Kentucky Mortgage Terms to Know


Glossary of Mortgage Terms to Know For A Kentucky Mortgage Loan.

ACCRUED INTEREST: Accumulated interest since the principal investment that has
not yet been paid.
AMORTIZATION: Paying off debt, principal and interest, with a fixed repayment schedule
in regular installments over a fixed period of time.
ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE (APR): The annual rate charged for borrowing money
expressed as a percentage. APR takes into account interest, discount points, lender fees
and mortgage insurance.
APPLICATION FEE: A fee charged by a lender to cover the initial costs of processing a
loan application.
APPRAISAL: A written estimate of a property’s current market value, based on the current
condition of the property and recent sales information from similar properties in the same
area.
APPRAISAL FEE: The cost to have a licensed, certified appraiser estimate the market value
of a property as of a specific date.
BORROWER: An individual who receives a loan from a lender with the intention of repaying
the loan in full over the agreed upon time-frame.
CAP: A limit on the amount the interest rate can increase or decrease for an ARM, either in
an adjustment period or over the life of the loan.
CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY: A document given to qualified veterans entitling them to a
VA loan. Obtained by sending DD-214 (Separation Paper) to the local VA office with VA
form 1880 (request for Certificate of Eligibility).
CERTIFICATE OF REASONABLE VALUE (CRV): An appraisal issued by the VA.
CLOSING: Also called “settlement,” is when all parties in a mortgage loan transaction sign
the necessary documents to legally transfer property and funds.
CLOSING COSTS: Expenses incurred during the home purchase or refinance process that
are paid at closing, including the loan origination fee, discount points, attorney’s fees, title
insurance, appraisals, etc.
CLOSING DISCLOSURE (CD): A five-page document listing final details about the mortgage
such as loan terms, projected monthly payments and total closing costs.
COMMITMENT LETTER: A legal document issued to a loan applicant from the lender to
provide them with a mortgage under certain terms and conditions.
COMPARABLES: An abbreviation for “comparable properties;” recently sold properties
with similar characteristics and location to the subject property that help the appraiser
determine the fair market value of the subject property.
CONVENTIONAL LOAN: A loan not secured by the U.S. government, such as FHA,
VA, or USDA.
DEBT-TO-INCOME RATIO (DTI): A percentage of an individual’s debt, measured by dividing
total monthly recurring debt payments by gross monthly income.
DEED: A written legal document showing who owns a particular property. This must be
signed to transfer a property’s ownership rights to a new homeowner.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA): A government agency that manages
benefits and other services for eligible veterans of the military.
DOWN PAYMENT: The upfront money paid to purchase a home. It is deducted from the
total amount of a mortgage and represents the beginning equity.

EARNEST MONEY: A security deposit made by a buyer to a seller to demonstrate that
the buyer is serious and willing to purchase the property.
EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY ACT (ECOA): Federal law enacted in 1974 making it
unlawful for any creditor to discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin,
age, sex, marital status or receipt of income from public assistance programs.
EQUITY: The portion of a property that homeowner owns. Equity is the difference between
the home’s fair market value and the outstanding balance of the mortgage on the property.
ESCROW: A third party that holds money to ensure pay property taxes, homeowner’s
insurance or mortgage insurance is paid on time.
HAZARD INSURANCE (HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE): Protects a homeowner against
loss due to fire or other natural disasters in exchange for a premium paid to the insurer.
HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION (HOA): An organized group of owners, usually found in
condominiums or closed communities, who manage the common areas and enforce rules.
INTEREST RATE: The amount charged to borrow money from a lender, expressed as a
percentage of the principal loan.
LOAN ESTIMATE (LE): A three-page document that explains the important details
about a borrower’s loan, including the estimated interest rate, monthly payment and
total closing costs for the loan. The LE will be provided within three business days of
the lender receiving the loan application.
LOAN-TO-VALUE RATIO (LTV): The percentage of the loan amount to the appraised
value of the property.
LOCK-IN RATE: An offer by a lender to guarantee an interest rate for a set period of time.
MARKET VALUE: Also called “home value;” the amount for which a house will likely sell.
MORTGAGE INSURANCE (MI): Insurance that protects the lender if a borrower defaults
on their mortgage loan. MI is usually required if the down payment is less than 20% of
the purchase price.
ORIGINATION FEE: A fee charged by a lender to cover the administrative costs of
processing a loan.
PREPAYMENT: An advanced principal payment prior to the due date, thus saving money
on interest.
PREPAYMENT PENALTY: A fee charged to borrowers for paying ahead on their mortgage.
PRINCIPAL: Outstanding loan balance still owed to the lender, not including interest.
REALTOR: A licensed real estate professional who represents a buyer or seller in a real estate
transaction in exchange for a commission; a member of the National Association of Realtors.
REAL ESTATE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES ACT (RESPA): A federal law requiring lenders
to provide disclosures to borrowers informing them of loan settlement costs. These guidelines
provide acceptable practices and fees in real estate transactions.
SECOND MORTGAGE: An additional mortgage, or lien, placed on a property with subordinate
rights to the first mortgage.
TERM: The period of time that covers the life of the loan, usually in years.
TITLE: A document that indicates ownership of a property, as well as rights of ownership
and possession of the property.
TITLE INSURANCE: Insurance that protects the lender (lender’s policy) or the buyer
(owner’s policy) against loss due to disputes over property ownership.

