First Time Home Buyer

It is the opinion of many people that the government, despite what the President may say, will in fact bail out mortgage high players Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For these companies to fold would be detrimental to the economy. But what exactly are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and what do they do? Simply put, a home buyer achieves a mortgage from a lending institute and Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac purchase the mortgage to then resell it again to investors. They receive money from the sale to the first lender to continue lending. In the last decade Freddie Mac handled nearly $164 billion in New York mortgages alone; serving over 1,325,000 families. If Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have serious financial problems then credit will tighten and it will become increasingly difficult for any consumer to get a mortgage; but particularly for the first time home buyer. At this point it is unknown how much money these companies will need to borrow from the Federal Reserve, the government or the public treasury; however, the government has stated that if they do need it they can come for it. With the potential for government bailouts confidence is building.

When push comes to shove, impact from national news or news on a local level does not change the rules in applying for a first mortgage; make sure you have your finances in order before shopping for a home, make sure your credit is in line and be aware of your credit score. The first time home buyer needs to educate themselves more than ever as lenders begin to tighten their belts. Knowing what your credit score is, how to increase that score and look favorable to the lenders will increase your chances of obtaining a mortgage regardless of what is happening in the financial world; these are basic rules.

Before a lender will grant a loan for a home he will first run a credit report on the buyer to help them get a picture of the buyer’s ability to pay the loan. The last thing a lending institute wants is for a buyer to get in over their head and default on their mortgage. It is therefore recommended that before shopping for a home or showing up at the lending institute to apply for a first mortgage you run a credit report of your own. You can do this for free once per year by going to annualcreditreport.com. This will help you figure out any areas that need to be corrected and what areas could be improved. Once you are satisfied and your lender runs the report he will be able to help you understand what you can afford. If you have discovered your credit is in shambles or your credit score is low there are ways to bring up your credit score and you will have the time to do so.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae having financial problems is just the reflection of what is happening in the economy today; we are all feeling the pinch. This is a time, more than any to tighten our own belts, avoid using credit excessively and manage your credit well; doing these things will allow you to be among the few people that the lenders extend a first time home buyers loan to.

Talking to many people today they are looking forward to becoming a first time home owner and with the prices of homes sinking rapidly they think it is a great time to buy. Homes that would previously be far out of reach are now becoming more affordable, to the excitement of the potential first time home buyer. Unfortunately, according to several reports, mortgage insurers have been upping their standards in the United States. What this means for the first time home buyer is they have to be at the top of the bar that is raised to obtain the mortgage. Mortgage insures are defining an ever increasing number of markets as declining. In these areas that they list as declining they are requiring a higher down payment as well as higher premiums. This means that the homes that were thought to now be affordable are still out of reach for the first time home buyer. The buyer will have to have a substantial down payment and in the declining economy saving 5 to 15 thousand dollars for a down payment is out of the question.

The market that seems so appealing to the first time home buyer and others hoping to cash in on the floor dropping out of the housing market may not be as profitable as once thought. The national home price index fell about 16% from its peak in the second quarter of 2006 and in some markets houses are selling for 50% less than a year ago. They; however, are not being sold to many first time home buyers but instead to developers hoping to turn a profit.

Additionally there is a surplus of bank owned forecloses today making prices fall even farther. Between the foreclosures and other homes on the market there are plenty of affordable homes to choose from. If only the tightened mortgage standards would allow people, including the first time home buyer to clear out the inventory. There are ways of obtaining a substantial down payment and the first time home buyer with control of his credit score and shows reliability and responsibility will be able to cash in on the falling house prices and afford the unaffordable dream home. With private buyer assistance programs, gift money from family, savings over time and the sale of high dollar assets even the first time home buyer will be able to meet the heightened lending standards of the mortgage insurers.

Business is still business and companies are still in to turn a profit. Making sure you are at the top of the class will ensure you obtaining that mortgage and moving into the home you have dreamt of. Run your credit report, make sure it is in good shape, have a substantial down payment ready and start shopping for that dream home today.

One of the first things a lender will do before granting a loan for a first time home buyer is to run a credit check on the buyer. This will help them assess they buyer’s ability to pay a loan and see how they have managed their bills and money in the past. A credit report will show the money that comes in and goes out and how much a buyer will be able to afford. There is a lot to be told with a simple credit report. Yet so many first time home buyers have no idea what their credit score is or even how to find out. According to one consumer credit counseling service “the first time people think about their credit is when their in the market for a home. Often the last thing they do in the buying process is to look at their credit report, but that is really the first thing they should do. Your credit score will determine the interest rate you get or even whether you will be extended a loan at all”. When first considering purchasing a home the buyer should run a credit report; everyone is entitled one free report a year simply by going to AnnualCreditReport.com. There are three companies that provide credit information, Experian, Equifax and Transunion and you can obtain your credit report from them online. Look closely at your report and identify any information that is not correct; dispute this immediately. When your report is pulled before you begin shopping for your home you will have time to fix errors, improve your score and you won’t fall in love with a home you simply cannot afford.

Even if you go to your local credit bureau to obtain your credit report it usually is a small investment. It is not uncommon to have information that is false on the report and fixing these errors as soon as you can helps to obtain the loan with the best credit rates as possible.

A FICO score is appointed to you based on your credit report. FICO is the most widely used scoring system and stands for Fair Isaac Corporation and is intended to demonstrate the likelihood a borrower will default on his or her loan or declare bankruptcy. To obtain the score, generally a borrower is compared to other consumers. One borrower that has two late payments over 30 days will be scored against similar delinquent-payers. That borrower will then be graded according to risk variables used by the scoring model and will be ranked within the group of similar borrowers. Most of the larger banks and lenders build their own credit scoring models and will use that.

Statistical models to generate a credit score is subject to federal regulations that prohibits a credit scoring model from using biases such as race, skin color, religion, sex and marital status. The credit scoring model must also be empirical and statistically sound and if a borrower is denied based on the credit score the lender must state the specific reasons such as ‘too many delinquencies’.