Too late the hero

Regrets of not checking with different lenders prior to signing Loan Documents.
Ken Go (888) 822-5363

JR – I was referred to by a previous client of yours, here is my current scenario. I have been trying to get a second mortgage to finish my home improvement project that I started about 3-4 months ago. I finally got a lender from a flyer that gave me these pricing quotes: 11.99% second mortgage with a 617 credit score, a combined Loan to Value of 90% and a total loan cost of $7,000.00 with no prepayment penalty. I have just signed but have three days right of recession to cancel this loan. I had a time share that went into foreclosure about two years ago but just got report less than 6 months ago on my credit. Am I getting a descent loan?

Ken Go - Immediately, I got all the information needed to see if my sources would be able to offer a better deal for JR. I have only three days to guarantee an approval and a rate. After my interview with JR, I know I have some qualifying issues; I then turned to my underwriter for a full loan approval. This loan was submitted the second day, I got the escrow and title insurance open within a day and I used his old appraisal from another lender to complete my file. Unfortunately, it was the end of the month and underwriters are always trying close existing loans, my file was delayed on the approval. Spoke with JR, he needed to close because his project was held up long enough, apparently he has been delayed by about three weeks already. Due to his situation I am not allowed to guarantee my rates and fees to him.

The fourth day, my full approval came in with rates of 8.50% and a total cost of $2,400.00 and no prepayment penalties. He could have saved at least $5K just on the cost of the loan, not including the rate difference. So I called JR, but it was too late. He realized that he made a mistake and told me that he will definitely learn from this and make better choices next time. BTW, he also just told me that after reviewing the signed documents, his loan had a prepayment penalty which was contradictory to what was sold to him.

RP – This caller is a previous client who specifically requested for me to write about her experience. I would like to cash out some money from my equity; you give me a very good rate of 5.5% on my first mortgage. But I needed to pay for my children’s education and needed to pull money out again. However, someone referred me to call another lender who said they could refinance my entire loan to a 5.625% first mortgage with the same amount of cash out I needed.

Ken Go – my suggestion for her is not to touch the first mortgage due to the existing low mortgage rate they currently have, the rates where about .50% higher to refinance to a new first. I told her to go ahead with the lender referral but be careful and not to pay anything upfront until she got a full loan commitment in writing. I said if they are that low, call me back for me to refer them to my callers. She then insisted that this person can really give her those rates and that this person promised her.



She called me back after one week and told me that the loan commitment came at 6.5% and the cash out amount was 25% less than what she needed. She told me to go ahead with the process and now we are signing loan documents.

JC - I closed escrow on a house last October and am currently having problems with my payments. Everything went so fast at closing my agent/lender (one person) kind of talked me into closing and promised that homes would go up and I would refinance this loan to a lower payment. Our combined income is about $7K but this loan payment is almost $4K fixed for one year then turns into an adjustable. I have other expenses and bills that I needed to pay too. I called the agent to see if he could refinance my loan, but he told me to wait till next year because of my prepayment penalty on this loan.

Ken Go – Refinancing should not be your option, lets do the math together you have a 650K loan amount, you are only paying interest only now at 6.5% on your first and a fully amortized loan on the second. You are already having difficulties paying that loan balance, if you were to refinance you would have to add the cost of the loan and the prepayment. Even if you would reduce the rates by .50% (which you can’t) your payments will actually go higher. Here are your options: cut your expenses, reduce your cost of your utilities, and re-amortize your auto and credit card payments to a longer term. If you do that, you have just increase your interest payments by another 10-20% and you would really just worked for your mortgage. The smarter way is to sell; you have a little bit of equity that will cover the cost of the prepayment penalties and an agent. Re-organize yourselves and buy at a later time and make sure you get a fixed term payment that you can afford.

Lenders are feeling the pinch now a day and are starting to tighten their screws in this loan business. Don’t get me wrong, they still want to do loan but they will be pickier and will start to ask for more loan conditions. Open your ears and keep your eyes open, my advice to everyone about 6 months ago is that this market will cool down and we have to be very careful with our investments. Buy what you can afford, be realistic and forecast yourself three to five years from today and know where you want to be. Listen to the old timer sitting next to you telling you that back in their days, everything is on a cash basis. What you can’t buy with cash you won’t own. Don’t get carried away with credit cards, 0 down loans or 1% percent loans, they are illusions of money that you don’t have. This I can advise from the heart because I was once a victim of huge credit card debts and got beyond myself with them.

Please advise if you have questions, hopefully I will be able to help you in your next lending requirements. Call me at (888) 822-5363 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net.
Thanks for your calls, letters and emails.

What can I afford?

