Category: Refinance (Page 4 of 11)

The Top 10 Mortgage Questions a Borrower Should Ask

June 29, 2019 / Tom Bonetto

It’s a good idea to put together a list of questions to ask potential lenders in order find out which one will be best for you. These and other questions should help you choose the right lender and the best home loan.

How do I obtain pre-approval?

One of the best ways to ensure a smooth home buying process is what you do before you begin your home search.

Mortgage pre-approval, without the pressure of a closing date, is easier than trying to engineer a full approval from the ground up. And having a pre-approved mortgage means you can close faster when you’re ready to buy.

Ask the lender what documentation they need and what processes they have in place to secure and automated underwriting approval. If they can’t provide that information, find another lender! You can find out more about the pre-approval process here….

Which type of mortgage is best for me?

This question will help you know if you’re talking to someone who wants to sell you a loan quickly — or a trusted loan advisor who will be looking out for your best interest.

When you ask, “What are my options?” for a particular type of loan, the mortgage lender should dive deeper into your situation and ask YOU questions about your financial goals. You can really gauge the professionalism of the lender by the questions he/she asks.

What’s your communication style?

Mortgage lenders can communicate with you in multiple ways – including by phone, email and text. Some are tech savvy and others prefer traditional methods.

The point is to be clear about what you prefer.

If you respond more quickly to text messages versus voicemail – tell your loan officer. Often times, there are time sensitive issues that arise during the loan process, so it will make everyone happy if your loan officer knows how to get questions answered, additional documentation etc. in a timely manner.

How often will I be updated on the loan’s progress?

You should be introduced to all parties that will be involved with your loan – from the originator, to the processor, and any other assistants. Have their contact information handy during the loan process.

And how will you be updated on the progress: by email, phone or an online portal? How often?

I recommend that you share your service expectations upfront, and check to see if the lender you are working with has these types of processes in place that meet your requirements. If not, move on!

How much down payment will I need?

A 20% down payment may be nice, but borrowers have multiple choices. Qualified buyers can find mortgages with as little as 3% down, or even no down payment, depending on the property location.

Again, there are considerations for every down payment option and the best lenders will take the time to walk you through the choices, based on your stated goals. You can find out more about down payment requirements here….

Will I have to pay mortgage insurance?

If you put down less than 20%, the answer will probably be “Yes.” Even if the mortgage insurance is “lender paid,” it’s likely passed on as a cost built into your mortgage payment, which increases your rate and monthly payment.

You’ll want to know just how much mortgage insurance will cost and if it’s an upfront or ongoing charge, or both. You can find out more about mortgage insurance here….

Are You Equipped to Approve Loans In-House?

Underwriters review loans and issue conditions before approving or rejecting a loan. Ask if the lender handles its own underwriting and does their own approvals. This can be a make or break proposition if you need to close the loan in a timely fashion.

What other costs will I pay at closing?

Fees that are charged by third parties, such as for an appraisal, a title search, property taxes and other closing costs, will be paid at the loan signing. These costs will be detailed in your official Loan Estimate document and your almost-time-to-sign Closing Disclosure.

Your lender should be absolutely upfront regarding this. You can find out more about closing costs here….

How long until my loan closes?

Of course, you want to know what your target closing and move-in dates are so you can make preparations. And just as important: Ask what you should avoid doing in the meantime — like buying new furniture on credit and other loan-busting behavior.

Is there anything that can delay my closing?

Well, buying a home is a complex process with many stages and requirements. While delays are normal, the best way to avoid them is to stay in touch with your lender and provide the most up-to-date documentation as quickly as you can. If you have any past credit issues or job related changes, let your lender know immediately to avoid any last minute delays.

Delayed Financing – A Great Purchase and Financing Option

June 8, 2019 / Tom Bonetto

Paying cash for a house has its advantages. Purchasing with cash rather than getting a mortgage could help you as the buyer win a bidding war when buying a new home. You may even be able to negotiate a lower price on the home if you’re paying cash.