Kentucky First Time Home Buyer Questions to Ask Your Lender?


 KHC's First Mortgage Government Loan Products

Kentucky First Time Home Buyer Questions to Ask Your Lender?

∘ What kind of credit score do I need to qualify for different first time home buyer loans in Kentucky?

Answer. Most lenders will wants a middle credit score of 640 for KY First Time Home Buyers looking to go no money down. The two most used no money down home loans in Kentucky being USDA Rural Housing and KHC with their down payment assistance will want a 640 middle score on their programs.

If you have access to 3.5% down payment, you can go FHA and secure a 30 year fixed rate mortgage with some lenders with a 580 credit score. Even though FHA on paper says they will go down to 500 credit score with at least 10% down payment, you will find it hard to get the loan approved because lenders will create overlays to protect their interest and maintain a good standing with FHA and HUD.

Another popular no money down loan is VA. Most VA lenders will want a 620 middle credit score but like FHA, VA on paper says they will go down to a 500 score, but good luck finding a lender for that scenario.

A lot of times if your scores are in the high 500’s or low 600’s range, we can do a rapid rescore and get your scores improved within 30 days.

 

Does it costs anything to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan?

Answer: Most lenders will not charge you a fee to get pre-approved, but some lenders may want you to pay for the credit report fee upfront. Typically costs for a tri-merge credit report for a single borrower runs about $50 or less. Maybe higher if more borrowers are included on the loan application.
∘ How long does it take to get approved for a mortgage loan in Kentucky?

Answer: Typically if you have all your income and asset documents together and submit to the lender, they typically can get you a pre-approval through the Automated Underwriting Systems within 24 hours. They will review credit, income and assets and run it through the different AUS (Automated Underwriting Systems) for the template for your loan pre-approval. Fannie Mae uses DU, or Desktop Underwriting, FHA and VA also use DU, and USDA uses a automated system called GUS. GUS stands for the Guaranteed Underwriting System.

If you get an Automated Approval, loan officers will use this for your pre-approval. If you have a bad credit history, high debt to income ratios,  or lack of down payment,  the AUS will sometimes refer the loan to a manual underwrite, which could result in a longer turn time for your loan pre-approval answer

Are there any special programs in Kentucky that help with down payment or no money down loans for KY First Time Home Buyers?

Answer: There are some programs available to KY First Time Home Buyers that offer zero down financing: KHC, USDA, VA, Fannie Mae Home Possible and HomePath, HUD $100 down and City Grants are all available to Kentucky First Time Home buyers if you qualify for them. Ask your loan officer about these programs
∘ When can I lock in my interest rate to protect it from going up when I buy my first home?

Answer: You typically can lock in your mortgage rate and protect it from going up once you have a home picked-out and under contract. You can usually lock in your mortgage rate for free for 90 days, and if you need more time, you can extend the lock in rate for a fee to the lender in case the home buying process is taking a longer time. The longer the term you lock the rate in the future, the higher the costs because the lender is taking a risk on rates in the future.

Interest rates are kinda like gas prices, they change daily, and the general trend is that they have been going up since the Presidential election in November 2016.
∘ How much money do I need to pay to close the loan?

Answer: Depending on which loan program you choose, the outlay to close the loan can vary. Typically you will need to budget for the following to buy a home: Good faith deposit, usually less than $500 which holds the home for you while you close the loan. You get this back at closing; Appraisal fee is required to be paid to lender before closing. Typical costs run around $400-$450 for an appraisal fee; home inspection fees. Even though the lender’s programs don’t require a home inspection, a lot of buyers do get one done. The costs for a home inspection runs around $300-$400. Lastly, termite report. They are very cheap, usually $50 or less, and VA requires one on their loan programs. FHA, KHC, USDAS, Fannie Mae does not require a termite report, but most borrowers get one done.

