Closing On A House

The process of buying a new home can be a little worrying for both parties. In the role of the home buyer, you may wonder whether or not you have made the right decision. On the real estate agent’s end, he or she may be stressing the importance of the paperwork at hand, and getting everything done without delay and correctly. The process of closing the contract for the purchase of a home has several steps and can sometimes take between 30 and 90 days.

After establishing that you are financially ready to buy a home in Scottsdale Ranch Scottsdale AZ Real Estate, you and the seller will need to figure out a closing date. Make sure you know what fees will be added on to the total cost of the purchase price ahead of time. The closing date will be agreed upon with the lender, seller and closing agent as well. The document you sign concerning this will have to be notarized.

Next, the conditions of the loan offer will have to be met. If there were any building code or zoning regulations that needed to be complied with before the sale, these will have to be dealt with before closing. Sometimes the seller will agree to make these repairs for you. A investigation will then be done on the home’s title by the mortgage lender; this will guarantee that the property belongs to the seller and that there are no liens placed on the home.

Most lenders demand insurance be taken out on the title to again guarantee that the title is clean for Scottsdale AZ Realty. The insurance policy will be used to deal with any legal fees and loss if the title is not clear. There are two policies that are available to be purchased, one that protects the lender and another that protects you, the buyer.

You will learn that termites do play a role in the closing process. If a home is found with a termite issue, then it will have to be dealt with before the closing date. Termite problems can entirely obliterate a home, causing the lender to lose money. A certificate will be given to you that affirms the home is free of termites; this is then presented to the lender.

Another insurance policy will need to be taken out on the home itself, this time by you. This will safeguard you and the lender in the event of loss. You can either ask your agent or lender for recommendations or investigation for insurance companies on your own. It may also be a smart idea to purchase a homeowner’s warranty, which is similar to other warranties. If you are buying an older home, a warranty will help ensure that the property continues to be livable. If anything happens during the warranty period, you will be covered for repairs like plumbing and electrical.

After all of this is done, a final walk-through for inspection will be taken. It is a good idea to make sure if your contract allows you to see the house once again one day before the closing date, because much can change within 30 to 90 days. The seller will also allow you to tour the home and this occurs either before or immediately after the closing date. At this time, you should learn the numbers of the companies that have done work on the home, among them contractors, electricians, plumbers and roofers. After the last estimate is made for the closing cost, the deal will be sealed between you, the mortgage lender, broker and seller.

Other Steps to Take Following Closing

Following closing on your new property, you should make sure to forward all of your mail and have previous arrangements for your power, cable and telephones to be transferred to your new address. By taking all of the necessary steps and precautions, closing on a home can be a effortless, simple transaction.



house closing costs

Often, people have heard of THDA and are confused, thinking that THDA is a certain loan type. In fact, it’s lending agency. All THDA mortgages must be insured by private mortgage insurance, FHA, VA or RECD And as these loans are intended for low to moderate income families or individuals, there is a income limit and acquisition cost limit. Also, you must be a first time homebuyer unless your home is in a targeted area.

Why is THDA so fantastic for a first time homebuyer? Well, it comes down to money. THDA offers a below market rate and will allow up to 100% financing. Have you been reading the papers lately? It’s not so easy to find 100% financing these days. Unless, that is, you’re a first time homebuyer. It also has programs that allow for down payment assistance via grants from certain approved agencies (if your loan type requires a down payment). If you have satisfactory credit and the home you wish to buy meets THDA’s standards, then you’re in business.

All THDA mortgages are 30 year fixed rate loans, so you needn’t worry about finding yourself with an ARM loan (adjustable rate mortgage) and a new payment you can’t afford in 3 years. And THDA allows lenders to only charge customers a standard 1% origination and .25% discount fee. It also closely monitors fees associated with the loan. THDA really looks out for the best interest of the first time homebuyer. If you are eligible for a THDA loan, you can feel pretty certain that an unscrupulous lender can’t take advantage of you because THDA won’t let them. For so many people, buying a home is pretty intimidating. THDA takes away the uncertainties a buyer faces with its guidelines and lending practices.

