Benefit 1 – Getting pre-approved for a mortgage

Are you thinking of buying a home and wondering if you should get pre-approved?  The answer is “YES!” especially in Portland, Oregon where desirable homes are still very competitive.

In this short video I explain one benefit of being pre-approved for a home loan prior to starting your search:

By taking the time to get a mortgage pre-approval, a home seller will take your offer more seriously than without one.

If you would like to get pre-approved then please contact me today to get the process started!

Credit Myth #7- Qualifying for a home loan without a credit score

After spending over 16 years in the mortgage lending industry I have identified seven myths that consumers commonly hold regarding their credit.  In this series of videos I am going to breakdown each myth and help you better understand how your credit scores are determined so that you can achieve a better outcome for your next loan application.

The seventh myth is that an applicant without a credit score cannot qualify for a mortgage.  Please watch this short video to learn the truth:

It is possible for people without a credit score to obtain a home loan.  They have to be able to demonstrate that they have made on-time payments for other recurring payments such as rent, utilities, insurance or other similar bills.  This is known as a “non-traditional credit reference”.  This approach may not be used for an application with a credit score that is too low to qualify.

If you would like to learn if this loan program would work for you please contact me today!

Credit Myth #6: It takes a great credit score to qualify for a home loan (not true)

After spending over 16 years in the mortgage lending industry I have identified seven myths that consumers commonly hold regarding their credit.  In this series of videos I am going to breakdown each myth and help you better understand how your credit scores are determined so that you can achieve a better outcome for your next loan application.

The sixth myth is that an applicant must have a good credit score to qualify for a home loan.  Please watch this short video to learn the truth:

If you would like to learn about your options for buying a home with a below average credit score please contact us today to get the process started!

Credit Myth #4: Your Job and Income Contribute to Your Credit Score

After spending over 16 years in the mortgage lending industry I have identified seven myths that consumers commonly hold regarding their credit score.  Over the course of the next few weeks I am going to breakdown each myth and help you better understand how your credit scores are determined so that you can achieve a better outcome for your next loan application.

The fourth myth is that a person’s job and level of income contribute to their credit score.  This is not true.  A person’s job and/ or income are not data points included in the algorithm that determines a credit score.  Certainly higher incomes allow households to better afford their payments and make it less likely they would incur adverse events.  But, at the end of the day a person’s credit score is entirely based on their previous credit behavior.

As THIS ARTILCE points out the information that contributes to a person’s credit score are……

  • How length of a person’s credit history
  • If they have repaid their loans as agreed
  • If they have any missed payments which were 30+ days delinquent
  • How they are currently using debt (is the overall level of debt increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable?)
  • The mix of different types of credit accounts
  • If they have any past derogatory events like bankruptcies, foreclosures, short sales, judgements, or collections.
  • If they have recently made other credit inquiries

Please contact me today to learn more about your home loan options.

How long does a pre-approval last for?

 

Video Transcript:

Hey guys, Evan Swanson here, Swanson Home Loans, a division of Cherry Creek Mortgage. I’m trying to pack it all into a day, so I’m on my commute home recording the weekly video. This week I wanted to answer the question that we get a lot, which is how long is a pre-approval good for?

WHEN:

Oftentimes, prospective home buyers are trying to figure out the best time to get pre-approved. First off let me say, I think it makes sense to get pre-approved early and often. This way, if we discover issues that are unknown to an applicant, we can try and fix them before they’ve actually found the house they love and want to make an offer on.

FREQUENCY:

Now, to answer the question, typically pre-approvals are good for either 90 or 120 days. And the reason for this is that’s how long the credit report is good for. Credit reports, depending on the type of loan program, will expire after 90 or 120 days, in which case we have to update that.

NOTE:

That said, keep in mind all the information on a loan application is subject to re-verification by the underwriter. It’s not like if an applicant applied today with a job and got laid off a month from now, we wouldn’t be able to simply rely on the job they applied for, we do have to re-verify that they currently work in the job before closing.

CONCLUSION:

Bottom line, pre-approvals are good for 90 or 120 days. I think it makes sense to get pre-approved as early on in the process as possible.

If you’re curious about your circumstances, or what makes sense to you, please contact me today, I’d love to be your resource. Thank you!

FHA follows suit on tightening underwriting guidelines

A few weeks ago I blogged about tighter underwriting guidelines pertaining to conventional loans for home-buyers who are seeking to close on a new home prior to selling their existing home.

Today we got notification from HUD indicating that FHA loans would also adopt similar guidelines (click this link to view the announcement for yourself).

Essentially, the new guidelines make it harder for home-buyers who have yet to sell their existing home to take out a new mortgage to buy a new home.

What does this mean for home-buyers?

It means that home-buyers who want to buy a new home without selling their existing home either must show enough income to reasonably afford both mortgage payments or plan on selling their existing home before or concurrently with their existing home.

Are there any exceptions?

Yes, if a home-buyer is being relocated for their job and can provide a legitimate rental contract they may use rental income to offset the mortgage payment on the existing home.

Or, if the home that is being vacated has a loan that is no more than 75% of the value of that home then the home-buyer may also use a legitimate source of rental income.