After all, cash in hand is a sure thing, and a mortgage approval can take some time and isn’t always guaranteed.

Delayed financing is a specific program that allows the buyer to take cash out on a property immediately in order to cover the purchase price and closing costs for a property they had just purchased with cash.

How Delayed Financing Works

Delayed financing is a mortgage that is originated on a property after you already own it, in comparison to a typical mortgage that is used for the acquisition of a property. The delayed financing mortgage option allow buyers to compete with all-cash buyers when purchasing the property.

By financing the property after the initial cash transaction, the borrower/buyer is able to regain their liquidity because the money isn’t tied up in the house after the delayed financing is completed.

Keep in mind that the value of the property might not the same as the purchase price. Borrowers will need an appraisal done by their new lender to determine the value. Moreover, your new loan can’t be more than what you paid for the property plus your closing costs and lender fees.

Why Delayed Financing?

Delayed financing is generally helpful for:

Investors who want to compete with all-cash buyers’ short timelines
Investors who want to have more bargaining power because they’re paying with cash
A property that has multiple offers and the seller doesn’t want to wait on financing
Investment properties, vacation homes, and primary residences
An investor who wants to take their cash out and buy another investment property

The primary reason to utilize delayed financing is that buyers can stay liquid. Investors use delayed financing to recover their cash and be able to purchase another property.

Generally, delayed financing is right for an investor who wants to take advantage of all of the benefits of purchasing a home using all cash. They can often negotiate a lower price, close faster and compete with multiple other buyers. An investor who doesn’t immediately qualify for conventional financing may also opt for delayed financing.

An Investor’s Point of View

In this case, the buyer is an investor and purchases a property using all cash. The buyer then wants to free-up some cash back to buy another property.

The buyer can then delayed financing to recoup the cash and take a loan out on the new property, utilizing the cash back from the initial transaction!

A Primary Occupancy Borrower’s Point of View

The buyer can also use this option to compete with all-cash buyers and negotiate better terms. Delayed financing can be done as quickly as three weeks after purchasing the property, which is different from a standard “cash-out refinance” transaction, where the borrower must wait six or more months.

How Long Do You Have to Wait to Refinance?

If you’re doing a delayed financing transaction on a property you purchased in the last 6 months, you’re allowed to take cash out immediately without any waiting period.

Under normal circumstances, if you bought a home with a mortgage instead of cash, you have to be on the title at least 6 months before you can take cash out and refinance your home, so delayed financing is a notable exception.

Delayed Financing Qualifications

There are certain qualifications that need to be met in order to qualify for a delayed financing transaction. Most specifically, the property must have been originally purchased using all cash.

Lenders generally have the following qualifications for this type of transaction:

Arm’s Length Transaction: You can’t be related to or have a personal relationship with the seller
Closing Documents: Closing statement from the property purchase
Proof of Funds: Showing where you got the funds to purchase the property
New loan amount can be no more than the actual documented amount of the borrower’s initial investment in purchasing the property plus closing costs.
Appraisal: Ordered by the lender and paid for by you, generally $500-plus

There can be more needed and other regulations may apply, but these listed above are most standard.

Although you may have just ordered an appraisal when you originally purchased the property, as mentioned previously, the lender will want to conduct their own appraisal before they approve your loan.

It would be my pleasure to help any borrower with a delayed financing transaction, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me for more information or to get started!

How to use a cash-out refinance to purchase another home

May 4, 2019 / Tom Bonetto

I work with a fair amount of second home buyers and investors – and am asked how to best go about financing these properties (and second homes), as well as their required down payments.

I recently ran across this article from Peter Miller at The Mortgage Reports – and it’s a great read for those looking to tap into home equity to purchase another home.

I’d invite you to read the full article here – and I’ll mention a few key highlights:

How much equity do you have?

At first, it may seem that the equity issue is simple. You bought a house for $150,000 and it’s now worth $275,000.

