Monthly Archives: August 2016

USDA Lowering Fees

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USDA-mortgage-lower-fees2Upfront Guarantee Fee and Monthly/Annual Fee Decrease

USDA has announced a reduction in the upfront guarantee fee and monthly/annual fee for fiscal year (FY) 2017 effective with Conditional Commitments issued on or after October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. The current and new reduced fees are as follows:

USDA Rural Development Reducing Guarantee and Annual Fees in October:
Effective October 1, 2016 (the start of fiscal year 2017) program fees for USDA Rural Development’s guaranteed home loan program will be significantly reduced.
The upfront guarantee fee will change from 2.75% to 1.0% of the loan amount.
The annual fee will change from 0.50% to 0.35% of the average scheduled unpaid principal balance for the life of the loan.

USDA FEES 10-1-16

 

 

 

 

 

The new fee structure will save homebuyers thousands of dollars up front and reduce monthly payments significantly.

For More Information about the USDA program call:

Dean Henderson, CRMS
President
Financial Independence Mortgage
(661) 726-9000

FHA Condo Loan Law Passed

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condos1It will soon get easier for condominium buyers to obtain Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans.

Last week the Presdient signed into law H.R. 3700, also known as the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, that will require regulators to rewrite several rules that determine FHA eligibility for condo developments.

Current rules disqualify buyers from seeking FHA loans if less than 50 percent of the condominium units are owner-occupied. The law lowers that requirement to a 35 percent owner-occupied ratio.

FHA also would have to relax a hard rule banning transfer fees when a condo is sold to allow condominium associations to collect fees that support community improvements. That policy is consistent with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s existing policy.

The agency also must simplify its re-certification process. As it stands, developments must undergo a rigorous certification hurdle every two years.

FHA overseer, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, must make some of the changes within 90 days, according to the National Association of Realtors. Other changes will be proposed through rule making.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the law would boost FHA-guarantee lending by $8 billion between 2017 and 2021, as more condo buyers would be eligible.

The law will also allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to delegate to preferred lenders its approval authority for USDA loans, and the agency to charge a $50 fee to lenders per loan for using the automated underwriting system.

The bill was unanimously approved by the House in February and by the Senate earlier in July.

For more information call:
Dean Henderson, CRMS
Financial Independence Mortgage
(661) 726-9000

Understanding and Managing Credit Scores

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Managing Credit Score BubbleUnderstanding the makeup of your credit score is the first step toward managing and improving it.

As you might expect, payment history is the most influential component in your credit score, followed closely by the amounts you owe. To lesser degrees, the length of time you’ve utilized credit, the number of new accounts or inquiries you have, and the various types of credit accounts you hold also impact your score. Overall reporting also looks at how these factors relate to each other in the context of your personal usage.

To help achieve or maintain a healthy score, always remember the following:

Have a system to assure your bills are always paid on time.

Avoid late payments or the excessive use of credit by maintaining a cash “cushion” to pay for unexpected expenses. Don’t “max out” your cards. It’s better to have a high credit limit with a low balance.

Never close old accounts as the age of these can actually help your score.

If you shop for credit, do so in the shortest time period possible to minimize inquiries counted against you.

Don’t be afraid to use credit. You need several accounts in order to have a credit score. Just be sure to keep corresponding payments within your means.

If you have established credit, don’t open new accounts solely for the sake of earning a discount on a new purchase. In the long run, you may spend more than you save up front by paying higher interest rates due to a lower score. Having more accounts also increases the task of making payments and the possibility of missing one.

If you have questions about managing your credit, give us a call. We’re happy to help.

Dean Henderson, CRMS
Financial Independence Mortgage
President
NMLS 233298
(661) 726-9000
[email protected]