Bill McCord's Blog

FANNIE MAE’s GOOD DEED DEAL

FANNIE  MAE owns a good percentage of all Foreclosed homes (R.E.O’s) in todays market, and for many reasons they are more agressive in trying to get them sold.

HOMEPATH is the fantastic program they have developed to make this happen.

HOMEPATH MORTGAGE allows ANY Buyer (not just 1st timers) to buy a Fannie Mae owned house with:

0 LOW DOWN PAYMENT. 3% which can be from Savings, Gift, Grant (see CHP at http://mccordrealtyservices.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=542 ) or virtually any other source.

0 NO LENDER REQUESTED APPRAISAL.

0 NO MORTGAGE INSURANCE (P.M.I.).

0 EXPANDED SELLER CREDITS FOR Closing Costs.

0 FLEXIBLE TERMS i.e. 30 yr fixed, 3,5,7, Year Adjustables etc

o O.K. FOR PERSONAL OR INVESTMENT properties.

0 VERY FLEXIBLE CONDO REQUIREMENT (more so than FHA).

IN ADDITION

There is the HOMEPATH RENOVATION MORTGAGE which is designed for properties needing moderate renovation work. As well as all the benefits of the regular HOMEPATH  progran this provides up to $35,000 cash for Repairs and Remodelling.

This amount is added to the regular mortgage based on the value of the property once the work is completed.

Any active Buyer should be sure to check any available houses covered by the HOMEPATH Programs.

For more information contact me at bmccord@rwnetwork.com or scroll down the the next item here.

The Best Home Loan News of The Year.

How about a mortgage loan program that GIVES you up front 3% of the price of the home you want to buy, and that:

0 Never has to be paid back.

0 Is NOT limited to 1^st time buyers.

0 Works with FHA and V/A loans.

0 Down to 620 credit scores.

Here’s a simple example:

Tom and Jenny earn $6,300 per month between them, and over the past year have saved $5,000 toward the down payment on a house they love priced at $300,000. Therefore the lowest possible down payment allowed is 3.5% of that price i.e. $10,500

Add in reasonable closing costs of 1.5% ($4,500) and they are about 2 years away from being able to buy.

Using the CHF program they will receive a grant for $9,000, add in their current cash of $5,000 and they are Ready to Buy right NOW.

I think this would qualify as good news for Tom and Jenny, and  many other wanna-be homeowners in similar situations.

If you would like more information contact me at bmccord@rwnetwork.com or http://www.nhfloan.org/programs/CHF_Platinum/Guide_CHF_Platinum.html 

Did you hear about the Seller who posted weekly progress reports on her Facebook Wall, including the fact that she would be willing to go as low as $450,000 for a strong buyer. Property had been listed at $510,000 for 9 weeks with no offers. Next day she got an offer of $425,000 from a cash buyer. Could have been co-incidence I suppose!

If selling your house through a REALTOR you will probably have been told never to get into conversation with buyers or Agents viewing your home, and refer ALL questions to your Realtor.  

If you are typical you will ignore this advice the 1st time someone asks a simple question such as “where are you moving to”. Where’s the harm in telling this friendly guy you just got notice that your 5 year adjustable mortgage is going up to 6.75%,  and since you got laid off 9 months ago and your unemployment benefits are coming to an end  you won’t be able to pay that for much longer. In other words you’re pretty desperate and it’s only going to get worse.

Is it likely that this friendly fellow is going to feel sorry for you and offer you his top price? Or is it more likely he smells blood in the water and is going to give you a low ball take it or leave it bid? 

And just what benefit did you get from the conversation that made it worth ignoring the good advice you Realtor had given you?

Neither a potential buyer or buyers agent can tell you anything your advantage, but by talking to them you can give a considerable amount of useful information away.

AND:

Allways remember that Social Media web sites are not designed to keep your conversations and opinions private. Quite the opposite.

