Helping Washington State homeowners learn more about their mortgage options.
I will be teaching a home buyer class in Renton with Ira Sacharoff of Better Properties Real Estate on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at the Fairwood Library.
The class is sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Students who attend are eligible for programs like Home Advantage or House Key Opportunity (the Washington state bond program) or Freddie Mac Home Possible. Students are also eligible for various down payment assistance programs and MCC (mortgage credit certificates).
Welcome to the last full week of March! The cherry blossoms are in full bloom in the Seattle. This photo is from one of the cherry trees in my front yard.
We’ve seen volatility this month with rates bouncing around like a March Madness basketball. Currently rates have have been trending lower.
This month, Seattle Magazine released their annual edition that covers the best neighborhoods in the greater Seattle area. This year, they featured the “most affordable neighborhoods” near Seattle. It’s no secret that home prices and rents in Seattle have been climbing due to lack of inventory. However, there are neighborhoods that are not located too far from Seattle where home buyers can get more for their money.
Let’s begin by addressing what a debt to income ratio is. It’s pretty much like it sounds. It’s factoring in your monthly payments plus the proposed mortgage payment (PITI = principal, interest, taxes and insurance) and home owners dues, if any. Your monthly gross income that is used for qualifying is divided into the monthly debt which produces your DTI (debt to income ratio).
The Home Affordable Refinance Program (aka HARP or HARP 2.0) is set to retire at the end of 2015. Homeowners who have a mortgage that was securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac with a Note date prior to June 1, 2009 may be eligible for a HARP refinance.
My apologies for being a couple days late on this post which is typically published on Mondays… I had Monday off (it was my birthday) and with taking a day off, I had fun catching up on emails yesterday.
For my birthday, my husband and I went to Pinot country in Oregon – it is absolutely beautiful. If you enjoy pinot noir or crisp white wine, I recommend you check it out!
$372 is the average monthly savings that my clients who have closed on their refi’s so far in March. With higher appraised values, thanks to the hot real estate market driving up home prices, many clients are also eliminating mortgage insurance with their refi.
My apologies for being a day late on my “Monday Rate Post”…I’ve been busy working on transactions in process and new refi and purchase loans. Biz has to come before blog. However, I have a few moments now to share with you the economic indicators scheduled to be released this week, which is on the lighter side.
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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