...

USDA to lower mortgage insurance costs

USDA to cut loan mortgage insurance costs

The USDA Rural Housing home loans will soon get  cheaper for homeowners with lower mortgage insurance costs.

USDA Rural Development LoansUSDA announced last month that it was lowering its upfront mortgage insurance premium fee to 1 percent of the total mortgaged amount, down from the current from 2.75 percent. This amount is added to the borrowers loan.  So someone today borrower needing a $100,000 loan would actually have a $102,750 loan. Under the new guidelines, the same borrower would have a $101,000 loan.

The monthly mortgage insurance on a USDA loan will also be reduced from the current .50% to just .35%.  On that same sample $100,000 loan, this means a monthly mortgage insurance drop from $42.84 a month to $29.99 a month.

The change becomes effective Oct. 1, 2016, and will bring the fees and insurance premiums down to pre-recession levels.

The agency said that the cuts were possible because of the bulk of the mortgage and housing crisis is over, and foreclosure rates have fallen to back to more traditional numbers.

Learn more about USDA rural housing home loans in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD.

Consumers disqualify themselves for home loans

Consumers Misjudge Max Debt-to-Income ratios… and Disqualify Themselves from home loans

According to a survey by Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group, many consumers think it’s difficult to get a mortgage in today’s market.images98735

And forty five percent of those respondents cite too much existing debt as a top reason. Yet, in that same group, more than half don’t actually know the maximum debt-to-income ratio (DTI) required by lenders.

The result — potential buyers may be wrongly disqualifying themselves before they even apply for a mortgage.

That’s why it’s key to provide information, resources, and tools to educate consumers on the mortgage process, and any perceived barriers, including Debt-to-Income guidelines.

This is also why it is key for the consumer to work with a fully licensed and experienced Loan Officer, versus the more common unlicensed mortgage loan application clerk, who can help you determine the best home loan program, and explain the various program rules and guidelines. On a regular basis, I come across clients who think they can’t be approved for a home loan, yet they can. On the other hand, I also run across plenty of people who have no chance of getting a home loan today, yet they apply.

The bottom line is that it never hurts to apply. You may be given a pre-approval for your dream home, and if not, you’ll be given details on how to improve your situation to be able to qualify later.

Learn more about how to choose a mortgage loan officer here.

Download more insight on DTI and learn about the overall study here.