Archive for November, 2009

FHA Streamline Refinance Loan – How to Get One?

November 30th, 2009



A FHA Streamline Refinance Loan could be your answer to your problems if you are behind in your mortgage payments or other bills such as credit cards or car payments. You don’t want to lose your home to foreclosure so you need to know your options for refinancing your mortgage loan.

A helpful challenge is one that results in peace of mind. Such a challenge may present it when it looks like a home mortgage is getting foreclosed. An opportunity to resolve this, avoiding foreclosure is a FHA Streamline Refinance Loan.

If the rate of interest was too high on the original loan it may be possible to get a lower rate. Sometimes, if there are several unpaid bills there may be a way to pull those bills into the loan. This way the bills will be paid at the mortgage closing.

What should you do to get a FHA Streamline Refinance Loan?

As simple as this sounds there is going to be some healthy leg work. All debts owed will need to be gathered. There should be no inquiries for a credit report. Too many of these could affect the outcome of the credit report. Do not apply for additional credit as such activity on a credit report may work against the borrower.

A FHA Streamline Refinance Loan Specialist will guide borrowers through this process. Sprucing up of the home and grounds may be in order. Internally, the home should look pristine. This is to prepare for the appraisal.

When an appraisal is conducted the appraiser will value what the home is worth. Pictures will be taken of the home and yard. It will similar to preparing for a real estate sale.

Why go through this trouble? Property that has a beautiful appearance may go for a higher appraisal rate. The better the valued assigned to the home, the better is the chance for a mortgage lender to approve a FHA Streamline Refinance Loan. The home is then ready for the photo shoot and other appraiser duties. The value of the home will be determined. Sometimes, a survey may need to be completed. The mortgage specialist will inform the owners, if this is the case.

Fast forward to the point when the loan is approved.

A FHA Streamline Refinance Loan Specialist will arrange for the closing of the loan. An attorney or the title company will draw up papers and go over all of them with the home owners and specialist. Up to this point the contact may have been mostly by telephone and email.

Since these loans are accessible online it is possible to conduct services via this route. This does not take away from the quality of the work. In fact, time is saved that would otherwise interfere with day to day duties such as work and family.

Keeping a home safe from foreclosure saves a family from heartbreak and solves problems proactively. Many families go this route and it is worth it to them.

Refinancing your home mortgage loan can help you to save your home from foreclosure and pay other overdue bills, now is the time to start researching for more information on FHA Streamline Refinance Loan.

By: Al Hardy

New Loan Limits Set For FHA Mortgages and FHA Refinance Loans

November 28th, 2009



On Monday HUD announced its new, permanent maximum loan limits for FHA Mortgages and FHA Refinance Loans that will become effective on Janurary 1st, 2009. These new maximum loan limits have been set as part of The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and will be permanent limits.

Under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), which passed in July 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) was established and directed to set conforming loan limits each year. The rules governing how the loan limits are established differ from the rules set forth in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (ESA), which applies to loans originated in 2008. For example, under ESA, loan limits for high-cost areas were set at 125 percent of local house price medians and the maximum high-cost limit was 175 percent of the national conforming limit ($729,750 in the continental U.S.).

Starting January 1st, the national loan limit for one-unit homes in the lower 48 states shall be pegged to a house price index chosen by the FHFA. The national loan limit for 2009 will remain at $417,000. In future years, the mortgage limit for any given area shall be set at 115 percent of the median house price in that area, as determined by HUD, except that the FHA mortgage limit in any given area cannot exceed 150 percent of the Freddie Mac national loan limit, nor be lower than 65 percent of the Freddie Mac national loan limit.

This essentially creates the “Floor” and the “Ceiling” for the maximum FHA loan amount for a given area with the lowest maximum FHA loan amount being $271,050 in any area and the highest FHA loan amount being 625,500. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the USVI may be adjusted to 150% of these limits to account for higher costs.

The new FHA Mortgage limits for 2009 are detailed below:

In areas where 115 percent of the median house price is less than 65 percent of the Freddie Mac limit, the FHA limits are set at the 65 percent amount, i.e., the “Floor,” as follows:

One-Unit $271,050

Two-Unit $347,000

Three-Unit $419,400

Four-Unit $521,250

Any area where the limits exceed the floor is known as a high cost area. In areas where 115 percent of the median house price exceeds the 150 percent figure, the mortgage limits are set at the 150 percent amount, i.e., the “Ceiling,” as follows:

One-Unit $625,500

Two-Unit $800,775

Three-Unit $967,950

Four-Unit $1,202,925

For all other areas, i.e., those where 115 percent of the median home price for the area is in between the floor and the ceiling, the limit shall be at 115 percent of the median home price.

These new FHA mortgage limits could mean that the time might be right for you to consider an FHA refinance loan or an FHA mortgage for your new home purchase. If you would like more information on FHA mortgage loans or an FHA refinance loan, please visit fha-101.com.

By: Spencer Llewellyn


Some Refinance Loan Tips to Get Better Rates

November 27th, 2009



There are a few refinance loan tips you can take advantage of as well if you want to get the best rates for your mortgage.

- Check your credit rating. Make sure it’s accurate. You can do this by requesting for a copy of your rating report way before you apply for refinancing. This way, you can still drastically improve your rating if they find that you are a consistent payor.

- There is no need to pay for appraisal costs if you have an untarnished credit record. If your lender insists on asking you to pay for an appraisal then you might want to look for another broker or lender.

- As a rule of thumb, the purpose of your equity loan should be able to outlast the payment term. This rule is subject to interpretation, and it’s really up to you, the debtor, to decide if the equity’s worth buying a certain object for. Ask yourself – is it worth paying for that Mercedes Benz convertible for the next 20 years?

- Don’t always trust refinancing loans that boast of ‘no refinancing costs’. Many refinance loan tips always suggest that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and even if the broker or the creditor say they’ll take care of all the closing costs, the fees they would have charged you upfront now are in the guise of high monthly payments.

- Make sure that the refinancing scheme you’re availing of does not come with prepayment penalties. These are fees for the borrower if he decides to get out of the original mortgage. If you’re assigning your broker to take care of prepayment matters for you, well and good, but some lenders may make the tempting offer of giving lower interest rates as a tradeoff for prepayment penalties. When this happens to you, weigh your options carefully so you can come up with the best plan.

- Try to have several fees waived to cut down on costs. Legal, appraisal, and application fees can run up to a couple of thousand dollars and there are lenders and brokers who agree to having these waived for certain borrowers. However, you’re likely to pay a bigger amount overall because the brokers and the lenders have to recoup their investment.

- Preselect the right program by checking different plans online. Try the online calculators available on several websites so you’ll know the most practical solution for your refinancing.

- One of the most valuable Mortgage refinance tips an advisor can give you is that you can add the closing costs and the points to your refinanced loan. This is recommended for people who have been on mortgage for more than 3 years, because by this time, they would have already subtracted a couple of thousand dollars or more from their loan balance.

You can find many several refinance loan tips from the Internet and from the people around you. Just make sure that you talk to several agents or brokers prior to starting your refinance plan. When they realize that you are well-informed on the subject matter, it’s more probable that they would give reasonably fair rates to you.

By: Bob Cohen