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2022 Housing Market Forecast

I think we can all agree we are ready for some familiarity and to put these unprecedented times behind us.

However, while we hate to say it, we must; there was nothing predictable about 2021, including the housing market. Interest rates hit record lows and we saw the strongest yearly growth in single-family home prices ever. Foreclosure rates were at historic lows and home sales hit their highest level in 15 years. Continuously, homeowners were able to sell their homes quickly and usually well above asking price. Potential buyers grew fatigued attempting to secure the winning bid after losing out on numerous homes. In short, 2021 brought one of the most competitive housing markets in recent U.S. history. 

Housing Forecast 2022

In regards to 2022… Again, there’s a lot we don’t know and frankly cannot predict. There are still many factors at play, like the pandemic and general economic uncertainty, that will continue to drive the unpredictable housing market. With that in mind, in the following paragraphs, we’ve done our best to lay out where we expect the housing market to go next year. Please remember, we cannot guarantee what will happen with the 2022 housing market. The following predictions are just that, a prediction… An educated guess of what we may expect for the housing market in the coming year. With all that in mind, read on and enjoy!

Home Prices
OUR PREDICTION: Home prices will continue to rise but at a slower pace.
The rate in which home prices were accelerating in 2020 and 2021 simply cannot be compared to any other year. This past year, we saw home appreciation levels at the highest they’ve ever been. Next year we’re predicting more homes to come on the market, which should help to forego such intense multiple offer situations and should take the pressure off of high home prices. Home appreciation is expected to increase, just not so dramatically next year. In fact, as we round out 2021, home prices are already decelerating toward a healthier housing market for 2022. Looking forward, buyers should remain prepared for a competitive market but can expect to have more breathing room.

Inventory & Demand
OUR PREDICTION: Inventory of homes will slowly rise while demand remains high.
In 2022, we predict the market will remain strong, but the pace at which homes are selling will decrease; this in turn should bring an increase in the number of homes available to buyers. Over the past year, it felt like there was no inventory. When in reality, there was inventory, just a lack of ongoing supply. When a home hit the market, it was snatched up in record time. In 2022, we expect that trend to dwindle with less bidding wars and more time for buyers to make decisions. In addition, with the flexibility of the option to work remotely for many, we believe home buyers will have wider options as to where they can feasibly live. Without needing to live within a certain distance from the office, buyers will have an expanded area to shop in, making inventory feel more abundant. 

Interest Rates
OUR PREDICTION: Interest rates will rise, while still remaining historically low.
If we were to choose just one phrase to sum up the 2021 housing market, we would choose “historically low interest rates”. This next year should be no different. While rates are expected to rise, they should still remain historically low. Inflation is climbing, and the main way the FED fights inflation is by raising interest rates; it feels inevitable that with rates so low, they must go up at least a litte. The impact of rising rates will mean rate term refinances will dwindle, and cash out refinances will take their place. Buyers should still feel the urgency to lock in a low rate, as the impact of rock bottom rates are long-lasting.

Bottom Line
Overall, we predict that the housing market will slow down slightly, but really only in comparison to the fast-paced market 2020 and 2021 brought us. The combination of historically low interest rates, a low rate of unemployment and a strengthening job market will continue to cultivate a solid housing market with homeownership becoming more and more accessible to a wider number of people. If the past few years have taught us anything, it is that things can always change and to expect the unexpected. What will come in 2022 is a mystery, but whatever it may be, Cambria Mortgage is here to guide you through it. 

(651) 552-3681 / JoeMetzler.com. NMLS 274132. Serving MN, WI, IA, ND, and SD.

SOURCES:

Brock, M. (2021, December 16). Guide To 2022 Housing Market Predictions And Forecasts. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from
https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/2022-housing-market-predictions

KCM Crew (2021, December 29). Expert Insights on the 2022 Housing Market. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from
https://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/2021/12/29/expert-insights-on-the-2022-housing-market/?utm_campaign=Blog_Promo&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email-automated&utm_content=DailyBlogSubscription&utm_term=BlogPost

LePard, C. (2021, December 09). Real Estate Experts Expect Slightly Better Inventory, Double Digit Home Appreciation In 2022 Housing Market. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from
https://www.news5cleveland.com/marketplace/real-estate/real-estate-experts-expect-slightly-better-inventory-double-digit-home-appreciation-in-2022-housing-market

Meyer, D. (2021, December 10). 2021 Housing Market Recap (& What To Watch for in 2022). Retrieved December 27, 2021, from
https://youtu.be/fW-Ry9b4lYM

Richardson, B. (2021, December 13). Experts Predict What The Housing Market Will Look Like In 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brendarichardson/2021/12/13/experts-predict-what-the-housing-market-will-look-like-in-2022/?sh=37af5f023942

Schuffet, H. (2021, December 16). 2022 Housing Market Predictions: What To Expect. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from

Top Mortgage Loan Search Failures

Minneapolis, MN:  Smart people know to shop at least a few mortgage lenders when buying or refinance a home. The typical search these days is done on the internet via your favorite search engine.

You are quickly bombarded with results like Best Mortgage Lender, Top Mortgage Lenders, 10 Best Mortgage Lenders, Best Online lenders, Best Mortgage Rates, Best VA Lenders, Best FHA Lenders, Top Mortgage Brokers, and more. All results are from suspect web sites, and never from any reputable site.

