Washington State Mortgages, Made Clear. Buying or Refinancing? Let's find the right loan together.
Your signing appointment is one of the final steps before you get the keys to your new home — or before your refinance closes. Knowing what to expect and what to bring makes the process smoother for everyone involved, including the escrow officer, your lender, and you.
Here’s a practical checklist I share with my clients before their signing appointment, along with a few tips from my background of managing an escrow branch prior to my career in mortgage.
When you apply for a mortgage, two documents do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to understanding your loan: the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure. Both were introduced in 2015 under federal rules designed to make mortgage costs easier to understand and compare — and they replaced the old Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1 Settlement Statement.
Here’s what each one is, when you’ll receive it, and what to pay attention to. [Read more…]
From the moment your offer is accepted to the day you get your keys, a lot can go wrong — most of it preventable. After 25+ years of helping Washington State buyers close on time, I’ve seen the same issues come up again and again. Here’s what to know before you’re under contract so you don’t become a cautionary tale.
Note: I’m a licensed mortgage advisor, not an attorney. The guidance below is based on my experience in the mortgage process — not legal advice. [Read more…]
A “soft” credit check is just prior to closing on your mortgage. This is to ensure that no new debt was obtained during the mortgage process and that the information on your final application that you sign at closing still represents your financial scenario. [Read more…]
