• About

The Hanley Home Team Blog

~ "ON TOP" Of Your Real Estate Needs!

The Hanley Home Team Blog

Tag Archives: mortgage rates

Getting Ready to Buy a Home? Use These Tips to Boost Your Credit Score

24 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by The Hanley Home Team in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Buying a home, credit score, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, Jacksonville FL Real Estate, Jacksonville Real Estate, mortgage loan, mortgage rates, real estate, real estate advice, real estate information, Real Estate Team, real estate tips, The best real estate agent in Jacksonville, tips to buying a home

Your credit score plays a major part in your ability to secure a mortgage—and to secure a competitive interest rate on your loan. So, before you buy a house, you’ll want to do everything you can to get your credit score as high as possible.

So how, exactly, do you do that?

A recent article from realtor.com outlined strategies potential buyers can use to boost their credit score before they purchase a home, including:

  • Increase your credit limits. If you can’t pay off your credit card debt, one trick to boost your score is to ask your credit card company to increase your credit limit. Increasing your credit limit will improve your debt-to-credit ratio (how much you owe relative to how much credit you have available)—which plays a huge role in how lenders evaluate your creditworthiness for a mortgage.
  • Try to erase one-time mistakes. If you have a history of paying your bills on time, but have one or two late payments on your credit report, try reaching out to your credit card company and asking them to remove the late payment from your credit report. While this won’t work for people with a history of late payments, if you have a mostly positive track record, they may be willing to work with you.
  • Pay on time. If your credit score is less-than-perfect because you have a history of late payments, it’s time to start paying your bills on time. The more consistently you pay on time, the more your credit score will improve—and the easier it will be to get a loan.

Want more tips? Get in touch today! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside HanleyHomeTeam.com 904-515-2479

Advertisement

7 Ways for Homebuyers to Deal With Rising Interest Rates

02 Thursday Jun 2022

Posted by The Hanley Home Team in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Buying a home, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, interest rates, interest rates rising, Jacksonville FL Real Estate, Jacksonville Real Estate, Mortgage changes, mortgage rates, real estate, real estate advice, real estate information, Real Estate Team, real estate tips, rising interest rates, The best real estate agent in Jacksonville

If you’ve been considering buying a house — or if you’re actually in the process — you’ve probably heard two things quite a bit lately:

  1. Interest rates are on the rise.
  2. They’re still historically low.

Yes, they are still historically low, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re higher than if you’d just bought a house a little while ago. Kind of painful to hear, huh? 

What you’d probably rather hear is that rates and house prices will come down in the near future, so just hold on a little while and waiting will have paid off. Unfortunately, it’s looking like rates could go up even more in the near future, and house prices aren’t looking like they’ll definitely take a dramatic tumble. 

So let’s look at some ways you can deal with rising interest rates to make your payments as manageable as possible, and maybe even save some money.

  • Clean up your credit. The better your credit is, the better your rate will be. Take a look at your credit report and see if there’s anything glaringly wrong that you can have corrected. If it all looks foreign to you, ask your mortgage rep or a credit repair specialist to take a look and give you advice on anything they see that you could get corrected, pay off, or pay down in order to raise your credit score.
  • Shop around. Check with several lenders and see who offers you the best rate. Or go through a mortgage broker who has access to many lenders and can do the shopping for you. Be careful if one sounds way too good to be true; they could be quoting you a much better rate, but beware of the fees. If you have access to a credit union or a smaller local bank that knows you, make sure to check with them—they often have better rates because they lend their own money and / or have a closer relationship with their customers.
  • Buy discount points. Consider buying down your mortgage rate by paying “discount points.” These are fees you pay up front in order to get a lower mortgage rate. Buying a point will cost you 1% of your home loan and will generally buy your rate down by a quarter percent, although that can vary from lender to lender. Most will have a cap on how many points you can buy, and they also may offer you the option of buying lower increments than a full point. This is a good option if you plan on staying in the house for some time. Make sure to weigh how much it’ll cost you, and how long it’ll take to break even and then reap the benefits in terms of savings. 
  • Lock in your rate. Even though rates have already been on the rise, there’s a good chance they’ll go up even more. Rate locks are typically only offered for up to 60 days, so if you’re serious about buying soon, consider locking in at the current rate. Make sure to ask your lender how much a rate lock will cost you, if anything. Also find out if they offer a “float down” option, which will allow you to get a lower rate than you locked in at, if the rates do happen to come down before you close on your house.
  • Get an adjustable rate mortgage. Rates have been so low for so long that there wasn’t much demand for adjustable rate mortgages, since the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was so affordable. But now that people are trying to save money however they can on their rate, adjustable rate loans are making a comeback. These typically afford you a better interest rate at a fixed rate, but only for a certain number of years before they adjust (as the name suggests). They could adjust up or down, depending upon what rates are when the time comes. To be safe, plan on the worst-case scenario of the rate being higher when that day comes. The length of time you have before the rate adjusts is often 5, 7, 10, or 15 years. These are perfect if you’re not even thinking about staying in the house for a full 30 years. So, consider how long you plan on staying in your house, and opt for one that won’t adjust before you move so you won’t be affected by a rate adjustment at all. For instance, if you’re pretty sure you’ll move in the next decade, a 10-year ARM might be the way to go.
  • Pay biweekly. By paying half of your monthly mortgage payment once every two weeks, you end up making an extra payment per year. Doing this cuts years and lots of interest off of your loan. 
  • Refinance when rates go down. Keep an eye on mortgage rates. When they come down a good amount, refinance your mortgage at a lower rate.