Clicking on most of those links sadly does not bring you to any sort of unbiased accurate ranking of mortgage companies.

Instead, most bring you to sites that appear to rank lenders, but in reality, are phony paid advertising web site that always seem to show the same pack of big internet lenders. As you click these links, the web site owner makes money under a PPC (pay per click) scheme, or the lender pays a fee to the web site to advertise.

To make it worse, many of the sites advertise extremely inaccurate rates, or rates loaded with a bunch of additional closing costs and discount points to buy down the real rate that most people do not want to pay, or they show things like a 10-year rate, while letting you assume it is a standard 30-year interest rate.

Advertising this way is not cheap.

All mortgage interest rates are essentially based on the same mortgage-backed security bond market everyday.  All lenders also have to pass along the same third part closing costs fees, like appraisals, credit reports, recording fees, and title company costs.

Adding hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in click-bait advertising has to be paid. You the client always pay it, and the only way for the lender to recoup the high advertising costs is to charge you higher rates and fees.

Next, most of these sites are also paying big dollars to the major search engines to buy top placement in your search, ahead of generic free listings. Paid ad words can get extremely expensive.  I just searched a major search engine and found the term “VA Mortgage Rates” currently costs advertisers $9.26 PER CLICK to get their ad on page one of your search results.

What is really your best lender?

While there are many variables that come into play, the answer proven time and time again is that your best purchase and refinance mortgage loan option is usually your local mortgage broker, while the worst are usually the gigantic internet lenders and big banks.

Don’t make the mistake of picking the wrong best mortgage lender based off phony mortgage lender ranking sites Avoid the higher costs passed along with all the advertising, and shop with the local guy down the street for the best service, best rates, and lowest closing costs.

Forbearance the right way

We get it, these are challenging time, and with reduction in hours, and job loss, making your house payment can be a challenge.

As part of the CARE ACT, the government has forced lenders to offer forbearance to anyone who asks WITHOUT requiring proof of hardship. A better understanding of forbearance would be to say “short term pause.”

Both lenders and the National Association of Realtors are working diligently to educate people on proper uses of forbearance. (See NAR’s recent FAQ)

Forbearance should only be used by homeowners who are genuinely in distress and cannot afford to make payments. The program is NOT intended as a stimulus, Missed payments are not forgiven, but simply delayed and will need to be made up.

Widespread forbearance is causing lenders to raise requirements on new home buyers, and interest rates. High use of forbearance unnecessarily, this will cause lenders to pull back further, making it even more difficult to buy and sell homes.

Case Example:

I just took an application from a client for a new home purchase yesterday (4/21/2020). They didn’t say anything at first, but their credit report showed the current mortgage loan in forbearance. When I inquired about it, I was told the one was on furlough until the Government reopens the state. She heard about the forbearance option, called her lender, and got the forbearance (pause) in 5 minutes over the phone with no questions asked.

When I asked if they were in financial distress, they said no (remember, they are wanting to buy a new home).

They further indicated the one out of work temporarily was receiving both unemployment AND the $600 a week federal money, and therefore actually bringing home MORE than the lost income!

I asked why the forbearance request. The answer? Simply because it was an option.

I asked if they understood repayment options. They indicated they never asked, and were never told.

Yikes.

Can you have more than one VA loan at a time

Can I have more than one VA loan at a time?

The quick answer is, you sure can.

Minneapolis, MN: VA loans can be confusing. Veterans frequently ask if they can have more than one VA mortgage loan at a time. The quick answer is yes, while the longer answers is this question usually breaks down into three categories:

  1. I’ve have used a VA loan in the past, can I a VA Loan again?
  2. I currently have a home with a VA loan, and want to sell this home, and buy another house with a VA loan.
  3. I have a home with a VA loan now, I DO NOT plan on selling it, and want to buy another home with a VA loan

The first two questions are easy. Yes, you can use a VA loan multiple times.

The third question becomes a bit more complicated, as it is all about the entitlement you’ve used up on your current home, and how much entitlement is still available to use on the next home.

From there, you might have enough remaining entitlement to buy another home with no down payment, or there might not be enough entitlement left, requiring you to come up with some down payment.

Finally, if the new home you are buying is more than your remaining entitlement allows, you can still use a VA loan, you just need to put down 25% of the difference of the purchase price and maximum loan amount.

The first thing you need to do is obtain your current Certificate of Eligibility to help the Lender your determine your options. When obtaining your VA Loan from a VA lenders like Cambria Mortgage, they can usually get your certificate on your behalf without you needing to do anything.

From there, your Loan Officer can calculate all your options and let you know if you can have two or more VA Loans at the same time.

Need a VA loan in MN, WI, IA, SD, or ND? Click the link below to get started.

VA Lender in Minnesota Wisconsin Iowa South Dakota North Dakota

Buy a MN Home with $1,000 Down and Down Payment Assistance

Buy a MN home with as little as $1,000 down? Yes, it is possible.

Minneapolis, MN:  One of the biggest true hurdles to home ownership is a lack of down payment money. Sadly, many people don’t even apply for a home loan, because they think you need a much bigger down payment than you actually may.

You may qualify for down payment assistance. Apply to find out.
You may qualify for down payment assistance. Apply to find out.

But, if you have at least $1,000 of your own money, are buying in Minnesota, have OK or better credit (640 score or higher), you may be able to buy your own home using our first time home buyer programs with down payment assistance.

