How Much Do I Qualify For

When buying a home, it is helpful to determine the type of home you like and how much you can afford before beginning your search. Most lenders allocate approximately 28% of your GROSS MONTHLY INCOME to housing expense. Housing expense includes principal, interest, taxes and insurance (PITI). To get an idea of how much you can afford to pay each month for a home, multiply your gross monthly income by 28%.

When coupled with current outstanding loans, the total for your debt service should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income. Some lenders may have slightly more liberal requirements or loan interest rates which may increase your purchasing power.

Mortgage interest, property taxes, loan fees or "points" are currently tax deductible (up to allowable limits). Points are generally deductible in the year paid. A point equals 1% of the mortgage amount. If you are in the 28% tax bracket, this is equivalent to receiving a 28% discount on your mortgage interest and property taxes. During the first years of the mortgage your tax savings are especially high because most of your monthly payment goes toward loan interest.

Mortgage Pre-Approval

Obtain the Best Rates & Lowest Closing Costs

When you are ready to purchase a home, it makes sense to negotiate from the strongest position possible. In a strong real estate market, sellers can be more selective in the final buyer they choose to negotiate with. In such a crazed seller's market, it's not uncommon for a home seller to receive multiple offers on their property. With that said, there are certain things you can do to make certain that your offer is the one Seller goes with.

The vast majority of Purchaser's today go about the process entirely wrong, putting themselves at an overwhelming disadvantage!

Let's look at this from the Seller's perspective for a moment. If you were the Seller and had multiple offers on your property, all things being equal, would you accept the one with Certificate of Financing Approval or the one that was still Conditional on Financing? The answer is obvious. Why then, do so many buyers wait to start the financing until after they have found the home?

What I have found is that those buyers are usually very good, qualified buyers and are not worried about getting approved. Even though they usually are correct and will ultimately be Approved, the Seller in most cases has no guarantees.

Lastly, from a cost savings perspective...

As a prospective purchaser, it makes all the more sense to start the financing early on so you can get a firm handle on your interest rate and estimate of points and closing costs. If you do this before finding a home, you are not under any time constraints and are less likely to over pay like a buyer who has found a home and is under strict time constraints.

Should you decide that you wish to take advantage of Pre-Approval, simply complete the "Contact" form and indicate in the Message box "that you would like help and assistance with mortgage pre-approval & financing". I will forward your information to one of my preferred mortgage professionals who can assist you in locating the absolute best mortgage rate and lowest closing costs possible.