You’ve paid down principal, too, so your current equity is $190,000.

Can you really get a check for almost $190,000 from lenders?

Lenders generally will allow cash-out refinancing equal to 80 percent of your equity. They will see a property value of $275,000 and subtract 20 percent ($55,000). That will leave around $220,000. This money will be used to first repay the existing loan of $85,000. The balance – $135,000 – represents the cash available to the borrower.

With some program, you might do better. The VA cash out mortgage allows qualified borrowers to refinance up to 100 percent of their equity while the FHA cash out loan will go to 85 percent. However, these programs come with various charges and insurance costs that many borrowers with equity will want to avoid.

Cash-out refinance to buy another home

With cash-out refinancing, you can use the equity in your home for many things — but not for all things. For instance, you can use the money to pay for college tuition, to purchase a business, or buy another property.

Buying a second home or investment property

In terms of real estate, you can use real estate equity to immediately buy a second home or to purchase an investment property.

As soon as you close the cash-out refi, you can use those funds as a down payment on another home — or to buy the house outright — if you plan to keep the current home as your primary residence.

How to Go About a Refinance

Reach out to your lender to begin the application process. He or she should be able to coach you through the process – and identify the key pieces that will help you make an informed decision.

I’ve helped numerous investors with this process, and I’d be glad to see if this option might work for you, as well! Give me a call for more….

It’s Time To Seriously Consider a Refinance

April 8, 2019 / Tom Bonetto

Tapping into home equity by refinancing is more of a possibility today and becoming very popular for many borrowers.

As interest rates have moved lower in the last 3 weeks and housing values across the country continue to steadily increase, homeowners now have access to a much larger source of equity and possibly better payment terms!

With current mortgage rates low and home equity on the rise, many think it’s a perfect time to refinance your mortgage to save not only on your overall monthly payments, but your overall interest costs as well.

It’s really about managing the overall assets that you have in order to maximize the returns. Make sure you are working with the right mortgage lender to help in figuring out which product is best.

What is a Cash-Out Refinance?

A mortgage refinance happens when the homeowner gets a new loan to replace the current mortgage. A cash-out refinance happens when the borrower refinances for more than the amount owed on their existing home loan. The borrower takes the difference in cash.

Rates Are Down and Home Equity is Up

Since rising home values are returning lost equity to many homeowners, refinancing can make a good deal of sense with even a small difference in your interest rate. Homeowners now have options to do many things with the difference.

More home equity also means you won’t need to bring cash to the table to refinance. Furthermore, interest rates can be slightly lower when your loan-to-value ratio drops below 80 percent.

Here’s what many of my customers are doing with that equity:

Consolidate higher interest debt
Eliminate mortgage insurance
Purchase a 2^nd Home or Investment Property (or a combination of both)
Home Improvement – upgrades to kitchen, roof, or pool

Benefits of Cash-out Refinances

Free Up Cash – A cash-out refinance is a way to access money you already have in your home to pay off big bills such as college tuition, medical expenses, new business funding or home improvements. It often comes at a more attractive interest rate than those on unsecured personal loans, student loans or credit cards.

Improve your debt profile – Using a refinance to reduce or consolidate credit card debt is also a great reason for a cash-out refinance. We can look at the weighted average interest rate on a borrower’s credit cards and other liabilities to determine whether moving the debt to a mortgage will get them a lower rate. Some borrowers are saving thousands per month by consolidating their debt through their mortgage.

More stable rate – Many borrowers choose to do a cash-out refinance for home improvement projects because they want a steady interest rate instead of an adjustable rate that comes with home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs.

2^nd Home or Investment Property – many borrowers are utilizing the value of the cash in their home to purchase rental properties that cash flow better then the monthly payments of the new loan.

Tax deductions – Unlike credit card interest, mortgage interest payments are tax deductible. That means a cash-out refinance could reduce your taxable income and land you a bigger tax refund.

