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29Apr/100

3 important points to mortgage qualifications

The mortgage process, especially for those who are denied or delayed, is an enigma to most. Understanding a few basics, three in fact, can help open the windows and let some light on the mysterious inner-workings of mortgage lenders. Getting denied or being quoted a higher rate than you heard advertised need not be a huge question mark.

Every conventional lender, those who lend according to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, builds their lending criteria equal to or more stringent than the guidelines offered by those to mortgage holding giants – unless they are selling to Ginnie Mae or another mega investor. In those guidelines are some very simple first steps so important to the lending process they can be the cause for the vast majority of denials or increase costs of credit.

bigger single-family home
Image via Wikipedia

Whether you are applying for money to purchase a home or to refinance one you currently own these three points are crucial to your success in obtaining a good mortgage.

Number One: Employment and Income

Chances are if you skip around from job to job, especially in different industries, and you have large gaps of time between them you will be considered too high risk at least for a prime loan. Even if you have steady employment history if your income is not verifiable to the amount you need for a good debt ratio you can also be denied or incur the cost of risk in the form of a higher interest rate.

8Apr/100

Buying short sales with FHA loans

LAS VEGAS - MARCH 21:  Prospective buyers look...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

With thousands of new homes entering the foreclosure process every month in each market area the question arises ever more frequently, “Can I use an FHA loan to purchase a short sale property?”

For the readers not familiar with short sales let us first define the term as it applies to real estate. As “short sale” on real estate is when the existing lien holder(s) agree to accept a lower amount than is currently owed on the existing loan(s).

If you need an example suppose the home owner has only one mortgage for $350,000 (existing payoff) on a home. Perhaps that home is currently valued only at $275,000. The home owner cannot refinance, the lender has failed to modify and foreclosure is looming so the lender agrees to accept a sales price equal to the current appraised value even though it is a full $75,000 lower than (short of) the payoff.

Answering the question, “can an FHA loan be used to purchase a short sale”, really is too simple. The answer is “yes” provided the property and transaction fall within FHA insurance guidelines. Remember FHA has maximum loan amounts, guidelines for property type and guidelines for property use.

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