Do you need to get your old tax records right now for a mortgage application, car loan or student financial aid? In the past, you had to wait days or weeks to get your tax records in the mail from the IRS. But now your tax records, including returns and other filing information, are available [...]
Home financing regulations have become a little more clear. New federal rules—which are intended to prevent the risky loans that sank the housing market—went into effect Jan. 10, and consumers may need to do a bit more work to get a mortgage. The QM rule is designed to ensure that lenders only make loans to [...]
The best mortgage rates are offered to those with the highest credit scores. This is true now more than ever. Since the housing market crashed, lenders only offer good mortgage rates if homebuyers have good credit scores. [VIDEO] If a borrower’s credit score is too low, the loan may not be approved at all. People [...]
Being prequalified or preapproved for a mortgage can help you determine how much home you can afford. If you are a potential homebuyer hoping to secure a new home that is within your family’s budget, get prequalified or preapproved for a home loan and determine the mortgage payments you can afford for your dream home. [...]
How will the new mortgage rules affect you? If you're applying for a loan, whether it’s a primary loan to buy property or to refinance, the new mortgage rules matter to you. The new mortgage rules went into effect on January 10th. Basically they say that lenders have to make sure borrowers can afford to repay [...]
QM, or the qualified mortgage rule, kicks in Jan. 10. That means that mortgage lending is about to change somewhat as lenders deal with QM changes and work to meet all the rules they must follow to make a qualified mortgage. If you’re feeling confused—it is a tricky subject—this QM Q&A should clear some things [...]
In a big surprise for the housing market, more American homeowners emerged from deeply underwater mortgages at the end of the year—about a million more than were even expected. During the course of 2013, 1.6 million homeowners moved away from being deeply underwater, which is when a home is worth at least 25 percent less [...]
The rising costs of mortgage insurance could make FHA loans a bad deal for many homebuyers. The Federal Housing Administration, or FHA, allows for low down payments for buyers even if that buyer has a low credit score, but it comes at a high cost. http://youtu.be/2i6Ir-kvImg Many buyers who need a mortgage to buy [...]
Buying a home is exciting, but it usually comes with a lot of questions—the biggest of which is usually “How much can I afford to spend on a mortgage?” In order to figure it out, you need to understand all of the expenses involved in owning a home. Scroll down for video Mortgage companies look [...]
Is the foreclosure crisis over? Home prices are rising, but there are still too many foreclosures to be a normal housing market. It depends on where you stand. Is this your reality? The housing market is on an upswing. Mortgage interest rates are still low, home prices are rising dramatically, and the stock prices of companies [...]
