1st Step To Buying a Home… Know Your Credit Score
Knowing your credit score or getting a recent copy of your credit report is one of the first steps that you can take toward knowing how ready you are to start the home buying process.
Make sure all the information listed on your report is accurate and work to correct any mistakes. The higher your credit score, the more likely you will be to receive a better interest rate for your mortgage. This will translate into more ‘home for your money.’
Many potential buyers believe that they need a 750 FICO® Score or higher to be able to purchase a home. The truth is that according to Ellie Mae’s Origination Report, over 53% of loans were approved with a FICO® score under 750 last month!
Here are some tips for improving your credit score:
- Make payments, including rent, credit cards, and car loans, on time.
- Keep your spending to no more than 30% of your limit on credit cards.
- Pay down high-balance credit cards to lower balances, and consider balance transfers to free up credit.
- Check for errors on your credit report and work toward fixing them.
- Shop for mortgage rates within a 30-day period — too many spread-out inquiries can lower your score.
- Work with a credit counselor or a lender to improve your score.
The bottom line…
Once you know your score, your next step will be finding a lender and getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Doing this will ensure that you know your budget before you start looking for your dream home.
Want to Buy a home? Text Buy to (714)880-8875
We’ll send you our latest E-Book: Things to Consider When Buying A Home
Senate Approves Fiscal Cliff and Includes Extension of the Mortgage Debt Tax Relief for Short Sales
Early this New Years morning, the Senate approved the budget to "avoid" the fiscal cliff that would have lead Americans into a financial tizzy. As long as the House votes this in, we're all good. Meaning? If you sell your home for less than what you owe, Short Sale,...
3 Government Programs That Help Distressed Homeowners
Housing Preservation Foundation The Housing Preservation Foundation has a website that provides information on the foreclosure process. Distressed homeowners can log into a 24-hour online chat session to connect with a housing counselor. The counselor can help the...
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO IF YOU FALL BEHIND ON A MORTGAGE PAYMENT
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO IF YOU FALL BEHIND ON A MORTGAGE PAYMENT If you are a homeowner having trouble paying your mortgage please know that you are not alone! There are tens of thousands of property owners across the United States who have missed their payments...
California Program Gives Money to Homeowners in Need During Short Sale Process
California Homeowners need money for moving after a short sale try “TAP”
Notre Dame BCS Ranked #1…Congratulations!
11 Straight Wins! A Little plug for the Alma Mater: With the losses of Oregon and Kansas State, mayhem has now ensued at the top of the BCS standings, and the national title picture is officially wide open. Notre Dame has the inside track to reach the national title...
Bank of America Closing More Short Sales to Fulfill Legal Woes
This just broke from USA Today... BofA admits that it is fulfilling it's obligation of Billions owed in legal penalties to the US Government and the families it damaged for its malfeasance in the collapse of the housing market. Read on... By Kris & Kim Darney...
Our Riverside Short Sale Nightmare…Press Enterprise’s Dan Bernstein Helps Out!
One of our listings in Riverside County has been under the scrutiny of the Riverside Press Enterprises Award Winning Columnist, Dan Bernstein. Our client has been the victim of State wide cuts in both area of employment (works for a local school district that made...
Fannie Mae Streamlines Short Sales Even More!
Announced today... Fannie Mae. the government agency that backs millions of home mortgages announced that it is delegating authority to it's mortgage backed servicers and banks to make quick decisions as it pertains to short sales and not having to seek Fannie Mae...
FREE California Short Sale Legal Advice
Free Online Short Sale Legal Assistance http://www.avvo.com Do you get what you pay for? That is yet to be determined. By Kris and Kim Darney
Short Sales Preferred over Foreclosure by California Homeowners
The latest results are in... California Association of Realtors states that Short Sales Reach and all time high in September 2012. number 24.3%. Real Estate Owned (Foreclosures) fell to 12.3% By Kris and Kim Darney READ THSI ARTICLE by DS News.com While distressed...
Housing Worse off Now Than in 2008…More Short Sales Needed?
We have seen a massive decline in home values resulting in the worse housing market on record. Signs from a recent report from RealtyTrac show that housing prices are stabilizing however, that many communities are struggling with high unemployment that is affecting...
We Can Accomplish Anything When We Want to…
Red Bull Stratos, MACH 1.24, Supersonic,FELIX BAUMGARTNER, 834 miles per hour
OCWEN Buys Homeward Residential Holdings and 422,000 Mortgage Loans
Ocwen Financial Corporation ($28.96 0%) will buy Homeward Residential Holdings from private equity firm WL Ross & Co. for around $750 million total. Homeward Residential Holdings is a mortgage servicing and origination business. The deal is equal to approximately...
Homeowners with 2nd’s with Bank of America May be eligible to Have Them Be Expunged!
Borrowers with second liens owned and serviced by Bank of America ($8.93 -0.03%) may qualify to get their subordinate debt extinguished entirely. The banking giant mailed 150,000 letters to pre-qualified homeowners who are eligible to have their Bank of America...
In-N-Out Heiress Lynsi Martinez Spends $17 Million on Bradbury Digs
Not sure if her parents would approve... Mz. Martinez, the ordained head of the best hamburger int he Free World, In-N-Out is blowing through her wad of cash buying lavish homes throughout the LA Basin...including 2 mansions in neighboring Glendora (my home town and...
California Home Prices Up! More Short Sales
Declining inventory helps explain why the statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home rose to $343,820 in August, up 3 percent from July and up 15.5 percent from August 2011, according to C.A.R.
Home Prices Rise in August 16% Year over Year…More Short Sales
Existing home sales and home prices both improved in August, with sales rising 7.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. According to information released this morning by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) August was the sixth consecutive month for...
Fewer Mortgage Defaults For the 8th Straight Month
First mortgages defaulted at a 1.4% rate in August, down from 1.92% one year ago, according to S&P and Experian. Fewer borrowers defaulted on their first mortgage than for the eighth straight month, according to consumer credit data from Standard &...