Other low down payment options include:

  1. 3% down payment conventional loans (HomeReady and Home Possible)
  2. 3.50% down payment FHA loans
  3. No down payment VA loans
  4. No down payment USDA Rural development loans.

If you are in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD – Simply complete the secure online application at www.FirstTimeHomeBuyer-MN.com in about 10 minutes time. A fully licensed and experienced Loan Officer will review your loan application, then go over the various program to see what programs you qualify for, how much house you can buy, what the payments might look like, and finally, how much cash you may, or may not need to put it all together.

If you are in other states, simply find a LOCAL mortgage broker, and apply with them.

You have nothing to lose in applying, and everything to gain in owning your own home!

—————————————–

Joe Metzler is a Senior Mortgage Loan Officer for Minnesota based Cambria Mortgage. He was named the 2014 Minnesota Loan Officer of the Year, and Top 300 Loan Officers in the Nation for 2010, 2015, 2016.

To finance with a home with Joe and Cambria Mortgage, your local preferred lender for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, simply call (651) 552-3681 or APPLY ONLINE. NMLS 274132. Equal Housing Lender. Not everyone will qualify. See web site for more details. Not an offer to enter into an interest rate lock agreement.

Better credit score tips

CREDIT SCORE TIPS

Are you making this credit score mistake?

Many people believe that running up credit card balances, then making on time payments or paying it in full each month will build higher credit scores.  This is a MYTH!

You don’t need to carry a balance or use your card in order to build credit.

This pervasive myth usually gets said around a dinner table or past among friends, and of course is all over the internet – but is a terrible piece of advice — especially if you have bad credit to begin with.

Credit score factors

Carrying a balance says you have credit, need the credit, and are unable to pay off the balance. This is considered poor utilization of credit, and results in bad credit and lower credit scores.

Carrying very little balance, or better yet, no balance, says you have credit available, hardly ever use it, and can pay if off quickly – Which are all GOOD traits and result in good credit and better scores.

You should never carry a balance if at all possible, pay down as much as possible each month if you must carry a balance – and never ever have a late payment under any circumstances to have rock’in credit scores.

When the time comes to buy a home, you want the highest credit scores possible to get access to the most programs and the best interest rates.

Contact our Mortgage Experts at (651) 552-3681 of apply online at www.MortgagesUnlimited.biz

Relaxed student loan guidelines makes qualifying easier

Student Loans and Mortgage Approval. What are the guidelines?

Minneapolis, MN: Student loan debt is at an all time high, and has been noted as a contributing factor to why may people have been unable to purchase a home, especially first time home buyers.

Recent changes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines have made it easier for some, but not all with student loan debt to still qualify for home mortgage loans.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not do home loans. Rather they buy loans from lenders after that fact. Both Fannie and Freddie have set underwriting guidelines that if lenders follow, makes the selling of loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac much easier.  While the number moves, at any given time, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac control +/- about 60% of all home loans.

Student Loans. How do lenders calculate?

Student loans can be in active repayment, some sort of reduced repayment (which is typically an income based repayment), or completely deferred.  While a student loan may be deferred for the next year or two, your mortgage loan is typically a 30-year loan. It only makes sense that lenders take current or future student loan payments into consideration when calculating debt ratios and affordability.
To avoid confusion, I’ll just talk about current guidelines for how lenders currently deal with your student loan debt for debt-to-income ratio purposes.
These guidelines are current as of this article (Dec 1, 2017 (updated)).

FHA Loans:

FHA loans must use the greater of 1% of the outstanding balance, or the payment listed on the credit report, unless you can document the payment is a fully amortizing payment. No income based repayment, graduated payments, or interest only payments allowed.

Fannie Mae Loans:

For deferred loans, must use 1% of the outstanding balance. For loans currently in repayment, use the payment listed on the credit report. If payment is listed as $0.00, but $0.00 is an active income based repayment, we must verify with the student loan company that $0.00 is the income based repayment.

Freddie Mac Loans:

For loans in repayment, use the amount listed on the credit report, or at least .50% (1/2%) of the outstanding balance, whichever is greater.
For deferred loans, must use the amount listed on the credit report, or 1% of the outstanding balance as reported on the credit report.

USDA Rural Housing Loans:

For USDA loans, if the loan is deferred, income based payment, graduated payment, or interest only payment, must use the greater of 1% of the outstanding balance, or the amount listed on the credit report.

VA Home Loans:

For VA loans, if payment is deferred at least 12 months past the loan closing date, no payment need be listed.
If payment will begin within 12 months of closing, use the payment calculated based on:
  a) 5% of the outstanding balance divided by 12
  b) The payment listed on the credit report if the payment is higher than calculated under (a).
  or
If payment on credit report is less than (a), a letter, dated within the last 60-days directly from the student loan company that reflects the actual loan terms and payment information is required to use the smaller payment.

More people with student loans now qualify

These updated guidelines primarily help those currently in repayment, but with income based, graduated payment, and interest only payment student loans obtain conventional loans.
 Regardless of your student loan status, I always suggest that people never assume you can’t buy a home.  Always talk with a professional licensed Mortgage Loan Officer to get the facts regarding any financing options.  I offer all this loan option and more for properties in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and can be reached at (651) 552-3681, or www.MortgagesUnlimited.biz

Equifax, Credit Freeze, and Getting a Mortgage Loan

With the latest hack of personal information from one of the big three credit bureaus, the topic of freezing your credit report to prevent identity theft is back in the news.