Can I Afford to Buy a House?Be Sure to Include in All the Costs
Ken Go (888)822-5363
Potential buyers sometimes forget to factor in the property taxes, homeowners insurance and the possibility of depreciation, as well as the costs associated with closing the transaction, moving, purchasing major appliances, and home, landscape and pool maintenance, not to mention furnishings and design accessories once you move in.
The days of calling up the landlord to fix your problems come to an abrupt halt when you're a homeowner. You'll be responsible for everything from malfunctioning appliances to leaky faucets to broken heating and air conditioning units and everything in between. And if you buy an older home, you'll probably eventually encounter costly repairs, such as replacing the roof or windows.
To determine whether you can afford to buy a home, you should do the following:
1. Determine the property value of homes that interest you. The property value is determined by comparing the prices of homes recently sold of similar size in the same neighborhood. Your real estate agent will be able to provide this information to you.
2. Review different mortgage loan types and compare their required down payment amounts to the money you have available. Make sure you will have a payment that is affordable for a duration of three to five years, include that taxes and insurance. Don’t cheat yourself with the low rates or the negative amortization loans that is available.
3. Get a letter to guaranteed your closing costs, including points , taxes, recording, inspections, prepaid loan interest, title insurance and financing costs from your mortgage lender or a real estate professional. These will generally add up to between 2 and 3 percent of the property value. You'll receive an estimate of these costs from your lender after you apply for a mortgage but request for a guaranteed rate and fees.
4. Add the down payment requirements and the closing costs together to determine the amount of money you'll need right off the bat. But you're not done yet.
5. Think about the actual move. Will you hire a moving company or rent a truck? Either way will cost you. The more stuff you have, the more it will cost.
6. Property taxes. Many lenders will require an impound account in which monthly payments for property tax (and often insurance) are paid together with the monthly mortgage payment. You can figure your average annual tax rate will be about 1.25 percent of the purchase price of your home. For new homes, ask about Mello Roos ( Its an act that allows county, city or special district to finance public facilities and services thru homeowners).




7. Next, budget for maintenance and repairs.
8. If you have other income that will come in to help you pay the mortgages, make sure they are on going to be at least two to three years guaranteed and you should have an alternative plan if that fails.
Once you crunch the numbers and find you come up a bit short, investigate ways to reduce your debts or creatively increase your income—it can come from a variety of sources.
My advise to new homeowners: Make sure you can afford the payments and don’t cheat yourselves with short term loans or negative amortization loans that will get you in trouble.
For existing homeowners that are having problems paying: Don’t refinance only to be able to keep your head above water for a few months, if you cant really pay the mortgage sell your house and repurchase later when you can afford it then.
And of course, you'll want to weigh perhaps the biggest benefit of all—having a place to call your own. Call me anytime for any inquiries: Ken go (888)822-5363 or write: kennethgo@verizon.net

Should I combine my first and second mortgage into one loan?

"I have an 6.75% first mortgage with a balance of $360,000, and a 10% second mortgage with a balance of $90,000. The second mortgage brought our total mortgage debt at the value of the property at that time, which is why the rate is so high. Our house has since appreciated about 10-15% in value, and I’m sure I can profit by refinancing. My question is, should I refinance the second only or should I refinance both, and if I refinance both should I take out two new mortgages or should I consolidate the first and second into a new first? It is all too confusing.”

It is confusing. The best choice depends on a number of factors including:

Rates and points available on new loans. Critically important are the terms of new loans to refinance, relative to the terms on the existing loans. This will depend on what has happened to mortgage interest rates, the value of your property, and your credit rating since you signed for the original loans. When you have two mortgages, you must obtain price quotes on a new first for the amount of the balance on the existing first, and on a new second for the amount of the balance on the existing second. You also need a quote on a new first for the amount of the balance on both existing loans.

How long you expect to be in your house. Refinancing typically involves immediate costs to obtain future benefits -- the longer you have the mortgages, the larger the refinancing benefit.

Current value of your house. Appreciation in the value of your house may make it possible to refinance the first mortgage without purchasing mortgage insurance. If large enough, appreciation could allow you to roll both loans into one without paying mortgage insurance.

Remaining term on existing loans. The shorter the remaining term on your existing loans, the smaller the refinancing benefit. With a shorter remaining term, you pay off the existing loan faster, which reduces the cost of the higher rate on that loan.

Term on new loans. The shorter the term on your new loan(s), the larger the benefit from refinancing. While shorter terms increase the cost of monthly payments, this is more than offset by the more rapid pay down of the loan balance.

Your income tax bracket. The tax savings on interest payments usually reduce the net benefits of refinancing. The higher your tax bracket, the smaller the benefit of an interest rate reduction on a new mortgage. However, if the remaining term on the existing loan is short, expect the reverse -- the refinance benefit can be larger for a high tax bracket borrower. Complexities such as these make refinancing two mortgages perplexing.

