FHA announces reset of condominium financing On June 9, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced plans to revise the approval process for individual condo loans. Previously, FHA would only finance a condo if the total complex was FHA approved. Since very few developers or HOAs wanted to go through the approval process, very few FHA loans were made for condos....
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Judgments and tax liens no longer to be filed with credit bureaus Starting July 1, the credit bureau system will no longer report judgments or tax liens on a consumer’s credit report. This may have a positive impact on a borrower’s ability to qualify for a mortgage, but it also has the capacity to present additional challenges. Here, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial...
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Short-term rentals and your home mortgage The sharing economy—supported by platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and VRBO—offers flexibility and savings, and extra cash for those who have goods or services to offer. But it also raises questions. For example, if you rent your home out through an online marketplace, does it cease being your primary residence and become rental...
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VA loans benefit veterans, active duty, and long-term reservists This weekend, as we recognize and honor those who have served their country in the armed services, it is a good time to take a look again at one of the most important benefits offered to veterans of all military branches. Originated under the GI Bill, this program is generally referred to as a VA (Veterans...
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Selling the cow to buy the farm: smart ways to come up with the funds for a home down payment One of the most significant problems facing new home buyers is coming up with the funds for a down payment. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services shares some creative—and perhaps unknown—sources that can be used to find those down payment funds: First, the easy one: If...
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Resolving home equity line issues Many homeowners took out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) prior to the downturn of 2007. A large number of those loans offered interest-only payments for up to 10 years, and are reaching a point at which they will re-set and begin to amortize. Most products require a 10- to 15-year payoff term, which can dramatically increase the...
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Financing for new-home construction With housing inventories low, many consumers are considering construction projects for new homes. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services answers common questions related to construction financing. I want to buy a lot and build a new house on it. Can I get a single loan to do all of that? Yes, but a lot of things need to be...
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Mortgage brokers put lender competition to work to benefit borrowers Home buyers can get a mortgage loan from one of two major platforms: From a direct lender (a bank or a mortgage banker) or from a mortgage broker. Here, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial discusses the differences between the two and the advantages of each. What is a mortgage broker and how does this...
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Privacy and the mortgage process Many borrowers are uncomfortable revealing information in their mortgage loan application that they fear might become public knowledge, or they do not want shared with another company or government agency. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services discusses your legal protections and what to expect when you apply for a mortgage. I don’t...
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Preparing for the mortgage process If purchasing or refinancing a home is in your plan for 2017, there are steps you can take ahead of time to make the process of obtaining a mortgage go smoothly. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services answers common questions about how to prepare to apply for a loan. I have heard horror stories about having to document all kinds...
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Lender-paid PMI. Recently, conventional lenders have adopted a “No monthly PMI” loan program, sometimes referred to as a “Lender-paid” PMI loan. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services discusses the pros and cons of this program. How can a lender make a loan where there is less than 20 percent down and not include a monthly PMI premium in the payment? As...
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Second Homes Tax Filing. Owners of second homes receive tax write-offs that can offset the expense of owning the home, and additional write-offs may apply for those who rent out their second homes part-time. However, correctly reporting the information from a second home on your tax return can sometimes make the difference in your ability to buy or refinance another...
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Many borrowers would like to purchase a new primary residence without having to sell their present home first. Some hope to get a bargain on a new home and need to be able to act quickly, while others want to keep their present home to earn income as a rental property. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services addresses questions about how this can be worked out. Am I...
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During the 1990’s and up through the market crash of 2007, many self-employed borrowers made use of Stated Income or No-Income-Verification (NIV) mortgage programs to purchase or refinance their homes. These programs recognized that self-employed borrowers have access to cash flow for debt service that a normal wage earner would not. These programs disappeared after the...
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South Carolina has a high percentage of manufactured homes in its housing mix, and mortgage programs for these homes have often been difficult to obtain. Mark Wells at Preferred Financial Services discusses financing options for these homes and answers common questions from purchasers. The dealership I have been talking to has ‘modular homes’ for sale. Are these the...
