The Analytics on Appraisals

The Analytics on Appraisals

What is an Appraisal?

An appraisal is a document provided by an appraiser (the person who conducts the appraisal report) that provides a professional estimate of the value of your home.

Appraisals are conducted by a third-party appraiser who is completely objective in their process. Appraisers do not work in favor of the lender nor the borrower. They simply conduct the appraisal and produce their findings.

Appraisals are most often conducted two ways. The first way an appraiser can conduct an appraisal is by noting comparables. Comparables, or comps for short, are properties within the neighborhood of the home you’re buying that are similar to yours. The appraiser will use the values of the similar properties nearby to determine the value of your home. The second way is by estimating how much it would cost to replace your home should it burn down or be otherwise destroyed. The appraisal will compile all of the findings of the appraiser including:

Why Lenders Need Appraisals

Lenders do not want to dish out more than the actual market value of the subject property. An appraiser’s goal is to determine that value. With this figure, the lender knows how much the property will sell for if you default on your loan. They also know how much they can lend to you without taking a loss if you default.

For example: If the subject property is appraised at $150,000 – that’s how much it will sell for on the open market. If your lender gives you a loan of $175,000 and you default on your loan, they now have to try to sell the home at a higher amount than what its appraised for, which can be difficult. If they end up selling the home for the actual market value, they’ve just lost $25,000. It is for this reason that lenders usually give a loan amount that is at or under the appraised value.

Why Borrower’s Need Appraisals

Appraisals are usually buyer paid and can be paid for at closing or during the application process. If you’ve signed a contract to buy a new home for $200,000 and the appraisal comes back valuing the home at $150,000, you should negotiate with your lender to lower the loan amount because you’re paying more for the home than it’s actually worth.

Overall, appraisals are a measure of protection. They ensure that neither party is lending or spending too much during the purchase process of a home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When doing your research, always be sure to cite great sources! Check out the sources for this article below!

 

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/why-does-the-house-need-an-appraisal.aspx

https://www.thebalance.com/mortgage-101-series-understanding-the-appraisal-process-2395231

https://www.thebalance.com/facts-about-residential-real-estate-appraisals-1797691

https://www.thebalance.com/appraisal-process-when-buying-a-home-2395235

 

WHITNEY RUSH, VALLEY WEST MORTGAGE

 

 

Social media credit approval is on the way

Social Media plays a huge part in our day to day activities. From staying connected with friends to finding an activity on a Saturday night. With the popularity of Facebook growing every single day, it's no surprise that the Social Media giant is finding new ways to monetize their site in order to generate an annual revenue. Filing a patent is one of the ways the company has to earn additional capital. Social media credit approval

According to an article on The Next Web, On August 4th, 2015 Facebook filed a social media patent that could help filter spam emails and offensive content, improve searches and allow lenders to use your social habits to determine a credit approval. We are already use to the idea of making social media tool more adaptive to daily use, but allowing lenders to use your social media accounts to determine a social media credit approval is absolutely terrifying.

Social media credit approval

The patent filed by Facebook is fairly simple to understand. Lenders would have direct access to your friends list and they would factor in all of your friends credit scores to determine an average credit rating that could factor into your social media credit approval. There are already a huge number of determining factors that play into the credit approval process. Now Facebook wants to make their way into this process. This has the potential to deny millions of Americans the chance to purchase their dream home.

We mentioned in a previous blog post that less than 50% of the American population is saving less than 5% of their monthly income. What would a social media credit approval process do to that statistic? Probably cause that number to drop down to 2.5%.

Facebook hasn’t made it clear how this patent will be used and there are laws in place that determine the criteria lenders can use when deciding your creditworthiness. However, if this social media credit approval process is added into the loan process, it could ruin the way we use social media every day. SO we have to ask, is Facebook trying to make the world a better place, as they have claimed in the past, or are they just trying to make a quick profit for the next quarterly report?

Mortgage Rates are at their Lowest, Arguably

When talking about the "Lowest Rate Possible" a strong, two sided debate always takes place. We have heard this argument take place, many times both sides make equal and valid points to their case. Either way, Valley West Mortgage is here to tell you some of the details involved with the phrase "Lowest Rates Ever!".