If you do apply for a THDA loan, be prepared to document your credit worthiness. THDA loans require slightly more documentation than your average loans because of the uniqueness of its product. In order to offer more, THDA asks for more – ensuring you qualify for its pretty awesome program. Sounds like a fair trade, if you ask me.

What are the disadvantages of a THDA loan? Not many. They do have a federal recapture tax if you sell your home within the first nine years of owning it. But it sounds scarier than it really is. I’ve heard that only about 1% of THDA customers actually pay this tax. That’s because a bunch of really great things have to happen to you in order for it to actually apply to you. And if those great things happen to you, paying the recapture tax won’t matter much to you anyway. I’ve been in the business for 16 years and have only heard of one person actually having to pay one. He graduated from medical school and his income when through the roof. His property was sold above market value than for the area because it was adjacent to some property that a huge retailer wanted to purchase. Again, good things have to happen to pay the recapture tax. So, you shouldn’t be afraid of it.

More people need to hear about and take advantage of the THDA loan programs. It’s such a great product and really helps the community and the housing industry. If you’re a first time homebuyer or think you’re in a targeted area, make sure you ask about THDA to see if you would qualify for a loan. You won’t regret it!

House Closing

Real estate closing and negotiating – Home closing tips If you’re in the market to buy a home, you’re in luck – prices are down. But you can still pay too much, including unanticipated house closing costs. Gerri Willis, author of Home Rich and CNN personal finance editor, has tips to help you avoid paying more than you have to. Keywords: real estate negotiating real estate closing house closing closing mortgage home closing

Home Closing

Many people want to buy a home but between the down payment and the house closing costs many people just cannot afford to buy a home. It is something that has plagued the home loan industry for years, but when you have an FHA loan you will find that you can pay very little to get into your dream home. With a loan that is insured by the Federal Housing Administration you have several things on your side that make the process of getting into a new home more affordable. When you look into this type of loan you may find that you can spend as little as a month or two of rent to get into your new home, or less!

Step into Your New Home Affordably with an FHA Loan

With an FHA loan you will find that you don’t have to pay as much in house closing costs as you would if you were closing with a conventional loan. Why is this? It’s simple, actually. With an FHA loan there are restrictions and limits on what sort of costs can be added into the house closing costs. What this means is that the lender, the broker, and the realtor do not have carte blanch to charge you for anything and everything that they can think of so they can make more money off of your purchase. Instead, they have to keep things honest and legit and the restrictions and limitations ensure that you are only paying what you are obligated to pay, and nothing more. These limitations can help you reduce house closing costs from the tens of thousands of dollars to just two or three thousand dollars!

In addition to the limitations on house closing costs, the FHA also allows for the seller to contribute as much as six percent to the borrowers house closing costs. What this means is that if you are working with a seller who really wants to sell their home and they want to make it as quick and painless as possible, they can kick in some of their profits and help you pay for the house closing costs. So, if you had house closing costs of $6,500 and the seller wanted to contribute six percent of the costs on a $100,000 home they would be paying $6,000 of your house closing costs so you would only need to pay $500 in house closing costs. Many buyers will not contribute this much but they will offer four or four and a half percent or something like that.

What is different about this is that when you are working with a conventional loan the seller is limited to contributing 3% to the borrowers house closing costs. You would be surprised how many sellers are willing to contribute more than the 3% to the buyer when they are able because they just want to get the home sold and they want to be done with the whole process of selling their home. Being able to accept these contributions of more than 3% from the seller can help to make the purchase of a new home much more affordable for the average home buyer. The difference between the three and six percent is $3,000 and at the end of the day that is a lot of money when you are trying to keep the costs of your FHA loan to a minimum.

