The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) created a program to help first time home buyers buy a home. This program offers up to $7500 to borrowers to act as a down payment, helping buyers purchase a home with no money out of pocket. This down payment assistance is great for anyone interested in buying […]

There is some buzz in the mortgage world about Fannie Mae’s HomePath program. It is a program I am often asked about, and have heard some pretty interesting misinformation that my clients have received from friends, family, and the internet. At its core, it is a program to help sell foreclosures currently owned by Fannie […]

There is a special mortgage type for active duty military, reservists, and veterans, called a VA mortgage. This mortgage works nothing like a conventional or FHA mortgage, as it does not rely on traditional debt to income calculations and has much more forgiving credit qualifications. It was a mortgage program designed by the government to […]

So we’ve discussed conventional and FHA mortgages, but an important type of FHA mortgage is the FHA 203k mortgage. The FHA 203k mortgage was created to help people buy houses which need repairs. Prior to the 203k loans, lenders were becoming increasingly strict when it came to lending on a house which needed work. But with the […]

In my last post, I discussed what a conventional loan is. But for many customers who do not qualify for a conventional mortgage, or who do not want to put as much money down on a house, going with an FHA mortgage might make more sense. An FHA loan is a government backed loan with […]

One of the first questions I am asked by my customers is: “what type of mortgage is best for me?” And to answer that question, I will usually ask them a series of questions to get a better understanding of their needs. After we go through this exercise, I will lay out several options, and […]

The most important first step in buying a house is determining what you can afford and what type of mortgage makes the most sense for you. So, it seemed a good idea to explain what is involved in qualifying for a mortgage and what some of the basic terms mean. For starters, it is important […]

With belts tightening up in 2012 for lenders, it’s getting more difficult for borrowers with even decent credit to secure a mortgage – and that likely won’t change any time soon.  Even with an experience mortgage banker in Michigan on your side, you’ll need to have your affairs in order to secure the loan you […]