We can’t believe it either, but it seems many more are interested in the 5/1 and 7/1 conforming ARM products.  Even With rates on the 30 year and 15 year well below 4.75%  fixed it seems the attractive rates for the 5/1 arm at a near record 0 point option of 3.375% is attracting even the long-term home owner. 

In recent months, and for months to come, many borrowers who took out a 3/1 arm or 5/1 arm in 2005-2007 are now coming due and the borrowers are forced to either take the increased rate or lock in another arm before they go up.  With the market volatility it may make sence to lock in the rates for 3 or 5 years thus pushing out the decision to either sell the home when the arm matures or refinance. 

Call one of our loan agents today to get a Florida Mortgage Rate quote on either one of these popular products.  The payments will knock your socks off!

Example rates as of 03/11/2010:

5/1 ARM – $200,000 loan amount, 80% LTV, Excellent Credit, SFR, Primary Residence:

                3.375% Rate (3.012% APR) 0 Points $1,213 in Fees

7/1 ARM – $200,000 loan amount, 80% LTV, Excellent Credit, SFR, Primary Residence:

                3.625% Rate (3.111% APR) 0 Points $1,213 in Fees

According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings topped 300,000 for the 12th straight month last month as 1 in every 418 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing.

It’s a small improvement from January and a just 6 percent increase over February 2009.

On a per-capita basis, foreclosure density varied by state:

• Nevada : 1 foreclosure filing per 102 homes
• Florida : 1 foreclosure filing per 163 homes
• Arizona : 1 foreclosure filing per 163 homes
• California : 1 foreclosure filing per 195 homes

Also, as in January 2010, foreclosures across the country were concentrated. 10 states beat the national Foreclosure Per Capita average; 40 states fell below. Like everything else is real estate, it seems, foreclosures are local.

For today’s Los Angeles home buyers, foreclosures represent an interesting opportunity.

Homes bought in various stages of foreclosure are often less expensive than other, non-foreclosure homes. It’s one reason why distressed home sales account for 38 percent of all resales. However, less expensive doesn’t always mean less costly.  A foreclosed home may be in various stages of disrepair and they’re often sold as-is, as policy.

Buying new or used in San Diego County can be cheaper than buying broken-down.

Therefore, if you’re in the market for a bank-owned home, make sure you know what you’re buying before you sign a contract. Have qualified professionals review and inspect the property, as needed. Damage to pipes or the property’s structure, for example, may not be so obvious on a walk-though and you’ll want to know about it before you buy.

Also, foreclosed homes are federal tax credit-eligible. Buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010.

According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, foreclosure filings topped 300,000 for the 12th straight month last month as 1 in every 418 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing.

It’s a small improvement from January and a just 6 percent increase over February 2009.

On a per-capita basis, foreclosure density varied by state:

• Nevada : 1 foreclosure filing per 102 homes
• Florida : 1 foreclosure filing per 163 homes
• Arizona : 1 foreclosure filing per 163 homes
• California : 1 foreclosure filing per 195 homes

Also, as in January 2010, foreclosures across the country were concentrated. 10 states beat the national Foreclosure Per Capita average; 40 states fell below. Like everything else is real estate, it seems, foreclosures are local.

For today’s Atlanta home buyers, foreclosures represent an interesting opportunity. 

Homes bought in various stages of foreclosure are often less expensive than other, non-foreclosure homes. It’s one reason why distressed home sales account for 38 percent of all resales. However, less expensive doesn’t always mean less costly.  A foreclosed home may be in various stages of disrepair and they’re often sold as-is, as policy.

Buying new or used in Virginia Highlands can be cheaper than buying broken-down.

Therefore, if you’re in the market for a bank-owned home, make sure you know what you’re buying before you sign a contract. Have qualified professionals review and inspect the property, as needed. Damage to pipes or the property’s structure, for example, may not be so obvious on a walk-though and you’ll want to know about it before you buy.

Also, foreclosed homes are federal tax credit-eligible. Buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010.