If you could consolidate both of the existing loans into a single new first mortgage at 5.875% and one point, the savings over 6 years would be even greater -- $7187. Every case is different but we can help you analyst your situation and determine how much you would save by refinancing or not.

Please feel free to call me at (888) 822-5363 or write to Kennethgo@verizon.net or visit my website: 1stinnovative.com.

Neighborhood Program - No Down Payment or Closing Costs

No money down homebuyers program that might actually work!

I recently attended a Neighbor Assistance Program Seminar and would like to share this information to you. This program offers homebuyer (FIRST TIME OR NOT) and homeowners an opportunity to buy a house with absolutely no down payment and no closing cost. It's also an opportunity for homeowners to refinance their predatory loan to a much a better rate of interest. Not only that, they are offering rates about .50% lower than your conventional financing. Is that true, you will ask me? I was doubtful myself that is why I spent almost an entire Saturday listening to what they have to offer. This is not a government program; this company is a non-profit organization that gets certain grant from this conventional lender in order to offer these types of loans. It is true but it's not that easy, you pay either way: the easy way with your dollars, or this way with your time. I will narrow down what I found out from the seminar, and this is something for you to consider if you qualify for it.

For purchasing a home, here are the requirements:

1. Currently, maximum sales price for
CONDO/SFR: $ 362,790.00
Two unit property: $ 464,449.00
Three unit property: $ 561,411.00
Four unit property: $ 697,696.00

2. Attend and graduate from their workshops

3. Complete evaluation forms and daily expense diaries.

4. Qualify for the house when evaluated, sometimes they will accept unconventional method of qualifying you for your income. For example, if you don’t have pay stubs, they will review your previous year’s bank statements to average out your deposit.

5. Credit is not an issue, but you have to resolve and explain late pays.

6. Pay for taxes, interest and insurance fees at closing.


** This process is not going to be a 30 day process, I think it might take between 3-6 months to be able to qualify and buy, because this program educates you and slowly walks you through a budgeting process to help you manage your money well and avoid foreclosure. But, since prices are currently unstable this might be a good time for someone to start this process and wait out the market. Plus, you are not paying anything for the loan, they have the right to make you wait and properly prepare for this home.

** If you are buying a fixer upper, they will allow you to cash out money to make the house livable, funds will not be use to paint your walls or buy your furniture. But if you are buying a house with roof or plumbing problems that can be assessed into the loan for you to use.

For Refinancing predatory loans, here are the requirements:

1. You have to be paying off a loan rate higher than 10%.

2. You have to fully qualify with terms same as above.

3. You have to be owner occupying the house.

4. Of course, you have to attend all their workshops and be evaluated just like if you were to buy.


Things to remember:

1. You have to be able to qualify for the program and afford what you are buying. No stated income or easy qualifying here.

2. You have to prepare yourself to attend workshops and multiple consultations on how to manage your money, debts, expenses etc…

3. Your credit is not a big factor but will be evaluated and you will have to explain and reassure them that your tardiness will not happen again. Tax liens and judgments will have to be paid.

4. Your income, if not verified by pay stubs or W-2’s, will have to be proven with bank statements showing you are depositing those amounts.

5. You don’t have to be a first time homebuyer and could already own a property to qualify.


This organization is going to lend you the money but will make sure you can really afford the house before signing over the paperwork. They will spend a lot of time with you analyzing you debts and spending habits. This is truly a good program to get into, even if you just go in to be educated and learn how to manage your money properly. I think we all need that once in a while to wake us up and not over spend. We have to learn sometimes to say no to our adult children who still live with us and do try to make it on their own.

I have referred some of my callers already because this is a good program. Call me if you are interested and I will forward you all the necessary information on this loan. Call (888) 822-5363 or send an email to: kennethgo@verizon.net. Visit: www.1stinnovative.com

Second Mortgage over 10%, Can I Refinance It?

Question: About 10 months ago I purchased a property with no money down, my credit scores were in their high 500’s and our property value now has gone up by 20% since we purchased the property. I have a prepayment penalty on my loan and I would like my payments to be reduced. What should I do?

Ken Go: This caller, I spoke with about 4-5 months ago, I reviewed their credit history and advise them a few things. I recommended for them to apply for two more credit cards because they have very few trade lines. I advised them to pay off the small credit cards, use only one major card and do not close any open accounts. With the payments of the mortgage being on time, two new credit accounts and two other open accounts with zero balances. The scores of this borrower increase to 660 in 5 months. I am not recommending for them to pay off the first mortgage due to a very high prepayment penalty. They also still want to enjoy the interest only payment on it. So, we refinance their second mortgage to a 7% fixed rate mortgage, which lowered their payments by $80.00 with some cash out to pay off minimal debts. This client knows they will refinance this loan again when they are ready for a fixed rate mortgage. That is why this loan they got is a “NO CLOSING COST” loan; nothing was also added towards the loan balance.

