules, Limits, and Rates – Ultimate Guide

FHA Loan Guidelines, Rules, Limits, and Rates – Ultimate Guide

Find out about requirements (including credit scores), guidelines, rules, rates, loan limits, how to qualify, and how to apply for an FHA Loan. This post is limited to qualifying for FHA loans as a home buyer - First Time or repeat. Click on this link if you are interested in reading about FHA Streamline Refinance. What is an FHA Loan? Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loans are insured by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which allows lenders to offer low downpayment loans to homebuyers like you. FHA loans have been helping people become homeowners…continue reading →

Top 10 Housing Markets for Millennial Home Buyers; TX Takes Top 3 Spots

Flamboyant, fast, and with a fleeting focus! This was the stereotype associated with Millennials about a decade ago. Not that they cared! A decade has rolled by, and today, the Millennials’ pilot batch is closing on its 40thyear. Naturally, Generation Y has sobered down a lot. This explains why the largest living generation of our times is looking seriously into home ownership. Their voice is growing in the housing sector and they are making a higher and higher percentage of the First Home Buyers. Gen Y makes up for 45% of new mortgages,…continue reading →

Top 10 Real Estate Markets for First Time Home Buyers

Home prices have completely stabilized and the shortage in housing supply is fast becoming a thing of past. Great news then for potential homebuyers who have come right into the mix! Only time will tell whether we are nearing the tail-end of the present cycle but from the looks of it, the market is certainly becoming a lot more receptive for new buyers; not only in terms of median values but also in terms of asking price quoted by sellers. Starter homes were definitely cramped in the recent past but the situation has…continue reading →

The Complete Guide to Qualifying for the HomeReady Program

Haven't saved quite enough money for a down payment on a home? How about zero money of your own saved, but your family will gift you money towards a down payment? Or maybe there's no possibility of receiving a gift of money from anyone in your family - but you still want to buy a house. Is there any hope? You'll be happy to know there are more paths to homeownership now than ever before. You might qualify for the Freddie Mac Home Possible, or Home Possible Advantage mortgage programs we talked about…continue reading →

The Complete Guide to Qualifying for the Home Possible Program

Saving to buy a home while you watch prices and interest rates increase feels like an impossible goal. You checked into FHA loans and learned it only requires 3 ½% of the purchase price as a down payment. But then you learned about the high, and permanent, mortgage insurance premiums. No thanks. Well, don't give up on your dream of homeownership! Consider these loans offered by Freddie Mac: the Home Possible loan requiring a minimum of 5% (of the purchase price) down payment and the Home Possible Advantage, allowing a minimum of 3%…continue reading →

The Best Things to Do Now to Get Your Finances Mortgage Ready

Somethings in life take a little preparation. Like going on a first date, decorating for the holidays, and applying for a mortgage. Imagine the outcome if you did zero prep work for the first two occasions? So why do so many people miss the obvious fact that applying for a mortgage has its own set of behind-the-scenes preparations? Yes, you could find a house and connect to a mortgage company on the spur of the moment act of bravado. But are you sure about what the lender will tell you? Do you already…continue reading →

11 Tips For Millennial First Time Buyers. My #CreditChat with @Experian

I was recently invited by Experian to attend their #CreditChat on Twitter to answers some of the top burning questions for the Millenial First Time Home Buyers. Here are the 11 questions and my answers. Q1: What are some important things millennials should keep in mind before they begin the homebuying process? A1: If you think your job is extremely mobile and/or your income uncertain, you shouldn't be buying a home yet.  If renting offers the flexibility like dating, home buying requires the commitment of being married. So, home buying is as much a…continue reading →