So, even if rates aren’t as low as they were in the recent past, you still have some options and control over how much interest you have to pay. Use one, or a mix of the strategies above, and you’re bound to save money! Let’s strategize together…Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 HanleyHomeTeam.com

Mortgage Interest Rates Are Rising, but You Can Still Get a Great Deal—Here’s How

21 Thursday Apr 2022

Posted by The Hanley Home Team in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Buying a home, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, Jacksonville FL Real Estate, Jacksonville Real Estate, Mortgage changes, mortgage rates, real estate, real estate advice, real estate information, Real Estate Team, real estate tips, The best real estate agent in Jacksonville

Mortgage rates are rising—and fast. According to data from Freddie Mac, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit 4.16 percent the week ending March 17—the first time rates have exceeded 4 percent since May 2019.

But don’t panic! Rising interest rates don’t have to put your home purchase on hold; you just need the right strategies to get a good deal.

So what, exactly, are those strategies?

A recent article from realtor.com outlined strategies buyers can use to score a great deal on their home (even as mortgage interest rates rise!), including:

  • Purchase points for a lower rate. Mortgage rates may be on the rise—but you can still lock in a low rate. Points allow you to pay an upfront fee to lower the interest rate on your mortgage; generally, 1 point will lower your mortgage rate by 0.25 percent—and will cost you 1 percent of the loan. It’s an upfront cost, but it can drive significant savings over the course of the loan—so if you can purchase points to lower your rate, you’ll definitely want to consider it.
  • Target homes that come in under budget. As interest rates rise, your dollar won’t buy you as much house as it did at a lower rate. That’s why, if you want to keep your monthly mortgage payment at an affordable level, you should consider targeted homes that are under your budget.
  • Explore down payment assistance programs. As interest rates rise, you may not be able to get as competitive of a mortgage as you could have when rates were hovering near all-time lows. But you can still find ways to save money on your home purchase—including down payment assistance programs. There are a variety of assistance programs in place (for example, programs for first-time homebuyers and programs for civil servants, like firefighters or teachers)—so it’s definitely worth doing some research to see if there are any programs you qualify for.

The Takeaway:

Interest rates may be rising, but there are still great deals to be had—so if you’re thinking about buying a home, don’t let the increase in interest rates stop you! Get in touch!

Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTOR, SRES. Luxury OVER 1000 HOMES SOLD!
The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 HanleyHomeTeam.com

New Federally Backed Loan Limits May Help Homebuyers In 2021

07 Monday Dec 2020

Posted by The Hanley Home Team in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Fannie Mae, federal loans, FHA, FHFA, Freddie Mac, home loans, home prices, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, interest rates, Jacksonville FL real estate agents, Jacksonville Real Estate, mortgage loan, mortgage rates

Home prices have been steadily increasing in 2020—and as home prices increased, many buyers found they needed larger mortgages in order to purchase homes. But because there’s a limit on conforming loans, many buyers either had to explore alternative loan options (which often carry a higher interest rate) or look for homes in a lower price range (which, with inventory low in markets across the country, proved extremely difficult).

Luckily, access to larger conforming loans is on the horizon.