Having a credit freeze on while getting a mortgage loan can cause huge headaches.

A credit report freeze, does exactly as the name implies.  It freezes your credit report so that no one can access or view the file until you unfreeze, or temporarily lift the freeze on your credit report. A credit report freeze prevents many types of fraud, especially the opening of new accounts in your name, but DOES NOT prevent the most common fraud, which is stolen credit card numbers.

Personally, I think credit freezes are awesome. The credit bureau’s make them more difficult than realistically needed to both freeze and unfreeze your account, taking up to three days to lift a freeze, and charging money for the service. That is why is hasn’t caught on with the basic public.

Why do they make it hard to freeze / unfreeze?

Simple. Follow the money.

Discover Card has for some time, and other credit cards are catching on with apps for smartphones, where their clients can instantly turn on and off their credit card, effectively preventing anyone from charging on the card.  The credit bureaus could do the same for your entire credit report, but choose not to.

The main reason is money.  For example, all those pre-approved offers you get in the mail? The creditor paid for those reports. If everyone has a frozen credit score, this limits the credit bureaus income and ability to sell those pre-approved reports.

Mortgage Loans and Credit Freezes.

When applying for new credit, and in this case, specifically a mortgage loan, your lender will see nothing, and get no scores if your account is frozen. Of course you will need to lift the freeze, as your mortgage lender will need to review your full credit report.

Where the problem come in for mortgage lending, is your lender actually needs to potentially have access to your credit report during the entire loan process, not just the first day when your Loan Officer pulls your initial credit report.

In order to be able to provide them a mortgage loan they must unfreeze their credit, ideally until closing. If they do not want to leave the freeze off that long, they will need to unfreeze it any time we need anything related to credit; first pull, re-scores, supplement reports, re-issue reports, and finally a credit report lenders look at just prior to closing to see if you’ve applied for any new credit.

The last report, known as an LQI report, is especially problematic. Your mortgage lender will pull this report generally within about the last five days prior to closing. If your report is frozen, we have to stop and call you to get it lifted.  It may take up to three days to unfreeze your report, potentially delaying your closing.

Therefore, mortgage lenders will ask all clients, if they have a freeze on their credit prior, to unfreeze their credit report until the day of the home loan closing.

How to deal with collections on your credit report

Minneapolis, MN: No one likes having dings on their credit report, but let’s face it, sometimes it is impossible to avoid. When credit dings happen, it is important to work on getting back into the credit good graces, as it effect so many things in your life, from ability to get a mortgage loan, the interest rate you pay on mortgage, credit cards,  car loans, and even you paying more for your car insurance.Collection accounts

Next to basic late payments, small collection accounts are some of the most common negative item we see on credit reports. We see a lot for medical items, and old utility bills.  We see a lot over disputes with a company that never got resolved.

While some of theses collection accounts may be small, and even long forgotten, they can be real credit score killers.

The main things you need to know about collection accounts

First, is that simply paying them off doesn’t mean they go away. It still happened, and it is still on your credit report.  You can always try to leverage paying the creditor contingent on having the creditor completely remove the item from your report, and sometimes this works. I suggest everyone at least try it. But there is nothing mandating a company remove the negative item once paid.

Paying them off also doesn’t magically improve your credit score like people think. You should usually see at least a small improvement to your credit score, especially if the account being paid is a more recent collection account.

If the collection sits on your credit report for a really long time, and you now pay it off, you may temporarily LOWER your credit score because you may have turned the DLA, or Date of Last Activity to a current date.  The basic premise being that the older a negative item is, the less it hurts your score. By paying it off, the account for example went from 5-year old unpaid account (which still hurts), to a one month old paid collection, which may hurt more because it is now recent activity.

Most credit repair experts will tell you to pay off collections starting at the newest account, and working back to the oldest, and that sometimes, it is best to just leave an old account alone.

Over time, it is ALWAYS better to pay a collection account. An unpaid collection account hurts credit more and longer than a paid collection account.

Credit score factors

Finally, while some unpaid bill becoming collection may be inevitable, most collections are avoidable. Dealing with the situation up-front is best so it never becomes a collection account. I understand the frustration of a medical bill that should have been paid by insurance, and fighting with the hospital or clinic. But ignoring it doesn’t make it go away, and it will probably come back to haunt you years later.

What are mortgage loan closing costs, and why do I pay them?

Home buyers, especially first time home buyers, commonly fail to understand all the costs involved in buying a home.  Everyone understands down payment, so no issues there. But mortgage loan closing costs are a whole different story.

I often hear potential home buyer comment that they thought they had saved enough for a down payment, only to be blind sided with mortgage loan closing costs.

WHAT ARE MORTGAGE CLOSING COSTS?

All mortgage loans have closing costs. They include appraisal, credit report, state taxes, title company fees, loan origination fees, state deed taxes, and more.  You also have what is known as pre-paid items, which include pro-rated property taxes on the house you are buying, and paying for the first years home owners insurance up-front.

Actual closing costs and pre-paid items can easily range from about 2% to 8% of the sale price of a home, depending on where you live, and the purchase price of the home.

Your Loan Officer will provide you with a detailed estimate of these closing costs based on the actual home once you pick it out, and can give you a good ballpark number during your initial loan review.

TIP: Anyone telling you closing costs are always a certain percentage is flat out simply wrong.