Earlier this fall, the beginning of October and even the end of September, rates were on average lower then they are today. That being said, in terms of the actual interest rate that's most likely to be quoted to an ideal-scenario borrower, it was 3.875% then and after a long time stuck at 4%, the most prevalent best-execution rate is once again 3.875%.

There are a couple things to keep in mind when thinking about a 3.875% Best-Execution rate.. 3.875% Best-Execution rates mean that this the most prevalent RATE for the best of qualified scenarios, while it considers the costs involved to obtain that rate. Those costs can vary quite a bit before a move up to 4.0% or move down to 3.75% would be justified. We're only just entering the very outer limits of 3.875%'s range of closing costs (on average, some lenders are already close to 3.75, some are still at 4.0 or higher). The point I am trying to make here with this article on Lowest Mortgage Rates is that with all this hype and exposure of the term "LOWEST RATES POSSIBLE" in the market today, it is a good idea to step back and take a look around. It is very important to know all the details. You might have a better scenario then you imagine, leaving you with more options to help choose a company that can move down to 3.75%. It is not that the rates have not been here before, or that you have not been warned numerous times about subject similar to this one. The fact is that many first time home buyers have no idea what they are jumping into - (Not Factual).

Many first time home buyers read a Mortgage Blog, maybe even a book or watch a video and then make a few calls hoping to get some kind of valid information, possibly hearing some of the same terminology they just read about. Valley West Mortgage is dedicated to helping all of our potential home buyers find all of the information needed to make a smart decision with their future. See our past blog about Loan Officers Should Always Provide Valid Contact Information. Our staff at Valley West Mortgage can prove their Authenticity, as well as our companies, before talking number.

Las Vegas City Council Passes Home Upkeep Ordinance to all Lenders.

Las Vegas, Nv - The Las Vegas City Council has passed a new ordinance that requires lenders to upkeep their properties on foreclosed homes in holding, or face some pretty steep penalties.

If you are looking to buy a home in Las Vegas, Nv, you have probably driven through some neighborhoods that are pretty impressive, or an eyesore. Well not for long. Lenders are required to register all vacant homes with the city. The cost of registration, is $200.

If a home is found in violation of the newly enforced city ordinance, the lender has a window of ten (10) days to fix any and all problems with the property. After ten (10) days, misdemeanor charges could occured, then followed with penalties of fines or imprisonment for bank officials. YIKES!

Other cities have taken a close watch over this action. If it works here in Las Vegas, it could work in other cities.

Third Quarter hurts Freddie Mac.

Freddie Mac sold fewer homes in the third quarter then they have earlier in the year. Freddie Mac being one half of the Lending Powerhouse Team, sold more than 25,300 repossessed homes in the third quarter, down 13.5% from the nearly 30,000 in the previous three months. It was also a 17% decline from the record-setting 31,600 sold in the first quarter. Freddie Mac also repossessed another 24,300 homes back into the inventory. At the end of the quarter, Freddie held 60,000+ REO on its books, which has been reduced ever so slightly — as new foreclosures are completed — from 75,000 one year ago.

If this pattern continues and the GSE reduces a net of 1,000 REO from its stock shelves and inventory lists during every quarter, it would still take 60 quarters to unload the entire stock. That is just shy of 15 years for all of you keeping score, and not to mention that with a severely constricted foreclosure pipeline due to recent servicing problems and new regulations. As things begin to open up, the market will be asked to take in even more REO sales just to maintain their current trends.

"This is Due to continued delays in the foreclosure process for single-family mortgages," Freddie Reported. "We expect these delays will likely continue into 2012. However, we expect our REO inventory to remain at elevated levels."

While all of this is going on, nonperforming assets continue to mount. Totaling 6.6% of its mortgage portfolio in the third quarter of 2011. That number has risen up by 3.2% from the previous quarter. The Obama Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency began asking market participants for bright ideas on selling these properties in large quantities and have even thought of possibly renting them to help manage the still accumulating problem holding back housing and as an extension the overall economy of 2011.

FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco reiterated thursday, that there is such a strategy that will not be implemented nationwide but on a local level.

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