Potential home buyers, or anyone thinking of refinancing are finding that their credit scores are vastly more important now than in the boom years. However, they seldom know the effect of even one “minor”  bad credit event.

For example:

Tom has a barely o.k. 68O FICO score but makes a 30 day late mortgage payment. It will take 9 months for his score to get back to that level assuming no more late payments.

Dick has an good 720 Fico and makes a 30 day late payment. It will take 2 ½ years to get back.

Harry has a very good 780 FICO but after a 30 day late pay it will take 3 years for him to get back to that level.

The financial costs of  lower credit range from being unable to get any loan, to paying a higher interest rate and higher fees for anything below 720, finding it virtually impossible to get any loan below 640.

The moral is of course to pay your bills on time at all times.

NOTE: Getting and maintaining good credit is a greatly misunderstood process with mountains of free but inaccurate advice. I can strongly recommend Ken Strey kstrey@creditlinei2.org for pretty much anything related to your credit.

The real estate crisis has gutted house prices, tipped millions into foreclosure, and rattled the global economy to its core. But for many would-be home buyers, the historic boom and bust have been a blessing in disguise. During the first half of the previous decade, easy credit and speculative excitement worked to make houses increasingly expensive. By the fourth quarter of 2005, median home prices had reached 2.77 times median household incomes. That is sharply higher than the 1.92 average of the 15 years ending in 2003 and too expensive for many families. But the subsequent crash in home prices–values have fallen roughly 30 percent at the national level from their 2006 peaks–has helped restore affordability to this once inflated market. By the third quarter of 2009, the price-to-income ratio–a key measure of housing affordability–had fallen below its 15-year average, to 1.84 for the nation as a whole.

Beginning Jan 2010 Silicon Valley Counties (North Santa Clara and Southern Alameda) sales prices have stabilized and some areas are now seeing small increases.

Apart from this being a normal process indicating the last stages of any financial cycle, it has been significantly driven by 5 major sources:

1. 1^st Time Buyer Tax Credits which ended mid 2010.
2. Extension of FHA and V/A maximum loan limits for High Priced Zip codes.
3. Historically low interest rates.
4. Huge increases in the number of 1^st Time Buyer programs from Federal, State, County, City, and Employment specific sources. These continue to increase and improve.
5. Major reductions in Bank Owned (REO), and Short Sale properties coming to market as Banks have beefed up programs designed to keep people in their homes where possible. This has allowed more normal conditions to have control of sales prices.

NOTE: I’m only describing my local Market here in Silicon Valley. I know conditions in other areas have been, and continue to be hit worse than us.  

Here’s a question from a client who has just had an offer accepted on a bank owned (REO)  property.

Question.

Hi Bill, I was talking to a friend about REO and wanted to get your expertise on the matter.  She mentioned recently there were news about how bank were approving foreclosure while owners were doing a refi and other things, so at the end of the day even the bank didn’t own title to the property.  The loan is sold off to multiple lenders and Title is unclear.  Have you heard about it?

My Answer.

Hi Lisa,   As with many things described as “News” in ourMass Media this is just another Urban Legend. In this case one that shows absolutely no knowledge of reality. What it is talking about is a mixture of different situations based on rumours and hearsay, in all cases relating to either Short Sales, or loan modifications, usually from the 29 States where “mortgage” law is different than in California.

It has nothing to do with REO properties which by definition are fully owned by a Bank. There is no other “Owner”. Title is in the name of the Bank and will be delivered by them to the new owner as in any other purchase. An owners Title Insurance  policy will, as always, be paid for by the current owner (the Bank) and given to the new owner through Escrow. There is nothing different today than when you bought your house.

New questions are allways welcome at bmccord@rwnetwork.com

From: Lisa Ly

Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2010 8:11 AM

To: bmccord@rwnetwork.com

Subject: REO Question

The following is a result of a recent inquiry from a subscriber to the Trulia Voices website. He wanted my opinion on a purchase he was considering. He had picked up a lot of useful information but did not have the experience of the actual steps involved which allows an expert to place multiple bits of knowledge into a clear context, and then into a plan.

