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PRIVATE MONEY Is that a good loan?

February 11, 2011 No Comments

             As a Private Money lender for the last 20 years I have been asked many, many times – “Is that a good loan?”   Initially I would do the analysis of the house payment compared to 30 year fixed rates and the costs divided by the number of years they’d have the loan, blah, blah, blah.  Finally I just told them the simple truth, if it’s the only loan you can get.  That’s a good loan. 

            I’m not being flip here, but when your home loan application has been turned down by the 30 year fixed rate lenders, the credit union, the bank you’ve been at for umpteen years and your family won’t loan you money, the truth is the only program left is private money.  And that requires you have equity and an ability to repay the loan (if it’s your principal residence) or a down payment if the loan is to buy a principal residence.

            As of this date 2011, the lending standards nationwide have become so overly restrictive that to get a loan almost requires an act of Congress.  In actuality that is not far from the truth as the federal government now owns most of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  They are trying to tighten up the standards to help the housing industry but they are actually messing up the works.  They sure will not go to bat for a homeowner who desperately needs a loan but if you can prove you don’t need it they will give you one.  Don’t get me started here!

         Private money loans are based largely on equity but you do need to be able to prove you can make the payment.  The most you will get is 70% of the value of the property.  If it’s worth $300,000 you will be able to get $210,000.  If you want a 100% loan, hard money will not work.

          Here’s a real example of a private money loan:  The borrower had almost all of the money to purchase a house.  She needed only $75,000.00 more – but didn’t qualify for a bank loan.  The purchase price was $231,000 and she only wanted to borrower 32% of the value.  This loan got done within 4 days for a quick close and she beat out other’s who put in offers for the house because she could quickly close.  Her house payment is now the payment on $75,000.

            Another example is a Contractor wanted to buy a dump house.  No bank would lend on it because it was so dilapidated.  The Contractor had enough money for a decent down payment and proved he had enough money to fix it up and resell.  He got a private money loan, was able to fix up the house and sell it within 4 months. 

            Is that a good loan?

Owner is a CA DRE Broker with over 23 years experience in real estate and lending.  His number is (707) 523-2099.  See website @ www.sunpacmortgage.com.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT LENDERS AND LOAN OFFICERS

January 24, 2011 No Comments

The real theme of this article should be all the change- and it has been an avalanche – wrought by the government in recent years to handle something that simple attrition has fixed. The problematic players in the real estate debacle, both the banks and the unscrupulous loan agents have, in the main, fallen out of the business. I assure you that the ones who remain in business are more likely the true professionals who figured out the current lending environment and are still making a living within the ever tightening market.

The purpose of this article is twofold:

1. To encourage Buyers/Borrowers to find a loan agent that will competently represent them in getting the loan necessary to purchase a home or refinance and

2. To be prepared to dump any loan agent that demonstrates anything but number

1. Actually the main purpose for this article is to get the Buyers active in the market –IN SPITE OF ALL THE NEW REGULATION. As of January 2011, the main problem facing Buyers and those looking to refinance, are the too strict lending guidelines brought about by the governments legislative response to the real estate debacle of the last 5 years. I read a great article the other day written by a loan processor who worked for a busy lender. She said the new rules are restrictive and a horror but they are the current dictates. Quit griping about them and learn what they are so you can get the purchase or refinance done for that borrower. Griping about it solves nothing. Along that same vein, as a borrower, the new regulations are here to stay and you will have to deal with them to be a borrower, whether you are buying or refinancing. Do not be chilled by the fact of tighter regulations. Get out there and find out what you can do. Then do it or get a plan for doing it. “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933)

So I mention the current strict guidelines as the main problem, but it filters down to the banks that actually are on the streets with the loan programs that must meet those guidelines and the loan officers who still have to sell those programs, however restrictive (oops! I forgot I’m going to stop griping). To keep it really simple, you will really not know if the loan officer you have chosen to do your purchase or refinance is worth a darn until you get into the transaction. As soon as you get the feeling that they are stopping your transaction from going smoothly or outright putting problem after problem in your path, grab your file and try again elsewhere.

You are hitting up against a problem with the loan officer not knowing what is going on with the current underwriting guidelines, the guidelines from the bank being overly restrictive for what the regulations actually call for, the way they have to deal with appraisals is killing your deal, etc. Whatever it may be, you will know if it feels uncontrollable. This is the time to at least start looking around to see if the problem you are encountering with that lender/loan officer can be solved by a competing lender. You know, years ago I would never have suggested that you look elsewhere once in process on a loan. But the current lending environment is completely wacko right now and it should compel a buyer/borrower to operate differently to get the job done competently.

IS IT A BUYER’S MARKET OR A SELLER’S MARKET ARE YOU CONFUSED?

January 11, 2011 No Comments

What is a Buyer’s Market?  It’s a market were the buyer is in charge.  There are more homes on the market than there are buyers.  Buyer’s Rule!

What is a Seller’s Market?  This is a market where there are more buyers than sellers and the offers are plenty, driving the price of the home up.  Sellers Rule!

For the last couple of years it had been a buyer’s market.  You couldn’t sell a home if your life depended on it.  Prices wre too high, no one could afford them and the word on the street was that home prices go were going down, down, down.  All of this was true!

The market has changed a bit.  The seller is more in charge IF the house is priced correctly.  There are multiple bids driving prices up.  Sales whent down after Christmas through January and February, but are going up again.  October 2008 454 homes sold, November 366, December 413, January 2009 338 sold, February 315 and on the move again in March 364 sold.  Tradititionally Spring and Summer are the selling months.

If you want to sell and are able to, now is the time.  If you are unable to because you owe more than you can sell for, then you might find out about short sales.  A short sale is when your lender agrees that you can sell the house for less than is owed to them.  The Federal Government has been pushing the lenders to accept short sales – but the lnders are not too fast in responding to this.  There are short sales on the market and a small percentage of them do sell.

If you are a buyer, buy now.  Correctly priced houses are flying off the market with multiple offers being made.

Owner is a CA DRE Broker with over 20 years experience in real estate and lending.  His number is (707) 523-2099.  See website @ sunpacmortgage.com.

The Wave Is Coming

December 27, 2010 No Comments

We keep hearing reports that the foreclosure wave is coming. It’s on the news and in the paper. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. We have not seen much evidence of it in Sonoma County. Here’s what we know so far… Fannie Mae has been holding back flooding the market with foreclosures so prices stabilize. That is working well. The Medium Price has gone up from $305,000.00 to $320,000.00 since January 2009. Foreclosures for sale have gone down from 350+/- in December 2008 to 116 as of today.

IF the wave is coming you need to prepare now. All offers made on foreclosures require loan approval be attached to the offer. Sometimes 2 loan approvals are required. If you do not have loan approval they will not look at the offer. Get loan approval now!

There are 3 types of loan you can get right now. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (usually 30 year fixed, low interest rate loans) for as little as 5% down. FHA an easier standard for loan approval and only 3-1/2% down. And lastly, private money from private individuals. These private money loans are needed if the house (a wreak/dump) does not qualify for the government loans. Private money requires 20% to 25% down, but the private party lending the money does not care what shape the property is in.

The Federal Government is keeping rates low. Normally rates are dictated by the yield on Treasury Bonds. Yields are up and rates should be up, but they are not. The guys on Wall Street are befuddled because the normal measure of interest rates isn’t happening. The “wave is coming” is the “perfect storm” for buying. House prices are low and interest rates are low.

This perfect storm lasts for a brief time, so get approved now and be prepared. Owner is a CA DRE Broker with over 20 years experience in real estate and lending. His number is (707) 523-2099. See website @ sunpacmortgage.com.

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