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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!

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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.

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.

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.

How higher mortgage rates effect you

Minneapolis, MN: Face it, The super low mortgage interest rates are gone. Higher mortgage rates are here already, and it is very unlikely we will see them go back down anytime soon. Rather, it is anticipated that we should see 30-yr fixed rates into the mid 5% range by the middle of 2018.

mortgage interest rates up

HIGHER RATES = LESS BUYING POWER

As interest rates creep up, your buying power, or the maximum house price you can afford, goes down. As a ballpark quick way to think about it, every rate increase of 1% will lower the maximum house price by 10%.

A $225,000 loan at 3.75% is $1042 a month on a 30-yr fixed, while the same $225,000 loan at 4.50% is $1140, or $98.00 more per month. Another way of looking at it, is you would have to get a $206,000 loan to equal the same payment as the 3.75% rate on a $225,000 loan.

While neither of these should be deal killers for anyone looking to buy a home, it clearly has an effect on buying power, especially for First Time Home Buyers. So don’t delay, buy a home now while before anymore Fed rate hikes eat into your buying power.

For loans in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD, contact us today to discuss home financing options, or just get started with a quick, no obligation online loan application.

—— Fine print —
Rates samples only. This is not an offer to enter into an agreement. Any such offer may only be made in accordance with the requirements of MN stat. Sec 47.206 (3) and (4). Cambria Mortgage. 33 Wentworth Ave, St Paul, MN 55118. Equal Housing Lender. Not all customers will qualify. Information, rates, guidelines subject to change without prior notice. All loans subject to credit and property approval. Not all products available in all states or areas. Other restrictions and limitations apply. Licensed in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD. NMLS ID #322798. 

Is Trump good for home loans?

Is President Trump good for home loans?

Minneapolis, MN: Its only been two weeks, but clearly the new Trump Administration is driving a different road from the past administration. Only time will tell what this all means for real estate and home mortgage loans, but here are a few observations, most relating to a reduction in regulations.

After the housing collapse, legislators and regulators came down hard on the mortgage industry under the false belief that if you could fog a mirror, you automatically got a loan.  While guidelines were looser, and third party verification of documents supplied by home buyer were lax, NO LENDER ‘knowingly‘ let the french fry guy at McDonald’s buy a million dollar home.

Were there a few bad players? Yes, But think of it more as it was easy to beat the system, as opposed to everyone in the mortgage world was a crook.

The Frank-Dodd financial reform laws, and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) put the hammer down on many industries, not just mortgages. Of all the new regulations, only a few actually made a difference and make sense. The rest have cause home buyer costs to rise dramatically, added huge paperwork and delays to closing, and ultimately left many good people unable to buy homes because of unintended consequences.

It is expected that the Trump administration will go after many of the Frank-Dodd financial reform rules, and seek to reign in the CFPB, resulting in fewer rules, regulations, and paperwork. Meaning lower costs for home buyers, quicker closings, and less hassle to get a home mortgage loan.

A prime example is the CFPB designed a new ‘Loan Estimate‘, which replaced the ‘new’ Good Faith Estimate, which replaced the old Good Faith Estimate that existed since 1972. Today my clients are more confused than ever over the document and disclosures.

A second example is Loan Officers themselves. The rules put into place after the crash REQUIRE non-bank Loan Officers to go to school, pass difficult state and federal testing, and have mandatory continuing education. Sounds great, but Loan Officers at depository lenders (banks, credit unions, and lenders owned by banks or credit unions) DO NOT have to pass the same requirements of the S.A.F.E. Act. Don’t they all do the same thing? Why to bank Loan Officers not have to go to school, pass federal testing, or meet the same educational requirements?

Another example is that over the past 10-years, and especially the past 5-years, many lenders have pulled away from writing FHA loans. While not just for first time buyers, those are the people who primary use FHA loans. This was done because the Obama administration went after lenders from every angle under the False Claims Act for any minor error in FHA underwriting. Failing to cross even the most minor T, or dot the smallest I could have, and did,  leave lenders with huge multi-million dollar settlements paid to the government.

