Documents You Need 4 A Loan

A customer who is quickly becoming a friend of mine asked me recently what she needed to gather for a loan application - she’s moving to a new area (the company is relocating them) and before she packed everything up and moved into corporate housing (“Hey,” she said, “Maid Service and it’s free! Are you kidding?  I’m taking every day we get in Corporate Housing!”)!  Here’s my advice to her:

Great News!  The documents needed for a FHA loan are VERY similar to those you would need when applying for most other types of financing these days!  Here’s our “Scavenger Hunt” list!

  • Most Recent pay stubs for 1 full month.
  • The name, address and telephone number of someone who can verify employment.  (We will be sending them a form to complete)  We will be verifying your income for the last 2 years.
  • If either of you are now, or have been self-employed, or earned income OTHER THAN W-2 income in the last two years, we will need full copies of your tax returns.  If you ONLY earned W-2 income, we will need a copy of the W-2s for the last 2 years.
  • Any data regarding the relocation package, and specifically what NASA is covering.
  • If you owned property, and you’ve sold it, we’ll need a copy of the HUD-1 Settlement Statement.  If you own a property that is leased, then we will need a copy of the lease agreement.  We need to document 2 full years of residence.
    If you’ve been renting during the last 2 years, we will need the name, address and telephone number of the landlord.
  • We need copies of bank statements for the last 2 months.  If you are changing banks, remember that we will need to verify the money going out of one account and into another! (PLEASE try not to have any NSFs!)  We will need ALL pages of the bank statements.
  • If you are receiving a gift for the your down payment – we will provide you with a gift letter to have completed.  We will also need to verify that the person giving you the gift has the money in their account.  In the event that you, or the donor, do not keep money in a bank – we do have other options, so you will need to speak with us directly about that situation.
  • In the event that you do not have sufficient “lines” of credit, we can look at “alternative lines.”  This means that if you have only 1 credit card, and no other credit, we will likely need to use your cell phone, and your insurance (for instance) to establish that you pay your bills on time.  If you think you might be in this situation, please have the last statement available for us.

In every single loan file, there are other items that we might also request… it’s difficult for me to anticipate every different situation… for instance, if you sold a car before moving, and deposited $5000 from that sale – we are going to ask for evidence of the sale… but for the most part… this should be a VERY complete list.

Congratulations on your move, and your new opportunities!  I know this is an exciting time!

If you are considering a home purchase in Garner, or your buying a home in Cary, please call Steve and Eleanor Thorne, Connect With Us on Facebook, 919-649-5058

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New HUD Secretary Named

hudPresident Bush announced the new Secretary of HUD yesterday as Mr. Jackson left office.  Former SBA Administrator Steve Preston will be the new “general” with MUCH to be done!

According to Kansas City.com…

If confirmed by the Senate, Preston would replace Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson, who announced his resignation last month amid a criminal investigation and allegations of political favoritism.

Preston is credited with correcting problems at the Small Business Administration, and he drew praise from Democrats.

He steps in at a time when foreclosures have surged.

He has a background of 25 years in financial and operational leadership. He was executive vice president of the ServiceMaster Co., a senior vice president and treasurer of First Data Corp., and an investment banker at Lehman Bros.

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How To Shop For An FHA Loan

FHA LoansI LOVE TO SHOP! But when you are shopping for a FHA mortgage there are some smart shopping tips!

Ask your lender how long they have been doing FHA loans. Many broker shops stopped offering FHA loans during the “subprime” days because it was more expensive to be certified to do them! (An annual audit can cost over $10,000!)  Don’t be a TEST case for the lender! (that’s literally a term used by FHA – they make “new” lenders submit cases directly to FHA for review.  This will add a minimum of 30 days to your approval!)

Ask about credit scores. FHA says that they don’t have a minimum credit score – however, many lenders are requiring a score of at least 600. There are some exceptions, but be leary of someone who only memorized the FHA guidelines – and doesn’t quickly tell you that Investors can and do apply their own guidelines on top of the FHA guidelines (especially since Fannie and Freddie say they will soon stop purchasing loans with scores under 620!).

Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Different lenders charge different fees.  Just because someone offeres you a lower rate – doesn’t mean it’s the cheapest mortgage!  Check the “total cost to borrowers.”  Also make certain that they have a fairly accurate number for taxes and insurance.  Some lenders “lowball” numbers in an effort to make you feel more comfortable with a quote!

Remember – there’s more to shopping for a mortgage than the RATE!

If you are shopping for a FHA loan in NC call Steve and Eleanor Thorne, FHA Experts at Connect With Us on Facebook in Raleigh, NC.  http://www.stevethorneonline.com

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HUD Secretary Resigns

As has been reported by many – Alphonso Jackson resigned as Secretary of HUD today.  The question at hand is not what he did – and if he was a GREAT HUD Secretary (because in my humble opinion he was NOT a great Secretary – no matter what pictures he put up about himself!) but WHO will follow him.

“On Monday on his way out of the country for a trip built around a NATO summit, Bush said he wants Congress to modernize HUD’s Federal Housing Administration, allowing more struggling homeowners to refinance their mortgages.”

Well Mr Bush – that’ going to be difficult if we don’t have anyone RUNNING FHA – and so far this appears to be a job nobodies really going after!

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No Credit? Think FHA!

fha loans cary ncStudents are studying their way through college – not building credit…

Once you have a job, and you want to purchase a house, how do you create credit?

FHA allows mortgage lenders to accept loans from those who do not have a credit score. We are required to “build credit.”  This means that we need to verify alternative credit that you’ve paid.  We will need at least 4 alternative sources – and they can include:

  • Rent (keep your cancelled checks!)
  • Insurance
  • Cable
  • Telephone / mobile bill
  • Electric Bills

For this reason – you want to have the leases in your name – or make the payments for your portion of the bills directly to the utility company.  Start now keeping records  – you’ll need at least 12 full months of credit history – even from an alternative source!

Contact the FHA Experts to get pre-qualified for a mortgage in Cary, Steve and Eleanor Thorne, 919-649-5058

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Your First Dispute Letter

Once you have a copy of your credit report, you need to sit down and start writing to the three credit bureau agencies.  In that first dispute letter you want to dispute:

First you want to dispute old addresses, wrong addresses, wrong birthdays, aliases or misspelled names and old employment information.  Also include account disputes if there are late payments on an account from more than 7 years ago.  Include a copy of your social security card, your drivers license and a utility bill to prove this is your address.

Make copies of all the letters you send out.  Send each letter certified mail with a return receipt requested.  Save all the receipts you get back from the certified letter.  After about 30 days, you should receive updated reports and the old/outdated personal information should be gone.  This is a critical step, and one that you do not want to skip when you are doing credit repair!

Each subsequent request/dispute will not match old addresses on your report and you will have a much easier time getting inaccurate information removed from your credit file.

We help people every month who had credit problems… but are still able to purchase a home.  If you want to be a homeowner – don’t do all of this yourself!  CALL US!  Steve and Eleanor Thorne 919-649-5058.  We can help you buy your dream home!

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