Tips On Home Loans


by Richard Seifried - Date: 2007-03-19 - Word Count: 655 Share This!

Buying your first home can be exciting and terrifying in the same instant. Even if it is not your first time to buy a home, the scariest part of the process for almost everyone is borrowing the money. Yes of course, the money is always the biggest issue, but there are a few simple things that everyone can do to make the process a little easier.

Of course work history is an important factor. Most lenders want to see that you have a stable income, but there are so many other things that factor into your loan qualification, like not making any major purchase before buying a home. Stay away from buying expensive appliances and furniture, and hold off on that new car or summer vacation. If you can wait until after you move in to your new place, it will greatly affect your loan specifications. If you make $60K per year, and you add a $400 car payment to your bills, $55K will be deducted from your total qualifying loan amount. This is caused by a change in your income to debt ratio, which is considered by every lender. You want to have the best income to debt ratio possible (the highest income, and the lowest debt amount) at the time of securing a loan. Consider the fact that buying a home is usually the largest expenditure you will have for a period of time, so hopefully those other things can wait. However, if you are reading this and have already made a new car purchase, do not worry. At least you have a nice new car! It will affect your home loan, but there is no reason to worry too much about that now. Trying to get rid of it quickly may not help you very much.

Keeping liquid assets in the same place for a significant period of time before getting a home loan will also improve your loan qualification. Again, lenders want to see that you are stable, and having liquid assets in a stable form to be assured that down payments and closing costs will not be a problem. For this same reason, a buyer will often be asked to provide statements as proof of these assets, and if there are large amounts of transactions, the loan underwriter might require a detailed paper trail to prove where all of the money is moving. This can be an incredible hassle, especially if you have been depending on a checking account to hold all of your money. Having a separate savings account that maintains a reasonable balance is a great way to avoid having to hunt down cancelled checks, pay stubs, or deposit receipts. Save yourself some time and trouble and leave the bulk of your money in one place. It will also keep you in good standing with your bank.

Lenders typically want to see a two year work history in a similar field (which provides them with an understanding of how stable your income is). It may be difficult for some freelance workers to provide such evidence, but do not be discouraged, many lenders will work with you to understand your means of financial security. Changing jobs is usually okay, as long as it remains in a relatively similar field. If you suddenly change jobs, or are fired, and your new job is completely different, this does not appear to be a secure situation, and may affect your qualification. So if you are planning on making a huge career shift, you might want to buy your home first.

There are so many important steps to getting approved for a housing loan. These are just a few simple things to consider as you begin the process. Continue your own research about home loans, or just go ahead and talk to a lender to see where you stand. You are not obligated to take the first loan you are offered. Good luck on your new beginnings.


Related Tags: real estate, home buying, buying a home, north carolina real estate, states, statesville real estate

About the Author: Richard Seifried is the owner of Centry21 Eddleman Realty, the leading agency for Statesville NC real estate For more information visit http://www.c21eddleman.com

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