HOW TO PAY CLOSING COSTS

Yes, closing costs can really add up.  If you were planning on a 10% down payment, this means you really need 12% to 18% of the purchase price of the home.  Yikes.

The good news is, the mortgage industry understands this, and allows you to pay closing costs multiple ways.

Option 1) Pay cash out of pocket. Always the best move, but incredibly burdensome for most home buyer.

Option 2) Seller paid closing costs. You simply ask the seller to pay your closing costs for you when making your offer. Depending on the loan program you are using, the seller can pay between 2% and 6% of the purchase price in closing costs on your behalf. While this sounds free, because the ‘seller’ is paying them for you, the reality is the seller isn’t paying anything. Rather, this is a method of you rolling the closing costs into the loan itself.

For example, the seller is asking $200,000 for the home.  You offer $200,000 – but also ask the seller to pay $6,000 of your closing costs. If the seller agrees, many people think they just got free money.  The reality is the seller has accepted $194,000 in their pocket. So you could have bought the house for $194,000, and paid your own closing costs.  Instead you are buying the house for $200,000, and paying closing costs over time, versus out-of-pocket today.

It is a little more obvious to buyers that they are paying over time, when the same seller who wanted $200,000 refuses to budge, but you need closing costs rolled in to lessen your out-of-pocket burden. In this case, you’d restructure your offer to $206,000, and have the seller pay the $6,000 of closing costs.  The seller gets what they wanted, and you rolled closing costs into the loan, again paying over time instead of out-of-pocket today.

Option 3) Lender Paid Closing Costs (also known as Lender Credits). Under this option, the lender will reduce your actual real closing costs by increasing your interest rate. You can choose to increase your interest rate a tiny amount, for a tiny reduction in closing costs, all the way to completely eliminating all of your closing costs with a much higher interest rate.

This isn’t a good or bad option, rather it is a depends option. How much reduction do you need? Do you have all the closing costs money today? How much higher will the payment be?  How long will you live in the home?

TIP: ALL LENDERS HAVE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME TRUE CLOSING COSTS. When shopping lenders, many people will receive a closing cost quote lower than someone else, giving the illusion of a better deal. Many banks and lenders claims things like they give free appraisals, or never charge loan origination fees. No closing cost loans were all the rage a few years ago.

Little do many people realize that all these lenders are doing is increasing your loans interest rate to cover these items, but not telling you they are doing it. They don’t work for free, and someone has to pay the appraiser.  This lower closing cost ploy makes unsuspecting home buyers potentially pick a lender based on a perceived better deal, when in fact, it isn’t. You pay, you always pay. How do you choose to pay? Lower rate = higher costs.  Higher costs = lower rates.

Option 4) Any Combination. This is actually the most common way people pay closing costs. Many ask the seller to pay some, maybe increase the rate 1/8 or 1/4% to pay some, and maybe a little bit out-of-pocket to pay the rest.

CLOSING COSTS – THE BOTTOM LINE

It is very common for many home buyers through these options, to completely eliminate closing costs as an out-of-pocket expense, leaving them with just needing their down payment to buy the house.

So don’t ever let the fear of closing costs keep you from buying your dream home.

 

Millennials are not buying homes. Is this true or myth?

There has been a lot of talk that millennials are not buying homes. Is this true or myth?

First, while the purchase numbers for millennials are down, millions of people buy homes every year, including millennials.

Most of the talk about millennials centers around the inability to purchase a home because of student loan debt. Studies after study does show that tuition costs are up, and that student loan debt has roughly doubled in the past 10-years. There is also a noticeable decline in homeownership rates among millennials the past decade.

Too much debt reduces the maximum amount of home lenders will allow someone to purchase. This is known as debt-to-income ratios.  Less that 30% of your income spend on just the home is considered as a safe house payment, while under 45% of income should be spent on the house, plus car loans, credit cards, student loans, etc.

But is is all really student loan debt, or are there other factors involved.

Estimates suggest that around 35% of the decline in homeownership in the past 10-years is simply due to student loan debt. That leaves  whopping 65% to other factors.

Assuming these numbers are accurate, and many suggest the student loan blame is not nearly as high as believed, I as an actual Mortgage Loan Officer, can attest that yes, student loan debt is a factor in some cases. But I see many other factors on a daily basis, the biggest being simply a low desire to own. This primarily resulting from observing their parents, friends, neighbors, and relatives suffer through the housing bust that started in 2007.

Other items I see include very poor credit, and a lack of knowledge on how credit and credit score work. Lack of down payment, and a lack of willingness to purchase a starter home. Many of the millennials believe they should jump right into a big, beautiful, white picket fence dream home as their first home.

Lack of Starter Homes?

I, like many people started with an old small home, in a not so perfect neighborhood.  As I got older, got married, and increased our family income, I moved up into bigger and nicer homes, until now currently being in my existing “big beautiful home” for 19-years.

The me me me, now now now, pay for it later attitude really crept into society over the past 20-years.  Having champagne taste for homes on a beer budget has held back more potential first time buyers from purchasing a home than most other items I see everyday. They simply refuse to buy a starter home.

Granted, a starter home today tends to have a heftier price then years back.  As a percentage of income, low end starter homes suck up more of the owners paycheck than ever before. This too has a huge effect on first time home buyers, regardless if they have a college degree, and student loan debt or not.

