Washington State Mortgages, Made Clear. Buying or Refinancing? Let's find the right loan together.
Not all mortgage loans are the same — and choosing the right program can make a significant difference in your payment, qualification, and long-term financial flexibility.
This section covers the most common and specialty mortgage programs available to homebuyers and homeowners, including:
Understanding eligibility guidelines, loan limits, credit requirements, and program benefits allows you to compare options strategically rather than relying on headlines or general advice.
As a Mortgage Advisor with over 25 years of experience, I help clients evaluate which program best aligns with their income, assets, and long-term plans.
Explore the programs below to better understand your options.
If you’re a homeowner wanting to buy your next home, you might be feeling reluctance to trade your existing interest rate for a current mortgage rate. It’s easy to understand when mortgage rates are double from what they were a few years ago. Historically speaking, mortgage rates are actually closer to what would be considered more of an average range than the Fed manipulated rates of years past.
I may have some good news for you. No, it’s not a trick…this can actually be a treat! [Read more…]
We have added a new down payment assistance program where eligible home buyers can receive up to 100% financing.
This program is not limited to first time home buyers and there are no income limits with an FHA mortgage as the first lien. Would you like more good news? The down payment assistance is in the form of a second mortgage with a 5-year forgivable option OR a 10-year repayable option.
Here’s more: [Read more…]
FINALLY!!! HUD just announced that the mortgage insurance on FHA mortgages will be reduced by 30 basis points on most mortgage loans.
FHA mortgages typically have two forms of mortgage insurance. Borrowers pay for both an upfront premium, which is often added to the loan amount and financed over the life of the loan and an annual premium, which is paid monthly. The mortgage insurance which has been reduced is the annual mortgage insurance. [Read more…]
Many Veterans who have served our country have earned the right to have a VA mortgage loan. It’s unfortunate that some sellers as well as real estate agents have a bad image of VA loans and often discourage them. Many years ago, VA loans were sometimes more challenging than conventional financing – this is rarely the case anymore. Some people may falsely assume that if a Veteran is using a VA loan, they must have poor credit or not enough funds for a down payment. A majority of the Veteran’s I have provided mortgages for have excellent credit and plenty of funds for down payment, they opt for the VA loan because they either don’t want to use all of their funds for down payment, or the VA mortgage loan could be providing a lower interest rate than what they would receive with conventional financing. Bottom line, it’s their entitlement that they sacrificed and worked hard to earn. [Read more…]
Last week, the FHFA (Federal Housing Finance Agency) announced changes to how conforming mortgages are priced with loan-level price adjustments (LLPAs). Some borrowers will find improved pricing where others will have to pay more in fees. The fees are typically incorporated into the interest rate for the mortgage.
From Fannie Mae’s Lender Letter dated January 19, 2023:
“We are implementing additional changes to our LLPA framework that represent the next step in our effort to increase support for borrowers historically underserved by the housing finance market…”.
