by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 28, 2015 | Mortgages + Lending
In my last blog I wrote about the slim possibility of getting a refund of “private mortgage insurance”. Mortgage insurance is required by lenders when a down payment is less than 20%. Usually those payments are non-refundable unless the lender agrees otherwise at the...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 28, 2015 | Mortgages + Lending
Recently, I was asked the question: Can I get PMI payments refunded? What was being asked pertains to “private mortgage insurance”, which is required if a down payment is less than 20% of the value of the home. In that event, the lender requires the...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 28, 2015 | Mortgages + Lending
Conventional wisdom by mortgage professionals was to never pay points when refinancing or at the closing of a real estate sale. Mortgage “points” are equal to 1% of the loan amount, and are paid at closing in order to lower a mortgage interest rate. Lowering the...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 28, 2015 | Mortgages + Lending
For years FICO® scores, and how debt management actions influenced them, were unobtainable by consumers. For years, Fair, Isaac & Co., the creator of the system, wouldn’t give any guidance on how these credit scores were affected by adverse events. There are in...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 26, 2015 | Home Buying, Mortgages + Lending
As of July 1, select home buyers in Maricopa County can take advantage of the Your Way Home AZ program. An offshoot of the HUD for Home Purchase Assistance project, the state version provides eligible buyers with up to 22% of a home’s purchase price. The statewide...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 24, 2015 | Mortgages + Lending
Good news on the lender front. First, HUD has reinstated the higher limits on FHA loans that expired 1/1/09. The limit for this government guaranteed loan was $346,250 last year for a single family home. But on 12/31/08, that amount lowered to $271,150.00. The impact...
