Helping Washington State homeowners learn more about their mortgage options.
I will be teaching a Home Buyers Education Class with Ira Sacharoff of Better Properties Real Estate Seattle on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at the Skyway Public Library. This class is sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
Students will learn about the home buying process and will receive a certificate at the end of the class making them eligible for:
With the appreciation homes are seeing in the greater Seattle – King County area, home owners who purchased their home a couple years ago using an FHA mortgage may now be able to refinance into a conventional mortgage. FHA mortgages are often used when a home buyer needs a lower down payment option or if credit scores are lower. FHA jumbo mortgages offer home buyers lower down payment with higher loan amounts than what conforming mortgages will permit. There are many reasons why someone might opt for an FHA mortgage when buying a home.
Mortgage rates are based on mortgage backed securities (bonds) and often change throughout the day. Since they are based on bonds, mortgage rates will often improve when the stock markets are deteriorating as investors will trade the safety of bonds for the potential greater return found with stocks. The reverse is also true. World events as well as scheduled economic indicators may impact the direction of mortgage interest rates. Watch for signs of inflation, which erodes the value of bonds and therefore, causes mortgage rates to trend higher.
Washington State home buyers have several various down payment assistance programs available and they’re not just limited to first time home buyers. These funds can go towards closing cost and the down payment of primary residence.
Here’s an updated list of what I have available.
HARP (aka the Home Affordable Refi Program or HARP 2.0) is set to expire at the end of 2015. HARP is a refinance program that was designed to help home owners who have good credit, income and job stability and would qualify for a refi except for the reduced value on their home.
HARP is available to home owners who have a conventional mortgage securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (this is different than where you make your mortgage payments to).
A 10/1 ARM is an adjustable rate mortgage where the interest rate is fixed for the first 10 years and then may adjust at the 121st payment (after the 10 year “fixed period” is over).
After the first adjustment on the 121st month, the rate will adjust annually on the anniversary of the first adjustment date.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has just reduced their forecast for the US GDP from 2.8% to 2.0% due to weaker than expected first half of the year. The bond market seems to be shrugging this off with a much stronger than expected report from the Empire State Index. Mortgage backed securities may also be getting support from increased tensions in the Ukraine. Remember, investors will often seek the safety of bonds over stocks when global issues are causing concerns.
I will be teaching a Home Buyers Education Class with Jim Reppond of Coldwell Banker Danforth on Saturday, July 12, 2014 at the Northeast Public Library. This class is sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
Students will learn about the home buying process and will receive a certificate at the end of the class making them eligible for:
Rhonda Porter is a Licensed Mortgage Originator MLO121324 living in the greater Seattle area. Rhonda began her career in 1986 in the title and escrow industry and began her mortgage career in 2000. She enjoys helping people understand the mortgage process and started writing The Mortgage Porter in late 2006. Read More…
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