I’m all for slapping the hands of people doing blatantly wrong things. But lenders are not stupid. If the government is going to come after you for minor items, why bother.  It isn’t worth it. Those still offering FHA loans charge higher rates than needed to new buyers to offset anticipated government lawsuits. Someone has to pay those lawsuits, and it has simply been pass on to the consumer.

It is expected the Trump administration will have the CFPB and the Justice Department back off of their overzealous pursuit of lenders.

A smart balance of less unnecessary regulation, less paperwork, and a positive attitude towards business should be good for mortgage loans, the financial markets, home owners, and the country in general. It is way too early to tell, but lets all pray the county goes in a good direction.

FHA mortgage insurance lowered

FHA lowers monthly mortgage insurance

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UPDATE to this UPDATE:

The reduction in FHA mortgage Insurance has been (at least) temporarily paused before ever actually going into effect.

The FHA mortgage insurance rate reduction came as a giant unanticipated surprise to all of us in the mortgage world. I guess I should have figured something was up, as it appears the reduction was part of Washington’s political games.

The outgoing Obama administration people made the surprise reduction announcement with only days remaining in office. As soon as the Trump administration was sworn in, they immediately put the reduction on hold, stating it was irresponsible, and needed to be evaluated. This allowed the former administration to run around claiming how horrible the new administration was.  Errr….

Personally, I think it is a bunch of crap that these people play with home owners, the mortgage industry, and the real estate industry, regardless of what side of the political fence you stand.

—————- ORIGINAL ARTICLE ——–

Minneapolis, MN: HUD/FHA has announced that the required monthly FHA mortgage insurance costs are dropping with any new FHA loan closing January 27, 2017 and after.fha loans, fha update, fha mortgage insurance

For most FHA home buyers, this will mean a drop from .85% monthly, to just .60% monthly.

On a $200,000 loan, that means a monthly savings of $41.00 a month!

Combine the new lower FHA mortgage insurance, with the fact that FHA interest rates roughly 1/2% LOWER than conforming loans, and it is no wonder our FHA loans are so popular!

How to calculate FHA monthly mortgage insurance:

Take the loan amount times the insurance factor, then divide by 12
Example: Loan amount X .0060 / 12 = $ Monthly MI
$200,000 X .0060 / 12 = $100 a month

Visit my FHA LOAN ​page for more details, or dial 651-552-3681

FHA Loans, FHA Lender in MN, WI, SD

 

Why free credit report scores are not accurate

Why free credit report scores are not accurate

Minneapolis, MN:  As a mortgage loan officer, every single day, someone tells me their credit score they received from Credit Karma, some “free credit report” web site, their Discover Card statement, or even directly from the actual credit reporting agency.

Everyday, I tell them that is NOT their correct mortgage credit score.

We jokingly call those score your “Fake ‘O’ Score”  – (joke for FICO score)

Why isn’t my credit score my credit score?

It is actually rather simple. There are multiple credit score models, and the models vary by what you are doing.

Your Credit Score

When you apply for a credit card, the credit card company cares most about how you handle credit cards, and the likelihood of you defaulting on a credit card. Like wise, when you apply for a car loan, the scores are based on the likelihood of you defaulting on an auto loan. The same holds true for mortgages loans.

When you obtain your credit score from ANY SITE that YOU as the consumer are able to get your credit report, you are getting a GENERIC score.  That is, a score NOT based on any one industry risk factor.

It is very common for mortgage lenders to pull scores that are 20 points, even 30-points lower that you just saw on one of those other sites…. and NO, it isn’t because we pulled your credit!!  That truth about inquiries NOT lowering your score is for another article

 

Spring real estate has sprung

Spring brings renewed real estate activity to Minneapolis / St Paul

Spring 2016 has seen a welcome2_FTHB_1nice increase in real estate activity in the Twin Cities, MN area, with pending sales rising 12.6% compared to March 2015, and with the median sales price rising to $222,000, a nice 5.7% increase. Buyers signed 5,861 new purchase agreements.

Supply on the market remains a concern, area Realtor associations reported Thursday, with new listings rising only 0.5 percent, keeping supply levels at a 13-year low. Compared with last March, inventory levels fell 20.6 percent to 11,893 active properties.

Low inventory levels, at about a 10-year low is causing increased values, and multiple offers over asking price just days on the market for many homes for homes under $250,000.  As the home price goes up, it typically take longer for the homes to sell.

