How long will you be underwater? About 16 million homeowners owe more on their mortgage than their homes are worth, which means they are “underwater.” So long as that condition continues, they have no equity that can be used to help finance the purchase of another house. On the contrary, they can’t sell the house …
Some experienced investors buy foreclosure properties cheaply without even having seen the property. However, most buyers shouldn’t buy a property unless they have had it thoroughly inspected by qualified professionals. Inspections are a necessary part of the homebuying and selling process. Sellers should be leery of buyers who offer to purchase without an inspection contingency. …
Getting a mortgage loan on a foreclosure can be difficult. More and more buyers are discovering HomePath as a bypass to purchasing roadblocks. Learn the pros and cons to see if one’s right for you.
Like many other homebuyers who consider buying a foreclosed home, Chad Kinney was disappointed when he learned it would be difficult to get a mortgage for the property he chose.
The Fannie Mae-owned house that he wanted to buy needed repairs and would likely not pass the property inspection required by mortgage lenders, he was told. That’s when the listing agent suggested he apply for a HomePath mortgage, which doesn’t require mortgage insurance, a property inspection or appraisal and is offered exclusively to borrowers buying homes from Fannie Mae.
“That was the first time I ever heard of HomePath, so I started researching,” he says. “To me, the selling point was my monthly payment is lower and I can get an additional $15,000 for renovations.”
Fannie Mae started offering HomePath loans and HomePath renovation mortgages in 2009 to unload the thousands of homes the agency repossesses through foreclosure.
The little-known program has been gaining popularity in recent months, but many buyers are not aware of it and don’t understand the pros and cons of HomePath financing until a broker or agent suggest it to them, says Brent Kluge of PrimeLending in Timonium, Md.
How HomePath works…
Cash is king in the real estate market throughout Southern California in general and in Orange County in particular, where thanks to falling home prices, more people with the means seem interested in plunking down a lump sum and getting a home free and clear. But many of these buyers aren’t just people in search …
Continue reading ‘All-cash buyers pump up the local market’ »