Tag Archives: interest rate

Homebuyer’s Guide to Rate Hike

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Day Donaldson

Fed Chair Yellen

U.S. News & World Report quoted me in A Consumer’s Guide to the Fed Interest Rate Hike. It opens,

The era of cheap money isn’t exactly over, but on Wednesday, after seven years of having near zero interest rates, the Federal Reserve voted to raise the central bank’s benchmark interest rate from a range of 0 percent to 0.25 percent to a range of 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent. Economists have largely seen this as a positive development – it means the American economy is considered strong enough to handle higher interest rates – but, of course, the all-important question on everyone’s minds is likely: What does this mean for me?

It depends, of course, on where you’re putting your money these days.

Homebuying. While it’s expected that the minor interest rate hike will result in it being more costly to borrow money to buy a home, that isn’t necessarily the case. Numerous factors influence mortgage rates, from where in the country your home is located to the state of the global economy to whether inflation is believed to be around the corner. Still, there’s a pretty fair chance that the interest rate hike will lead to higher borrowing costs.

But it’s worth remembering that even if the rates go up, it’s still cheap to buy a house compared to the recent past. According to Freddie Mac’s website, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage currently stands at 3.94 percent. If you bought a house, say, 15 years ago, the annual average rate in 2000 was 8.05 percent.

David Reiss, a law professor at Brooklyn Law School who specializes in real estate, says he wouldn’t rush out to buy a home based on the Fed’s announcement.

“I would caution strongly against letting the Fed’s actions on the interest rate influence the home-buying decision all that much, no matter what market you live in,” Reiss says. “First of all, the mortgage market has taken the Fed’s likely actions into account already, so interest rates … incorporate some of the rise in rate already.”

Bottom line, he says: “Generally, people should be buying a home when it makes sense for their lifestyle. Expect to stay put for a while? Maybe you should buy a home. Expecting kids? Maybe you should buy a home. Retiring to a warmer clime?  Maybe you should buy a home.”

Again, the interest rate climbed 0.25​ percent, and while the Fed has indicated that rates may continue to rise, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has stressed that any future hikes will be gradual.

“Small changes in interest rates do not generally make that much of a dollars-and-cents difference in the decision to buy,” Reiss says.

The New Mortgage Disclosure Rules

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President Barack Obama meets with Rep. Barney Frank, (D-Mass), Sen. Dick Durbin, (D-Ill), and Sen. Chris Dodd, (D-Conn) by White House (Pete Souza)

TheStreet.com quoted me in New Mortgage Rule Requires Disclosure Documents to Help Consumers Compare Costs. It reads, in part,

A new set of shorter and simpler mortgage documents will be disclosed to consumers before they close on a loan, making the costs more transparent and helping home buyers compare offers from multiple lenders easier.

Mortgage lenders are required to start giving loan applicants the new disclosure documents starting on October 3, a new government requirement imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act.

“The disclosures will be easier and shorter so that consumers understand the mortgage they are getting because it will be simpler to compare offers,” said Holden Lewis, a mortgage analyst for Bankrate.com, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based financial content company.

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Drawbacks of New Documents

Of course, it’s not all positive. You can now expect your closing to take longer than before while lenders and title companies adjust to the new procedures. Consumers should definitely lock in their interest rates “a little longer to be safe in case there are delays,” he said. The process might stretch to three days, so lock in your mortgage rates for 45 days instead of the traditional 30 days and “err on side of caution,” Lewis said.

 Major changes to the terms in a mortgage can push back the closing and this can present a serious problem if the current interest rate lock is “on the verge of expiring and interest rates are rising,” said David Reiss, a law professor at Brooklyn Law School. In a worst case scenario, a lender could withdraw an offer because the consumer cannot afford higher monthly payments due to an increase in interest rates.

Homebuyers can mitigate this issue by negotiating the terms of their interest rates cautiously and discussing them with their lender or real estate broker who can help determine “whether there is enough of a cushion to take into account all of the things that can delay a closing,” he said. “Borrowers should know that a rate lock without a sufficient cushion of time offers a false sense of security.”

Closing on a house might take longer, so consumers should make sure their timing meshes with the apartment or house they are renting or if they are selling their current home. This is more critical right now because of the transition to the new documents.

“Through the end of the year, homebuyers may want to build in a cushion as to when they have to close on the purchase,” Reiss said. “This could offer some protection if the mortgage application process takes longer than expected because of TRID-related issues.”

If tax reasons are prompting homeowners to close on a sale by a certain date, then it is even more vital to focus on documents a buyer, lender or tittle company might require during the process.

“As with many things, staying on top of everyone at each stage such as the contract negotiation, mortgage application and closing is the best bet for avoiding surprises and bad results,” he said.

Wednesday’s Academic Roundup

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Going It Alone on Your Mortgage

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walking alone

WiseBread quoted me in When It Makes Sense to Apply for a Mortgage Loan Without Your Spouse. It opens,

You and your spouse or partner are ready to apply for a mortgage loan. It makes sense to apply for the loan jointly, right? That way, your lender can use your combined incomes when determining how much mortgage money it can lend you.