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Mark Wells at Preferred Financial encounters homebuyers each day, many of whom have been putting off buying a house because they either misunderstood the qualifications that are required, or because they did not understand the process itself. Here, he answers questions that are asked most often. I heard that after the crash, lenders started requiring 20 percent down...
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In the last two columns, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services addressed guidelines affecting mortgage financing after a foreclosure and a short sale. Here, he covers a bankruptcy event. There are two types of personal bankruptcies—Chapter 7, in which the borrower cancels all allowable debts, and Chapter 13, in which the borrower enters into a structured repayment...
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Last week, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services discussed guidelines affecting mortgage financing after a foreclosure. Here, he covers a short sale event. Short sales occur when borrowers are forced to sell a house for less than what they owe on it. In a short sale, the lender must agree to the sale, because they agree to take less than the pay-off balance of the...
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There are five categories of credit disruption that require waiting periods before a borrower is eligible for mortgage financing, regardless of income or credit scores. These are: foreclosure, a deed in lieu of foreclosure, a short sale, chapter 7 bankruptcy, and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In this three-part series, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services summarizes the...
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Choosing a mortgage broker, or knowing which quote is best for you, is not always a straightforward decision. The government requires certain disclosures to be made, but even these can be confusing. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services answers some often-asked questions regarding rate and closing-cost quotes. Aren’t all interest rate quotes the same? Not...
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In recent months, Mark Wells at Preferred Financial Services has had numerous requests for mortgages from borrowers who already had their own credit report and credit scores, obtained through an online credit report service. However, when they chose to proceed with their loan and a mortgage credit report was pulled, their actual credit scores were much lower than what...
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The amount of documentation required and the seemingly endless process of getting a mortgage loan closed can be extremely frustrating. But those reams of forms that must be filled out are often an attempt to prevent fraud which has occurred int he past. Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services discusses fraud issues in the loan process. What is the most common type of...
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During the 1990s and up through the market crash of 2007, many self-employed borrowers made use of Stated Income or No-Income-Verification (NIV) mortgage programs to purchase or refinance their homes. These programs recognized that self-employed borrowers have access to cash flow for debt service that a normal wage earner would not. These programs disappeared after the...
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Home ownership offers a number of tax advantages, but it’s easy to forget some of the deductions that are available. Here is a list of common deductible expenses to put in your tax file, so you don’t give Uncle Sam more than you owe. If you purchased a home in 2016, any origination charges, the interim interest, any PMI premiums, and some attorney-related charges...
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Mark Wells at Preferred Financial Services continues the discussion on how parents and grandparents can help the next generation become homeowners. Sometimes it seems like my children are not that interested in owning a home. What should I tell them that might encourage them to take a look at the benefits of home ownership? Property ownership is the cornerstone of a free...
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Last week, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services addressed some financial ways in which parents and grandparents could help the young people in their life secure home ownership. This week, he discusses equally important, non-financial assistance that can make all the difference in the next generation being able to purchase a home. What is the most important thing I...
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There are many ways to help your children enjoy the benefits of home ownership, some involving financial participation, and others as inexpensive as offering words of advice. While you probably know the ins and outs of obtaining a home, no one ever gave your kids a class in how to do this. The vocabulary terms, the technicalities of down payment, etc. are all a foreign...
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced the first increase in the conforming loan limit since 2006. This will ultimately affect the maximum allowable loan limits on FHA and VA loans, but the immediate effect will be on conventional loans. When will the change take place? The new limit will be in effect for all loans DELIVERED to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, after January...
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Effective September 30, all three credit bureaus instituted a change in how they calculate FICO scores. The components of the change that were announced publicly indicated that the new FICO model would employ a ‘look-back’ feature that tracks how a consumer has used their revolving (credit card) accounts over the past months and years. Mark Wells of Preferred...
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In this second of a two-part series, Mark Wells of Preferred Financial Services answers customers’ questions regarding down payment funding: The house I am buying is worth more than I am paying for it. Can I use the equity as down payment? The answer is “no” for all programs, except in a “non-arms length” transaction—when you are buying the home from a near...
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