Phoenix Bank Owned, Fannie Mae properties roll out HomePath Buyer Incentives

June 25, 2011 By

Fannie Mae Rolls Out HomePath Buyer Incentives

Fantastic HomePath buyer incentives for eligible Fannie Mae home buyers has just rolled out for the summer.  The quick summary: if all conditions are met, owner occupant buyers can receive closing cost assistance of up to 3.5% of the final sales price from Fannie Mae with the latest HomePath buyer incentives.

HomePath Buyer Incentives Help HomePath Property Buyers Pay for Closing Costs

The HomePath buyer incentives will provide HomePath property buyers the ability to spend some of that hard-earned cash on decorating, fixing their place up or just bank it for future needs instead of on their closing costs.  You can search for Fannie Mae homes at www.HomePath.com or you can search the MLS here for available HomePath properties.  I’ve included a recent article from RIS Media about the HomePath buyer incentives below…

HomePath Buyer Incentives

Fannie Mae Expands HomePath Buyer Incentives

RISMEDIA, Thursday, June 16, 2011 Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTC) announced the expansion of incentives to encourage sales of HomePath REO properties to owner occupants. Now through October 31, qualified buyers and selling agents can receive financial incentives on sales of HomePath properties, which can be found at www.homepath.com. The incentives are part of Fannie Mae’s commitment to neighborhood stabilization, and are available on sales to buyers who will reside in the home as their primary residence.

Supporting homeownership and stabilizing neighborhoods are critical to helping the housing market recover, saya Ed Neill, Senior Vice President for Credit Loss Management at Fannie Mae. Our previous incentives have been effective in securing owner occupants for these properties. By encouraging homebuyers who will make these properties their long-term home, these expanded incentives will help to stabilize communities.

The expanded incentives offer qualified homebuyers up to 3.5 percent of the final sales price to put towards closing costs. The incentive must be requested in the initial offer. Eligible initial offers must be submitted after June 14, 2011 and must close by October 31, 2011. Investor sales are not eligible for the incentive.

HomePath properties offer buyers a wide selection of options, including single-family homes, condominiums, and town houses. HomePath properties may also be eligible for HomePath Mortgage and HomePath Renovation Mortgage financing, which offers homebuyers an opportunity to purchase with as little as 3 percent down.

In addition to the HomePath buyer incentives, a $1,200 bonus is available for selling agents in eligible transactions.  The HomePath buyer incentives bonus is available if the initial offer is submitted on or after June 14, 2011 and the sale is closed by Oct. 31, 2011.

The stars are in alignment – HomePath buyer incentives are available  AND rates and prices are down – a perfect opportunity to pick up an outstanding value and the perfect home.  So get out there and find yourself a great HomePath property.

Homepath Buyer Incentives Terms and Conditions

  • Buyers and/or selling agents (the agent representing the buyer) must request the HomePath buyer incentive upon submission of initial offer.
  • Initial HomePath Buyer Incentive offer must be submitted on or after June 14, 2011 and close by October 31, 2011. Initial offers made prior to June 14 are not eligible for the June 14 – October 31 incentive.
  • Sale must close on or before October 31, 2011. No exceptions will be made to this deadline. (Note: Initial offers submitted after September 15, 2011 may not close by the incentive deadline of October 31, 2011.)
  • Buyers must be purchasing a HomePath property to use as their primary residence to receive closing cost assistance. Second homes and investment properties are excluded from the incentive.
  • Sales closed via the retail channel are eligible, including those utilizing public funds. Pool and auction sales are ineligible.
  • Buyers must sign the Owner Occupant Certification Rider to the Real Estate Purchase Addendum.
  • Buyers with total closing costs under 3.5% are not eligible to receive the difference as a credit.
  • Properties where Fannie Mae acquired the property in connection with financing under a reverse mortgage are not eligible. Ask the listing agent for details.
  • Buyers should consult their lenders for guidance on financing. Lenders and mortgage products may impose their own limitations on the use of the 3.5% incentive. For example, the lender may consider the incentive a Seller Contribution and limit the amount to 3.0%. In those instances, the remaining 0.5% will no longer be available to the buyer.
  • Fannie Mae reserves the right to remove any property from promotion or end the promotion at any time. Any dispute over the payment of the incentive shall be resolved by Fannie Mae in its sole discretion.

NOTE: this incentive will be identified on the purchase contract, and must close by October 31, 2011 to receive the incentive from Fannie Mae.

If you’re in the market for a great home, I’d encourage you to utilize one of our HomeStyle Team buyer agents who are well versed in the HomePath Buyer incentives and specialize in HomePath properties.