Reasons NOT to Refinance

Terms and costs – While you may get a lower interest rate than your current mortgage, your cash-out refinance rate will be higher than a regular rate-and-term refinance at market rate. Even if your credit score is 800, you will pay a little bit more, usually an eighth of a percentage point higher, than a purchase mortgage. Generally, closing costs are added to the balance of the new loan, as well.

Paperwork headache – Borrowers need to gather many of the same documents they did when they first got their home loan. Lenders will generally require the past 2 years of tax returns, past 2 years of W-2 forms, 30 days’ worth of pay stubs, and possibly more, depending on your situation.

Enabling bad habits – If you’re doing a cash-out refinance to pay off credit card debt, you’re freeing up your credit limit. Avoid falling back into bad habits and running up your cards again.

The Bottom Line

A cash-out refinance can make sense if you can get a good interest rate on the new loan and have a good use for the money.

Using the money to purchase a rental property, fund a home renovation or consolidate debt can rebuild the equity you’re taking out or help you get in a better financial position.

With that said, seeking a refinance to fund vacations or a new car might not be that great of an idea, because you’ll have little to no return on your money.

It would be my pleasure to see if this type of plan might be a good one for you.

Debt Consolidation Refinance – Estimate Your Monthly Savings

December 1, 2018 / Tom Bonetto

Featured Image: Jake Rustenhoven (gotcredit.com), Flickr

Tapping into home equity with a mortgage refinance is becoming very popular for many borrowers.

Many borrowers can now save hundreds, possibly thousands on their overall monthly payments by consolidating debt inside of a new mortgage.

As housing values across the country have appreciated nearly 35% over the last 5 years, homeowners now have access to a much larger source of equity.

With current mortgage rates still historically low and home equity on the rise, it’s a perfect time to refinance your mortgage to save not only on your overall monthly payments, but your overall interest costs as well – and take best advantage of today’s tax implications.

Improve Your Debt Profile

Using a refinance to reduce or consolidate other debt like credit cards, student loans, home-equity lines, and car payments is a great reason for a cash-out refinance.

We can look at the weighted average interest rate on a borrower’s credit cards and other liabilities to determine whether moving the debt to a mortgage will get them a lower rate. Some borrowers are saving thousands per month by consolidating their debt through their mortgage.

An Example

Let’s assume that you purchased your home 6 years ago (or longer) for $270,000 and you currently have a little less than $200,000 remaining on your existing mortgage.

Well, that home today may well be worth in excess of $350,000!

Even if you’ve refinanced since and have an interest rate in the 4% range, if you have any other sources of debt, a refinance will most likely result in a large monthly savings.

Debt List

Let’s assume you have a debt list that looks something like this – or a combination of similar liabilities:

A few credit cards, a car payment, and a student loan (or even a home-equity line of credit) can easily total nearly $50,000 overall and over $1,000 per month. Many of the customers that work with me are in situations very similar to the one listed above.

New Payment and Monthly Savings

So, when you combine all of your liabilities into the mortgage, here’s what your new overall payment looks like:

Note that the monthly savings is nearly $900 per month!!

New Loan

Here’s what a new refinanced loan might look like:

Your loan amount has increased by about $50,000 – and your mortgage interest rate has also increase by over 1.25%. However, your OVERALL interest rate of all debt will most likely be similar to where you are today (assuming credit card debt is more like 15% or more). Also, you will only have one payment to manage – versus balancing multiple payments.

Better Options

Now, let’s do a little more math…

Let’s say you take that $900 in savings every month and apply it to the new mortgage:

That’s right – you would save $55,000 over the life of the loan and reduce your number of payments by 213! You would be turning your 30-year mortgage into a 12.25 year version.

The numbers are staggering. One other thing to do would be to check with your CPA or financial advisor, as the interest on the new loan would most likely be tax deductible, whereas any home equity lines and credit card interest are generally not tax deductible.

Please do reach out to me right away and we can take a look at your current scenario to see if a refinance might be a good option for you, as it would be my privilege to help!