Closing On Your Home

All lenders are particular about just who can give you a gift for your down payment or house closing costs.  Pretty much across the board, the gift must be from a blood relative.  You may have to prove that the gifter is a relative thru birth certificates, christening records, etc.  Strange but true.  Conventional loans will also allow an employer to give you a gift.  But in any case, the most important factor is that whoever is giving the gift does not expect to be paid back.  A certification to that effect will be required to be signed by the donor.  Otherwise, it’s really a loan, now isn’t it?  And as a responsible lender, we’re going to include that payment in your debt to income ratio, and we’ll probably want a bunch of documentation to prove the terms, etc.  So, make sure it truly is a gift.

Usually, FHA will allow for down payment assistance programs, such as Nehemiah or Ameridream.  Lenders view these products as “gifts” in a sense. They are basically seller concessions funneled through the down payment assistance channels.   However, by the time this article is published, they may be null and void.   It’s currently being reviewed and could go away.  Or it may still be there, but just know it’s under review.

Lenders are very particular about how the gift funds reach the closing table.  If you deposit the gift before closing, you have to show it coming out of the donor’s account and depositing into your account.  It’s a lot of paper to collect.  The easiest method is for Grandpa or your Great Aunt to just send a cashier’s check payable to you and your title company to the closing table.  Smoother, quicker, simpler.

Gifts are a wonderful thing, and a gift of a down payment is a useful gift.  After all, I think it’s safe to say that homeownership is one gift that keeps on giving, wouldn’t you?

house closing costs

Just out of school and considering buying your first home? You’ll be surprised how easy it can be to qualify for a loan. Too often, the newly minted workforce doesn’t realize the confidence lenders have in their ability to be responsible homeowners.

Ok, so Mom and Dad told you that you need to buy a house. You’ve graduated from college and you’re earning a decent income. Even though you don’t feel like it most of the time, you are officially all grown up. But you ask yourself, “I’m only twenty-four years old, who would possibly loan me money to buy a house?”

First time homebuyer programs are established with flexible guidelines to attract – you guessed it -first time homebuyers! You are in a great position to buy a home provided you have established some history of decent credit. Even if you don’t have traditional lines of credit to show for yourself, you may have established non-traditional credit and not even realized it. Do you have utilities, a cell phone and cable bill in your name? Have you paid them on time for 12 months? Then you have established non-traditional credit. Granted, many of you already have a credit card or gas card in your name. That’s why Dad wanted your name on it, too. Good thinking on his part. At the time, you were just excited to get the credit card “for emergencies.” It didn’t even occur to you that you were establishing a good credit history.

Most lenders want to see at least a year under your belt earning income. The majority of new job workers are making at or under the median income limit for their area. There are those that beat the curve, but then, if you’re making that much money on your first job, you don’t need a first time homebuyer program. You can probably take another route to your first home. Also, recent graduates can get credit for having a diploma. If you have a diploma and an employer who is willing to verify that you earn what you say and are likely to continue on with them, then you’re good to go -even without a year’s employment history to show for yourself.

Some lending programs ask that a borrower have maintained an excellent rental history, preferably a two year history. But, you don’t get penalized if you have been living at home. Especially, if home is in the same city that your school is located. You are simply asked to provide explanation as to how you managed to live rent free. Sometimes, Mom and Dad have to provide a written statement. They’re probably willing to do that to get you out of the house and off the payroll.

What about a down payment and house closing costs? Most programs will allow a seller to chip in 3% of the sales price toward your house closing costs. This allowance can cover most if not all of your house closing costs. Your Realtor simply needs to be aware that you need this concession so she/he can negotiate it with your purchase contract. And how much do you have to come up with for a down payment? How about $0? Nearly all first time homebuyer programs are designed for empty pocket consumers with potential to earn more and maintain good credit. Some programs don’t require you to have any reserves in the bank. Since so many first time homebuyers live on a budget, these programs allow for the reality of life. And you can be rewarded for being a conscientious consumer with lower than average interest rates being available to you.

You may be ready to buy your first home and not even know it. A good mortgage specialist will pre-qualify you, find out what you can afford or what your comfortable paying. Then, you just have to find the right home. It’s easier than you think!

