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As many as three million borrowers with government-insured mortgages may be eligible for lower borrowing costs when they participate in streamlined Federal Housing Administration (FHA) refinancing, according to the White House Administration on Tuesday, March 6.

The fresh round of changes from the administration affects loans the Federal Housing Administration insures and would reduce fees on those mortgages for borrowers previously unable to borrow at lower rates.

Those using the so-called “streamline” refinance program allows FHA borrowers to win new FHA-backed loans without going through some of the more stringent guidelines that make locking into new loan terms more challenging.

The Obama administration said it will lower the costs on up-front mortgage insurance premiums to 0.01 percent for streamlined refinancings of FHA loans. The White House also said it will cut the annual fee for these refinancings in half to 0.55 percent.

Eligible borrowers for the streamline refinance program must have taken out those FHA loans before June 1, 2009.

The changes to the government’s streamlined refinancing program could help the typical FHA borrower find “significant monthly savings,” according to the administration.

Since mortgage rates are at historic lows and hover around 4 percent, the administration estimates a typical FHA borrower with $175,000 outstanding on their loan could reduce monthly payments to $915 a month and save $100 a month more than the borrower would have under current FHA fees.

Questions About Home Buying? Consider These Tips!

by Tucson Mortgages on October 22, 2011

So, you have been thinking about buying a home for a while. However, the thought of the whole process seems very daunting. How do you know what to do and what not to do? The key is to do a lot of research and get advice. You can start here by learning some of these tips on home buying.

Buying a home is like forced savings. There are some people who have a hard time saving money. A house can work as an automatic savings plan. When you make your monthly payment, a portion is applied towards your principal. Also, a house will appreciate every year by around five percent. Many say buying a house is one of the best financial investments.

When buying a property one should look for one that has a stream or river bordering or going through an area of the property. It can increase the value of ones property by having an attractive section of water especially if it connects to a larger body of water.

Lots of apartment complexes offer garages with your rental. Read your leasing agreement to determine what you can or can not use it for. Most garages are to store your cars and not to use it as your personal storage. Most complexes allow you to have a few boxes in your garage but leaving your car in the outside parking lot because your garage is full of boxes is unacceptable.

Carefully consider a buying strategy before making an offer on a property. If the house is on the market at a great price there may be many potential buyers putting in offers. This may mean that you only have one chance to make an offer that the seller will accept.

If you trust the realtor you have chosen for your real estate purchase, it can be in your interest to ask about service providers for other aspects of the purchase. Realtors work with mortgage lenders and others on a regular basis and can recommend those that they have a professional relationship with. By doing so, much of the guesswork can be taken out of the process.

Make sure you recoup your investment costs. If you are planning on buying a home, make sure you find somewhere that you intend to live for at least 3 to 5 years. This way you will build up equity in the home and recoup any initial investment costs. Also, be sure to stay within your budget.

If you are interested in buying a home, you should hold off on making any major purchases around that time. Buying large items may bring down your credit score a bit, which would mean that you may not get the best rate when you are looking to apply for a mortgage.

Before buying a home make sure your finances are ready. Being able to put up a down payment and monthly mortgage payments can be a huge shock to the budget. Take your time and save up your funds before trying to jump into the market. If you do not have a steady source of income, then consider waiting for a while.

Make sure you shop around when getting financing you buy a home. You don’t want to jump on the first offer when there may be a better one right around the corner. Also make sure you have all the terms of the loan in writing. Some lenders will try to sneak in hidden fees.

These tips are just some of the things that you should keep in mind as you get ready to buy your home. However, you should not stop here. Continue to learn and apply what you have learned, like the suggestions here. Buying a home is a major investment. So take your time, make your decisions carefully, and before long, you will be in your new home.

Change The Way Your Home Looks With This Sound Advice

October 19, 2011

There are all sorts of reasons to start a home improvement project. Projects come in all sizes and skill levels, too, from basic hour-long replacement jobs to big additions that take months. Whatever the scale of the project, if you plan and execute it intelligently, it will cost less – and maybe even be fun! [...]

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Start Repairing Your Credit Score With This Advice

October 17, 2011

People do some drastic things to get out of debt. They’ll transfer multiple debts to one card. They’ll borrow even more money to pay down the debt. There are many impractical things people try to do when they have bad credit, almost all of which only worsen the problem. If you fit this bill, read [...]

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VA Loans – Great Program – Some Disadvantages

April 13, 2011

Describes some disadvantages of the VA loan to help eligible VA loan applicants make better financing decisions when it comes to selecting a mortgage program to buy a home or to refinance their mortgage.

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FHA 203k Loans in Arizona: Popular For Rehab Projects

March 18, 2011

If you are shopping for Arizona homes anywhere in Tucson, Phoenix or Flagstaff – chances are that you have seen plenty of short sales and bank owned properties. Chances are also good that you have discovered that many of these properties are in need of at least “a few” repairs. And if you find a [...]

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Get Pre Qualified: It’s Important

February 22, 2011

Yes, shopping for a house can be fun.  And yes, pretty much everyone agrees that when it comes to buying a house, the least fun part of the process is dealing with a mortgage. But before you go out shopping for Tucson real estate, you might want to think twice if you haven’t gotten pre-qualified [...]

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Using Your Good Faith Estimate to Shop For A Mortgage

January 21, 2011

Use your good faith estimate to help you shop for a mortgage to compare offers and learn what fees can change and what fees cannot change from the time you apply for your mortgage until the time you get your mortgage.

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5 Ways To Buy A House

January 18, 2011

Off hand I can think of 5 ways to buy a house. Below you’ll find a brief description of the different ways to buy or acquire a home and remove your personal belongings from self storage. Hard Money – If you have poor credit, or if you want to use someone else’s money without having [...]

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Tucson FHA 203k Loans: Getting Popular

December 26, 2010

FHA 203k streamline loans in Tucson Arizona are popular with people who want to buy a home and fix it up. The FHA 203k loan program is getting popular in Tucson.

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