On November 24, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced they would officially be increasing the conforming loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages in 2021. Currently, the limit for conforming loans for single-family units for most areas of the United States is $510,400. That limit will increase to $548,250 in 2021—an increase of 7.4 percent.

In higher cost markets (like areas of California and New York), the limit for conforming loans will be higher at $822,375—which is 150 percent of the baseline conforming loan limit of $548,250.

The Takeaway:

What does that mean for you? Increasing the limit for conforming loans will allow buyers to increase their purchasing power and keep up with rising prices—so if you’ve been thinking about buying a home, 2021 is looking like a great time to make a move. Let’s get started! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS The Hanley Home Team of Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-515-2479 HanleyHomeTeam.com

Should You Apply for an Online Mortgage?

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by The Hanley Home Team in #HanleyHomeTeam, #HomeBuyer, #HomeBuyingTips, #HomeOwner, #HomeSeller, #housegoals, #househunting, #Jacksonville, #JacksonvilleFL, #KellerWilliams, #RealEstate, #Refinance, #sellingyourhome

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Jacksonville FL Real Estate, Jacksonville FL real estate agents, Jacksonville Real Estate, lock-in a good mortgage rate, low mortgage rates, mortgage loan, mortgage rates, real estate, real estate investing, Real Estate Team

A mortgage is a big financial responsibility. Yet, if you’re like half of all home buyers, chances are you won’t shop around for the best mortgage. The result could be the loss of thousands of dollars…both in up front costs and in monthly payments. It pays (a lot) to shop around.

As a home buyer, you have three options for getting a mortgage: a traditional bank, a mortgage broker, and an online mortgage lender. Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences. 

  1. The Traditional Bank

A traditional bank offers in-house loans. You may get better rates and closing costs from your own bank if you’ve banked there a long time. On the other hand, you will only get the rates and terms they dictate, which might be limited. You probably won’t have a lot of choices. It pays to check at other institutions to compare the rates and terms of your bank’s offer. 

  1. A Mortgage Broker

A mortgage broker’s job is to act as your guide to helping you find a mortgage that fits your needs. The broker can shop around to find banks and other sources of funds that are the best rates and terms, based on your credit and income. 

Brokers are usually experienced loan specialists. Unlike big-bank loan officers, brokers will work with you to answer your questions and look for options. If you bring your big bank’s offer to a broker, he or she can compare for you. 

Brokers promote loan products that provide them with a finders’ fee. Since those fees are already built into the loan products (whether to benefit a broker or a bank’s own loan officer costs), you likely won’t see much of those fees passed on to you. 

  1. An Online Mortgage Lender

The great advantage to using an online mortgage lender is that you may get great rates and fees. Online lenders don’t have to cover a lot of overhead, so they can offer discounts to their borrowers through lower rates or closing costs. Even a quarter of a percent lower interest rate can potentially save you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.

Another advantage is that you don’t need to talk to anyone. How convenient to have a burger, watch TV, and fill out a loan application all at once! Of course, convenience is also a big drawback. 

If you have a question, no matter how small, you won’t be able to get a quick answer, if at all. With online lenders, they will assign someone to work with you (a loan officer). That person has a huge work load and is often fairly inexperienced with nuanced questions. And in my experience, the questions are always nuanced. 

For example, take the question of assets and liabilities. Do you include your child’s college savings account? Is that going to risk you using that account if needed to pay for tuition next month? Should you include the fact that you’re on your nephew’s car loan, even though he’s paid it on his own for years and it’s almost paid off? Is your secret PayPal account going to show up on your assets, even if you don’t want it to?  

So Which Should You Use?

Use at least two sources. Make sure one of them is a mortgage broker. 

The Online Lender: If your situation is relatively straight forward…you have a regular job, a regular pay check, no weird debts or assets, then an online lender can be a great option. Make sure you read about warnings in the section below.

Big Bank or Credit Union: If you have a great relationship already, see if they have special rates and terms for long-time customers. In my experience, you’ll often end up in a situation similar to working with an online lender, because the bank is going to assign a loan officer, who may or may not be able to answer your questions. 

The Mortgage Broker: I highly recommend that one of your comparison points be a mortgage broker. Brokers are usually very experienced and can answer a lot of your questions. They’ll be able to shop around to find loans that might have comparable rates and terms to the ones offered by your bank or online lender. And they’ll let you know if your bank or online lender is a better deal. 