Thank you so much for your inquiries, I enjoy very much giving advice and helping our readers obtain better financing. Please call or write to kennethgo@verizon.net , call (888)-822-5363 or visit our website for California Home Loans.

Compare Reverse Mortgages to Conventional Loans

Question: I am currently 62 years old and would like to apply for a reverse mortgage loan with you. My house value is about $750K and I only owe about $160K. I am retired and do not work but rely on a low alimony payment from my ex-husband. I understand I can get some cash upfront and also receive a monthly distribution on my equity. Please advise.

Ken Go: A simple explanation on reverse mortgage. It’s a type of loan that will charge you interest, fees and has some guidelines just like any other loan. The minimum age is 62 years old and the maximum loan amount for that age is around $200K. The lender will charge you a hefty fee for this loan and your interest payments will accrue into your loan balance. An example in this situation, the total fees charged towards the balance of the loan is about $16K, a monthly deferred interest is around $1200.00 and the maximum cash out is only around $33K. I suggested for the borrower to get a regular deferred loan program with a very low minimum payment, the total fees was less than $5k and she was able to cash out $100K.

Refinancing Only Your Second Mortgage

Question: I would like for you to advise whether I should refinance my entire loan to pay off my credit card debts of about $70K. Our credit scores are in their low 6’s and we have two mortgage lates within the past 24 months. What is my best option per your expertise on what we should do?

Ken Go: After fully analyzing the client’s current loan situation. Their first mortgage rates are in the mid 5’s and it is a 5 year fixed rate mortgage that they have only been in for one year and a half. Their second mortgage rate is at 8.5%. Due to the mortgage lates their credit scores have gone down between 20-50 points between the three bureaus’. They needed to get rid of the credit card payments because the average interest rates on those cards are about 12.5%. I suggested for them to refinance just the second mortgage, the rates was higher than their initial rates by about 2% but they will have paid off all their credit card debts. They now can write off more interest deduction on their taxes, their payments were reduced by about $1500.00 due to us eliminating the credit debts. Now, they have more flexibility to concentrate on paying their mortgages on a timely manner.

Thank you so much for your inquiries, I enjoy very much giving advice and helping our readers obtain better financing. Please call or write to kennethgo@verizon.net , call (888)-822-5363 or visit our website for California Home Loans.

Can You Beat Rates and Fees from Major Lenders?

Question: I got two quotes from two major lenders on a jumbo loan for $500,000, one lender offered me 6.375% (3/1/06) and the other lender offered me a rate over 7%. I read about you advise on how to compare and shop for mortgage rates. But before committing to a lender I thought I would send you an email on your website and see what you could do for me.

Ken Go: After interviewing the client, I got them approved that same day. I committed to lock the rate in at 6.25% (3/02/06) for the exact same program. The client now is formally approved and all we are waiting for is the final closing. With a simple phone call, the client was able to get guaranteed rates and fees from us in writing and they were able to save an extra $40.00 a month on the payment. Not a bad deal, now they know they are getting a good deal with great service. I can normally compete with major lenders if not beat them. We actually work with most of the major lenders but we get wholesale pricing, which is why we can be better than most of the major lenders.

Thank you so much for your inquiries, I enjoy very much giving advice and helping our readers obtain better financing. Please call or write to kennethgo@verizon.net , call (888)-822-5363 or visit our website for California Home Loans.

Mortgage Mailers: Am I really pre-approved?

Isn't it annoying to get all that junk mail from companies trying to get you to apply for a home mortgage? This is a typical letter from our readers:

I keep getting pre-approved mortgage offers in the mail (several a week), and this makes me very uncomfortable. Many of them are from out of state banks or companies I have never heard of. I have been told there is a way to keep these companies from sending me these offers or inquiring about my credit, but no one has been able to tell me how I should go about this. Is there an address or phone number I can contact to take care of this?

Getting off a Telemarketer’s List

When a telemarketer calls, document when and where they are calling from and ask them to please put you on their “do not call list” (use those exact words). According to federal law they are not allowed to call you again. If they persist and continue to call you, you can make a report to National Fraud Information Center.

Junk Mortgage mailers:

You can write to Experian Consumer Opt Out: 701 Experian Parkway, Allen TX 75013 or call (800) 353-0809 (one call or letter gets you off all three bureaus).

I have received numerous calls from my readers claiming that they had just gotten a loan from a telemarketer or from mortgage mailers. One of them had given me full details of what occurred when she applied for a loan thru them. A call was initially received from a telemarketer and when the client replied, a representative got some information and advises that a service loan representative would call her back. One did, and after getting all necessary information they offered her a rate that she thought was good. Their processing time was very quick, within about a week and a half, the loan representative called again and said that she had been approved and that the papers are ready for signing. They scheduled a signing date, once all documents are laid down; the borrowers noticed that her closing cost was sixteen thousand dollars ($16,000). She then refused to sign; a manager called and threatened to sue the borrowers for a commission. The borrower then thought she did not have a choice and followed his instructions and signed. Now, they are closed and the commission was paid to the mortgage company from Michigan.

