William Bud Gragg Jr asked:




Normally the kind of mortgage advice we give is for people who may need to get out of their mortgages. But what if you’re looking to dive into the housing market? What kind of mortgage advice do you need?

Well, it certainly is a buyer’s market out there with over a million foreclosed houses alone available for sale! If you’re moving to take a new job or just like the idea of owning the place where you live, this might seem like a great time to invest in a mortgage and in a roof over your head.

With that in mind, as Realtors we do have some solid mortgage advice for you.

First, don’t think of any house you buy as an investment. Yes, you may get lucky, and property values might rise enough for you to get some money out of the house after your mortgage is paid off, or even before. But if you look at your house as an investment bank that’s going to constantly pay off for you-well, those days are long gone.

It’s much more likely that the property you’re looking at will fall in value before it ever rises again.

The next thing you need to know about mortgages is that there is one kind of mortgage that you should never, ever get-even if you have to walk away from the sale. That mortgage is called an adjustable rate mortgage, or ARM.

With ARMs you get a nice, low monthly payment for the first 1-7 years, depending on the terms you get. After those 1-7 years, though, the mortgage resets to reflect inflation. And it keeps resetting every year after that. Sure, if inflation goes down, you’ll see a decrease in your mortgage payment. But don’t count on that happening!

When you’re applying for mortgages, the mortgage lenders are going to be looking at something called a loan to value (LTV) ratio. That’s the ratio of the amount of the mortgage to the actual value of the house. For example, if you take out a $130,000 loan on a $150,000 house, you’ll have an LTV of 87%-you’ll owe 87% of the house’s current value on your mortgage.

Mortgage lenders are only likely to write you a mortgage if your LTV is 80% or less-especially these days!

We know that there are some incredible-looking deals out there. Property values have dropped so low in some places that you might be able to buy at least a condo outright! But before you decide to make a mortgage commitment of any size, we want you to ask yourself these questions:

· How is this area economically? Is the economic base diverse enough that you aren’t going to be as likely to have to move and then be stuck in a mortgage you don’t want to pay anymore?

· Property values are likely to drop even more before things get better. And it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a real estate bubble like we did during the past decade and a half. In that case, would your money be best spent on a mortgage or on your financial future?

Finally, be sure to get someone beside a mortgage lender-or anyone else who has a stake in your financial decisions-to give you personalized mortgage advice based on your family’s specific situation. You’re going to want to learn as much as you can online, of course, but there’s no substitute for a qualified person who can tell you how the ins and outs of mortgages can affect you personally.

Jesse

Peyton asked:


Please Please go easy on me, I am hoping to be a first time house owner.

Two Questions:
1) If a house you are buying is appraised for $30,000 and you are buying the house for $20,000. Can you get a loan (mortgage) for $30,000 (so I can take the extra $10,000 to fix up the place)?

2) What would be one advice would you give a 1st time home buyer, that YOU wished you knew when buying a house.

Thank you!

Sue

louie d asked:


I live in CA, will the bank go after me of my wife’s unpaid mortgage, I did a quit claim in our house, I am not in the mortgage loan, Will I face any legal recourse for putting quit claim? Can I buy another house, this time more affordable. Which way should we go, foreclosure or short sale? Pls give a sound advice….

Stacy

natalya_sevastopol asked:


I ‘m tax preparer, and I did tax return for my client. I’m not sure that I did wright. I want to open Follow-up to case 30270 and fax 1099c, 1099A and Form 982.Can I do that? Can you help me for Federal and CA. It was the first house and two mortgage loans just for home. Client lost home. Please advise. Thanks

Norman

Curious_Rex asked:


I have good credit score. I am planning to buy new car[march 27th] with car financing just after the day of my house purchase[March 26th]. I already locked my House mortgage loan.
I fear house purchase would affect my credit score and hence higher Car financing APR.
Can any one advise me please?

Denise

don k asked:


am in some desprate need of advise, My wife up and left me a couple of months ago leaving me with this nice big mortgage. I am looking at selling the loan is for 205000 but the property is valued at 190,000 and to sell its going to be 15k. My payment is 1900 and i cannot afford it. My current mortgage company is not helping me. the home and morgage is all in my name alone.

Andrea