Surprisingly, this isn’t always the right approach.

If the three-digit credit score of your spouse or partner is too low, it might make sense to apply for a mortgage loan on your own — as long as your income alone is high enough to let you qualify.

That’s because it doesn’t matter how high your credit score is if your spouse’s is low. Your lender will look at your spouse’s score, and not yours, when deciding if you and your partner qualify for a home loan.

“If one spouse has a low credit score, and that credit score is so low that the couple will either have to pay a higher interest rate or might not qualify for every loan product out there, then it might be time to consider dropping that spouse from the loan application,” says Eric Rotner, vice president of mortgage banking at the Scottsdale, Arizona office of Commerce Home Mortgage. “If a score is below a certain point, it can really limit your options.”

How Credit Scores Work

Lenders rely heavily on credit scores today, using them to determine the interest rates they charge borrowers and whether they’ll even approve their clients for a mortgage loan. Lenders consider a FICO score of 740 or higher to be a strong one, and will usually reserve their lowest interest rates for borrowers with such scores.

Borrowers whose scores are too low — say under 640 on the FICO scale — will struggle to qualify for mortgage loans without having to pay higher interest rates. They might not be able to qualify for any loan at all, depending on how low their score is.

Which Score Counts?

When couples apply for a mortgage loan together, lenders don’t consider all scores. Instead, they focus on the borrower who has the lowest credit score.

Every borrower has three FICO credit scores — one each compiled by the three national credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Each of these scores can be slightly different. When couples apply for a mortgage loan, lenders will only consider the lowest middle credit score between the applicants.

Say you have credit scores of 740, 780, and 760 from the three credit bureaus. Your spouse has scores of 640, 620, and 610. Your lender will use that 620 score only when determining how likely you are to make your loan payments on time. Many lenders will consider a score of 620 to be too risky, and won’t approve your loan application. Others will approve you, but only at a high interest rate.

In such a case, it might make sense to drop a spouse from the loan application.

But there are other factors to consider.

“If you are the sole breadwinner, and your spouse’s credit score is low, it usually makes sense to apply in your name only for the mortgage loan,” said Mike Kinane, senior vice president of consumer lending at the Hamilton, New Jersey office of TD Bank. “But your income will need to be enough to support the mortgage you are looking for.”

That’s the tricky part: If you drop a spouse from a loan application, you won’t be penalized for that spouse’s weak credit score. But you also can’t use that spouse’s income. You might need to apply for a smaller mortgage loan, which usually means buying a smaller home, too.

Other Times to Drop a Spouse

There are other times when it makes sense for one spouse to sit out the loan application process.

If one spouse has too much debt and not enough income, it can be smart to leave that spouse out of the loan process. Lenders typically want your total monthly debts — including your estimated new monthly mortgage payment — to equal no more than 43% of your gross monthly income. If your spouse’s debt is high enough to throw this ratio out of whack, applying alone might be the wise choice.

Spouses or partners with past foreclosures, bankruptcies, or short sales on their credit reports might stay away from the loan application, too. Those negative judgments could make it more difficult to qualify for a loan.

Again, it comes down to simple math: Does the benefit of skipping your partner’s low credit score, high debt levels, and negative judgments outweigh the negative of not being able to use that spouse’s income?

“The $64,000 question is whether the spouse with the bad credit score is the breadwinner for the couple,” says David Reiss, professor of law with Brooklyn Law School in Brooklyn, New York. “The best case scenario would be a couple where the breadwinner is also the one with the good credit score. Dropping the other spouse from the application is likely a no-brainer in that circumstance. And of course, there will be a gray area for a couple where both spouses bring in a significant share of the income. In that case, the couple should definitely shop around for lenders that can work with them.”

Savings from a 15 Year Mortgage

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MONEY CASE 5

MainStreet quoted me in Choosing a 15-year Mortgage Can Save You Thousands of Dollars. It opens,

Matt DeMargel and his wife, Misti, never considered obtaining a 30-year mortgage, because the amount of interest they would pay would equate to 60% of the cost of their house.

Instead, the public relations executive opted for a 15-year mortgage when he bought a 2,542-square foot home in Kingwood, Texas, a suburb of Houston.

“I hate debt, even the so-called ‘good kind’ of secured debt,” he said. “We are working to pay off our mortgage in five years. Even if we pull that off, we will have paid more than $30,000 in interest over that five year period.”

Dave Ramsey, a personal finance expert who is host of a radio show, said he always advocates choosing a 15-year fixed rate mortgage when buying a home.

“When you have a 15-year mortgage, it costs just a few dollars a month more,” he said. “It’s only 20% to 25% more per month than the traditional 30-year mortgage, but it saves you 15 years of your life in debt.”

The amount of money homeowners can save from paying less interest can easily help fund a large portion of their retirement, but determining whether a 15-year mortgage is right for your household can be more complicated.

