Congratulations on finding a house! You now have only a few days from when you signed the purchase and sales agreement to have a home inspection. Chances are your real estate agent made the offer contingent upon a satisfactorily home inspection and obtaining mortgage financing. What Is A Home Inspection? According to Wikipedia, a home inspection “is a limited, non-invasive examination … [Read more...]
The Players Helping You Buy Your Home
When you buy a home, there is a team of players on your side helping you through the transaction -- it is a team sport since there are so many tasks, important timelines, documents and responsibilities that all need special care and attention. Besides working with a professional team that you trust, it's important that the individual players have the ability to effectively communicate and … [Read more...]
HOAs In Arizona Things To Be Aware Of When Buying A House
In Arizona, HOAs are popular and a Home Owner Association (HOA) can have a huge impact on your life when you buy a home in a PUD (Planned Unit Development) or Condominium Project. According to Wikipedia: A homeowners' association (abbrev. HOA) is an organization created by a real estate developer for the purpose of developing, managing and selling a development of homes. It allows the … [Read more...]
How To Value A Property That Is Not Yet Built
It's obviously easier to picture the process of estimating value on an existing property in a neighborhood that has a history of home sales, but the task of determining the value on new construction projects does pose some challenges. Appraisals on homes that haven't been built yet generally require the contractor and home buyer to supply more documentation in order to get a more accurate … [Read more...]
Understanding Mortgage Lingo at Closing
Sometimes when you hear mortgage pros talk, you might ask yourself "What the heck are they talking about?" Many borrowers go through the closing process in a haze, nodding, smiling, and signing through a bunch of noise that sounds like Greek. Even though you may have put your trust in your real estate and mortgage team, it helps to understand some of the terminology so that you can pay … [Read more...]
Making Sure Your Cash-To-Close Comes From The Proper Source
Providing proper asset documentation and the actual source of the funds is a critical element of the loan closing process. There's nothing worse in a real estate purchase than making it all the way through the hoops and hurdles just to have a loan denied after the final documents have been signed due to the borrower using the wrong checking account for the down payment. Seasoning of the down … [Read more...]
First-Time Home Buyer Credit Checklist
If you are in the market for a new home, you probably already know that getting a new mortgage for a First-Time Home Buyer can be a little overwhelming with all of the important details, guidelines and potential speed bumps. Yes, we know that there are plenty of rules to follow -- but here is a simple list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" to follow when shopping for a mortgage for the first time. … [Read more...]
Understanding the FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP)
* Disclaimer – all information in this article is accurate as of the date this article was written * The FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium is an important part of every FHA loan. There are two types of Mortgage Insurance Premiums associated with FHA loans: 1. Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) - financed into the total loan amount at the initial time of funding 2. Monthly Mortgage … [Read more...]
Earnest Money: Where Does It Go?
I have a question... if you give your Realtor a $5000 Earnest Money Deposit check, where exactly does that money go? A basic and very obvious question that most First-Time home Buyers ask once their purchase contract gets accepted. According to Wikipedia: Earnest Money - an earnest payment (sometimes called earnest money or simply earnest, or alternatively a good-faith deposit) is a … [Read more...]