| HOW TO GET A MORTGAGE |
| Step 1: Find a mortgage that’s right for you. The most common types are 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages where the interest rate is fixed for the term of the loan. Other types include Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMS) where the interest rate can vary over time, hybrid ARMS, jumbos, assumables and seller financing. |
| Step 2: Determine how much house you can afford. Consider: equity in your current home (if you own), amount you can put down, monthly payments you can manage, real estate taxes, closing costs and insurance (definitely homeowners insurance and probably Private Mortgage Insurance – PMI – if you put less than 20% down). Monthly payments on debt obligations including items such as credit card bills, alimony, child support and student loans should not be more than 36% of your pre-tax income. |
| Step 3: Check you credit. A potential lender will check your credit report immediately. It’s best to clear up any credit problems before you apply for a mortgage. Get your credit report from Equifax (800-685-1111), Experian (888-397-3742) and Trans Union (800-888-4213). |
| Step 4: Pre-qualification and pre-approval. If you haven’t found a home yet, consider getting pre-qualified (a lender will review your financial history before you find a home) or pre-approved ( a lender will check your credit and provide you with a letter stating that you’ve been pre-approved for a certain amount). Both of these will help improve your purchasing power. |
| Step 5: Gather the necessary paperwork. See list below to get an idea of what you’ll need. |
| Step 6: Find a lender. Finding the right lender is an important step to ensure a positive loanexperience. We make this task easy.and fill out the short information form and we’ll have one or morelicensed and professional mortgage brokers or lenders contact you todiscuss current loan rates and availability specific to yourcircumstance. While on our site we invite you to check current interestrates and some of the other tools we offer to assist you in making aninformed decision. Remember that the lowest rate doesn’t always meanit’s the best loan for you. In addition to the annual percentageinterest rate, check on points (pre-paid mortgage interest which willincrease your upfront costs) and other fees associated with a givenloan. Compare mortgage loan offerings and talk to several lendersbefore you apply for your loan. |
| Step 7: Assess your potential home. Hopefully, you’ve found your dream home by this time. Be sure to thoroughly evaluate the home to make sure it’s what you really want. An appraisal is part of the mortgage process and will ensure that you’re paying the appropriate price for your home. |
| Step 8: prepare for closing. Make sure the closing is scheduled before your loan commitment and any rate lock-in will expire. And be sure there is enough time to finish any loan documentation and complete any home inspections or repairs. |
| Step 9: Closing day! Congratulations, you’re about to own a new home! At the closing you will have to sign legal documents and pay closing costs (these could include surveying, taxes, insurance, attorney fees, agent fees, points, loan origination fees, PMI and balance of down payment). |
| Step 10: Servicing the mortgage. At closing, your mortgage lender must tell you who will be servicing or administering, your mortgage loan. Traditionally, the mortgage banker would service the loan for the life of the mortgage on behalf of the investor. However, the servicing may be handled by a third party. |
| Necessary Paperwork |
| W-2 forms from the previous two years |
| Federal tax returns from the previous two years |
| Recent paycheck stubs |
| Documents showing other sources of income, which could include second jobs, overtime, commissions and bonuses, interest and dividend income, Social Security payments, VA and retirement benefits, alimony, and child support |
| A complete list of your creditors, such as credit cards, student loans, car loans and child support payments, along with minimum monthly payments and balances |
| Investment records including mutual fund statements, real estate and automobile titles, stock certificates and records of any other investments or assets |
| Canceled checks for your rent or mortgage payment |
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| Down the road… |
Removing PMI: |
Prepayment: |
Refinancing: |
Points or lower interest rate? 30 year $100,000 mortgage |
Rate | Points | Monthly Payment | Cost of Points (paid at closing) | Total Interest | Comments |
6.5 | 3 | $632 $ 699 | $3000 0 | $127,544 $151,717 | If low monthly payments are your priority and you have the cash for points, then pay the points. But you may want to consider an alternative investment for your cash instead of paying the points upfront. |
TIP: Paying points usually lowers your interest rate. If you plan on staying in your home for a while consider paying the points |
Economics of Buying a Home |
Home price | = $150,000 |
Cash down payment | = $15,000 (10% down) |
Mortgage | = $135,000 |
Loan APR | = 7% |
Term | = 30 years |
Monthly loan payment | = $896.16 |
Monthly PMI payment (will vary – approximate) | = $56.25 |
Total monthly payment | = $954.41* |
| (*allow for additional monthly costs such as homeowners insurance and real estate taxes). Seller usually pays agent commission. Additional costs include: closing costs, agent fees (if selling your home), insurances, legal fees, points, application fees, etc. |
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| Interviewing Mortgage Lenders – compare several lenders before committing to one. This worksheet provides you with key questions to ask potential lenders. There’s also space to take notes so that you can compare each of the lenders you interview. Contact information can be recorded in the section below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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