One lesson to be learned from this, Real estate lending law varies from state to state. Not only that, a mortgage company could be governed by Department of Real Estate or Corporations. There are major differences is all governing bodies.

I tried to inquire about mass mailing myself for my business, I found out that it is not important what you can offer the clients but how you can draw them in to you and then close them. These companies sometimes sell your information for pennies, they send out millions of mailers and when someone calls, they have professional closers to tell you anything you want to hear just to get your business. The percentage of closing if very low because most of the people hate telemarketers and mass mortgage mailers. That is why these companies always try to come up with innovative ways to send you mailers or call you.

With mortgage business slowing down, I am sure the telemarketer and the mortgage mailers will increase.

I recently got a call from a telemarketer who does not know I was in the business; I played along with their sales pitch and wanted to see how good they are in trying to get me a loan. They were offering a 1% loan with no discount points. I started asking deep questions like, what are the margin, indexes and the life cap. The representative tries to stir me into mostly the low payment that this loan offers. I ask if there was a negative amortization (increasing principal balance) on this loan. They clearly said “NO” and said that I have options and again tried to focus on the low payments again. I then ask for a good faith estimate to be sent to my fax number, I got it after 3 days. I then noticed that they are charging me an origination fee of 2%, I ask the representative about this and he said that he already gave me a discount for not charging me a discount points.

In my business, they are the same fees and that is a huge deception. I then went down the list of other closing costs: there are about $1800 in other miscellaneous fees. I then called and said I was not interested anymore, the same scenario happened, another person came into the picture and tried to talk me into this loan. He gave me some discount and said that we are ready to close. I asked this person about the negative loan, he explained it a little better but kept directing me to the minimum payment that is low. I then said I am not interested. The person I spoke with was a manager and got frustrated in trying to close me and then hung up on me.

Don’t believe your mailers or telemarketers; they are just trying to talk you into putting money into their pockets. Be very careful, so far I have not heard of a good deal with one of those specialty marketing strategies. Best to always get all details of the loan in writing and not verbal.

SPECIAL NOTE: first time buyers, I am attending a seminar to help first time buyers with no money, bad credit to buy or refinance home, please call me if you would be interested in attending it with me. It’s free and it’s going to be held in LA on March 11, 2006 10 AM to 2 PM.

Please send me your feedback if you have gotten any information from me that might have helped you. Thanks so much for your inquiries, for you next purchase or refinancing needs call Ken at (888)822-5363 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net. There is more information available at my California Home Loans web site.

Getting a loan from the builder due to their incentives program?

Builders are becoming more dominating than ever. They almost always require the buyers to go thru their own lender. Here is why I feel that builder incentives are not beneficial for the homebuyers.

• The builders control the prices of homes and could offer any amount as an incentive for homebuyers to go thru their own lenders.


• Home prices of newly constructed homes are at times inflated due to the differences in upgrades between similar homes. This tells me that your neighbor might have paid more for their house only because of the improvements that are added to the sales prices. Is the amount they claim the true value of those improvements?


• Builders offer closing costs paid if you choose to go with their own lenders. Is that included in your sales price or your interest rates? Most of the time yes. Still, compare them with your conventional lenders or brokers and you will be surprised at the better services you will get from conventional lenders and brokers.


• They forced you to use their own lender in order to start the purchase transaction and reserve you a home, sort of like twisting your arm until you give up.

Now a major home mortgage industry group wants the federal government to take a closer look at these deals, calling some of them clever violations of real estate settlement and antitrust regulations. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers, the principal trade group for the country's more than 40,000 independent home loan brokers, says builder financing incentives frequently steer buyers to mortgage deals more costly than those competing, nonaffiliated brokers could provide. A delegation of mortgage brokers recently complained to the government's real estate settlement rules officials, asking for a nationwide investigation of builder incentive financing programs.

For Example, if you are offered carpet incentives, get the exact dollar amount that is being credited and get a detailed report on the cost of your rates and fees. Shop around and compare. Show your lenders these incentives. If they offered you an amount that might exceed a normal closing cost, find out where the difference is going to be applied to.

Good luck in your house hunting, I am currently involved in a non-profit organization helping homebuyers with absolute no money for down payment and closing cost. As soon as more information is available, I will write about it for our readers that might avail of such programs. Please call or send your questions to (888) 822-5363 or send it to kennethgo@verizon.net. Visit my newly constructed California home loans website: www.1stinnovative.com.

Buying Pre-constructed Homes

Buying Pre-Construction? Can your Real Estate Agent help you?

