Mortgage Tips Archives - Page 8 of 48

The Top Tips To Get Your Offer Accepted In A Seller's Market The housing market today is very competitive, and you might be wondering how you can get your offer accepted. If the seller has multiple offers on the table, it can be a bit of a challenge. Many people assume that the best way to get an offer accepted is to offer the most money. Even though that is certainly helpful, there are several other tips you should follow to make sure your offer is the one the seller picks.

Get Pre-Approved For A Mortgage

First, you must make sure that you get pre-approved for a mortgage. Unless you are paying cash for the home, you should talk to a local loan officer to get a pre-approval letter. You don’t have to go with that company once the dust settles, but you need to get a pre-approval letter from a lender. That way, the seller will know that you have a high chance of getting approved for the loan.

Offer More Earnest Money

If you are willing to offer more earnest money, that will make the seller more comfortable. The seller is always worried that the buyer might pull out on the offer, meaning that their home will go back on the market. If you increase the amount of earnest money you put down, the seller will feel more confident that you are serious about buying the home.

Give The Seller The Option To Rent Back

If the seller accepts your offer, you will have between four and six weeks before your first mortgage payment is due. Therefore, you won’t have any payments after closing for a while. If the seller is not ready to move yet, or if the seller has not found a new home, offer the seller an opportunity to rent the home back for free. This will give the seller more time to get everything in order before they move.

Increase The Strength Of Your Offer

In a seller’s market, you need to make your offer stand out. Otherwise, you may have a difficult time finding a house, particularly if you cannot pay cash. If you follow these tips, you can increase your chances of having your offer picked by the seller.

The Quick and Easy Guide to Determining How Big of a Mortgage Your Family Can Afford Are you shopping around for a new house or apartment? One of the key considerations you will need to make is figuring out how much you want to invest in your new home. Below you’ll find our quick and easy guide to determining just how much “house” you can afford. Let’s get started!

Start By Making A Proper Budget

The first thing you’ll want to do is sit down and get a full budget put together. The easiest way to get the process started is to begin with two lists: income and expenses. For the income list, write down the amount of money your family brings in each month after taxes. If you have side income sources or extra income that tends to fluctuate over time, use the average amount for the past six months.

For the expenses list, write down all the spending that you do each month. Start with the major, stable items like rent, utilities and the like. Then work your way through to discretionary spending like dining out and other sources of entertainment. If it helps, go through your bank and credit card statements to ensure that you are not missing anything.

Once you have an accurate budget, you’ll know exactly how much you can afford to pay toward your mortgage payments each month.

Figure Out How Much You Can Put Down

Next, you’ll need to think about how much cash you want to pay as a down payment on your home. The larger the down payment you can afford, the smaller amount of mortgage financing you’ll need. While it might seem like a good idea to put as much as you can down, there are some things to consider. Any money you put against your down payment is going to be unavailable to you, which reduces your financial options. You’ll also lose the opportunity to invest it, which means missing out on potential returns over time.

Determine How Much House You Actually Need

Finally, give some thought as to how large or luxurious a home you want to buy. For example, if you have a small family and don’t need a large four- or five-bedroom house, you can instead opt for a smaller but more luxurious home. Conversely, if space is a priority, you may want to forego the high-end options to ensure you have enough room.

When you’re ready to explore your mortgage options, we’re ready to help. Contact your trusted mortgage professional at your convenience. We’re committed to helping you purchase the home of your dreams.

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