Tag Archive for: Interest rates

1% Origination Fee and 1% Point: Know the Difference

There are several types of closing costs involved when financing or refinancing a home. Some are lender fees while still more are non-lender fees. We’re talking about processing fees, document preparation, title insurance and others. Yet two of these fees alone are expressed as a percentage of the loan amount. Those fees are a 1% […]

Can I Really Skip Two Mortgage Payments by Refinancing

You may have heard this before. That when you refinance you get to skip two mortgage payments. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear a lender actually promote this notion. If so, I think it’s a bit misleading. There’s no such thing as skipping mortgage payments during a refinance, the payments are made just in […]

Interest Rates and Trying to Time the Markets?

When you’re in the market for a new mortgage, whether it’s for a purchase or a refinance, you want to get the very best rate and terms as possible. Sometimes though the process can get a little too crowded with too much information. I often get asked the question, “What are rates going to do?” […]

“Mattress Money” and Mortgages

What is “mattress money?” It’s a funny term but it means funds that someone owns but does not have a paper trail. Let’s look at how mattress money can be viewed by a lender and how to document these funds. It’s a good thing to come across some extra cash. Maybe the sale of a […]

Four Tips to Generate Positive Cash Flow on Rentals

Real estate is one of the unique asset classes that appreciates over time while at the same time providing the owner a monthly dividend. Name any other investment that does the same. Active real estate investors seek out rental properties that point to long term appreciation while getting paid each month to own it, to […]

How to Answer Underwriter Questions

Borrowers don’t really get the opportunity to pull back the curtains and speak directly with various departments and individuals within a mortgage operation. Certainly a borrower will speak with the loan officer and the loan processor but beyond that, most others are off-limits. Everyone within a mortgage company plays an important and needed role. Some […]

Adjustable-Rate Loan Terms Explained

Mortgage loans fall into two basic categories, fixed-rate and adjustable-rate loans. A fixed-rate loan, by far the most popular choice, is a loan program where the interest rate never changes. A fixed-rate loan allows borrowers to more easily plan their financial future because they know what the mortgage payment will be for years to come. […]

Fed Approves Rate Cut: What’s Next for Lower Rates?

Today, the FOMC decided to cut rates by 0.25 percent, as many investors had expected. The next scheduled meetings are October 29-30 and December 10-11. What is the forecast? That’s really too far out to tell but the Fed’s patience with rates over the past few years has been showing. Another move to lower rates […]

First Time Home Buyers: Here’s Your 6 Month Planner

Buying and financing your first home has a lot of moving parts. There are multiple people involved, some you will talk to and many that you won’t. From an appraisal to a credit report to title insurance and more, your loan officer will make sure all the necessary documentation is included in your loan file. […]

What Is a Flood Certificate and Do You Need One?

If you’re going to buy a home and get a mortgage, you’ll need a flood certificate, often referred to in the mortgage biz as a flood cert. You won’t be able to get financing without one. A flood cert isn’t very expensive at all, probably the least expensive items borrowers are expected to pay. Even […]