It might not seem necessary to involve a real estate professional in a transaction where a buyer can deal directly with a builder. Think again! A real estate professional representing the buyer’s interests can guide you along the right path and smooth the rough places to help ensure you make a decision you can live with (and in) for many years. Here’s how:

• First and foremost, my concern always for streamlining a transaction is your conflict of interest. If the builder (seller) is also representing you as a buyer. They will have too much interest into the transaction that might hinder their judgments into your benefits. Builders are also requiring buyers to go thru their own lending company which I believe is a big negative.


• Just as a real estate professional calls on experience and knowledge of an area to help buyers locate pre-owned homes in a community, he or she can also direct buyers interested in newly built homes to developments and communities that match client specifications.


• An agent can suggest builders based on their reputation for delivering a high-quality product, responding quickly to issues, and being financially sound.


• An agent may be familiar with how a builder prices his products and where there may be room to negotiate price or upgrades.


• Without agent representation, you are one buyer purchasing only one home. But an agent can significantly impact a builder’s bottom line by providing a steady supply of customers. The agent’s leverage may work in your favor at the negotiating table.


• When relocating to a new area, agents can be particularly valuable resources. In addition to providing local area information regarding schools, day care or elder care services, public transportation, proposed development, and so on, once construction is under way, an agent can periodically stop by the work site; supply you with progress reports, and photograph or videotape phases of the construction.


• An agent can assist you as you face hundreds of design choices and consider which upgrades could potentially add value to the home when it comes time to sell.


• An agent can accompany you at the site while you okay the plumbing and electrical locations prior to dry walling, as well as on the walk-through or builder orientation.

By now, you should be convinced of a real estate professional’s value as you search for and purchase a newly built home. You should always know and have enough knowledge of how real estate transactions are occurring on a day to day basis. Remember to trust only information that you have verified and researched. You then can enjoy individual attention and support at no cost to you. What a great way to start life in a new home!

Frequently Asked Questions about Mortgages

I'm Scott Supak, Ken's webmaster. I just wanted to point out a great resource for anyone who is new to the home loans process. If your eyes roll back in your head when people start talking about APR, FICO scores, or PMI, we suggest you check out these Mortgage FAQs from these New York Mortgage brokers.

And for those of you who like to use Ezine Articles, we're posting Ken's mortgage articles over there. They have a handy RSS feed, and lots of free information about all kinds of things, including mortgages and home finance.

Are Reverse Mortgages Good for Me?

A reverse mortgage is a loan against the equity in the home that provides tax-free cash advances, but requires no payments during the term of the loan. Since there are no monthly payments during the life of the loan, the balance grows larger and the equity gets smaller. Meaning the interest in accrued to your balance.

The loan is not due and payable until the borrower no longer occupies the home as a principal residence, e.g. the last surviving borrower sells, moves out permanently or passes away.

You must be at least 62 and own your own home or condominium in order to qualify for a reverse mortgage. There are no income or credit requirements to qualify. Based on the amount of benefit, which you qualify for, you may be eligible for a reverse mortgage even if you still owe money on your first mortgage.

Another benefit of these loans is that they are "non recourse," which means that no matter how high the loan balance grows, the borrower or their heirs never owe more than the home's market value.

The proceeds from a reverse mortgage can be used for anything: daily living expenses; home repairs and home improvements; medical bills and prescription drugs; pay-off of existing debts; education; travel; long-term health care; retirement and estate tax planning; and other needs you may have.

The proceeds from a reverse mortgage are available as a lump sum, fixed monthly payments for as long as you live in the property, a line of credit; or a combination of these options. The amount of benefit that you will qualify for will depend on your age at the time you apply for the loan, the type of reverse mortgage you choose, the value of your home, current interest rates, and, for some products, where you live. As a general rule, the older you are and the greater your equity, the larger the reverse mortgage benefit will be.

The costs associated with getting a reverse mortgage are similar to those with a conventional mortgage, such as the origination fee, appraisal and inspection fees, title policy, mortgage insurance and other normal closing costs. With a reverse mortgage, all of these costs can be financed as part of the mortgage. In other words, fees are collected at the back end or when the property is due. The interest on these mortgages are typically adjustable, so be clear with which types of ARM loans you are tied to.

You must first meet with an independent reverse mortgage counselor before applying for a reverse mortgage. The counselor's job is to educate you about reverse mortgages, to inform you about other alternative options available to you given your situation, and to assist you in determining which particular reverse mortgage product would best fit your needs if you elect to get a reverse mortgage. This counseling session is at no cost to the borrower and can be done in person or over the telephone.

Advantages of a reverse mortgage :

a) Avoid having to make mortgage payments and managing the account.
b) Cash out money upfront and still collect a monthly distribution of your equity.
c) No qualifying loan.