Poor Credit

Another major issue I see is simply poor credit. As the days go by, it would appear to me that the population has become dumber and dumber about simple concepts, like paying your bills on time. It is very common for me to see potential home buyers in the 25 to 30-year old range have horrible credit. Then when they realize the poor credit prevents them from buying a home, it may take them a few years to improve their credit.

More than just student loan debt

The New York Fed recently reported that an estimated 360,000 people would have bought a in 2015 had tuition costs remained the same as they were in 2001. There is no doubt student loan debt has been a factor.

As an actual Loan Officer, active in the business currently, and having been so for more than 20-years, I am simply saying there are a multitude of reasons why people don’t buy homes.

The constant banter of it being student loan debt preventing ownership is heard by potential home buyers who have student loan debt. Many clients I speak to start out the conversation saying the don’t think they can buy a home because of student loan debt, and are very pleasantly surprised when I issue them a Pre-Approval Letter.

Of course every person and every situation is different.

Don’t Assume

If you want to buy a home, regardless of age, income, or student loan debt. DO NOT ASSUME. Contact a local mortgage broker in your area (I lend in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD). Give them a full mortgage loan application so they can zero in on your individual situation.  You too may be pleasantly surprised, and enjoying the benefits of home ownership next month.

 

MN, WI, IA, ND, SD Homeowners Urged To Switch To A 15-Year Fixed Mortgage

MN, WI, IA, ND, SD Homeowners Urged To Switch To A 15-Year Fixed Mortgage

If you still owe on your MN, WI, or SD home, you really need to consider switching to a 15-year fixed. Here at Cambria Mortgage, many of our Loan Officers, including myself **, have made the switch to 15-year mortgages because we’re obsessed with getting the right mortgage and we know all the advantages 15-year mortgages provide.

Using a sample $200,000 home loan, homeowners with a 15-year mortgage can save over $113,000* over the life of their loan. We also help homeowners lock in historically low rates that will never rise. At Cambria Mortgage,  it’s all about helping homeowners find a mortgage they can be confident in, and what better mortgage to offer than the one our own Loan Officers, including myself have.

Get A Mortgage Review Today And See How Much You Can Save With A 15-Year Fixed

15-Year Mortgages Help Homeowners Pay Off Their Homes In As Little As Half The Time And Save Up To $113,000 OR MORE In Interest Payments *

The reason for this is pretty simple. To pay off your house, you have to pay off the principal. In a 30-year mortgage your first 10 years of payments go mostly towards paying interest on the loan – meaning for 10 years you aren’t making a lot of headway towards paying down the principal. In a 15-year mortgage you attack the principal you owe on your home and depending on what your current 30-year mortgage rate is you could actually do so for about the same monthly payment. Think about that, homeowners who switch to 15-year mortgages:

1) chop up to 15 years off their mortgages,
2) save up to $113,000* OR MORE in interest payments, and
3) may be able to do so while keeping their monthly mortgage payments pretty much the same, depending on your current loan and interest rate

How To Switch To A 15-Year Fixed?

It is easy. Start by completing an online application, or call our mortgage experts at (651) 552-3681. We’ve streamlined the refinance process and our team of fully licensed Loan Officers can tell you how much you can save by switching to a 15-year fixed. It only takes about five minutes to use the easy online form to get connected to mortgage experts, and our radically simple mortgage experience can help you see very quickly if you’re in the right mortgage or not. It can’t hurt to look. Rates for 15-year fixed mortgages could be on the rise soon so now is the time to check your eligibility.

Probably because the 15-year payment will be a bit higher than your 30-year payment. While true, most people can easily afford it, and take advantage of the huge savings. We also think it’s probably because homeowners don’t realize the crazy amount they pay in interest payments to have a 30-year mortgage. If homeowners knew they’d have to pay up to an extra $113,000* in interest payments to have a 30-year mortgage instead of a 15-year, we’re guessing most homeowners would make the switch. What we do know for sure is that Cambria Mortgage delivers a simpler mortgage experience, and that we can quickly help homeowners calculate how much they could save by switching to a 15-year fixed.

Apply Online
No Obligation to apply, and see what YOU qualify for.

Start your savings today!

* Savings based on sample $200,000 loan between current 30-yr rates at 4.00% versus 15-yr rates at 3.25%.

Your savings may be much greater or smaller depending on your loan size. Not an offer to enter into an interest rate lock agreement per MN Statute. Not everyone will qualify. Rates subject to qualifications, and can change daily. A full application is required to lock a rate. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS 274132.  ** Joe Metzler

Why do I need mortgage insurance??

Why do I need mortgage insurance?

When buying a home, and getting a home loan, being approved or not all comes down to risk. If the mortgage company thinks you are a good risk, you get the loan. If you are too risky, you get denied. Pretty simple concept.

A good example of this concept is down payment size.  If you put at least 20% down, you are considered a good risk. Put less than 20% down, you are high risk. Needless to say, not everyone can put 20% or more down payment.

To minimize the lenders risk on small down payment loans, but yet allow for these same small and more affordable down payments, a tool called mortgage insurance, commonly referred to as PMI, or private mortgage insurance is available.

The insurance policy you are required to obtain and pay for as part of your monthly mortgage payment essentially provides protection to the lender in case you default on the loan, and covers the lender for the amount between 20% down and what you actually put down.

The cost of the mortgage insurance depends on multiple factors, but primarily down payment size, credit scores, and loan type.

