Month: February 2023

With recent market volatility we have good news for some new home buyers. Starting in March, those who are receiving FHA financing and paying mortgage insurance will see the monthly fee reduced from 0.85% to 0.55%. This is expected to affect 850,000 borrowers this year and result in an average savings of $800 annually. The savings will vary based on the loan amount, for example a person with a $500,000 FHA loan would save $1,500 annually. If you are in the market for a new home, fill out our quick home qualifier on our website and we can help determine what loan best fits your needs and let you know how much you can pre-qualify for.

We don’t have to tell you that interest rates have gone up in the past year, so refinancing now may seem unusual but if you have a lot of debt, like credit card debt, those rates have gone up even more.The average American has nearly $40,000 in debt not including home loans so today we ask if you consider a cash-out refinance to pay off other debts like credit card debt. Credit card interest rates are normally much higher than mortgage interest rates and if you are carrying high credit card debt while making minimum payments, there is an opportunity to save a lot in monthly credit card payments that are primarily going to pay high interest rates on the debt. First you will need enough equity in your home…

We are often asked about jumbo loans and when they are used, so here’s an explainer (or refresher). For conventional mortgages there are two general types conforming and nonconforming. Conventional conforming loans for most areas are $726,200 or $1,089,300 for select areas with high housing prices for 2023 as set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A jumbo loan would be a nonconforming loan that exceeds those limits. If you are looking to buy a home that is high priced and don’t have a huge down payment you will likely need a jumbo loan. A jumbo loan with its higher loan amount is often going to have higher qualifying requirements than a conventional loan - including higher down payments and credit scores as well as lower debt to income (DTI)…

Is it cheaper to build a new home or buy an existing house? According to census data the median cost of a newly built house was $534,600 in November 2022 versus $454,900 for an existing home in October 2022.
Of course, there are pros and cons to both buying and building. If you are building a new home some the biggest pros will be you have a custom-built home, that is brand new and move in ready. You may also have lower bills with newer efficient appliances and systems. Some of larger cons are time - this means more of your time; you’ll likely have to be more involved and review construction decisions and options which can be a challenge if you have your hands full with work and family. Building…