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Archive for the ‘Mortagage Tips’ Category
S P Case-Shiller Home Price Index: May Home Prices Rise
May home prices rose in all 20 cities tracked by the S&P Case-Shiller 20 City Home Price Index. This was the second consecutive month in which all cities posted gains.
On average, national home prices rose by 1.10 percent in May as compared to April’s reading. Year-over-year, home prices rose, but at a slower rate of 9.39 percent in May as compared to 10.80 percent year-over-year for April.
Nevada, Florida and California Cities Post Highest Gains
Cities posting the highest year-over-year price gains in May included Las Vegas, Nevada at 16.90 percent, San Francisco, California at 15.40 percent, Miami, Florida at 13.20 percent. San Diego and Los Angeles, California reported home price growth rates at 12.40 and 12.29 percent respectively.
According to the 20-City Index, home prices are 18 percent below their peak reached in mid-2006, but are 27 percent higher as compared to March 2012 lows.
Pending Home Sales Decline in June
More evidence of sluggish home sales was reported for June. The National Association of REALTORS® reported that pending home sales dropped by 1.10 percent in June. This was a surprise as compared to May’s month-to-month gain of 6.00 percent for pending sales.
Several factors were cited as contributing to slower home sales; higher home prices, stagnant wage growth, higher mortgage rates and stringent loan requirements were seen as obstacles for home buyers. Pending home sales are an indicator of future closings and mortgage activity. Approximately 80 percent of purchase contracts signed sales completed within 60 days.
FHFA House Price Index: Home Price Growth Slips in May
FHFA, the agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reported that home prices grew by 0.40 percent in May to a seasonally-adjusted year-over-year rate of 5.50 percent as compared to April’s year-over-year reading of 5.90 percent. FHFA’s House Price Index is based on sales of homes connected with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages.
On a positive note, the reading for the Consumer Confidence Index jumped from 85.20 in June to 90.90 in July. Expanding consumer confidence suggests that more families may decide to transition from renting to owning their homes, and that homeowners may feel confident enough to move up to larger homes.
Mark Taylor | Arizona Home Loans | Blarming | Will You Listen to Me | Arizona Short Sales | Arizona Foreclosures | Arizona FHA Loans | Arizona USDA Loans | Real Estate Websites | Arizona HUD Homes | Ariona VA Loans | Fix My Broken Credit | Arizona Mortgage | Arizona Short Sale | Power Ranch Bank Owned Homes
Small Business Owner? Here’s What You Need To Know About Mortgages
If you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner, you probably know that there are a lot of advantages to this lifestyle – the freedom, the exciting challenges, the opportunities and the ability to make a living doing what you love.
However, you also know that being a small business owner can make some things more challenging – such as apply for a mortgage for your home.
Many small business owners find it tough to get approved for a mortgage, because their income can be erratic and the banks want to see proof of consistent earnings over a significant period of time.
However, it is possible to qualify for a loan as a small business owner. Here are some important things that you need to know about the process:
Ask Your Mortgage Lender What They Look For
If you ask your mortgage lender, they will probably offer you a checklist for putting together all the information needed in your mortgage package. It should have instructions on what specific documents you need to include if you are self-employed.
Filling Out The Right Forms
When applying for the loan, you will need to fill out IRS Form 4506-T, which is a Request for Transcript of Tax Return. This is basically a form that will allow the lender to look at your tax returns from the IRS, which shows proof of your earnings.
You are not able to show lenders copies of your tax returns. They must get them directly from the IRS themselves.
Submitting A Profit And Loss Statement
It can also help to ask your accountant to prepare a Profit and Loss Statement, which highlights the amount of money that you have brought in compared to the expenses of setting up your business.
If you present several of these on a quarterly basis, it will prove to the bank that your business is growing and is profitable enough to cover your mortgage.
The important thing to remember is not to give up on the idea of owning a home just because you are a small business owner. Ask your accountant for help and take the time to submit the right proof of earnings, so that you get the mortgage for your dream home.
Mark Taylor | Arizona Home Loans | Blarming | Will You Listen to Me | Arizona Short Sales | Arizona Foreclosures | Arizona FHA Loans | Arizona USDA Loans | Real Estate Websites | Arizona HUD Homes | Ariona VA Loans | Fix My Broken Credit | Arizona Mortgage | Arizona Short Sale | Power Ranch Bank Owned Homes
Rounding Up Your Mortgage Payment, Will It Really Help?
Paying off the mortgage on your home as quickly as possible will ensure that you pay less interest and save money in the long term. But how can you accelerate those payments so that you own your home sooner?
One simple and easy way that you can pay off your mortgage faster is to round up your mortgage payment to the nearest $100 interval. So, for example, if your mortgage payment is $756 per month, you can pay $800 instead.
Not only will this help you to pay off your mortgage sooner, but round numbers are also much easier to handle for simple calculations. You will be able to look at your bank account and easily subtract your mortgage payment in your head to get an idea of where your money stands.
Will This Really Make a Difference?
By rounding up your mortgage payment, you won’t notice the difference in your day to day expenses but you will really notice the difference when it comes to the overall lifespan of your mortgage.
In your monthly budget, you will have already mentally allocated your mortgage payment as $800, so having that $44 less per month won’t make much difference and you can easily adjust. It is an amount that is small enough that you won’t “miss” it.
However, paying $44 extra per month will add up to $528 per year. That’s almost like making an extra payment every year. This extra money will go straight into the principal of the loan, which will make your interest payments go down every year faster and faster.
Over the years, this will compound and will mean that you actually end up reducing your mortgage term by a few years. The savings that you can enjoy over the total life of the loan can be in the thousands!
There are many other ways that you can pay down your mortgage faster, such as contributing a lump sum payment or switching to bi-weekly payments. However, it is interesting to know that just rounding up your payment can make such a significant difference!
For more information about the mortgage on your home, contact me.
Mark Taylor | Arizona Home Loans | Blarming | Will You Listen to Me | Arizona Short Sales | Arizona Foreclosures | Arizona FHA Loans | Arizona USDA Loans | Real Estate Websites | Arizona HUD Homes | Ariona VA Loans | Fix My Broken Credit | Arizona Mortgage | Arizona Short Sale | Power Ranch Bank Owned Homes