If your mortgage is set to adjust this year, the smart move may be to let it. Today’s conforming mortgages are adjusting lower than ever before — as low as 3 percent.  It may not be what you expected when you signed for your ARM several years ago.

The reason why ARMs are adjusting lower is because of how they’re made.

When conforming adjustable-rate mortgages adjust, they adjust according to a pre-determined formula. The formula is the sum of a constant and a variable.  The constant is usually 2.25 percent and the variable is a daily-changing interest rate called LIBOR.

The formula looks like this:

New Mortgage Rate = LIBOR + 2.250 percent

LIBOR is an acronym for London Interbank Offered Rate.  It’s an interest rate at which banks borrow money from each other. In Fall 2008, when Lehman Brothers fell and sparked a global banking fear, LIBOR spiked as the risk of inter-bank borrowing jumped.

Since then, however, LIBOR is down.

Normalcy is returning to banking and the timing couldn’t be better for Los Angeles homeowners with ARMs. 15 months ago, a homeowner’s ARM may have adjusted to 6 1/2 percent.  Today, that same ARM falls to just above 3.

As a strategy play, it might make sense to let your ARM adjust. Or, because fixed rates are still near 5 percent, converting that ARM to a long-term fixed-rate product might make sense, too.  The decision is a balance between how low do you want your payment, and how long might you live in your home.

The longer you stay, the more it might make sense to switch to fixed-rate, even though ARM rates are so low.

If you’ve got an adjusting ARM, talk to your loan officer about your choices. Once March ends and the Fed withdraws its mortgage market support, mortgage rates may rise and the fixed-rate option may be gone.

If you have ever wondered the steps required to close on a Mortgage, this post is for you.  Many people have questions about a lot of different areas of the closing process; hopefully this answer’s your questions.

Scenario:

John and Jane Test decide they would like to take advantage of the $8,000 tax rebate from the government for 1st time home buyers, so they apply for a Mortgage.  They do an online search, and find Mortgage loan officer to deal with.  John has been self-employed for 5 years with a 1099, and Jane is a w2 employee.  This means that John’s income would be determined by his last two years tax returns.  The loan officer would figure out John’s Income for the last two tax years, add them together, and divide by 2.

Ex:

John made $25,567 in 2008 and $29,654 in 2009.  This is a total of $55,221.  The two year average for John is $27,610 or $2,300 a month.

Jane’s 2008 w2 is for $32,065 and her 2009 w2 is for $33,565.  As long as her current paystub shows an average of at least $33,565 she would use that as her income to qualify.  That is $2,797.08 a month.

So John and Jane’s monthly income is as follows:

$2,797 + $2,300 = $5,097.

The next step is to determine their other monthly debt.  They have three credit cards with minimum balances of $25, $45 and $75 dollars a month.  They have a car loan for $395 dollars a month. This means that their current monthly debt is $540 dollars a month.

Now take their $5,097 monthly income and subtract their $540 which equals $4,557.  Then take 45% of the $4,557 which equals $2,050.  45% represents the DTI (Debt to Income Ratio).  Based on that, they are qualified for around $275,000 dollars. 

This means that they are pre-approved, and it is time for them to start looking at houses.  Their loan officer sets them up with a local real estate agent to begin the process.  Once they find the property the like, they make an offer.  Once the offer is accepted, then the Mortgage process begins.

Now the application.  This is where the borrower meets with the loan officer to sign the application. There is a 1003, which is the application, the GFE which is the Good Faith Estimate, an FHA Application (If applicable) and all State and Federal Disclosures. 

The loan officer then locks the rate the same day, and sends all of the documents to underwriting.  Usually within 48-96 hours, the file will be underwritten and conditions will be requested.  Conditions are a list of everything that the underwriter finds necessary for the borrowers to provide in order to close the loan.  The conditions vary from loan to loan and can be anywhere from 3-4 for a clean loan to as many as 30-40 for a very tough loan.  Once conditions are sent, this means that the loan is approved, subject to satisfying all conditions.  This is the part that makes or breaks the turn times.  If you get the loan officer all of the required documents, and they are submitted all at once, then you should expect 48 hours for them to be cleared.  However, if John and Jane drag their feet on getting these documents, or only get a few at a time, the process could take much longer.