House Closing Costs

With the current “mortgage meltdown” we hear so much about these days, your average consumer thinks that the days of 100% financing have gone by the wayside. True, you are hard pressed these days to find a bank or lender that will want to carry a second mortgage that combined with a first mortgage adds up to 100% financing. That’s because if there is a default, sitting in second lien position is particularly dicey. Too much risk is involved. And since, in recent history, that scenario of the 80/20 combo was the most common 100% financing vehicle available to a certain group of consumers (non first time homebuyers), there’s a misconception out there that 100% options are all but dried up.

But, a-ha! There is hope for someone who has great credit but prefers to invest his/her assets elsewhere when rates are so low. It’s called the Flex 100. And it can apply to purchases and refinance transactions.

I heard an analyst mention on television the other day that mortgage money is so cheap right now it’s like a sale at Macy’s. That made me chuckle, but it’s true. In which case, why not invest your money elsewhere if you qualify for 100% financing. After all, the homes are still appreciating in most areas, but not at the stellar rate we saw in the past.

The Flex 100 requires you to invest $500 of your own cash towards the transaction, so I guess it’s technically not 100% financing, but it’s pretty darn close. And no, you don’t have to be buying your first home to get this deal. You can actually have owned a home in the past three years! However, it does apply to financing your primary residence only. You can’t get this deal for that nice cabin in Gatlinburg you want to use on the weekends or for that great rental down the street you think you can get a good deal on. You’ve got to live in the house to qualify for this financing.

But you can do a refinance, as long as it’s not a “cash-out,” meaning you’re not paying off debt or taking equity out of the property. It must be a rate term refinance only. However, you can pay off that second mortgage or home equity line of credit you hate, IF you obtained that 2nd lien mortgage when you got your first mortgage (a piggy back closing, we call it). Or to make it clearer, you originally had that 80/20 combo mentioned earlier. If you got that home equity mortgage a month or two after your initial closing to build a deck or payoff a credit card, than it that won’t work for a Flex 100 refinance.

What about your credit score? Well, it will affect the price you get, but there is no “minimum” credit score required for this program. You just have to get an approval through the automated underwriting system required. But be realistic – if you’ve got “iffy” credit, you probably won’t get an approval. A borrower with a credit score below a 620 would probably have to have a low loan to value or debt to income ratio for a chance of an approval.

A Flex 100 may or may not make sense for you. But hey, at least you know it’s an option. Your lender should be able to help you determine if this opportunity to flex your mortgage muscle makes sense for you.

Closing On Your Home

We encourage our kids to plan for their future, but we seldom include buying a first home sooner than average as a path to building that future. Let them know buying a home is easier than they think.

Most of the people who read this column are not first time homebuyers. The fact of the matter is many of you that are first time homebuyers and reading this article are relatively mature individuals who are fighting off your commitment fears of being tied to a mortgage. But there is a huge segment of the population that could buy their first home, yet it doesn’t occur to them to do so. Who are these people? Well, it’s your 24 year old son or daughter, new to the work force, and is throwing away money on rent somewhere. Encouraging your children to buy a home when they are young is some of the soundest financial advice you can give them. Equity in a home is an easy way to grow one’s portfolio with very little investment. But the fact of the matter is it doesn’t occur to most of us to encourage the younger generation to buy early in their lives. And trust me, it rarely occurs to our kids themselves to consider buying a home in the early twenties. They are more concerned with buying a new Halo 3 for their Xbox.

Why do so many people miss the boat on this opportunity? It could be they plan to be in the area for only a short time because they will job hop to advance their career, thus viewing a mortgage as “too permanent.” I counter to simply sell the house when you move. Or maybe they expect their income to double or triple over the next three years. I say buy a home now, then upgrade to a new home; sell or rent the old house. Investing in real estate is a proven, safe and solid return on investment. And with the right combination of credit history (or a history of paying utilities, cable and your cell phone on time) and no money down, you or someone you care about can start investing in the future.