The smaller your down payment, the higher the mortgage insurance costs. The lower your credit score, the higher the costs.  For example, A client with 10% down and an 800 credit score on a 30-yr fixed loan might pay about $30 a month per $100,000 loan amount for mortgage insurance. The same 10% down, but a client with just a 640 credit score might pay as much as $105 per month per $100,000 loan.

Contact your loan officer for exact monthly costs for your individual situation and down payment size, as this article covers basic and most common situations, but does not encompass every possible situation.

Typicaly standard PMI will automatically fall off your loan once you reach 78% of the original loan amount with no interaction from the homeowner. It is simply automatic.

You can request to have mortgage insurance removed from your loan once you believe you are at 80% of the original loan. The 80% mark can be based on a combination of paying down the loan, and today’s appraised value.  For example, you put 5% down when you bought the house, you’ve paid down through payments another 5%, and the home has appreciated 14% since you bought it.  That would put you ate 76% loan-to-value. So contact your lender on their proceedure to have mortgage insurance dropped.

Must Deal With Mortgage Insurance

If you are putting down less than 20%, you MUST deal with mortgage insurance somehow. Other than monthly mortgage insurance, lenders can also offer more creative options. The most popular is known as ‘lender paid mortgage insurance’, where the lender increases your interest rate, and uses the extra money to buy mortgage insurance. You still have it, but it doesn’t show as a monthly cost.

The next is known as ‘single premium’ insurance. Under this option, you pay a one time lump sum amount up-front at closing equal to 3-years of monthly mortgage insurance.

The last option, is getting two loans. An 80% first mortgage, and a second mortgage to cover the difference from what you have for down payment. This is a viable option primarily for high credit, low risk clients, and for jumbo loans over $424,100.

While these options may sound enticing, for most people, balancing up-front costs, long-term versus short-term costs, and overall benefits based on individual situations can become a mind numbing challenge.  Suffice to say the vast majority of people go with standard monthly mortgage insurance for a reason.

FHA Loan Mortgage Insurance

FHA loans also have mortgage insurance, but this insurance is significantly different from conventional loan mortgage insurance.

Most people using FHA loans put the minimum down payment of 3.50%, and take a 30-yr fixed loan. Most FHA mortgage insurance is the same for everyone regardless of down payment size or credit score.  For small down payments, this is roughly $85 per month per $100,000 loan amount.Next, FHA mortgage insurance for small down payments is called ‘Life of Loan’ insurance, which means regardless of future loan-to-value, appreciation, or what you’ve paid down, FHA mortgage insurance never goes away. The only way to remove it is to refinace the loan.

Another item with FHA loans, is that regardless of down payment size, ALL FHA loans will have insurance. So contact your loan officer for exact monthly costs for your individual FHA insurance, especially if you are putting more than 10% down or picking a 15-year loan.

PMI is Not Homeowners Insurance

Mortgage insurance often times gets confused with home owners insurance.  PMI protects the lender from default, while home owners insurance protects the owner for items like fire, storm damage, theft, etc.

VA Loans Have NO Mortgage Insurance

If you are active or former U.S. military, you have a great benefit in a VA Home Loan. Most people know VA loans generally do NOT require a down payment, they also have NO monthly mortgage insurance.  This can be a huge monthly savings over other loans.

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Author Joe Metzler is a Senior Mortgage Loan Officer for Minnesota based Cambria Mortgage. He was named the 2014 Minnesota Loan Officer of the Year, and Top 300 Loan Officers in the Nation for 2010, 2015, 2016.  He provides Home Mortgage Loans in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD. He can be reached at (651) 552-3681. NMLS 274132.

How much credit card use can effect your credit score

How much credit card use can effect your credit score

Minneapolis, MN: Why does how much credit you’re using matter?  Simple, lenders look for signs of responsible credit usage, and the better you are at living within your means, the better it is for your credit score.
Many people think that simply never being late on your credit card is all you need to have a great credit score, but this is far from true. Everyone is viewed under what is know as the law of large numbers.  If most people in similar situations do similar things, you probably will too. If you constantly carry a balance, especially a high balance, you are considered high risk.  This because historically, those who carry high credit card balances tend to default at a higher rate. Therefore the assumption is you will too if you carry a high balances.
If you are using most of your credit, it may be difficult for you to get additional credit or other credit with a good interest rate.  Plan on getting a mortgage loan anytime soon? Mortgage interest rates on conventional loans can vary as much as 3/4 of a percent higher for someone with a 640 credit score versus someone with an 800 credit score.
Simply put, who tends to carry high credit card balances?  Those in good shape financially, of those maybe more living on the edge of their means?? Your credit score reflects the risk.
On the other hand, if you carry low or no balance, this generally means you are in good shape financially, and either don’t need to use the credit, or only a tiny bit of your available credit.

credit card usage
Credit Score Tips

As you can see in the graphic above, using less than 30% of your available credit is a good goal, but less than 10% is better. Keep in mind that never ever using credit can also have a negative effect, because they don’t know how to judge you.  Therefore using some available credit every once in awhile, and then paying it off quickly is generally a very good idea versus never using any credit cards at all.

Don’t lie on your mortgage application

Minneapolis, MN:  Home mortgage loans are one of the toughest loans you’ll ever apply for. The mortgage industry VERIFIES EVERYTHING. Credit, jobs, income, bank statements, tax returns, first born child, blood samples.  OK, maybe not the last two… But we check just about everything else.

