Helping Washington State homeowners learn more about their mortgage options.
The FHFA announced expanded guidelines for appraisal waiver increasing the maximum loan to value (LTV) from 80% to 90% on purchase transactions. An appraisal waiver is not guaranteed on all conforming mortgages. Loans are submitted to the automated underwriting systems for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which determine whether or not a transaction will receive an appraisal waiver.
Possible eligible transactions include: [Read more…]
Did you know that you don’t need a 20% down payment to buy a home? In this video, I discuss what funds are needed during the home buying process.
If you’re interested in buying or refinancing a home, please contact me!
This has been one of the most challenging markets for homebuyers that I have seen in my 20+ years as a mortgage professional in the greater Seattle area. The lack of inventory has created a frenzy allowing sellers to name their extraordinary price with bidding wars leaving many buyers exhausted and warn out from this highly competitive market. [Read more…]
I’m honored to have been quoted in the Seattle Time‘s yesterday in Katherine Khashimova Long’s article “Autumn of heartbreak for home shoppers as Seattle-area prices hit new record highs”. My quote wound up being a tid-bit in the article and I thought it would be interesting to share some of the points that we discussed during the interview. [Read more…]
Some conforming mortgages for refinances or home purchases may not require an appraisal. It all boils down to what the response is from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac’s automated underwriting systems on whether or not an appraisal is required. You may have perfect credit and tons of equity in your home, yet no appraisal waiver if Fannie or Freddie’s underwriting systems determine it’s not eligible.
Your next conforming mortgage might be eligible to not have an appraisal if it meets the following criteria: [Read more…]
Fannie Mae will begin offering appraisal waivers on some refinance transactions. This is great news as it will help transactions that qualify have a quicker closing and help reduce the work load for appraisers which will hopefully help expedite current appraisal turn-times. This will also help home owners save money on their transaction by not having to pay an appraisal fee, which have gone up dramatically over the last few months. [Read more…]
VA manages how much a Veteran can pay for an appraisal and sets time lines on how long a VA appraisal can take. The fee for Washington state has been $500 for an appraisal with up to 10 days for the appraisal to be delivered. Before the appraisal crisis, many would often complain about how long it took to get a VA appraisal…however, 10 days to receive an appraisal for $500 would now be a dream come true. [Read more…]
If you are buying, selling or refinancing a home right now, you might be quite surprised to learn about the current state of appraisals. It ain’t pretty…far from it. [Read more…]
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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