The biggest problem with applying to multiple sources is the fees. You’ll have to fill out the loan application multiple times, and your credit will be pulled multiple times, and you’ll have to pay multiple application and credit report fees. This is the reason most people don’t apply to multiple sources. However, you may be able to do a preliminary application, especially at the online sources.  Find out before completing the application if there are fees.

Warnings about Online Lenders

Most of them are not lenders at all. They might be brokers, they might “non-bank investment companies,” or they might simply be third-party comparison sites. There’s nothing wrong with any of these, but you should know what you’re getting. 

Lendingtree or Bankrate are examples of third-party comparison sites. They won’t give you a loan and can’t tell you which loans are best for you. They’ll simply show you funding sources that they have affiliate agreements with. You may find this useful for comparing different lender rates. Google “Mortgage Comparison Websites”.

Most online lenders are non-bank investment outlets. Quicken Loans or Meridian are examples. They’ll process your application and fund the loan using large institutional investor funds. They’ll likely sell your mortgage as part of a package of loans to other investors. There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s very common in the mortgage world. Before filling out any online mortgage application, check on the site’s credentials. You don’t want to start giving financial information online without vetting them first. Google “Non-Bank Mortgage Lenders”.

A few of the online lenders are in fact mortgage brokers, such as Intellimortgage. You’re simply filling out a loan application in advance, and they’ll consult with you to find you the best mortgage. I’d personally rather meet with a mortgage broker in person or talk by phone, rather than using an online mortgage broker. It’s just easier to get answers from a live person. Google “local mortgage brokers in (your location)”. Find a live person to talk to.

And of course, big banks like HBSC and Chase are online, too, so when you get a list of options from LendingTree or you Google “online mortgage,” there’s a very good chance you’ll simply be getting a bank. Double check whether the name of the company you’re shown in any online search or list is a bank, a non-bank, or a broker. 

Will Applying Ruin My Credit? 

It’s true that applying for credit can lower your credit score. However, when applying for mortgage loans for comparison purposes 2-3 times, your credit score will likely not be affected. Even if it is, it’ll usually only drop a little and only after you’ve already applied. If your score drops, a simple explanation that you were comparing lenders will suffice and your original rate at the time of application will stand.

Ask us for some recommendations for mortgage brokers in our area! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com 904-515-2479 Team@HanleyHomeTeam.com

Homebuyers need to act now

04 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by The Hanley Home Team in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

buy now, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, interest rates, interest rates rising, Jacksonville, mortgage rates, the time to buy is now

CHICAGO – Feb. 4, 2015 – Homebuyers need to move fast if they want to spend less, according to Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at realtor.com.

“Delayed purchases will only result in higher monthly mortgage payments as prices and rates rise,” Smoke writes. Realtor.com forecasts that affordability may decline as much as 10 percent over the year.

The Federal Reserve continues to remind the financial markets that it plans to raise its target federal funds rate this year, which will cause mortgage rates to rise. Many economists predict that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages will average near 5 percent by the end of the year.

For now, mortgage rates are near historical lows for homebuyers and homeowners. Freddie Mac reported last week that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.66 percent (last year at this time it averaged 4.32 percent), and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 2.98 percent (a year ago, it averaged 3.40 percent).

“Right now, the Fed is using the word ‘patient’ to describe its approach to picking the time to raise the target rate,” Smoke notes. “However, when the Fed ‘loses patience,’ rates will go up at least 20 to 40 basis points in anticipation of the target rate officially going up. … So, buyers beware: The clock on these low mortgage rates may be ticking.”

Source: “2015: Buy Now, Before the Fed’s Patience Ends,” realtor.com® (Jan. 30, 2015)

© Copyright 2015 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012

Categories

  • #BedroomDecor
  • #buyandhold
  • #Condoliving
  • #DIY
  • #Forrent
  • #HanleyHomeTeam
  • #HOA
  • #HomeBuyer
  • #HomeBuyingTips
  • #HomeOwner
  • #HomeSeller
  • #housegoals
  • #househunting
  • #HurricaneSeason
  • #Jacksonville
  • #JacksonvilleFL
  • #KellerWilliams
  • #Movingday
  • #Passiveincome
  • #Quaratine
  • #RealEstate
  • #Refinance
  • #sellingyourhome
  • #summer
  • #Townhouse
  • #yardtips
  • #yardwork
  • DIY
  • Jacksonville
  • real estate
  • Summer Yard
  • TIPS, HACKS
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Hanley Home Team Blog
    • Join 114 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Hanley Home Team Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...