Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Need a Mortgage, Refinance or Equity Loan? Learn What it Takes, Before Applying


Do you know what it takes to qualify for mortgage and refinance loans? There are several factors involved with qualifying for a purchase, refinance or equity line of credit, and having an in-depth understanding of these could make the difference in you being accepted or turned down by a bank loan officer.

Here are some things loan underwriters use in seeing if you qualify for a loan: your credit rating; your income; the amount you wish to borrow vs. the value of the property, this is known as loan to value or LTV; your assets; cash on reserve to cover down payments and reserve funds to cover a few months worth of mortgage payments, in the event you can't pay for an indefinite period of time; your employment history.

Most people worry about credit, even people who have excellent credit. Credit is such an unknown. Put your mind at ease. You can purchase a house with poor or no credit at all. In fact, with a poor credit rating and only 3 percent for a down payment, you can get an FHA loan. FHA is not a credit score driven program, so you can qualify this way if you have to do so.

If you have excellent credit, the lending world is wide open to you. You can put very little -- even no money down -- and still get a great interest rate. Excellent credit also gives you the power to take 100 percent of your homes equity at the prime interest rate, making interest-only payments, which is a very powerful thing.

Work history is also an important factor, as most lenders want to see two years of consecutive employment, although good mortgage professionals have programs that will get around this guideline. If you are purchasing a house, you'll need what lenders call "seasoned funds" for your down payment. That is, they have to be in your account for a set amount of time (usually 3-6 months).

When you are ready to get a loan, be sure you have assessed all of these factors, even before you mortgage professional does. Put all of the documents that verify your income and your assets together and have them ready to show to a banker, upon your visit. Be proactive and your chances of qualifying for any loan will improve.

Mark Barnes is the author of the new novel, The League, the first work of fiction, based on fantasy football. He is also an investment real estate and home loan finance expert. Learn more about his suspense thriller at http://www.sportsnovels.com. Get his free mortgage finance course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Mortgage rescue plan would be costly, and may fall short
Detroit Free Press, United States - Oct 9, 2008
John McCain's surprising and decidedly nonconservative proposal to refinance troubled mortgages directly through the government has some appeal. ...


Seattle Post Intelligencer

McCain's plan for troubled home loans called impractical
Newsday, NY - Oct 9, 2008
WASHINGTON - John McCain's proposal to have the federal government directly buy and refinance troubled home loans would cost about $300 billion, ...
Video: Obama: 'Taxpayers Shouldn't Pick Up Tab' AssociatedPress
Principal is key to housing solution Winston-Salem Journal
Obama Ad Attacks McCain Mortgage Plan RTT News
all 884 news articles


Anxious investors hanging on despite heavy stock market losses
Los Angeles Times, CA - 35 minutes ago
The officer and his wife, who works in mortgage refinance, have about half a million dollars in the market, including retirement savings, individual stocks, ...


Bad Credit – Home Mortgage - Refinance and Debt Consolidation Loan
ScienceBlog.com, CA - Sep 16, 2008
Based on interest rates, Mortgage Refinance California can be divided into two types namely fixed rate and adjustable rate loan. In the case of a fixed rate ...


Economic Downturn Puts Brakes On Many Major Region Projects
TheDay, CT - 21 hours ago
The project's $8.6 million construction loan originally came from Dime Bank and appears about to be transferred to New Haven Mortgage Refinance LLC, ...


New London OKs Expansion Of Condo Project
TheDay, CT - Oct 10, 2008
But in the past month, contractors released the liens; at least one settlement check was written by New Haven Mortgage Refinance LLC, a company attached to ...


Help for homeowners
Shreveport Times, LA - Oct 12, 2008
Nine states have created mortgage refinance funds to help borrowers avoid foreclosure. Twenty states have partnered with the Homeownership Preservation ...


Mortgage refinance boom short-lived
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - Sep 17, 2008
A worker paves a sidewalk during construction of a new home in Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday. Construction of new homes and apartments fell last month to ...


Is this the right time to refinance?
Chicago Tribune, United States - Sep 25, 2008
Mortgage rates are down and you're not going to bother trying to sell your home anytime soon. Should you spend the money to refinance and lower your ...


Fed: Bailout will help borrowers
Newsday, NY - Sep 18, 2008
The government's takeover of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should provide an opportunity to modify more home loans for troubled ...

Mortgage-Refinance - Google News

home | site map
© 2006