Today’s Housing Market: How to Win the Bidding War

  Today’s housing market is changing rapidly and housing inventory is dropping. A lot of homeowners are taking advantage of low interest rates to refinance their mortgage or start renovations. Some homeowners are selling to move to less expensive areas, and they know the housing market is already shifting in their favor. So if you’re […]

How to Get Pre-Approved for Your Home Loan Fast

If you’re thinking about buying your next home then you’ve probably heard about getting pre-qualified or pre-approved for your home loan. Whether this is your first home or you haven’t purchased a new home for a while, the home-buying process can still feel overwhelming. Let’s face it, going to open houses is a lot more […]

5 Simple Homebuyer Tips Before You Make an Offer

Most houses are staged with the homebuyer in mind.  Everything looks beautiful from the walk up to the backroom closets and fresh flowers in the kitchen.  It’s easy to get swept away with a first impression so it’s important to pull back the shades and take a deep look inside and out.  A good home inspection […]

When You Co-Sign on a Mortgage: What to Know

You just did a good thing. You agreed to co-sign on a mortgage. Especially for first time homebuyers, qualifying on their own can sometimes be a challenge, especially for those who are having difficulty qualifying due to debt-to-income ratios, coming up with funds for a down payment, having some credit issues or having their very […]

7 Top Questions Your Loan Officer is Going to Ask

Even if it’s not your very first home purchase, you can to be prepared to provide your loan officer with what is required. Experienced home buyers may like a refresher for all the things provided and questions asked. Here are some questions you can bet your loan officer will be asking before you get too […]

How Lenders Calculate Weekly or Bi-Weekly Income When Qualifying

  There is an ‘Ability to Repay’ or ‘ART’ rule that lenders follow when approving a traditional mortgage. When lenders calculate income, they are required to both determine and document that determination of whether or not someone can safely afford a new home loan. This is a result of the vast mortgage guideline changes implemented […]

Tip Income: How to use it for Qualifying Income

For those in the service industry, getting tips certainly helps the overall pay. Most people who do earn tips work in a restaurant, hotel or similar industries. But can tip income be counted when helping to qualify for a new mortgage? We recently spoke about various types of income but getting tips is a bit […]

Qualifying Income You May Not Know About

When people start thinking about different types of qualifying income, most simply come to the conclusion that income is defined by their regular paycheck on the 1st and 15th. And that’s true, most people do get their income from their employer. It’s the most common form. Mortgage lenders use this income when qualifying someone for […]

5 Things You Should Know About VA Loans (they’re all good)

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs provides benefits for those who qualify for the program and one of the more popular is the VA mortgage loan. VA loans are the ideal option for those wanting to come to the closing table with as little cash as possible. The most obvious benefit is the lack of a […]

Do You Have to Be Married to Apply for a Joint Mortgage?

When two people file for a joint mortgage, it’s important to understand that it’s not necessary to be married. In fact, more and more people apply to finance a home together without having officially ‘tied the knot.’ Still, both parties need to be clear early on that they’re both going to be responsible for the […]