                                                             ____________ — _______________

Hello James,

        You are obviously doing a lot of homework yourself, as I would prior to deciding on alternate strategies for a medical problem. However, in both cases accurate information is required in order to make the optimal decision.

I believe you have reached the point of needing accurate current data, placed in its correct context, in order to decide how to proceed.

For example, let’s look at the scenario you described in your question.

Purchase price – $360,000

Loan $288,000 – o.k.

20% down – o.k. but maybe not the best choice, as you are already aware.

6.00% interest – Wrong. Worst case is 5%. (A $200 per month difference in payment)

Property Taxes about $300 per month – Wrong. On $375,000 will be $390:63 per month. A $90:63 difference.

Hazard Insurance $100/m – Wrong. $60 per month is a good estimate. A $40 per month difference.

Just these few differences would allow you to buy up to $400,000 for the same monthly cost. This takes you into the Piedmont High School district with its much superior education system.

You’ve taken the time to build your knowledge and vocabulary well. Now you need real facts and numbers in order to become an educated buyer in a market place where getting it wrong can be very expensive.

I’m not going to base important decisions about my health on “free” research and advice from the Web. I want the alternatives to be explained by a professional, and specifically as they apply to me, not some mythical Mr. Average.

I suggest you take a similar approach and hire a Realtor who will explain the options available to you, and help you understand the pro’s and con’s of each one.

Sorry if this seems “preachy” but I feel very strongly about the mass of incorrect and misleading advice and information being spread throughout Radio, T/V, “News”papers, Magazines, and the Internet. These sources are not interested in supplying information relevant to you and your situation. Their sole motivation is to sell advertising.

Why not hire your own professional who can advise and inform you based on your unique circumstances, at this specific time, and with regard to your medium and loan term plans.

A recent change to your Mortgage qualifying process has been adopted by all Lenders. Banks now run a NEW Credit Report on the Day your loan is due to fund i.e. ONE DAY BEFORE CLOSING. If you have taken on any new debt since applying you might no longer qualify for your loan and be unable to close the deal. If you have removed your loan contingency this could put your deposit at risk.

This applies to both Purchase and Refinance Loans.

If you have applied for any NEW Credit since you were preapproved the loan underwriter will be required to call the new trade line and get proof that no new credit was extended.

If new credit was extended, they will recalculate the debt to income ratios and the application will need to be re-underwritten. Even if you still qualify THIS WILL CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT DELAY TO CLOSING.

This delay could potentially ruin the whole deal.

I personally have had 3 of these situations happen. Fortunately none of them caused major problems but in all cases caused between 7 and 10 days delay in closing.

 If you have made any new credit application since being qualified,

tell your Real Estate Agent, and Loan Agent right away and deal with it before it becomes time critical.

If you truly want to understand how our economy got into it’s current mess, who’s responsible, and where they are now this is a must movie.

It does a great job of pulling together the threads and showing the whole cloth.

Low Credit Scores accounted for one third of all of mortgage loan applications made across the country during September being turned down.

Borrowers with credit scores under 620 were refused even when they had down payments up to 25%. According to myFICO.com this minimum requirement eliminates 29.3% of the population who might wish to get a mortgage.

Note: While FHA will insure loans to otherwise well qualified borrowers with lower scores, the Banks will not make such loans.

Meanwhile, the lowest interest rates went to mortgage borrowers who were among the 47 percent of Americans with excellent credit scores of 720 or above.

In the first half of September, borrowers with credit scores of 720 or above got an average low annual percentage rate (APR) of 4.3 percent for conventional 30-year fixed mortgages. Borrowers with mid-range credit scores between 620 and 719 received APRs between 4.44 and 4.73 percent, with the APR rising as credit score drops. Those with credit scores below 620 received too few loan quotes to calculate average low APR.

The message is very clear. A poor credit score is expensive even if you can get a Mortgage.