Top 5 mortgage tips
Category : Mortgage Loans
Maintain your credit profile
In the months leading to your home purchase, avoid changing your credit obligations, especially between a preapproval and the closing of your mortgage. The reason? It could hurt your credit score in a way that would raise the rate and fees related to your loan or, at worst, keep you from qualifying altogether.
Don’t close or open any credit cards. Keep balances on your credit cards within normal range so it won’t mess with your debt-to-income ratio, a key factor in determining mortgage rates. And don’t buy a new ride. The car company doesn’t care if you have a house, but your mortgage lender cares if you have a big car payment
Don’t move money around
In the months leading up to your home purchase, keep your hands off your finances. That includes moving money from a savings account into a certificate of deposit, or CD. It also means no cashing in investments from stocks, retirement accounts or CDs. Otherwise, you will create a huge headache for yourself as you try to show the bank the paper trail of where that money came from. In a similar vein, avoid paying off debts with savings because that could cause your lender to worry about how you will pay for closing costs.
Get your gift early
If a family member is gifting some or all of your down payment, make sure it’s deposited in your bank account more than two months before you apply for a mortgage. That way, the bank won’t need to source the large deposit. Otherwise, the gift-giver will need to sign a gift letter, stating that the money is indeed a gift and not a loan. The giver also will have to provide the bank with a copy of the check before closing and verification that they have the funds to give by supplying either bank statements or a letter from the giver’s bank
Get organized
Gather and keep every piece of financial paper in the two months leading up to buying a house. That means pay stubs, bank statements for savings, checking and investment accounts, W-2s, tax returns for the previous two years, canceled rent checks and any mortgage or property tax statements for other property you own
Get creative with a reverse mortgage
Older homebuyers, especially those with fixed incomes, may want to consider a reverse mortgage to buy a home instead of draining retirement funds. A reverse mortgage lender contributes up to 52 percent of the sales price of a new home, while the senior, who must be at least 62 years old, comes up with the rest. The house is titled in the borrower’s name, but the lender retains a security interest in it. There are no monthly payments, and when the home is sold or no longer the borrower’s primary residence, the reverse mortgage must be repaid. Any remaining equity belongs to the borrower, heirs or estate.