Benefits of a Shorter Duration

Depending on your goals and lifestyle, a 15-year fixed rate mortgage is the quickest way to owning your home. If one of your plans is to receive a much lower interest rate, then choosing a shorter interval will meet your objective, said Brook Benton, a vice president at Atlanta-based PrivatePlus Mortgage.

“A 15-year loan is typically the lowest fixed rate you can obtain,” he said. “If you like the security of a fixed rate and the payment fits into your budget, this product is a home run.”

Paying off a mortgage quickly is a priority for some homeowners who detest shelling out more money for interest. If a consumer borrows $200,000 over 30 years at 4.17%, he or she will pay just over $150,000 of interest, said Craig Lemoine, an associate professor of financial planning at The American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, Pa. A homeowner who opted for a 15-year note would pay a slightly lower interest rate of 3.29% and his total interest payment drops to around $53,600. (Even a 15-year note at the same rate of that 30-year loan would generate just under $70,000 in interest.)

“A reduction of lifetime interest paid can be quite attractive,” Lemoine said. “The lure of a shorter note is the vision of a paid-off home in 180 months. The emotional satisfaction is tantalizing.”

While you receive the benefit of a lower interest rate, a 15-year mortgage commits consumers to higher payments. If it fits within your overall budget, then paying more each month should not be a concern.

This route is also advantageous for homeowners who are refinancing their mortgage or contemplating downsizing to a less expensive or smaller home, said David Reiss, a law professor at Brooklyn Law School.

Homeowners who have lived in their house for a few years and want to refinance their mortgage should consider a 15-year note, because they have likely “paid down a significant amount of principal,” Reiss said. A combination of a lower interest rate and the possibility that the homeowner is now earning a higher salary means the monthly payments could be manageable, he said.

Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever

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I was interviewed on the Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever with Joe Fairless podcast. The interview, How to Negotiate the Interest Rate on Your Mortgage Down…A LOT, went live today. The teaser for the show reads,

Today’s Best Ever guest shares just how important it is to do you due diligence with everything. From negotiating the interest rate on your mortgage rate down to an unheard of number, to learning about different zoning codes and what they mean to you.

The interview runs about half an hour. I always like to be invited to speak on a long-form program because I can go into greater depth about things that I think are important. I also got a chance to discuss some topics that usually only come up in my Real Estate Practice class.

The Best Ever Real Estate Investing Advice Ever show is one of the highest rated investing podcasts on iTunes, up there with Suze Orman, Jim Cramer, Marketplace, Motley Fool, NPR and the Wall Street Journal. The show is sold with some hype, but it was a substantive discussion, geared to the newish real estate investor. All in all, this was a fun interview to do.

 

 

HELOC vs. Cash-out Refinance for Card Debt Repayment

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CreditCards.com quoted me in HELOC vs. Cash-out Refinance for Card Debt Repayment. It reads, in part,

On paper, it may look as if it makes a lot of sense to replace high interest card debt with a low interest payment if you have home equity you can tap into. If it’s available and will ease your pay-off pain, why not use it, right?

While using a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or cash-out refinance (in which you refinance your mortgage, but tack on an additional cash payout) to rectify your debt woes might seem like a no-brainer, there are lots of factors to consider to determine which avenue is right for you or if you should go that route at all.

“One size doesn’t fit all,” says Malcolm Hollensteiner, director of retail lending sales at TD Bank. “Utilizing equity to pay down or eliminate higher interest rate consumer debt can be a very beneficial strategy, but it should be done in moderation, accessing some — not all — of your equity,” he says.

Gone are the days when banks allowed homeowners to tap into 125 percent of their home value (thanks to the lessons learned during the real estate market meltdown, which left many people “underwater,” owing more on their home loans than the value of the home). And, you’ll need to have a respectable credit score to qualify. But even with more restrictions in place now than in years past, borrowers still should tread carefully if they’re contemplating borrowing against their home.

“Although the interest rates are much lower on a HELOC or cash-out, the issue becomes that you’re taking your short-term debt and turning it into something you’re going to be paying back for 30 years,” says John Walsh, CEO of Total Mortgage Services.

And then there’s the risk factor. Before you jump on that lower rate, you have to understand that if you cannot keep up with your new payments, you risk going into foreclosure, warns David Reiss, professor of law and research director of the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship at Brooklyn Law School, who also writes the REFinBlog. “In other words, you are getting the lower rate in exchange for putting up your house as collateral for the debt,” he says.

With stakes this high, it’s not as simple as using a HELOC or cash-out refinance as your “get out of debt free” card. Here are the factors you need to consider.

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As you consider your options, think about both the short-term and long-term benefits and costs, says Reiss. “You can’t think of home equity as free money. That’s your retirement, money you may leave to your children or use for an emergency. It’s money that your future self may need,” he says. If you do decide to move forward, make sure you’re using your home equity wisely — paying off your debt would fall into that category, as long as you commit to smart spending habits moving forward.

Take an honest assessment of where you are in life, and think through your ability to pay off the debt in whatever form it may take. “Run some numbers, and talk this through with someone whose financial judgment you trust,” says Reiss. By being honest with yourself and becoming an educated consumer, you can figure out which option makes the most sense for you.