There are also lender costs for title insurance, title exam, closing fee, and underwriting fees that will be incurred at closing too. You can negotiated the seller to pay for these fees in the contract, or sometimes the lender can pay for this with a lender credit.

The lender has to issue a breakdown of the fees you will incur on your loan pre-approval.
How long is my pre-approval good for on a Kentucky Mortgage Loan?

Answer: Most lenders will honor your loan pre-approval for 60 days. After that, they will have to re-run your credit report and ask for updated pay stubs, bank statements, to make sure your credit quality and income and assets has not changed from the initial loan pre-approval.

 

How much money do I have to make to qualify for a mortgage loan in Kentucky?

Answer: The general rule for most FHA, VA, KHC, USDA and Fannie MAe loans is that we run your loan application through the Automated Underwriting systems, and it will tell us your max loan qualifying ratios.

There are two ratios that matter when you qualify for a mortgage loan. The front-end ratio, is the new house payment divided by your gross monthly income.  The back-end ratio, is the new house payment added to your current monthly bills on the credit report, to include child support obligations and 401k loans.

Car insurance, cell phone bills, utilities bills does not factor into your qualifying rations.

If the loan gets a refer on the initial desktop underwriting findings, then most programs will default to a front end ratio of 31% and a back-end ratio of 43% for most government agency loans that get a refer. You then take the lowest payment to qualify based on the front-end and back-end ratio.

So for example, let’s say you make $3000 a month and you have $400 in monthly bills you pay on the credit report. What would be your maximum qualifying house payment for a new loan?

Take the $3000 x .43%= $1290 maximum back-end ratio house payment. So take the $1290-$400= $890 max house payment you qualify for on the back-end ratio.

Then take the $3000 x .31%=$930 maximum qualifying house payment on front-end ratio.

So now your know! The max house payment you would qualify would be the $890, because it is the lowest payment of the two ratios.

 

 

 

 

Joel Lobb
Senior  Loan Officer
(NMLS#57916)
text or call my phone: (502) 905-3708
email me at kentuckyloan@gmail.com
The view and opinions stated on this website belong solely to the authors, and are intended for informational purposes only. The posted information does not guarantee approval, nor does it comprise full underwriting guidelines. This does not represent being part of a government agency. The views expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the view of my employer. Not all products or services mentioned on this site may fit all people. NMLS ID# 57916, (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Mortgage loans only offered in Kentucky.
All loans and lines are subject to credit approval, verification, and collateral evaluation and are originated by lender. Products and interest rates are subject to change without notice. Manufactured and mobile homes are not eligible as collateral.

 

Kentucky Fannie Mae Mortgage Guideline Changes for 2015


Fannie Mae Kentucky Conforming Guideline Changes

updates

The following guideline changes are effective immediately for all Kentucky Fannie MaeF Conventional loans; however DU will not be updated to reflect these changes until August 15th 2015

Conversion of Currently Primary Residence

Requirements for conversion of a borrower’s current primary residence to secondary or investment have been removed. The converted residence will be treated like a normal second home or investment part with regards to Reserve requirements and use of Rental Income.

This removes all requirements related to the requirement of 30% equity in the converted property.

Stocks, Bonds, & Mutual Funds

  • 100% of the value can now be used. No reduction in value is required.
  • Documentation that the funds have been liquidated is no longer required when the value of the asset is at least 20% greater than the required borrower funds for down payment and closing costs.

Unreimbursed Employee Expenses

If a borrower qualifies using commission income which accounts for less than 25% of borrower’s annual income, base pay, bonus income, or overtime income:

  • Unreimbursed expenses do not have to be analyzed, deducted from qualifying income, or added to monthly liabilities
  • Voluntary deductions (e.g. union dues) do not have to be deducted from income or treated as a liability

If a borrower qualifies using commission income which accounts for 25% or more of their annual income, general unreimbursed business expenses must be deducted from the gross commission income.

If the borrower reports an automobile allowance as part of monthly income, the related expense must always be considered. The underwriter will determine whether automobile expenses will be deducted from income or included in the debt calculation.

Tip Income

In cases where a borrower reports additional “Unreported Tip Income” to the IRS beyond what is reported by their employer, this higher amount of tip income can be used as long as it can be verified with the last 2 years tax returns and filed Forms 4137 (Social Security and Medicare Tax on Unreported Tip Income).