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Mortgage Loans - Don Wixom, Nampa, Caldwell, Boise, Eagle, Meridian

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Written by Don Wixom   

What kind of lender is "best?"

If you ask a loan officer, "What kind of lender is best?" it is going to be whatever kind of company he works for and he will give you a list of reasons why. If you meet the same loan officer years later, and he works for a different kind of lender, he will give you a list of reasons why that type of lender is better.

Realtors will also have differing opinions, and their opinions have changed over time.

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

There really is no such thing as a "no-cost" mortgage loan. There are always costs, such as appraisal fees, escrow fees, title insurance fees, document fees, processing fees, flood certification fees, recording fees, notary fees, tax service fees, wire fees, and so on, depending on whether the loan is a purchase or a refinance. The term "no-cost" actually means that your lender is paying the costs of the loan. All a "no cost" loan means is that there is no cost to you, the borrower.

Except that you pay a higher interest rate.

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

Mortgage Bankers

Mortgage Bankers are lenders that are large enough to originate loans and create pools of loans which they sell directly to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, jumbo loan investors, and others. Any company that does this is considered to be a mortgage banker.

Some companies don't sell directly to those major investors, but sell their loans to the mortgage bankers.

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

In the "olden" days, when someone wanted a home loan they walked downtown to the neighborhood bank or savings & loan. If the bank had extra funds laying around and considered you a good credit risk, they would lend you the money from their own funds.

It doesn't generally work like that anymore. Most of the money for home loans comes from three major institutions:

Fannie Mae (FNMA - Federal National Mortgage Association)

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

Have These Items Ready When You Apply For a Loan

It used to be that lenders mailed out verifications to employers, banks, mortgage companies, and so on, in order to verify the data supplied by borrowers. Nowadays, the interest is often in speed and getting answers quickly, so "alternate documentation" has become more widely used. Alternate documentation means that underwriting answers can be obtained with information supplied directly from the borrower instead of waiting around for verifications to come back in the mail.

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An alternative to a non-conforming loan is the use of a land contract, which is allowed in some states. A land contract is an agreement between a buyer and a seller, where the buyer agrees to make periodic payments to the seller. The title to the property only transfers to the land contract buyer on fulfillment of the land contract obligations.

A land contract can be helpful for those who need time to establish or improve their credit rating. There are only small closing costs, and payment can help establish a good mortgage payment record. This can help establish an overall good credit rating, and it is possible for the buyer to later refinance the land contract with a conforming loan.

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Your First Step Toward Buying a Home

When preparing to buy a home, the first thing many Homebuyers do is look at "homes for sale" ads in newspapers, magazines and listings on the internet. Some potential buyers read "how-to" articles like this one. The next thing you should do is look at your savings.

Why?

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

You will receive a detailed summary of costs you may have to pay when you buy or refinance your home. They are listed in the order that they should appear on a Good Faith Estimate you obtain from a mortgage lender. There are two broad categories of closing costs. Non-recurring closing costs are items that are paid once and you never pay again. Recurring closing costs are items you pay time and again over the course of home ownership, such as property taxes and homeowner's insurance. Some of the items that appear here do not traditionally appear on a lender's Good Faith Estimate and lenders are not required to show all of these items.

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

Have you received an advertisement offering to save you thousands of dollars on your thirty-year mortgage and cut years off your payments? With email "spam" becoming more pervasive as everyone tries to "get rich quick" on the internet, these ads are popping up with troublesome regularity.

The ads promote the "Biweekly Mortgage" and for the most part, do not come from a mortgage lender. Exclamation points punctuate practically every claim:

No closing costs!

No refinancing!

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When you apply for a mortgage loan, you expect your lender to pull a credit report and look at whether you've made your payments on time. What you may not expect is that they seem to be more interested in your "FICO" score.

"What's a FICO score?" is a common reaction.

Each time your credit report is pulled, it is run through a computer program with a built-in scorecard. Points are awarded or deducted based on certain items such as how long you have had credit cards, whether you make your payments on time, if your credit balances are near maximum, and assorted other variables.

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

How would you like a mortgage loan where you did not have to make the whole payment if you did not want to? Or would you like a loan with an interest rate about one percent below a thirty-year fixed rate mortgage and pay zero points? Or a loan where you did not have to document your income, savings history, or source of down payment? How would you like a mortgage payment of only 2.95 percent? You can have all that with the 11th District Cost of Funds Index (COFI) Adjustable Rate Mortgage.

Sound too good to be true? Sound like a bunch of hype?

Read more... Written by Don Wixom   

When buying a home, it is not enough to just "come up" with the money. With the exception of "no asset verification" loans, lenders want to verify where the money comes from. If you can document the funds comes from your personal savings, the lender is more confident of your strength as a borrower.

In addition, if you can verify you have additional assets that are not needed for the down payment, it is important to document those, too. Additional assets are "reserves" you can draw upon during times of trouble, such as unemployment, medical emergencies, and similar occurrences.

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Don Wixom

RE/MAX Advantage

5680 E Franklin Rd Ste 100

Nampa, ID 83687

Direct: (208) 880-5039

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What Clients Say...

"Thank you Don for your considerate and professional help on selling our house. Your informative correspondance we recieved before deciding to list it, got you the house, and your continued contact to let us know what efforts were being made to advertise and show the house were greatly appreciated. Showing mutual respect, we feel like we have made a new friend!"

~ Bill and Sharrel Cash, satisfied sellers

"Thanks to Don Wixom, we have been enjoying our new home for six months now. Don as the realtor selling our house worked very hard for us. He helped us through all the complex paperwork involved in making offers, getting a loan, etc. Don paid attention to detail and kept us well informed about how things were going. When things needed to be done, Don was readily available, seeing us through a home inspection, even crawling under the house in the dirt and cobwebs when we asked him to. Don was always only a phone call away. We still remember his phone number, we called him so much! Don has a wealth of experience and resources to offer. We would definitely recommend him to anyone wanting to buy or sell real estate."

~Scott and Naomi Watson, satisfied buyers

"Just wanted you to know that we really appreciate how smoothly the sale of our home went. It really could not have worked out any better. The wide marketing of our home you initiated really paid off. Thank you for a terrific experience. You have our highest recommendations, and we'll be more than happy to pass it along. God Bless!"

~ John and Jeanie Mowery, satisfied sellers

"We cannot thank you enough for your time and patience in finding our new home. There's no way we could've done it without you! You made all our dreams come true and we will always hold you dear for that."

~ Meguel and Kris Escutia, satisfied buyers

"Thank you so much for all of your efforts, patience, perseverance and professional behavior through the ordeal of selling our house. The way you dedicated yourself to your work and to our needs truly showed your eagerness and ability to help. Thank you again."

~ Jan Byers, satisfied seller

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