Once final conditions are met, and the loan is “cleared to close”, a closing is scheduled.  This takes about 3-4 days for the closing to be scheduled after you receive the “Clear to Close”.

Jon and Jane test have completed the Mortgage Process, and Close on their dream home. 

A properly documented loan application makes your loan process go smoothly. This checklist will help you gather your paperwork.

1. Complete and sign the residential loan application, Form 1003, and the attached loan info sheet, credit authorization and fair lending notice. Page 4 of the application is a continuation page in case you need additional space for your assets or liabilities. If you make a mistake while filling out the application cross it out, and make a change. Do NOT use whiteout.
2. If you are salaried: provide W-2’s for the previous two years and one month of paystubs. If you are self-employed, provide tax returns for the previous two years, including all schedules, and a YTD profit and loss statement. (Note: provide copies of all requested documents. Do not provide original documents.)
3. If you own rental property, provide recent rental agreements and tax returns for the previous two years, including all schedules.
4. To speed up the approval process, provide bank statements for the most recent three months, and recent statements for stock, mutual funds and IRA/401K accounts.
5. If you are requesting a cash out refinance, provide a letter explaining how you will use the refinance proceeds.
6. If applicable, provide a copy of your divorce decree and settlement agreement.
7. If you are NOT a US citizen, provide a copy of your green card (front & back). If you are NOT a permanent resident provide a copy of your H-1 or L-1 visa.
8. If any borrower has filed bankruptcy, provide the Discharge Notice, Filing and Schedule of Creditors.
9. If you are applying for a (second loan), also include your first mortgage note. (This should be with your closing loan documents.)

Want to get started with the process?  Click Here

If your mortgage is set to adjust this year, the smart move may be to let it. Today’s conforming mortgages are adjusting lower than ever before — as low as 3 percent.  It may not be what you expected when you signed for your ARM several years ago.

The reason why ARMs are adjusting lower is because of how they’re made.

When conforming adjustable-rate mortgages adjust, they adjust according to a pre-determined formula. The formula is the sum of a constant and a variable.  The constant is usually 2.25 percent and the variable is a daily-changing interest rate called LIBOR.

The formula looks like this:

New Mortgage Rate = LIBOR + 2.250 percent

LIBOR is an acronym for London Interbank Offered Rate.  It’s an interest rate at which banks borrow money from each other. In Fall 2008, when Lehman Brothers fell and sparked a global banking fear, LIBOR spiked as the risk of inter-bank borrowing jumped. 

Since then, however, LIBOR is down.

Normalcy is returning to banking and the timing couldn’t be better for San Diego homeowners with ARMs. 15 months ago, a homeowner’s ARM may have adjusted to 6 1/2 percent.  Today, that same ARM falls to just above 3.

As a strategy play, it might make sense to let your ARM adjust. Or, because fixed rates are still near 5 percent, converting that ARM to a long-term fixed-rate product might make sense, too.  The decision is a balance between how low do you want your payment, and how long might you live in your home.  

The longer you stay, the more it might make sense to switch to fixed-rate, even though ARM rates are so low.

If you’ve got an adjusting ARM, talk to your loan officer about your choices. Once March ends and the Fed withdraws its mortgage market support, mortgage rates may rise and the fixed-rate option may be gone.

If your mortgage is set to adjust this year, the smart move may be to let it. Today’s conforming mortgages are adjusting lower than ever before — as low as 3 percent.  It may not be what you expected when you signed for your ARM several years ago.

The reason why ARMs are adjusting lower is because of how they’re made.

When conforming adjustable-rate mortgages adjust, they adjust according to a pre-determined formula. The formula is the sum of a constant and a variable.  The constant is usually 2.25 percent and the variable is a daily-changing interest rate called LIBOR.

The formula looks like this:

New Mortgage Rate = LIBOR + 2.250 percent

LIBOR is an acronym for London Interbank Offered Rate.  It’s an interest rate at which banks borrow money from each other. In Fall 2008, when Lehman Brothers fell and sparked a global banking fear, LIBOR spiked as the risk of inter-bank borrowing jumped. 

