Exploring The Loan Process

Choice 1 – Purpose of the Loan

Purchase – We offer a variety of loan programs and low down payment options when purchasing a home, second home, or investment property.

Refinance Rate and Term- Lower your monthly payment or decrease the length of time you have to repay your loan. We will help you save money if eligible.

Refinance Cash Out- You may be eligible to improve the terms of your current mortgage loan and also convert some equity into cash. Use the funds for a home remodel, college fund, paying down debt, savings, and many possibilities. With a first and a second mortgage we will check if consolidating the two mortgages into one lower mortgage payment is possible. We offer a home equity line of credit and home equity loans.

Choice 2 – Fixed or ARM

Fixed – Fixed rate loans offer the dependability of the same monthly payments for the life of the loan.

ARM – Stands for Adjustable Rate Mortgage. Typically an ARM starts off with lower initial monthly payments than a fixed rate mortgage for the first 1-7 years before adjusting based on an interest rate index. When adjusting, your rate may go up or down depending on market conditions.

Choice 3 – Life of the Loan

The most common loans taken out run for 15 or 30 years and you can choose terms that run for 10, 20 and 40 years. For simplicity sake we will compare the advantages of the most common 15 and 30-year loan.

15-year – You build equity in your house faster and have a lower rate than a 30-year loan. Your monthly payments are higher since you are paying off the loan in a quicker time period.

30-year – Lower monthly payments, over the life of the loan you pay more interest than the 15-year loan.

40 year - Even lower monthly payments with two options

• 40 Year Fully Amortized Loan (480 months)

Or

• 40 Year Interest Only (first 10 years IO followed by 30 year fixed)

Choice 4 – Rates and Points

Once you know what type of loan is best suited for you it’s time to lock in the rate for that particular loan program.

Rates – The lower the interest rate you lock in will result in lower monthly payments and total interest paid for a given set of loan terms.

Points – One way to save the maximum amount of money each month is to “buy down” your rate. Discount points may be paid to the lender to obtain a reduced rate. These discount points may be refinanced into the total loan amount, along with other closing costs.

Credit Check

A credit check is performed to verify your credit score. Your credit history will help your loan consultant process your loan application to take account of other monthly obligations you have and not exceed a payment for which will be unaffordable.

Document Request

At this time our loan professionals will request any documentation they need to complete the process. Possible documents they will ask for include rental agreements, proof of homeowners insurance, and other related documents in order to secure a loan.

Appraisal

Once the loan application is complete and you agree to the terms for which you are applying by signing the loan application, you should receive an approval within a week. Your loan consultant will then go over an appraisal order with you in order to set up a time best for you to have an appraisal scheduled.

Underwriting

Underwriting is the examination of the appraisal report, a review of all documents you have provided and an evaluation of your credit profile. It is after underwriting that your loan application may be approved for closing.

Approval

Congratulations, your home loan has been reviewed and approved! It’s now time to move on to the final step towards closing your loan.

Step 2 : Approval Process

Step 1: Application

Step 3: Closing

Lender Costs

The lender costs may include items such as discount points, processing fees and underwriting fees.

Third Party Costs

These costs include charges paid to other entities for items like title policies, recording fees, notary, and flood certifications. These are items required in order to obtain a mortgage loan. Your Loan Estimate that was provided to you earlier will list these items.

Prepaid/Escrow Costs

Each year property taxes and hazard insurance needs to be paid. You may choose to pay these items yourself or you may set up an Escrow (or Impound) Account. By doing this, your taxes and insurance are put away in an account created for you to pay these items.

You are Home Free

Once you sign you are coming down the home stretch. After all closing documents are properly executed your loan should fund, record, and your loan has closed! We are excited to help you in this process whether you are buying a home or refinancing your mortgage.

Understanding the loan process can be overwhelming and frustrating, especially if you're new to it. To help ease your journey, here are some steps on what you can expect from start to finish. Our goal is to provide clarity and make the process as smooth as possible for you.

Below we have explained some of the common choices when applying for a home loan to help guide you.

You’ve done your part by applying and now it’s time for us to do ours. Your loan consultant will gather some information from you and will process this information into your loan application and submit to lender(s) for approval. Below we’ve outlined the progression of the approval process.

We like to make the signing process an easy one! Before signing we will send you an estimated closing statement from escrow to make sure all figures are correct, below are some of the closing cost items you can expect to see.

Have questions about the loan application process or need more information?

Reach out to us today for expert guidance and support.

We're here to help!