FHA Rates — and Especially Fees(!) — Soar Higher Prospective borrowers obviously care about the face rate on their mortgage, but what they should really care about is what’s called the “A.P.R.,” or Annual Percentage Rate. It’s the latter number that captures the various fees that the lender is charging, and reflects the true cost...Read More
Getting a Mortgage? Focus on the A.P.R., Not the Interest Rate One of the least remarked — but most important — numbers in residential real estate is the difference between a loan’s “face” interest rate, and what’s called the “A.P.R.,” or annual percentage rate. The latter captures the interest rate plus all the costs and...Read More
Ways to Finance a Home Purchase One of the more obscure fields on MLS lists the various kinds of financing the Seller will accept, or may be available to buy the home. So, it’s typical to see “Conventional” (federally guaranteed mortgages under $417k), “FHA,” “DVA” (Department of Veteran Affairs), and “Jumbo” (loans over $417k) —...Read More
“Your Mileage Points May Vary” Once upon a time, it was (fairly) safe to tell Buyers that the maximum contribution that a Seller could make toward the Buyer’s closing costs was 3%. No more. Here’s the current, updated “cheat sheet,” courtesy of Edina Mortgage’s Keith O’Brien: FHA is 6% regardless of down payment. Conventional is...Read More
New Acronyms & Conformist Fruit My favorite place to get a sub sandwich in college was TOGO’s — short for “To Go.” Somehow, “BOGO” — “Buy one, get one free” — just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Nevertheless, that’s the new term plastered all over the Byerly’s weekly coupon circular. Time will tell...Read More
