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Cincinnati Home Loan

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3 Common Home Financing Problems And How To Avoid Them

July 17, 2013 by Jeff Cost Leave a Comment

3 Common Home Financing Problems And How To Avoid ThemGetting the best mortgage financing for your new home can sometimes be a complicated process and, unfortunately, things can go wrong. Using a licensed and trusted mortgage loan specialist can help alleviate many of these challenges.

There are certain mistakes that many homebuyers make when applying for their mortgages that can seriously damage their chances of being approved. If you are aware of the most common mortgage issues, you will be better able to prevent them when applying for your own mortgage.

Make sure that you keep the following tips in mind when applying for a mortgage:

Making Large Purchases Before Closing On The Mortgage

Many homebuyers think that they are in the clear once the mortgage deal is approved and they move forward on another large purchase such as a car or home furnishings. However, it is best to hold off on all major purchases until the mortgage is finalized, as additional debt will change your “debt-to-income ratio” which could mean that you no longer qualify for the loan.

Many lenders pull your credit information right before funding, so avoid any big-ticket items until you have signed on the dotted line.

Switching Jobs During The Mortgage Loan Process

When deciding whether or not to approve your loan, the lender will look at your salary and your job stability. If you make a career move during the process of applying for the loan, this could make your income seem unstable and could cause the bank to decline your loan.

Stay in your job through your home closing date to reassure the bank that you have a stable income; you can always switch careers later.

Having No Credit Card

You might think that the fact that you have gotten by without a credit card for this long would be a positive thing in the mind of lenders. However, having no credit history at all makes lenders nervous, as they don’t know how you will handle credit when you have it.

Instead, get a credit card that you repay in full every month, which will help to show them you can manage your credit responsibly.

These are just a few examples of major mistakes that home buyers make when applying for a mortgage. If you can avoid these issues, you will find it much easier to buy a Columbus home.

As always, call your trusted home mortgage financing professional today to discuss your personal situation and get the best advice on your upcoming home purchase!

Filed Under: Home Financing Tips Tagged With: Mortgage,Loan Approval,Financing Tips

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 15, 2013

July 15, 2013 by Jeff Cost Leave a Comment

What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates July 15 2013The Fed’s release of the minutes for the June FOMC meeting was the most noteworthy economic event last week; the minutes repeated the Fed’s recent statement concerning the wind-down of its current monetary easing policy.

The minutes indicated that about half of meeting participants wanted to end the quantitative easing (QE) policy by year end, while “many others” preferred to end the program in 2014.

This split suggests that days are numbered for the Fed’s monthly purchase of $85 billion in Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The minutes also revealed that the Fed would not be selling off MBS as QE is ended. This would likely prevent additional potential for mortgage rates to increase as demand for bonds would decline when the Fed stops its monthly purchases.

Mortgage Rates Typically Rise When Bond And MBS Prices Fall

U.S. financial markets showed little reaction to the Fed minutes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a quick gain of about 40 points that quickly retreated. The Wall Street Journal interprets the lackluster response to the Fed minutes as investors growing accustomed to the eventual end of the QE program; it’s also possible that the markets interpreted the FOMC minutes as “old news,” as the minutes contained information included in the Fed statement given after June’s FOMC meeting.

The FOMC minutes reported that details of tapering the QE program will be given by Chairman Ben Bernanke during his customary press conference after the Fed presents the FOMC meeting statement. The minutes also asserted that the Fed will closely monitor economic and financial developments as part of their decision-making for ending QE.

The minutes stated that the current Federal Funds rate of 0.00 to 0.25 percent will remain in place for some time after QE is ended.

Mortgage rates rose last week according to Freddie Mac. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage moved to 4.51 percent from last week’s 4.29 percent. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 3.53 percent from 3.39 percent. Discount points for both types of loans rose from 0.70 percent to 0.80 percent.

Rising mortgage rates suggest that borrowers may soon return to adjustable rate mortgages or hybrids such as the 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage, which was reported at an average rate of 3.26 percent with discount points of 0.70 percent.

What’s Coming Up

On Monday, retail sales for June will be released. This is an important indicator for the general economy. Tuesday’s news includes NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for July.

On Wednesday, Housing Starts for June will be released. Thursday’s news includes weekly Jobless Claims and Leading Economic Indicators. No economic news is scheduled for Friday.

Filed Under: Housing Analysis Tagged With: Housing Analysis,FOMC,Mortgage Rates

Can That Killer Home Theater Add Value To Your Home?

July 12, 2013 by Jeff Cost Leave a Comment

Can A Killer Home Theater Add Value To Your HomeMany home owners dream of having a home theater – an entire room of the home dedicated to enjoying television and film. These rooms are usually equipped with a large flat screen television or projector, comfortable seats, mood lighting and perhaps even a bar or a snack fridge.

They are very comfortable and the perfect place to relax after a hard day. They are also lots of fun for entertaining, as you will be able to watch the big game or the hottest new release with your friends in style.

However, will spending the money on renovating your home to create a theater room be a smart investment? Does this type of home improvement add a lot of value to the property, or will it turn off potential buyers?

Buyers Interested In Tech-Equipped Homes

These days luxury home buyers are becoming much more tech-savvy and they are demanding more networked or ‘smart’ homes than ever before. They are looking for a house which is outfitted with the latest in technology, so a modern home theater will be a desirable selling point. If you are targeting your home to this luxury market, the home theater could give you an edge over the competition.

It is difficult to determine the amount that the home value is affected when you add a high tech home theater, but most real estate professionals will agree that when there are many houses for sale at any given time, the one with an impressive home theater room will be more likely to sell first.

Don’t Take Over Valuable Home Space

The only situation in which the home theater could detract from the value of the home is if it overpowers a medium sized or smaller home that just barely had enough space in the first place. If your home cannot spare the extra room, taking up a lot of space with a home theater will mean fewer bedrooms or living spaces and a potential decrease in value.

However, you might be able to get around this problem with clever solutions that allow you to conceal the home theater unless it is being used. You could hide the large screen behind specially designed cabinets and set up the furniture so that the room can be a living space when not in use as a theater.

Remember that a home theater system is something that will generally only increase the value of your home for certain buyers, as opposed to something like a bathroom renovation or a garage which will be valuable to almost every buyer.

To find out more about upgrades that affect the value of your Columbus home, contact your trusted home financing professional today.

Filed Under: Around The Home Tagged With: Home Improvement,Home Theater,Home Value

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Jeff Cost
Sr. Loan Officer

Cincinnati, OH Mortgage Lender
NMLS# 21688


jeffrey.cost@ccm.com

Call (513) 403-6260
Fax (941) 567-5222

Cross Country Mortgage

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