Can You Answer These Questions?
In a business like this, our most important role is to make a home purchase easy for our clients. And that is what we try to do, but most times we need our clients to be a bit more prepared for the process. With the Banking Industry changing its policies on a daily basis, our chance of success lies almost entirely in your ability to provide up-front information about yourself.
Here are some things we learned this year, and hopefully will point you in the right direction to owning your new home:
If 2010 is your target year for homebuying, do you have a copy of your credit report? There is a good way to do this, either by phone at 1-877-322-8228 or at www.annualcreditreport.com. This is a free report available to everyone, and lists everything that affects your credit. It does not give your FICO score, but for a fee you can get it. It's worth the money. This report will give you the chance to address any negative information that hurts your score. The website has information on how to enter a dispute.
Be careful with credit cards. If you are carrying balances, pay them down as much as possible. Make a 5-minute phone call to your credit card issuer and ask for a lower rate. If you are successful, you will be able to pay off your balances sooner.
Expect to have Downpayment Money !!! Zero down is a thing of the past. Minimum down for a Manufactured Home is 3%, most lenders are 5% and higher.
If you are shopping for a manufactured home, do you need land to put it on? This requires some thought before you even look at homes.
If you already have land, do you have a Deed, Title Insurance and a Survey? Many parcels of land have had liens or boundary disputes against them that need to be cleared up before applying for a mortgage. If not, the Lender will not close the loan until You and the Title Company have resolved these problems. It can take months to do this. If your Property already has Title Insurance, you have no worries.
OK, now you have located some land and are ready to pick out a house. Got a payment in mind? Check out the payment calculators to get an idea of how much you can afford.
The loan application can be easy if you have everything together. 3 Years' Tax Returns, current pay stubs for the last 30 days, cash value of Life Insurance, IRA's, 401K's, investments, bank account balances, etc. If you are self-employed, a business financial statement and year-to-date Profit and Loss statement may be necessary. Cash-based income is usually not verifiable and will not be used. Rental income will need to have a 2 year history. You will need to verify disability income.
Copy of bankruptcy documents and discharge papers. If divorced, and paying or receiving alimony or support a copy of the divorce decree is necessary.
BOTTOM LINE, LAKEVIEW HOMES is dedicated to providing you the very best buying experience. We are experts at helping you choose the right home for your needs and stand by you every step of the way. We build every home like it was our own, from the ground up.
Please give us the chance to earn your business this year!