Mortgage Guidelines Category
Fannie Mae’s Loan Quality Initiative : Repulling Your Credit Just Before Closing
June 8th, 2010 categories: Adjustable Rate Mortgages, Buyers, Existing Home Sales, FHA Mortgages, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Rates
A new loan quality initiative from Fannie Mae is making it harder for Farragut home buyers and refinancing homeowners everywhere to close on a mortgage.
Beginning June 1, 2010, with all new applications, Fannie Mae wants lenders to verify that borrowers have not taken on new debt during the underwriting phase of the mortgage.
If new debts are found, the mortgage is subject to a re-underwrite and a possible turndown.
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Home Price Index Rises 0.3% in March 2010
May 26th, 2010 categories: Home Price Index, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Rates, Sellers, West Knoxville Neighborhoods
Are Prices Moving Up In Knoxville?
Home values rose in March, according to the Federal Home Finance Agency’s most recent Home Price Index. Values were reported higher by 0.3 percent, on average, from February.
We use the phrase “on average” because the Home Price Index is broad-reaching, national housing statistic. It ignores the dynamics of neighborhood real estate markets like Montgomery Cove as well as citywide markets like Farragut , too.
Instead, the Home Price Index focuses on state and regional statistics.
For example, in March 2010 as compared to February:
- Values in the East South Central region rose 2.5%
- Values in the Mountain states rose 1.1%
- Values in the Middle Atlantic states fell 1.0%
Of course, none of this data is especially helpful for today’s home buyers and sellers.
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Your Mortgage Approval Isn’t Final Until It’s Funded…
May 14th, 2010 categories: Adjustable Rate Mortgages, Existing Home Sales, FHA Mortgages, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Rates, Pending Home Sales
Every Been To A Dry Closing??
That is where the loan doesn’t get funded at the time of the closing. We are seeing it more and more here in Knoxville at closing.
A mortgage approval is never final until it’s funded.
A host of things can “go wrong” while your home loan is underway. Some are in your control, many more are not. And just being aware of some potential pitfalls could help save your loan down the road, and your peace of mind today.
MSN Money ran a summary piece on the topic titled “10 Things That Can Kill A Home Loan“.
It’s an excellent article because, unlike most “get approved” articles that advise against things like buying a car before closing, or opening a bunch of new credit cards, the MSN Money piece addresses more uncommon factors that can lead to a similar loan turndown.
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Are You A Knoxville Home Owner With Mortgage Troubles??
April 30th, 2010 categories: Buyers, Foreclosures, Knoxville Short Sales, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Sellers
So what do I do sell my Knoxville home on a short sale, loan modification….which is best
So your a Knoxville home owner..You are having a tough time making the mortgage payments on your Knoxville home.. You are not alone… So what do you do?? You have heard about all the solutions out there for you, researched them on the internet. Should I sell my Knoxville home using a short sale because I owe more on it than it is worth? How about a loan modification how does that work.. Will my lender even work with me if I choose to sell my using a short sale? How about a deed-in-lieu instead of my home being foreclosed on by my lender..How does that work?? What if I have 2 mortgages on my home??
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HAFA.. Will It Help Knoxville Home Owners Facing Foreclosure??
April 28th, 2010 categories: HARP, Knoxville Short Sales, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Sellers
If You Are A Knoxville Homeowner Facing Foreclosure…HAFA May Help You.
HAFA was introduced to simplify and streamline the short sale process. HAFA accomplishes this in the following ways:
- Compliments HAMP by providing viable alternatives for borrowers who are HAMP-eligible
- Uses standard processes, documents and timeframes
- Provides financial incentives to borrowers, servicers and investors
- Requires that borrowers be fully released from future liability for the debt
- Utilizes borrower financial and hardship information collected in conjunction with HAMP, eliminating the need for additional eligibility analysis
- Allows the borrower to receive pre-approved short sale terms prior to the property listing
- Prohibits the servicer from requiring, as a condition of approving the short sale, a reduction in the real estate commission agreed upon in the listing agreement1
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What in The Heck Is HAFA
April 28th, 2010 categories: Knoxville Short Sales, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Sellers
What is HAFA?
The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives
(HAFA) Program is a government-sponsored initiative overseen by the US Treasury Department and administered by Fannie Mae assisting all Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)-eligible homeowners in avoiding foreclosure, specifically through Knoxville short sales or Knoxville deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.1 HAFA was announced on November 30, 2009 in a HAMP Update titled Introducing the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program
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Just What Is The Federal Reserve Doing?? Here Is A Simple Explanation After Their Meeting (April 28,2010 Edition)
April 27th, 2010 categories: FOMC, FOMC Minutes, Housing Starts, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines
Today, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within in its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.
In its press release, the FOMC noted that, since March, the U.S. economy “has continued to strengthen” and that the jobs markets “is beginning to improve”. This is a step up from the last meeting after which the Fed said jobs were “stabilizing”.
It also reiterated that business spending “has risen significantly”.
Today’s statement marks the 7th straight press release in which the Fed shows optimism for the U.S. economy. Furthermore, the Fed has now closed all but one of the programs it created to support markets during last year’s financial crisis.
Threats remain to growth, however. The Fed fingered a few:
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Knoxville Home Buyers It’s Time To Re-Approve Your Pre-Approval
April 12th, 2010 categories: Buyers, Existing Home Sales, FHA Mortgages, Homebuyer Tax Credit, Household Finances, Market Trends, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Rates
As the federal home buyer tax credit nears its April 30 end-date, there’s a lot of would-be home buyers in Knoxville still working to get under contract.
A piece of advice for all of them : If your pre-qualification and/or pre-approval letter is more than 8 weeks old, it would be prudent to have your lender “re-pre-approve” you. Mortgage guidelines have been in flux and your original lender letter may now be invalid.
For example, over the past half-dozen months, the majority of mortgage lenders have reduced their risk tolerance with respect to:
- Maximum debt-to-income ratios
- Minimum allowable credit scores
- Calculation of “assets in reserve”
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