Posts Tagged ‘FHA Mortgage Refinance’

FHA Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium to Increase

March 28th, 2011

On April 18th, the annual mortgage insurance premium is set to increase on all new FHA Mortgages to help HUD meet it’s reserve requirements set by congress.  Below is a list of the current annual mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) required by HUD/FHA.

Current Market
Mortgages with a term Greater than 15 Years

Loan-to-Value (LTV)                 Annual MIP Rate
= or < 95%                                           .85%
> 95%                                                   .90%

Mortgage with a term equal to or less than 15 Years

Loan-to-Value (LTV)                 Annual MIP Rate
= or < 90%                                           .00%
> 90%                                                   .25%

After the changes on April 18th, the premiums for all the above scenarios are going up by .25%.

 

 

After April 18th
Mortgages with a term Greater than 15 Years

Loan-to-Value (LTV)                 Annual MIP Rate
= or < 95%                                           1.10%
> 95%                                                   1.15%

Mortgage with a term equal to or less than 15 Years

Loan-to-Value (LTV)                 Annual MIP Rate
= or < 90%                                           .25%
> 90%                                                   .50%

The good news is that you still have time to get a new FHA loan before the deadline.  If you are buying a home, you just have to get an accepted contract and an FHA case number and if refinancing, you just need the FHA case number assigned before the April 18th date.  You do not have to close the new mortgage before the deadline.

Below is a comparison of a mortgage payment on a 30 year fixed FHA mortgage of $200K with an LTV great than 95% at 4.75%.

Currently
Total Payment (Principle, Interest & MIP)
$1,187.28

After April 18th
Total Payment (Principle, Interest & MIP)
$1,228.94

So for those of you still sitting on the fence about whether or not to move for with a new FHA mortgage, now would be the time to save money. Give The Kunselman Team a call today to start saving money!

 

Top 10 Reasons for Getting a New Mortgage in 2011

January 21st, 2011
  1. Rates are still really low.
  2. FNMA DU Refi+ and the Freddie Mac Open Access HARP programs are still around through May.
  3. You might not have to pay for an appraisal
  4. Self-employed people can still get a loan.
  5. 100% Financing is available in rural areas (Frederick/Firestone count as rural)
  6. FHA has lowered its up-front mortgage insurance premium from 3.5% to 1.0%.
  7. 100% VA Loans are still available. (Have you ever checked your eligibility?)
  8. VA interest rate reduction loans are cheap and easy.
  9. FHA Streamlines don’t require income documentation. (Great if you have kept up on your payments even with a drop in income.)
  10. Mortgage interest and Mortgage Insurance are still tax deductible!

Get the Process Started Now

December 8th, 2010

The loan process is not what it used to be.  In the not so distant past, we used to be able to start a new refinance and get it closed within 3 weeks.  Lenders were a lot more streamlined and were staffed to handle the amount of loans they were getting.

But because of new regulations and a large influx of business (due to such low interest rates), loans are just taking longer to get done.  So what should you, the consumer do?

Get started now.  If you are thinking that you would like to refinance but are going to wait until after the holidays, you could be missing out.  Rates are still good but all indicators point to rising rates in the near future.  If you wait until after the holidays to start the loan process you could end up paying a higher rate.

The reality is that because of longer timelines to get a new mortgage, a refinance started now most likely won’t be closing until after the New Year.

We all make New Years Resolutions to get our finances in better shape but why wait to start those resolutions until after the 1st of the year.  Getting started now will give you a head start and ensure that procrastination doesn’t cost you more money.

What could I really Save?

December 8th, 2010

In the last couple of weeks, the mortgage industry has seen interest rates bottom out and start to move back up.  Most analysts believe that we have tested the lows and now the Fed wants to get inflation back to its target of 2% and to do so, it will start raising interest rates.

Even so, you can still get great interest rates.  It is still possible to get your rate in the 4% but if you don’t act soon, you may miss that window.

Let’s look at some examples of what the principle and interest payment on a $200K mortgage would be over a range of interest rates:

Interest Rate                   Monthly Payment

4.50%                                  $1013.37

4.75%                                  $1043.29

5.00%                                  $1073.64

5.25%                                  $1104.41

5.50%                                  $1135.58

5.75%                                  $1167.15

6.00%                                  $1199.10

Now someone could look at this and think, “The difference between 6.00% and 5.00% is only ~$126/month; That is not worth the cost of refinance.”  But you have to remember that this is just comparing different rates for the same loan amount.  If a borrower had an original loan amount of $215K at 6.00% and has had this mortgage for 5 years, their payment savings would like more like this:

Original Payment at 6.00% = $1289.03

New Loan Amount $205K

Interest Rate      New Payment       Monthly Savings

4.50%                  $1038.70                 $250.33

4.75%                  $1069.38                 $219.65

5.00%                  $1100.48                 $188.55

Now I know that the odds of this being your example situation are pretty slim but this example is designed to show you that even though we have seen the bottom of interest rates, rates are still good and can save you thousands of dollars in interest.  But you do not want to wait long.

Success Stories #1

July 30th, 2010

Over the last few months, The Kunselman Team has had the opportunity to work with some wonderful clients with unique situations, and was able to get them the perfect mortgage solution to fit their needs.  We would like to highlight a few of these situations here.  The names have been changed but the scenarios are real.

Client #1 Jane
Jane is recently divorced.  Per the separation agreement, she would keep their primary residence as her home but she would be required within the first year to refinance the first mortgage on the property into only her name.  This stood to be difficult because of the 2nd mortgage that the couple had taken out on the property.  Between the two mortgages, they owed more than the home was worth.  The solution for Jane was that The Kunselman Team was able to refinance the first mortgage through the Fannie Mae DU Refi+ program into only her name as well as lower her interest rate and payment by 1.316% and $203 respectively.

Client(s) #2 Todd and Stacey
Todd and Stacey had refinance their home a couple years ago into a 5/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgage.  They had felt at the time that they would only be in their current home for about three to four more years.  Two years into that plan, it had become very clear that they would not be moving any time soon.  Their concern was that the rate they got two years ago on their current mortgage was really low.  They couldn’t take the payment shock of a large increase in their interest rate.  The solution was that The Kunselman Team was able to refinance Todd and Stacey into a 30 year mortgage at the same interest rate as their previous 5/1 ARM with a no cost refinance.  Their monthly payments did not go down significantly, but they now had the comfort and security of a 30 year mortgage.

Client(s) #3 John and Sherry
Last November, John and Sherry went to their existing lender to inquire about a refinance.  Their existing mortgage was a 30 year fixed with no mortgage insurance on it.  The lender required that a new appraisal be done on the property and unfortunately the value came in lower than expected.  With the new value, the only option their lender had for them was a new 30 year mortgage with monthly mortgage insurance on it, which would negate most of their savings from the lower interest rate.  Frustrated and out the lenders application and appraisal fee they decided not to refinance.  A couple months later, John and Stacey were referred to The Kunselman Team by a friend.  It turned out that John and Stacey’s existing mortgage was owned by Fannie Mae and they were qualified to do a refinance with no appraisal required and now monthly mortgage insurance.  Todd and Stacey’s new mortgage was 1% lower, had a shorter term and still saved them $33 a month in their payment.  The real irony to this situation is that The Kunselman Team closed John and Stacey’s new mortgage with their same previous lender that had told them no a few months prior.

These are just a few examples of the unique situation that The Kunselman Team has come across in the last few months.  The only thing that is certain anymore is that EVERY LOAN IS UNIQUE! Give The Kunselman Team a call to see if we can help with yours.