What Does Title Insurance Protect Me From?

On March 28, 2010, in Mortgage Closing Costs, by Mark Madsen

By including title insurance when purchasing property, your title insurer takes on accountability for legal expenses to defend your property title, should it ever be challenged. Many different occurrences can come into play to warrant the need for title insurance. The title company responsible will then take on the legal expenses to defend the property [...]

Understanding the FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP)

On March 28, 2010, in Mortgage Programs, by Mark Madsen

The FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium is an important part of every FHA loan. There are actually two types of Mortgage Insurance Premiums associated with FHA loans: 1.  Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) – financed into the total loan amount at the initial time of funding 2.  Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premium – paid monthly along [...]

First-Time Home Buyer Credit Checklist

On March 28, 2010, in Home Buying Process, by Mark Madsen

Getting a new mortgage for a First-Time Home Buyer can be a little overwhelming with all of the important details, guidelines and potential speed bumps. Since there are so many rules and steps to follow, here is a simple list of Do’s and Don’ts to keep in mind throughout the mortgage approval process: DO: Continue [...]

Should I Refinance or Get a HELOC For Home Improvements?

On March 28, 2010, in Refinance Process, by Mark Madsen

For homeowners interested in making some property improvements without tapping into their savings or investment accounts, the two main options are to either take out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), or do a cash-out refinance. According To Wikipedia: A home equity line of credit is a loan in which the lender agrees to [...]

Calculating The Net Benefit Of A Refinance Transaction

On March 28, 2010, in Refinance Process, by Mark Madsen

Calculating the net benefit of refinancing can be a challenging task if you do not understand what to calculate. We are going to focus on the net benefits of refinancing from the standpoint of lowering your interest rate. Although there are several reasons to refinance, lowering your mortgage rate to save on interest payments over [...]

Understanding the Difference Between an Appraisal vs Neighborhood Listing Prices

On March 28, 2010, in Real Estate Appraisals, by Mark Madsen

Why is there such a difference between what my appraised value is and the price similar homes are selling for on my street? It’s a great question, and you don’t have to be a mortgage professional or a real estate agent to understand the answer. The distinction lies in the purpose of the two valuations [...]

Making Sure Your Cash-To-Close Comes From The Proper Source

On March 28, 2010, in Mortgage Closing Process, by Mark Madsen

Providing proper asset documentation and the actual source of the funds is a critical element of the loan closing process. There’s nothing worse in a real estate purchase than making it all the way through the hoops and hurdles just to have a loan denied after the final documents have been signed due to the [...]

Talk the Talk – Know the Mortgage Lingo at Closing

On March 28, 2010, in Mortgage Closing Process, by Mark Madsen

What the heck are they talking about? Many borrowers go through the closing process in a haze, nodding, smiling, and signing through a bunch of noise that sounds like Greek. Even though you may have put your trust in your real estate and mortgage team, it helps to understand some of the terminology so that [...]

Five Myths About Home Values

On March 28, 2010, in Real Estate Appraisals, by Mark Madsen

A few years ago, when home values were just going up, most homeowners did not question appraisals much. It was the best of times. Over the past two and a half years, home sellers and even listing agents quite often question and pick apart appraisals. It was the worst of times. A Tale of Two [...]

How Do Mortgage Companies Value A Property That Has Not Been Built Yet?

On March 28, 2010, in Real Estate Appraisals, by Mark Madsen

It’s obviously easier to picture the process of estimating value on an existing property in a neighborhood that has a history of home sales, but the task of determining the value on new construction projects does pose some challenges. Appraisals on homes that haven’t been built yet generally require the contractor and home buyer to [...]