What Are VA Home Loans?

by | VA Loans:

What Are VA Loans? As the video says, the name is misleading – they’re not loans FROM the VA. The VA – short for “US Department of Veterans Affairs” – is the Federal military veteran benefit system. The VA administers benefits and services for...

What Is The Debt-To-Income Ratio (DTI)?

by | Mortgages:

Measuring your existing debts against your existing income is one part of a lender’s required assessment of your ability to repay a loan. Like the video says:  debts are existing financial commitments; a car payment is a debt a grocery bill is not. To calculate your...

What Does Ability To Repay Mean?

by | Mortgages:

What are the “Ability to repay” rules about? In a nutshell, as this video shows, new laws require lenders to make a good-faith assessment of a borrower’s capacity to pay back their loan over time. It’s a longer-term view that goes beyond immediate income, debt and...

What Is A Qualified Mortgage?

by | Mortgages:

As this video explains,  Federal laws put into effect in 2014 and  supervised by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau define lending practices and loan terms for a new category called “Qualified Mortgages.” They provide stable loan features for consumers and...

What Is A Rate Lock?

by | New Homes

Mortgage rates change constantly through an unpredictable combination of government policies and economic conditions. This video explains the common term ‘rate lock.’ A “Rate Lock” is a guarantee that a lender will honor a specific combination of interest...

When Do I Get My Loan Closing Disclosure?

by | TRID

If an eligible loan proceeds from Estimate to closing, creditors must provide a Closing Disclosure form documenting the actual transaction terms and costs THREE business days before consummation. It must be in writing, whether paper or digital, and disclose ONLY the...

Understanding Your Loan: Closing Disclosure Page 1

by | TRID

The first page of your Closing Disclosure documents: The Loan Amount – the total you will actually borrow The Interest Rate – which does NOT include the fees factored into the APR on Page 5 If this loan has a penalty for pre-payment or includes a balloon...

Understanding Home Loans: The Most Important Information

by | TRID

Understanding home loans becomes a necessity when you are buying a home. Page 4 of your Closing Disclosure in your mortgage packet is important. It is NOT just standardized form information that is identical for every home loan. Review these terms: Assumption: can...