I’ve been taking mortgage applications for over 20-years, and it appears many people treat it like a resume… and feel it is OK to pad information, or leave information out in order to improve their chances of getting approved.

False information on a mortgage application is a federal crime.

You may not think a little white lie, or omission is a big deal, but fraud is fraud, even on a mortgage application. Few, if any people actual read what they sign, but the application does contain the following notice:

The information provided in the application is true and correct as of the date set forth opposite my signature and that any intentional or negligent misinformation of the information contained in the application may result in civil liability, including monetary damages, to any person who may suffer any loss due to the reliance upon any misrepresentations that I have made on the application, and/or criminal penalties including, but not limited to, fine or imprisonment or both under the provisions of Title 18, United States Code, Sec 1001, et seg.

Yikes.

Lenders check everything (twice).

The lending process is paperwork intensive.  We ask people to provide a lot of documents. While the vast majority of people are honest, you may be shocked at the number of forged documents we see.  Prior to the real estate market crash, it was much easier for deceptive people to fool lenders with phony documents, as many of the items people provided were taken for face value, and no additional verification were done.

A common example would be an altered W2 statement, where someone scanned in to the computer, and used PhotoShop or other similar software to change a 3 to an 8, and shows $80,000 a year income instead of $30,000 a year income.  That might have worked in 2006, but it doesn’t work today.

The electronic world we live in, and the tools available, simply will not let you get away with any of that anymore. Written verification of income with your employer, verification of W2’s and tax returns with the IRS. Verification of bank statements with your bank, fraud checks, and better credit reporting all work together to make it virtually impossible to commit this type of fraud.

I recently had a client who had a foreclosure that for some odd reason was not showing on the credit report. So they assumed we would never find out, and didn’t mention it. They also ‘lied’ on the application, as there is a question about having foreclosures. We found out, meaning all they did is was waste my time, the real Estate Agents time, the sellers time, processors, underwriters, and even their own money paying for inspections and appraisals on a house they could never buy.

Don’t fool yourself

You may be able to fool your Loan Officer up front, and get a pre-approval. This is because the initial pre-approval process generally does not encompass all the verification and fraud checks.  Because these items cost money, lenders don’t usually do these additional checks until a home has been picked out, a purchase agreement signed, and the full file goes into actual underwriting.

Home Mortgage Loans in WI, MN, SDNothing worse than to have found the perfect home, given notice to your landlord, packed all your belongings, only to find out the misinformation or omission has been discovered, resulting in a loan denial.

For Real Estate Agents, this is a common reason why a loan may die late in the process.  Because of privacy rules, I generally only say a discrepancy of information has been discovered is the reason for loan denial.

Tell your Loan Officer everything

It may be tempting to fudge the details slightly, or even try straight up fraud. My best advice is to always complete a mortgage loan application with 100% accurate and truthful information, and to always tell your Loan Officer everything. It will be discovered anyway.

Your house is NOT worth what YOU think it is

Your house is NOT worth what YOU think.

Minneapolis, MN:  We’ve all had to listen to someone who, regardless of what the professionals tell them, simply believe their house is worth more than everyone else’s home.

Just because you reclaimed wood from the bottom of the Amazon River, put in a $50,000 landscape job, or installed super top end granite counter-tops, and just about any other high end item installed in your house;  doesn’t mean potential buyers of your home are willing to shell out extra money for it.

Most potential buyers generally don’t care if you spent $30,000 in your kitchen, or $80,000 in the kitchen.  Most buyers are only going to offer you what they feel the home is worth compared to similar homes down the street.

Keep in mind, that if you build a custom home, or add expensive upgrades to the home, do it because you love it, not because you expect to get the money back when you sell. The more unique the home, the smaller the pool of potential buyers.

Of course because I am a mortgage lender, I need to talk a little about refinance appraisals too.  Essentially many of the same items apply to the value of your home during a refinance.  The appraiser is going to look at same or similar homes in your area to determine your value too.  The new roof and windows are maintenance that PREVENTS your home from losing value.  Not improvements to increase value.

You are always better to be the lowest value home in a high value neighborhood than the other way around.

Your home is not worth what YOU think it is, it is worth what others think it is.

Minneapolis, MN:  We’ve all had to listen to someone who, regardless of what the professionals tell them, simply belive their house is worth more than everyone else’s home.

Just because you reclaimed wood from the bottom of the Amazon River, put in a $50,000 landscape job, or installed super top end granite counter-tops, and just about any other high end item installed in your house;  doesn’t mean potential buyers of your home are willing to shell out extra money for it.

Most potential buyers generally don’t care if you spent $30,000 in your kitchen, or $80,000 in the kitchen.  Most buyers are only going to offer you what they feel the home is worth compared to similar homes down the street.

Keep in mind, that if you build a custom home, or add expensive upgrades to the home, do it because you love it, not because you expect to get the money back when you sell. The more unique the home, the smaller the pool of potential buyers.

Of course because I am a mortgage lender, I need to talk a little about refinance appraisals too.  Essentially many of the same items apply to the value of your home during a refinance.  The appraiser is going to look at same or similar homes in your area to determine your value too.  The new roof and windows are maintenance that PREVENTS your home from losing value.  Not improvements to increase value.

You are always better to be the lowest value home in a high value neighborhood than the other way around.

So what IS your home worth? It is only worth what others think it is, and what an appraiser says it is.