Coaching and teaching - many through the mortgage process and others on the field

Category: Refinance (Page 11 of 12)

Asset Depletion – a great loan option

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Asset depletion is a method for calculating monthly income by dividing a borrower’s total assets by a set number of months.

  • What is an asset based loan?  Essentially the program takes your assets and spreads them over 360 months (or less in some cases) to create your monthly income in order to qualify for a mortgage loan.
  • Who should use this type of loan?  Those who are retired (or close to it)….or those with a liquid high net-worth.

palmgraphMost importantly, the borrower is not required to cash in their assets as they’re only used to demonstrate an ability to make the mortgage and housing payments. 

Borrowers who use an asset depletion program to qualify do not need to show any source of income or employment.  They can instead rely on asset depletion calculations based on a combination of cash, retirement, and investment monies divided by 360 payments.

Assets are generapiggybank-houselly qualified with 100% of cash accounts and 70% of retirement and investment accounts (100% of retirement funds may be used if the borrower is over 59 ½ years old).  For example, if a 45 year old borrower  has $2,000,000 in liquid assets, and another $1,000,000 in retirement and investment funds, then their qualifying monthly income would be $7,500 ($2,000,000 + $700,000 = $2,700,000; divided by 360 = $7,500).

Asset rich individuals who don’t want to provide a qualifying employment history or sufficient income may find this as an ideal solution.  Please reach out to me to learn more about asset depletion and to determine whether this method will work for your specific transaction.

 

Refinancing – are you one of 7+ million?

calculator-pen-spreadsheetMortgage rates are near historic lows, which has put millions of U.S. homeowners in the money to look at refinancing their current mortgage.

And yet, many homeowners have chosen to do nothing.  Are you one of them?

Source: The Mortgage Reports

According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the parent of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, mortgage refinance volume dropped ten percent last quarter despite sub-4 percent mortgage rates and the loosest mortgage guidelines in more than 10 years.

Homeowners that have elected to refinance, though, are saving big money.

The majority of refinancing homeowners, according to the report, have reduced monthly payments by $150 or more; and, many are using zero-closing cost mortgages to keep the benefits of refinancing high.

Homeowners doing debt consolidations are saving even more — especially with the recent changes in how lenders treat credit card debt.piggybank-house

Despite a drop in mortgage rates (and a loosening of mortgage lending standards), refinance volume remains off its peak. Too many homeowners feel it would be difficult to get a mortgage; or, don’t feel that a refinance is worth the time required.

Give me a call to find out if refinancing might be a good fit for you!

Understanding Earnest Money

earnest_money_depositThe earnest money deposit is an important part of the home buying process. It tells the seller you’re a committed buyer, and it helps fund your down payment.

How Much Should You Put Down in the Earnest Money Deposit?

The amount you’ll pay for the earnest money deposit will depend on a few factors, such as policies and limitations in your state, the current real estate market, and what the seller requires. On average, however, you can expect to hand over 1-2% of the total purchase price as earnest money.

When Do You Pay the Earnest Money, and Who Holds It?

In most cases, after your offer is accepted and you sign the purchase agreement, you give your earnest money deposit to the title company. In some states, the real estate broker holds the deposit.

Always check the credentials of the firm or broker taking the deposit and verify that the funds will be held in escrow. Never give the earnest money to the seller; it could be difficult or impossible to get it back if something goes wrong.

After turning over the deposit, the funds are held in an escrow account until the home sale is in the final stages. Once everything is ready, the funds are released from escrow and applied to your down payment.

If the deal falls through, a small cancellation fee is usually taken out of the deposit, but the remainder remains in escrow. Whoever holds the deposit determines whether you should get the money back under the terms of the purchase agreement. Make sure that the purchase agreement covers how a refund is handled.

Link to Realtor.com: Understanding Earnest Money

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