Various Ways to Hold Title to Real Property Title is the legal documentation that bestows ownership of real property. This is to be indicated in Part II of the 1003 Uniform Residential Loan Application as “manner in which title will be held.” The decision of how the title will be held should not be put [...]

Homeowners refinance for different reasons, but the process of refinancing a mortgage should result in some benefit to the homeowner. Borrowers may choose to refinance to obtain a lower interest rate and a lower monthly payment, or change the type of loan that they have. Some homeowners refinance to ‘cash out’ and take advantage of [...]

Extension of the Home Affordable Refinance Program On March 11, 2011, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced two exciting changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). This program is for borrowers who have demonstrated an acceptable payment history on their mortgage, but due to a decline in home prices or where mortgage insurance is [...]

Quick Tips for Getting Started on Your Refinance: When you refinance your existing mortgage, you are essentially paying off the existing mortgage debt and replacing it with a new loan. Many of the same costs are involved in refinancing a loan as are in first-time financing. To start with, the lender will need personal information [...]

In the last several years, significant changes have impacted financing for residential real estate. The issue I would like to bring to your attention today could impact the property value that will be used to underwrite your loan. The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), effective May 1, 2009, governs the way in which appraisals [...]

As the Real Estate and financial markets continue to move up and down, mortgage rates can also be affected. Since mortgage rates are more closely tied to the bond markets, an up or down move in the stock market may not have the result in mortgage rates that one might expects. In fact, many times [...]