Mortgage lenders saw a large jump in mortgage loan pre-approval activity in February, which brings anecdotal evidence that there would be a surge of buyers this spring.

Home ownership IS cheaper than Renting

Owning is cheaper than renting

Minneapolis, MN:  The debate continues.  Is owning a home more affordable than renting.  New data is in showing that for most people, yes, owning appears to be cheaper than renting.

A survey by the big online company that starts with a Z and rhymes with Willow (I’m not a fan, so I don’t like to use their name) found on average, Americans spend about 15% of their income on a home mortgage loan, while renters that live in the nation’s largest cities spend around  30% of their income on just their rent.

Conventional wisdom says housing debt of 30% of your income or less is deemed affordable.

The report also looked at other issues effecting homeownership, and found that, just like in the past, coming up with down payment is a challenge for many, and that 13% of home buyers in 2014 got their down payment as a gift from relatives.

Many people are not aware that most home buyers DO NOT need a 20% down payment.  Conventional loan programs allow for as little as 3% down payment, and the popular FHA home loan only requires 3.5% down payment. If you are US Military, a VA loan is a no down payment loan. If you are looking to buy in rural areas of the country, the USDA Rural Development loan is also a no down payment loan.

Only if you live in a “high cost” are of the county where even the most modest home costs over $417,000 will you maybe need a larger down payment.

Many areas and potential home buyers also qualify for First Time Home Buyer programs, like the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Start Up program, here in Minnesota where I am, that will typically loan the new homeowner a big chunk of their down payment money. The program here only requires the buyer to have $1,000 of their own money to buy a home.

Sadly, many renters THINK they can’t afford a home, when statistics tend to prove otherwise. Between small down payment requirements, gifts from relatives, down payment assistance programs, and even taking money from your 401k program for down payment, most people CAN make home ownership work.

Another challenge is debt.  Many talk about student loan debt killing home buying for millennials.  As a Loan Officer, I simply don’t see it.  What I DO see is first time home buyers needing to get back to reality in their home purchase. The term starter home needs to return to the lexicon of home buyers.

Your first home needs to fit into the reality of your income and debts. Therefore, your first home may not be your dream home.

Credit is the final challenge.  If you pay your bills on time, you should be just fine.  If you don’t, you need to get that corrected first. Realistically, you need to have a middle credit score of 620 or higher. If you have poor credit, you will need to work on improving your credit first. There are NO bad credit loans available.

 

ARE YOU READY TO BECOME A HOMEOWNER

All mortgage loan applicants need to meet some basic requirements:

– OK or better credit history.
– Stable employment
– Buy a home you can safely afford (known as debt ratios)
– Have some money in the bank

If you are realy, contact a local mortgage broker in your area.  Give them a complete mortgage application, and let them zero in on what programs you qualify for, how much house you can afford, what the payments will look like, and how much money you will need to pull it all together.

If it all looks good, you’ll be put in contact with a local expert Real Estate Agent, who will help you select that perfect home.

Minneapolis St Paul Home Values Continue to Rise

Minneapolis St Paul area home values continue to rise

Twin Cities area median home prices continue their creep upward, increasing 4.9 percent compared with October of last year.
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Housing inventory declined 25.6 percent, to a 3.2-month supply. Generally, five to six months is considered balanced. While the bulk of the metro as a whole is favoring sellers, not all areas, segments and price points reflect that.

The median list price in the metro rose 4.4 percent to $240,000, while average price per square foot rose 3.2 percent to $127, according to The Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.

Less foreclosures, less homes underwater, less homes on the market, and attractive mortgage interest rates have all combined to push home values nicely higher

  The October median sales price was $218,000 according The St. Paul Realtor Association.

Danger of automated mortgage pre-approval sites

It’s 2015.  I understand the daily advancements on computers, technology, and convenience. Popping up all over are sites that that claim the ability to “allows home shoppers to get pre-approved quickly and easily.” Instant pre-approval sounds cool.

But when it comes to home buying, potential home owners should be extremely wary of trusting any web site offering automated mortgage pre-approval tools.