Disadvantages:

a) Slightly higher closing fees.
b) Fewer choices on the terms of the loan.
c) Have to qualify for the loan.

In this situation, most of the borrowers have plenty of equity and the thought of not having to worry about mortgage payments might be a strong deciding factor on which way to go. Please visit our California Home Loans web site, call me at (888) 822-5363, or email at : Kennethgo@verizon.net.

Refinance your ARM loans before rates go any higher

Should I refinance my 2 years fixed loan now?
By: Ken Go (888)822-5363

There have been a good number of inquiries as to whether it is time to refinance home loans. Of course, the answer definitely would depend on the whole scenario for each borrower. Our company policy is very different from other mortgage companies. We make sure we get all income/asset/credit information from the borrowers and then make sure that the appraisal value is acceptable to the program selected. Then we formally approve the loan and issue a commitment to the borrowers with a guaranteed rate lock and a guaranteed closing fees. All these processes are done in a matter of minutes, as long as all income information and appraisal value are verified.

With this process, I am able to make sure that the clients fully understand how the process of the loan works. We make sure that you are happy with the whole transaction and advise you with options that will benefit you the most. I wish I could say yes to everyone who wants to refinance their loans. My policy might be conservative, but it is guaranteed that if we take your loan, you will close on schedule and on the rate and terms that we first disclose to you. The only thing I cannot control in a transaction is the title insurance. There are instances when a property has been recorded incorrectly with the county and it could take months to resolve that problem. We would normally know about these things in 3-5 days.

Here are some of the reasons for refinancing:

*If you have an adjustable rate loan where the payments are due to increase, it would be wise to do it now while the rates are low and you can get a fixed rate option loan where you still pay the same amount.

*If you are interested in cashing out money to pay off credit card debts and consolidate your loan. Even if you have those 0% credit card offers, remember you still owe that amount of money and it has to be repaid. Consolidate your debts into one payment and you will be surprised at the savings, not to mention the tax benefits. Remember, credit card interest is always non tax deductible while mortgage interest is tax deductible. Wouldn’t it feel great if you paid Uncle Sam less and had more money in your pocket to enjoy?

*Rates over 7% or higher fixed rate mortgage are also due for refinancing; the current rates as of February 14, 2006 is about 5.75%. You should refinance to a better rate and you might even be able to refinance the loan with no cost. Your rates would be based on your current loan balance. If you have high rates but only have a few years remaining, then we would have to analyze your loan, it might not be worth refinancing. Call me for advice.

*Loans with Negative Amortization are also being converted to fixed rate mortgage. Negative Amortization--where your principal balance increases for the first three years of your loan--must be fully understood. I am surprised with how many callers ask me about their Negative Amortization loan or Option loan payment program and don't understand how they adjust. These loans have their share of disadvantages if you are not aware of them.

*Interest Only loans that are adjustable are definitely the first to go, with the way the market is going it is better to be safe than sorry. A low payment option does not always mean interest only program. There are other fully amortized loans that can offer a lower payment and yet you are paying both interest and principal.

*Combo Loans, paying a first and a second mortgage. If there is enough equity in your property it might be smart to combine both payments into one. A second mortgage is always higher in rates compared to your first loan. A line of credit is even scarier if you took out a large amount and plans to pay it off within 5-10 years. Lines of credit are adjustable loans that were 9% in year 2000, it climbed up 2 full percent in less than a year. It has increased a full 2.00% in the past year. We are currently at 7.50% and anticipating at least another .50% increase in the coming year.

One key point in refinancing is to always get the best value from your appraiser. You can assist your lender by doing a little of bit of investigating yourself. It's always beneficial for you to keep track of your neighborhood properties sold recently. An appraiser can only use comparables that are similar to your property and within a mile radius, so if you happen to see a sold sign or closed escrow sign please inform us that might help us bring more value to your property. Also, the appraiser's information is normally behind by two to three weeks, so if there are very recent closings in your area the appraiser might not be aware of it yet, let us know and we can use that as a comparable for your property.

Another note you should be aware about is that the value for refinancing and selling your property is slightly different. For refinance values, we always need to use closed comparables while in selling your property, you can always go higher than the last closed sale.

Being in the business for the past 18 years makes me confident that I can give you the best advice for your mortgage needs. Please feel free to call me at anytime (888) 822-5363 is my office number and anytime else you can call me at (562) 508-7048 cell. I will be more than happy to answer your questions and I hope that I can be of service to you soon.

Don’t wait! Pick up the phone now and call 1st Innovative Finance! Take advantage of the low rates today! See our California home loans website: www.1stinnovative.com.

Pay No Closing Costs for Refinancing

Advantages of a no closing cost loan

If you hear the term "Absolutely No Closing Cost," you would assume that there are no closing costs (lender, escrow and title) involved in the loan. But actually this is really just a creative way of marketing or selling this type of loan. Is there really a absolutely no closing cost loan?

