Jennifer Toothman was our primary point of contact and she did a great job listing and marketing our house at 846 Moffett Forge Road, Herndon, VA 20170. Jennifer and AJ Garlichs were honest in their recommendations and opinions. Their market assessment and the comps presented were right on the  target of what we were thinking for pricing. Jennifer coordinated all of the aspects of closing the deal for us and communicating what we needed to do on our end to complete the sale. We were not in the area so Jennifer kept in constant contact. We highly recommend Jennifer Toothman and AJ Garlichs for anyone buying or selling a home. They know the area and in our case Jennifer also lives in our neighborhood

12087 Edgemere Circle, Reston, VA 20190

4630 Sutton Oaks Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151

 

 

For those waiting to save for large down payment that strategy may not be the best.  Mortgage rates are no longer being held artificially low by Quantitative Easy which was in effect since 2009.  That was the program where the Feds were keeping rates low by buying toxic mortgages from banks and buying Mortgage Back Securities in the tune of billions.  They program ended last October and going forward the rates are going to be much more volatile and react to market conditions more quickly.  With the unemployment numbers going down, consumer confidence going up and the DOW at 17,800 my opinion is it’s only a matter of time before the interest rates go up.  Most economist are predicting rates by end of year to be in the 4.5% to 5% range.  While that is still phenomenal (40 year average is over 9%) and real estate will continue to sell it will be a shock to payment for the first time home buyers who are the ones that are predominately the ones on the fence.  A couple of hundred per month can mean the difference between a condo purchase and a town home.

For those that are waiting on credit to improve, my suggestion is start working with an loan officer now even if the plan is to wait a year or two.  This allows them to evaluate their credit and give suggestions on how to clean it up now and put you in the best position to buy when the time comes.  It may also turn out that you can purchase now even with some credit blemishes.  We have an FHA program that can go down to a score of 600.  Time heals all wounds and the sooner you get help with credit the sooner you will be able to buy.

For those that have very little or no down payment do no let that deter you from exploring financing.  Both VA and VHDA offer 100% financing, Conventional starts at 3% down payment and the best part is this can all be GIFT.  FHA offers financing with as little as 3.5%.  Going back to point one, if you are waiting for 5-10% down payment potential rate increase while you are waiting can completely offset the advantage of putting a larger down payment.

For more information on options tailored towards your situation please feel free to reach out to Terry Schenck with Prosperity Home Mortgage.

NMLSR ID 193123
Senior Loan Officer
Prosperity Home Mortgage | 13135 Lee Jackson Mem Hwy, suite 100 | Fairfax, VA 22033
Phone (703)408-3978 | Fax (703) 293-4298

terry.schenck@phmloans.com

Getting a home loan or auto loan might be getting a little easier.

Several big banks have eased lending standards for home mortgages in recent months, according to the Federal Reserve’s most recent quarterly survey of senior loan officers.

Nearly 85 percent of banks says their credit standards on mortgages have remained unchanged for the past three months, but 14 percent have made it easier to qualify for a home loan.

Large banks were more likely than banks overall to loosen mortgage standards.

The survey, released Monday, surveyed 73 U.S. banks and 23 U.S. operations of foreign banks.

Nearly 8 percent of banks reported having eased their standards for auto loans, with 89 percent saying their standards are basically unchanged.

On the demand side, 68 percent of banks have seen little change in midsize to large companies seeking business loans. But 25 percent are seeing “moderately stronger” demand for business loans.