When Junior starts his new job at the company and 401(K) is available, he’s been informed by his folks, boss or peers to enroll and contribute at least a little something to it with every paycheck. Yet, he is rarely counseled quit renting that apartment for $750 a month and buy a $75,000 house. Where will he come up with the money to do it? There are multiple options for first time buyers that allow for 100% financing. Get the seller to kick in house closing costs (up to 6% of sales price with some products), and one can close on a loan and bring no funds to the table. If your home value appreciates 4% in the next year, that’s a nice return on a no cash investment.

For some time, I’ve considered writing this series for first time buyers to let them know buying a home is easier than they think. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the advice I would offer would most likely not reach my target audience. So parents, it is up to you to supply your kids with this last little bit of advice and help to set them free to further establish their independence in this world. Clip this article out and tape it to their iPOD or the steering wheel of their car – someplace it will get noticed.

I think for most of us who have been through the experience, our first home buy was a very daunting experience. There are so many choices and unknowns – it can be overwhelming. In this series, I will try to break it down the process into small logical steps and make it easier understand the steps involved in financing your first home. Where do you start? That is perhaps the easiest part. Our newly established worker should first make a list of all his or her debt obligations such as student loans (unless deferred), car payments, credit card debt, etc. Hopefully at this age, this will be a small list. Then add what you think amount you could afford for a mortgage. Take that amount and divide it by your gross monthly income. If you come in at 43% or less, you’re in business. If you have something in your savings or checking – great. If not, don’t let it deter you. You have options.

Contact a mortgage specialist to drill out the details and find a good realtor who knows your market for housing you can afford.

Closing On Your Home

You have decided to purchase your first home – together. This is a very exciting time, but it is not without pitfalls. Communication is the key. What do you need from your home? What do you want in your new home? How much can you afford to pay? Are you going to use a realtor? Where do you want the new house to be located? Where can you find furnishings for your new place? These are all important questions you should discuss prior to looking for a new home.

Wants vs. needs

The decision is made that a new home is to be bought, but what features are wants and which ones are needs? How many bathrooms do you need? Are you planning to stay in the house for 30 years or only 5 years? Will you need room for your family to grow? Will your new house have a pool? How about a hot tub? Do you need a large yard or a small yard? The number of bedrooms and bathrooms is an important consideration.

Obviously, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms greatly influence the amount the final price will be, but if you will be enlarging your family, make sure you buy as much house as you can afford. As you tour the various houses, it is important to also envision your furniture or your prospective furniture to ensure there is plenty of space. Make sure you talk about closet space, furniture placement, color for the walls, and future renovations. Dream together and paint the picture of your future. Remember, this can be more fun that exasperating.

Will you be able to afford a house with a pool or hot tub? Do you need outdoor furniture? A pool/hot tub is usually considered a want and may need to be forfeited to obtain the number of bedrooms and/or bathrooms you desire. Make sure you have discussed this in advance to ensure you are in agreement.

Can We Afford a New House?

Before you start looking for a new house, you may need to be pre-approved for a loan. The financial institution you have decided to use can help you determine how much house you can afford to buy. Try to remain well below the upper amount of the range given to ensure you are able to afford to also furnish your new home and do any upgrades you would like to do in the future.

Is a realtor important?

You may want to consider using a realtor especially for your first house purchase. A realtor is priceless for finding a house in a good location and for negotiating all the paperwork for a purchase. (Of course, it helps to have a lawyer to have around for the closing). Realtors know the areas that they sell. They are usually versed on which schools are good and where various entertainment venues are.

Closing

Closing is the best and worst part of buying a house. You will likely wish to have a lawyer available to look over all the paperwork before you sign anything. Make sure you have a clean title and all the necessary papers are in order. You will be signing until you think your wrists will break. When all the signing is done, you will be handed your keys for your new house. Congratulations as you have survived the process of buying a new home.

Closing On Your Home