No, there is none, because when you buy or refinance your loan mortgage brokers and lenders have to make a living. And if they don’t charge you anything, that is not because they are doing it for “free.” They need to get compensated and they charge it to you one way or the other. Typically, they will charge you a slightly higher rate, maybe .250-.500% higher than the best prevailing rate. The higher rate will cover for all the closing cost that the Mortgage brokers needs to pay for.

This doesn’t mean, though, that this kind of program is not beneficial for you. Actually, I always recommend this loan especially for those who have just paid closing cost to purchase their home or refinance their home. This is to avoid paying closing cost over and over again, wasting all that cash on closing costs that could have added to your equity.

Plus, if you do not pay any closing costs, then you can keep refinancing and refinancing without decreasing the equity of your home. Of course, not every borrower is eligible for this no-closing-cost program. Normally, to be able to lower your rate by .500% without having to pay any cost, potential candidates have to have a loan amount of over $200k.

You always have to consider how many times you have refinanced in the past and figure out how much you have paid already. In the past two years, we have numerous clients that have refinanced their loans even only reducing it by less than .50%. Why did they do it? Because there is absolutely no cost involved and if your loan balance is over $400K that could be almost $100 difference in the payment every month, without any cost.

I always recommend that if you are to refinance your loan, do it sooner and try to get a more stable loan to avoid having to start your loan over again. Why right away? If you think you will have to refinance, that means that the payments you made to your existing loan are all gone and you will have to start over again. For example, if you have a 2 year fixed rate loan, you know that this is a temporary loan, why not do it right away to avoid paying any more payments to your current lender? If you had paid 12 payments and have to refinance to a new loan, that means you had paid a total of 31 years after all is said and done. I am sure a lot of you are starting loans over and over again for many reasons, but these rates have stayed low for you to take advantage of, so grab it while you can.

If you have a lot of equity and feel that you will live in your property for the rest of your life, and you are also being offered a really low interest rate, then you may consider paying closing cost to get this loan. But if it's short-term, then we will need to calculate to see how long it will take you to break even from the closing cost that you paid upfront. Sometimes it will take you 5-10 years to break even and most of the time, by then you are already ready to move on to your next home.

In every loan program, the key is to understand what you are being offered and getting into. Let me explain a little more regarding the two different types of closing cost.

One is “Re-occurring Closing Costs.” These are your interest, taxes and insurance costs of the loan. When you are buying a house, the lender will always require you to buy a year of hazard insurance, to be paid with your closing. When you are refinancing, you will also be required to prepay a year at closing, if there is an overlapping of premium due dates, your insurance carrier will usually credit the balance back to you. Interest payments are also collected for both purchase and refinance loans, we always pay our interest in the rear of the month of our mortgage payments. When someone offers you a free month of mortgage payment or for you to skip a month of mortgage payments, they are not explaining the loan to you properly. Again their are no free rides.

Another common “Re-occurring Closing Cost” is your taxes. Again, for purchase and refinance, you will always have to prepay property taxes that are due.

The second form of closing cost is the “Non-reoccurring Closing Cost” (NRCC). These are your points, lenders costs, escrow and title charges. When you are purchasing a house, your NRCC are typically tax deductable in the first year of purchase. While a refinance transaction will allow you to write off the closing costs over the term of your loan. That means if you had paid $5,000.00 in closing costs on a refinance, you will write off on about $166 per month on a 30 year loan.

I read an article in the LA Times a few weeks ago with startling statistics that people now are thinking of not paying their loan off, and would rather borrow as much as they can and as long as they can. To me, that is a trap just like your credit cards, how many people have fallen victims to that credit card money pit. Keep in mind, we are all enjoying high home values and equity, which I suppose should be called “High fly on borrowed Sky.” Once the correction on property values occur (and they will if what the think tanks are predicting comes true), you're going to need some cushioning for emergencies. Lines of credit again are to be use for short term only and not for buying cars, boats or doing major improvements to your home. They are adjustable rates that have only one direction, and that is to the roof. Please also try an fully understand your 1% loans. I just spent at least two hours explaining to a client who wanted to apply for these 1% loans. In her case, it was beneficial for her and I am putting her in with a good index adjustable loan that is tied to “COFI.” I will keep you informed on the outcome and have this client comment on her loan in the future.

Thanks for your support. Please feel free to call me at the office and I will be happy to evaluate your situation for you and give you the best possible advice. My goal is to make sure that you fully understand your loan program and get you the best possible rate. See my California home loans web site for more info.

P.S. I made a comment about the 1% loan per request from a recent reader/caller. Hopefully that would answer your question and make our readers aware of how they should review all loan papers and all cost prior to closing a deal. For further assistance, please call (888) 822-5363 or send an email to kennethgo@verizon.net.