Filed Under: Chandler Homes, Credit, First Time Home Buyers, Gilbert Homes, Mesa homes for sale, Mesa real estate, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature, Search Arizona Foreclosures, Tempe Homes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Closing

February 3, 2011 By

Your almost ready to move into your Phoenix Home

Phoenix home closing
When do I get the keys?  A question that is commonly asked by anxious home buyers anticipating getting settled into their sometimes long awaited Phoenix home. The answer=As soon as it records.  In most cases Buyers can not take occupancy of their Phoenix home until the transaction closes and records. This is especially the case if you are buying a Phoenix foreclosure home.  However, this is a negotiable term and in some instances you may be able to occupy the property earlier than closing.

Review of the Phoenix home transaction from contract to close

Your Realtor should inform you on each phase and what to expect as you move along.   The key milestones leading up to this point from the time your Phoenix home contract was accepted (assuming you are financing your purchase with a loan) are outlined below;

  • Escrow
  • Loan application
  • Due diligence
  • Appraisal
  • Underwriting
  • Loan docs
  • Final walk-thru
  • Signing
  • Funding and recording
  • Occupancy/Keys :)

Prepare so your Phoenix home transaction is a smooth one!

With a positive attitude, a little education on the Phoenix real estate market and an experienced Realtor by your side, your Phoenix home transaction should go off without a hitch!  Upon this conclusion to our  11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series (and for a shameless plug :)) we would like to remind you to contact our team of experienced Buyers Agents today to get started with your Phoenix home search.

Our Phoenix home listings below are updated in real time so please take a moment to browse recent Phoenix foreclosures below:

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Filed Under: Buyer Programs, First Time Home Buyers, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Home Search

January 21, 2011 By

The Phoenix home buying search process is an exciting experience!

Phoenix home search
It’s a very exciting time to be shopping for your first home of even your second or third if that is the case. The main thing to remember is there is a method behind the madness so to speak and a systematic approach to the home buying process is the best way to stay focused, save time and reduce stress. If you have read the previous posts to this 11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series that are listed at the top of this page you already know that addressing credit issues, selecting a mortgage specialist, getting pre-qualified and selecting a Realtor preceding the home search phase of the Phoenix home buying process.

Be realistic with your Phoenix home buying wish list

It is important to determine from the start how much Phoenix home you can afford and where you can afford it. Since you already analyzed your monthly budget you know what a comfortable mortgage payment would be and when you are pre-qualified, depending on the fluctuation of rates, you should know approx. how much you can spend on a Phoenix home and stay within your monthly budget. This is the top of your price range. Locations and neighborhoods are going to have different price ranges to buy into a specific area.

Also, certain amenities you may desire such as a basement, no HOA, upgraded lot sizes, horse privileges, golf course communities, proximity to schools or work, etc will help determine which areas of the Valley you can consider and still stay within your price range.  If your desired amenities do not meet your acceptable price range you will have to modify your wish list accordingly. Your Realtor should be able to tell you exactly what areas of the Valley fall within your budget and meet your other Phoenix home wish list requirements and also which amenities you may have to compromise in order to be within a certain area. Once you find the right balance you can narrow your search to specific neighborhoods, communities and/or geographical boundaries.

Foreclosures are great first time Phoenix home buying options and offer a great value

The current real estate market is distressed and as a result there are foreclosure homes throughout the entire Phoenix-Metro area and neighboring Valley cities. Many times these home are move-in ready (despite what some new home builder advertisements like to depict), and foreclosure homes also may qualify for free home warranties, closing cost incentives and down payment assistance programs.  Overall a Phoenix home purchase that is a foreclosure (bank owned) property overs first-time home buyers and second home buyers or investors a great value.

Click here to search foreclosures in all Phoenix-Metro Valley cities to find your Phoenix home.

Filed Under: First Time Home Buyers, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Financing

January 14, 2011 By

Secure a Phoenix home loan before you start your home search

Phoenix home loan
If you have been following the future posts in this 11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series we touched briefly on how to establish or clean up your credit if needed. Now for the purposes of this series moving forward we will assume you have a least a 620 credit score, a steady documented income for the previous 12 months and your DTI is 41% or less as indicated in our previous post regarding debt-to-income ratios…the next step is to get pre-qualified with a Phoenix home loan.

