Category: Mortgage News

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Can I Buy or Sell a House During the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Coronavirus

As spring homebuying season approached this year, Mike and Tammy York of Lompoc, California, listed their house for sale and started looking for a home to buy in Bakersfield, California, where they want to retire.

But then the coronavirus outbreak called everything into question. When the governor of California issued a statewide stay-at-home order March 19, the York’s wondered if they were stuck.

“We thought, ‘Now what are we going to do?'” Mike York says.

Welcome to today’s real estate market, where many ask if it’s still possible to buy or sell. As the Yorks have found, the answer is yes, though the process includes some new challenges.

“There are people out there buying and selling real estate,” says Jeanne Radsick, president of the California Association of Realtors and a real estate agent with Century 21 Jordan-Link & Co. in Bakersfield. “But it’s not just business-as-usual.”

Government social distancing regulations vary by state, county and city. Some states never instituted stay-at-home orders. Others plan to reopen soon, and still others have not set a date to end strict shelter-in-place requirements. Rules about whether real estate is an essential service during a stay-at-home order also vary.

If, like the York’s, you want to sell or buy a home despite the pandemic, here are some of the things you may encounter.

About the author: Barbara Marquand writes about homeownership and mortgages, and is NerdWallet’s authority on insurance.

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My Home Appraisal Came in Low

Appraisal Came in Low

Your appraisal came in lower than your accepted offer price. The first thing your agent should do is review the appraiser’s report for errors.  Appraisal challenges are not easy but what if your challenge fails?  There are essentially four options.

  • Ask for a new appraisal. You can ask the lender to order an appraisal from a different company. This could certainly be met with resistance and the lender could flat out just say no.
  • While not the best option for the seller, the price could be reduced to the appraised value and the sale could move forward.
  • The buyer could increase the amount of money they put down. If the seller is digging in their heals and won’t budge the buyer could increase their down payment to make up the difference in the appraised value.
  • The fourth option is actually a combination of the last two options. This is an option that I have personally seen work on a few occasions. Like anything else in life the buyer and seller compromise with the seller reducing the price and the buyer coming up with an additional amount of funds. In this scenario both parties contribute and the sale goes on as planned!”

Remember appraisal’s are not the ultimate judgment of a home’s value. A home’s true value is what a “qualified” buyer will pay for it.

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Could refinancing save you money?

Refinance Your Home

If you’re a homeowner, you might think that all the recent talk of low mortgage rates doesn’t affect you. But that isn’t true — they may be your key to savings.

Even if you had a sizable down payment or received a competitive interest rate at the time, refinancing your home now could mean saving thousands over the life of your loan. Ask yourself these four questions before making up your mind:

  1. Have your finances improved? If you have a better financial profile now than when you bought your home, you may be able to make a larger monthly payment with a lower interest rate, speeding up your mortgage repayment. If your credit score has improved or you have a higher income, this applies to you.

  2. How much have interest rates dropped? Mortgage rates fluctuate with changes in the economy. You may be able to obtain a more cost-effective mortgage today than when you first purchased the property, even if rates have only dropped by a percentage point.

  3. How much will refinancing cost? The process will likely cost you a percentage of the amount you borrow. Remember the application and appraisal fees when you bought your home? They apply here too. Another thing to consider: If your home interest payment is a tax deduction, a decrease in your interest amount could lower that deduction.

  4. How much longer will you be in the home? If you’re not planning to stay in your current home very long, and therefore won’t need to pay off the mortgage, refinancing shouldn’t be your top priority. Spending the time and money on that process won’t pay off like it would if you stay in your home for another 10 years or more.

Are you ready to refinance? Do you have specific questions about your situation? Reach out today. Norm Hansen | nhansen@rpm-mtg.com | Cell: 775.720.2826

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3 Year-End Steps For Every Renter

Along with year-end parties, comes New Year goal setting, right? It’s time to look forward and envision where you see yourself this time next year. Is owning a home on your list of goals?

Before you stumble upon that dream home while out looking at holiday lights, take these three simple year-end steps that will jump start your journey to homeownership. You’ll be well on your way to a new home before that New Year’s Eve countdown begins. 

1. Simple budget review

How much are you currently spending each month on rent and other housing related expenses, like utilities? What is that amount annually? Do you anticipate any rent increases?

Take a look at your other expenses too. You want to have a solid understanding of your monthly income and expenses so you know what you can handle for a mortgage payment. This exercise will keep you from jumping into a mortgage payment that stretches you and your family too far.

And, with homeownership comes home maintenance so it’s important to have a cushion for those necessary (and sometimes fun!) projects.

2. Interview lenders

Mortgages are never one size fits all. You want to work with a lender who can listen to your goals and budget to find the best fit for you. Make a plan to talk to at least three lenders before year end. Learn about their low down payment options, fees and the monthly and lifetime cost of your mortgage.

Check out our five essential lender interview questions for a guide on what to ask prospective mortgage lenders.

3. Search for down payment programs

Do you know about homebuyer programs that can help you save on your down payment and closing costs? Down payment programs can give you a major homeownership boost in the form of grants, forgivable loans and tax credits. But, they also require approvals and paperwork so you want to get your options on the table soon.

Investigate what’s available in the area you plan to buy. Use our program finder to answer a few question about your household to narrow down your options. Review your results with your agent and lender.

Good luck and happy holidays!

Story Provided by Down Payment® Resource

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Fannie, Freddie New Mortgage Application Form

freddie mac logo

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac released a redesigned mortgage application form in October. The Uniform Residential Loan Application is a standardized form used by borrowers when applying for a mortgage. This is the first time in 20 years there has been a change to the standard mortgage application form.

Presently, no specific date for the mandatory use of the new URLA has been set. But the GSEs will publish an interactive fillable PDF version of the new URLA in early 2020.

The new form explicitly references real estate sales contracts and requires the borrower to submit to the lender before closing any changes or new information including “providing any updated/supplemental real estate sales contract.” Additionally, the new form demands the borrower state that the terms and conditions of any real estate sales contract are true the best of their knowledge and that, “I have not entered into any other agreement, written or oral, in connection with this real estate transaction.” 

The new form also requires a more explicit statement as to the borrower’s intended occupancy. For single family property the borrower will indicate whether their intended occupancy is “Investment, Primary Residence, Second Home” or “Other.” 

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FHA Condo Buyers Get Relief Soon

HUD

In an effort to promote affordable and sustainable homeownership, especially among credit-worthy first-time buyers, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published a final rule which establishes a new condominium approval process. The polices become effective October 15, 2019. FHA’s new rule introduces a new single-unit approval process to make it easier for individual condominium units to be eligible for FHA-insured financing; extends the recertification requirement for approved condominium projects from two to three years; and allows more mixed-use projects to be eligible for FHA insurance. “Condominiums have increasingly become a source of affordable, sustainable homeownership for many families and it’s critical that FHA be there to help them,” said U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. The vast majority (84 percent) of FHA-insured condo buyers have never owned a home before. While there are more than 150,000 condominium projects in the U.S., only 6.5 percent are approved to participate in FHA’s programs. As a result of FHA’s new policy, it is estimated that 20,000 to 60,000 condominium units could become eligible for FHA-insured financing annually.Source: Forbes