Since then, however, LIBOR is down.

Normalcy is returning to banking and the timing couldn’t be better for Decatur homeowners with ARMs. 15 months ago, a homeowner’s ARM may have adjusted to 6 1/2 percent.  Today, that same ARM falls to just above 3.

As a strategy play, it might make sense to let your ARM adjust. Or, because fixed rates are still near 5 percent, converting that ARM to a long-term fixed-rate product might make sense, too.  The decision is a balance between how low do you want your payment, and how long might you live in your home.  

The longer you stay, the more it might make sense to switch to fixed-rate, even though ARM rates are so low.

If you’ve got an adjusting ARM, talk to your loan officer about your choices. Once March ends and the Fed withdraws its mortgage market support, mortgage rates may rise and the fixed-rate option may be gone.

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The credit ranges up to $8,000 per buyer. There’s now just 7 weeks left to take advantage.

To be eligible, home buyers must be under contract for a new home no later than April 30, 2010, and must be closed no later than June 30, 2010.

In addition to meeting the deadline dates, there’s a basic set of requirements to be tax credit-eligible:

• You can’t purchase the home from a parent, spouse, or child
• You can’t purchase the home from an entity in which the seller is a majority owner
• You can’t acquire the home by gift or inheritance
• Each buyer in the purchase must meet eligibility requirements

There’s other criteria, too.

For one, the sales price on the subject property cannot exceed $800,000. Homes sold for more than $800,000 are ineligible for the tax credit. Furthermore, households earning more than $125,000 as single-filers, or $225,500 for joint-filers, are ineligible.

You can read the complete eligibility requirements at the IRS website, or, you may just find it simpler to speak with your accountant about it. There are some nuances in qualifying for and claiming the tax credit on your returns and getting a professional’s opinion is always wise.

And lastly, don’t forget that government’s tax credit program is a true tax credit. It’s not a tax deduction.  This means that a tax filer whose “normal” tax liability is $3,500 and who is eligible for $8,000 in credit will receive a $4,500 refund from the U.S. Treasury.

If you’re currently in the House Hunt, mark your calendar for April 30, 2010. It’s 7 weeks away and you can be sure that as the date gets closer, buyer traffic is going to increase.  You may find sellers more willing to negotiate today than several weeks from now.

In November, Congress extended and expanded the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit program to include a subset of “move-up” buyers — homeowners that have owned and lived in their home for 5 of the last 8 years.

The credit ranges up to $8,000 per buyer. There’s now just 7 weeks left to take advantage.

To be eligible, home buyers must be under contract for a new home no later than April 30, 2010, and must be closed no later than June 30, 2010.

In addition to meeting the deadline dates, there’s a basic set of requirements to be tax credit-eligible:

• You can’t purchase the home from a parent, spouse, or child
• You can’t purchase the home from an entity in which the seller is a majority owner
• You can’t acquire the home by gift or inheritance
• Each buyer in the purchase must meet eligibility requirements

There’s other criteria, too.

For one, the sales price on the subject property cannot exceed $800,000. Homes sold for more than $800,000 are ineligible for the tax credit. Furthermore, households earning more than $125,000 as single-filers, or $225,500 for joint-filers, are ineligible.

You can read the complete eligibility requirements at the IRS website, or, you may just find it simpler to speak with your accountant about it. There are some nuances in qualifying for and claiming the tax credit on your returns and getting a professional’s opinion is always wise.

And lastly, don’t forget that government’s tax credit program is a true tax credit. It’s not a tax deduction.  This means that a tax filer whose “normal” tax liability is $3,500 and who is eligible for $8,000 in credit will receive a $4,500 refund from the U.S. Treasury.

If you’re currently in the House Hunt, mark your calendar for April 30, 2010. It’s 7 weeks away and you can be sure that as the date gets closer, buyer traffic is going to increase.  You may find sellers more willing to negotiate today than several weeks from now.