Ask for referrals to qualified Phoenix home loan specialists

Word of mouth is the best way to find a great loan specialist for your Phoenix home loan and your Realtor is a great place to start. Your Realtor should have excellent referrals for you as they tend to use the same preferred lenders over and over again that make them look good and give their clients the best service available. Just like any business if you do a good job, word gets out about your services and others refer you business. I do not recommend just haphazardly going online and completing online questionnaires or applications. 9 times out of 10 your information is sold and you can get bombarded with loan professionals. Find a few that come highly recommended by asking your family, friends, neighbors and Realtor and start there.  A lender should be able to take a phone application and/or secure online application and have answers for you the same day. Unless of course you go to a brick and mortar bank where a pre-qualification can take up to five business days.

Understand the terms and fees associated with your Phoenix home loan

After you complete the application process via online, over the phone or in person you will be provided with a pre-qualification letter that will state the amount of financing you qualify for. In Arizona specifically your Phoenix home loan qualification letter may be issued on as an LSR or Loan Status Report. An LSR will be required to write any offer and typically required prior to view homes. If this is your first time buying a home and applying for a Phoenix home loan you will have several questions. Your lender should be able to tell you your rate (which can still change until you lock it), your estimated mortgage payment including taxes and insurance, your estimated closing costs to bring to the closing table (which you can negotiate the Sellers contribute to), and your required down payment for your particular Phoenix home loan program. First time home buyers will typically use an FHA loan with 3.5% of the purchase price required as a down payment.

Example: 100,000 purchase price x 3.5% = $3500 down payment

There are also Phoenix home loan programs such as a USDA loan which allows first time home buyers to purchase at $0 down provided the property is located in a qualifying area. Phoenix-Metro areas that qualify mainly are Queen Creek, San Tan Valley as well as parts of Apache Junction.

The next step once you receive your Phoenix home loan qualification letter is to select a Realtor to represent you if you have not already done so which we will discuss in the next post in this 11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series.

Filed Under: Financing, First Time Home Buyers, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Steps to Buying a Phoenix Home Series-Budget and DTI

January 11, 2011 By

The Phoenix home buying planning process means time to budget

Phoenix home buying seriesIt is time to finally track your spending and put pen to paper an itemized list of where you spend money each month and how much. The goal here is to see how much Phoenix home you can afford within your budget.  The good thing is right now in Phoenix-Metro area you can own for less per month that what you can rent in many areas so your living expenses might actually go down once you buy!

Accurate figures are important to the Phoenix home buying planning process

Start with making a list of all your expenses such as utilities and living expenses such as electricity and groceries, then all monthly expenses such as credit card bills, car insurance and yes add your entertainment, clothes, etc. as well. If you spend $40/week on movies and you want to continue to spend $40/week on movies than include it, otherwise remove or lower it to something you feel is reasonable and then follow that. You may be surprised to find out how much money you spend on certain things that with a few minor changes here and there you can drastically reduce your overall monthly expenditures. After you total everything and subtract it from your income you will have a figure. From that figure take a certain percentage off the top to add to your savings accounts and/or retirement plan, etc and the final figure leftover (assuming you already accounted for miscellaneous disposable income in your list) is what you can afford as a mortgage payment with/without any lifestyle changes while growing your savings.

Lenders consider Debt-to-income (DTI) ratios during the Phoenix home buying pre-qualification process

The above budget is mainly for your purposes so you can determine during the Phoenix home buying process your comfort level with the money in and money out every month and also help identify spending habits that can be modified to help strengthen your overall financials. Lenders will take your debt such as current mortgage/rent, credit cards, car payments and compare it to your income (aka DTI or debt-to-income ratio). The qualifying ratio will vary by loan program and FICO score but for our example we will use FHA which is 41%.

Lets consider a quick scenario in determining DTI for a Phoenix home buying loan applicant;

Your Monthly payment on mortgage/rent = 1200
Minimum Monthly Credit Card Payments = 300
Monthly Car Loan Payments = 450
Other Loan payment = 300

Thus, your total monthly debt payment = $2250

Now, let’s consider your Gross Annual Salary = $75000
So, gross monthly salary = $6250
Other monthly income = $1000
Thus, your gross monthly income = $7250

So, mortgage debt to income ratio = (monthly debt payment)/(gross monthly income)
= ($2250/$7250)  = .310 or 31% which is well within the standard DTI ratio.

Hopefully now you have a good idea of how much you can comfortable afford every month, what changes to you budget need to be made if any and if your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is in-line with qualifying. If not you may have to pay off some debt to get your ratio where it needs to be as part of the Phoenix home buying process.

Filed Under: Buyer Programs, Credit, Financing, HomeBuyer Info, Phoenix Bank Owned, Phoenix Foreclosure Homes, Phoenix Foreclosures, Phoenix Housing Market, Primary Feature Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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