The Traditional Mortgage Loan Process

The traditional process is you complete a loan application. ffA real live person reviews the information, talks to you about your situation, uses knowledge and expertise to explore all avenues and issues.  Then your file is run through one of the major AUS (automated underwriting system) of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, etc.

This AUS process only takes a few minutes, and the lender is provided with an answer to your loan application.  So if the computer says YES, you are good right?  NO, not even close.  This is just the first step.

The first major issue is simple. Garbage in equals garbage out.

Next, just because the AUS indicates ACCEPT (yes), there are still pages of information and requested items that need to be received and reviewed for accuracy. Common items are W2’s, pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns. Depending on your situation, you may need further items, like bankruptcy papers, divorce decrees, and more.

But it is the little nuances that even trip up less experienced Loan Officers, who unknowingly issue worthless pre-approval letters.

I was recently contacted by a client who had one of these instant pre-approval letters.  They had bought a home, and there application was now being fully underwritten by the lender. Just days before closing, underwriting was denying the file. The buyers big question, is “How can that be?  I was Pre-Approved?”

The issue in this case, was the income number the buyer input into the system was 100% correct. But the buyer was a 1099 contractor, not aW2 employee, who had only been with this company about 6 months. In the mortgage world, short-term contractor income is not allowed as qualifying income.

Did you know this? This is just one example. Could you be running around with an invalid pre-approval letter based off of income not allowed? You you make an offer, give notice on your apartment, and then possibly be homeless?

Your largest financial transaction of your life is too important to trust to just anyone, let alone a computer, without wisdom and input from a licensed, experienced, and professional Loan Officer.

Zillows New Pre-Approval Tool

Zillow recently announced a semi automated tool where potential home buyers enter very basic information. If they like the results, you continue by entering your name, email, and phone number. Your information is then sent immediately to the lenders in Zillows Mortgage Marketplace, who will get your information, pull your credit, and send you a pre-approval letter.

I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do is have my information shared with 5, 10, 20 lenders, who all pull my credit, and have my personal information. I don’t want that floating around with a bunch of unknown people.  I also don’t want to be contacted by a bunch of meal time calling aggressive lenders who just paid money for my “hot lead.” And I haven’t even started about potential identity theft.

The Best Move When Getting Mortgage Pre-Approved?

When buying a home, your best move is to always work with a local lender the traditional way. The guy located in your geographic area, with a local reputation to protect. There is nothing anyone on the internet on the other side of the country can offer that you can’t get down the street.  More often than not, it is just the opposite… Especially when it comes to down payment assistance programs for first time buyers. These programs are always only available from the local lender.

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 Joe Metzler is a Senior Mortgage Loan Officer for Minneapolis Minnesota based Cambria Mortgage. He was named the 2014 Minnesota Loan Officer of the Year by the MN Mortgage Association, and was ranked #98 of the Top 100 Loan Officers in the Nation in 2015 by Origination News. He provides Home Mortgage Loans in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD. He can be reached at (651) 552-3681

Minneapolis Down Payment Assistance

Minneapolis Down Payment Assistance

Own Your own Home!

The City of Minneapolis, in partnership with Minnesota Housing,  the Minnesota Homeownership Center, and Mortgage lenders like us here at Cambria Mortgage are getting together to provide access to down payment assistance, quality, affordable mortgages and free, non-biased housing experts that can help you become a successful home owner!

Maybe you’ve thought homeownership wasn’t possible, or you didn’t know where to start. Maybe you thought your credit wasn’t good enough or you haven’t saved enough for a down payment. We can help!

Down Payment Assistance – Homeownership Opportunity Minneapolis

The City of Minneapolis wants to make affordable homeownership a reality for you. The City is providing up to $7,500 to qualified buyers to cover down payment and closing costs when purchasing a home anywhere within Minneapolis city limits. To qualify for this program, you must meet the following income eligibility requirements:

  • Homebuyers with household income up to 115% of the area median income (currently $99,500) are eligible for up to $5,000
  • Homebuyers with household income up to 80% of the area median income (currently $69,280) are eligible for up to $7,500.

Quality, Affordable Mortgages

Minnesota Housing, the State’s Housing Finance Agency, offers mortgage loans for first-time homebuyers with affordable interest rates. Our Minnesota Housing loans work seamlessly with down payment assistance products like those offered by the City of Minneapolis.

How To Get Started

Your first step is to apply for the mortgage loan itself. Your Cambria Mortgage Loan Officer will review the application, your credit, etc.  They will discuss with you if you qualify, how much house you can afford, what the payments might look like, and what assistance you may qualify to receive. Click HERE to apply online (easiest) or call (651) 552-3681.

If that all looks good, you will need to submit standard loan documentation, which includes photo id, last two pay stubs, last two bank statements, and the last three years of W2’s and federal tax returns.

If that still looks good, you will be issued a Pre-Approval Letter, put in touch with a high quality Real estate Agent agent, and sent out to find your dream home.

In between the initial approval and closing on your new home, you will need to take the homebuyer education class listed next.

You do not have to have perfect credit, but you can NOT have BAD credit. All applicants must have a middle credit score of at least 640.  Next, while you are receiving assistance, you can’t buy a home with no money.  You must have at least $1,000 of your own money to put into buying the home.

Homebuyer Education

If you are a first time home buyer, this program from the City of Minneapolis, just like all first time home buyer programs requires all first time homebuyers to attend home buyer education.

There are two options:  Attend a physical 8-hour class (Home Stretch) or take an online class (Framework Classes). Click the links below for more information of the required training.

Sign up for HOME STRETCH: In-person workshop  Your first time homebuyer class can be taken in person in multiple locations throughout the state. The cost of this class is typically $25.

Sign up for FRAMEWORK: Online Education An online homebuyer education class can be started and stopped, and finished at your leisure. The cost of this training is $75. Most people take the online training.

When Your Class Is Completed: Print your Certificate of Completion and give  a copy to your Loan Officer

More Information

Contact:

Joe Metzler, Senior Loan Officer. NMLS 274132

(651) 552-3681

www.MNHomesAndLoans.com

 

Twin Cities real estate market hits 10-yr high

Minneapolis, MN: The Minneapolis, St Paul area real estate market reached a 10-year milestones in June 2015, with signed purchase agreements rising 19.2 percent to 6,266. Last year, closed sales had increased 22% to 6,928.

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This is all welcome news, because the last time demand was this strong was back in June 2005, according to a release Monday from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.

The June 2015 median sales price climbed 4.7% to $229,900. This puts the AVERAGE home price to within just 3.5% of the record high set back in June 2006, which was at a then record median high of $238,000. Typical price per square foot, now at $128, is about 18.5 percent below its June 2006 record high.

The local real estate market continues to be a sellers market, because of the ongoing imbalance between the supply of homes for sale, and the number of active buyers looking to buy a home.

Sellers are getting on average about 99.6% of their last list price, with large numbers of homes selling within days, with multiple offers, and over list price.

For buyers, this means you need to be fully mortgage lender pre-approved, with pre-approval letter in hand, and ready to make an offer immediately on anything you love.

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Top 100 Loan Officer 2015

Cambria Mortgage’s Loan Officer Joe Metzler, out of their St. Paul, MN Office, has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Loan Officers in the Nation by Origination News, coming in at number 98. Read the list at http://tinyurl.com/ljqqkbj

Top Loan Officers 2015This is another is an ongoing set of accomplishments for Mr. Metzler, as he was also recently named the Minnesota Mortgage Associations 2014 Loan Officer of the Year.  Joe Metzler has been a top producing Loan Officer for Cambria Mortgage since 2000, and has over 20-years industry experience.  Joe has received other awards in recent years in recognition of his outstanding service and dedication to the mortgage industry, including:
  • 2011 – Top 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professions to Watch (NMPM)
  • 2010 – Top 150 Loan Officers in the Nation by Dollar Volume (Origination News)

Joe Metzler is a certified MMS (Minnesota Mortgage Specialist). Less than 1% of Mortgage Loan Officers in Minnesota have completed the requirements to earn this designation. This is just one of many ways that shows Joe’s dedication to his career.  His track record is exceptional by any standard. He believes in doing the job right the first time and providing a service you can depend on.

If you’d like to have Joe as your Loan Officer, he is licensed in MN, WI, IA, ND, SD. He can be reached at (651) 552-3681, or you can apply on his web site