How does refinancing save homeowners money?

Question: How does refinancing save homeowners money?

There are two categories of refinancing, “rate-and-term” and “cash-out.” Both can save you money.

The first type, rate-and-term, replaces your existing loan with one that has a better rate and/or terms. You might replace an ARM or balloon loan with a fixed-rate loan, for example. Or you may decide to lower your rate AND shorten your term. Some borrowers have been able to refinance from a 30-year loan into a 15 or 20-year loan, reducing the term, without appreciably raising their payments.

A borrower does not receive any significant amount of cash in a rate-and-term refinance; lenders generally consider that any cash proceeds above $2,000 pushes the loan into a cash-out category.

There are always certain costs involved in any mortgage transaction; there will always be fees for title, escrow, underwriting and document preparation, for example. Borrowers can add these fees to their new loan so as to avoid having to pay them in cash. Financing these items is not considered cash-out.

When you are deciding whether to do a rate-and-term refinance, you should evaluate it in two primary ways: first, how long will it take to recover the cost of doing the loan? For example, if the closing costs amount to $3,000 and the reduction in rate gives a saving of $1,500 per year in the first year, it will take approximately two years to “break even.” For most people, this time frame is more than satisfactory, but you should make your own decision. The second criterion is net savings over some time period, say five years, ten years or more.

Homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) may decide to refinance into a fixed rate loan, even though their rate may initially be higher, they might feel more secure knowing that their rate will never change. This is more of a defensive strategy to guard against the possibility of a higher rate in the future, but it may not “save money.”

The other type of refinance, a “cash-out,” is one where the borrower receives cash of more than $2,000 at closing. This is accomplished by getting a new loan that is larger than the balance of the old one plus closing costs. Borrowers can use that money for anything. Some homeowners have used cash-out refinances to pay off consumer debt, like car loans, student loans, and credit cards. Using home equity to pay off credit cards can drop the payment dramatically! But paying down installment loans can create a false economy. A $30,000 car loan with an interest rate of 6% will have a payment of $500, but paying off that loan with the proceeds of a home refinance will effectively drop the payment to $150—but does it really make sense to finance a car for 30 years?

Hope this is useful

Bill Nickerson

Bill Nickerson NMLS #4194  | bill@billnickerson.com | 978-273-3227

Does it make sense to waive a Home Inspection to strengthen an offer?

Okay. It may sound bureaucratic and boring. But there are a number of precautionary contractual conditions for any purchase agreement recommended by the Realtor community that protects homebuyers from liability as well as poor decision-making. And no matter how competitive the bidding for a home, they’ll advise you to include them. One of them is a home inspection.

Even though your Realtor will urge you NOT to waive that contingency and even make you sign a form disclosing they made that recommendation, however, many buyers will still plow ahead and waive the inspection in an effort to make their offers the strongest of the bunch. We do understand: if you’re buying a home in a competitive market, and your offers keep getting pushed to the bottom of the pile, it’s hard not to resort to desperate measures — offering more than the asking price, pledging to close on the home in lightning quick speed, or even waiving the financing contingency and risking your entire earnest money deposit.

But waiving a physical inspection of a house is never a good idea unless the house is close to brand spanking new, which, of course, ups the odds that nothing costly or bothersome might be revealed during the inspection. The problem is, even in newer homes, what you see is not necessarily what you get. It’s what’s beyond the surface, or items that you can’t identify as problematic, that cause the biggest issues, as anyone who watched rehab/remodel programs on HGTV will tell you.

The typical buyer would have a tough time spotting asbestos, knob and tube wiring, lead paint, evidence of termite infestation, a leak inside the HVAC system, how the house is being propped up on jacks, or be aware of how a single toilet flush could change your morning shower from warm and toasty to arctic and shocking. Imagine moving in and trying to turn on the heat, nothing happens, and the fix is $10,000. Picture standing there buck naked in your bathroom, and the power goes off all over the house when you turn on your hairdryer. Traipsing down a flight of stairs to that electrical panel outside the back door semi-dripping wet in 25-degree weather is not something we would wish on our worst family members.

We realize bidding wars can cause buyers to spend an inordinate amount of time finding the right home, making them crazy-desperate, asking themselves “how bad can it be?” when considering waiving the home inspection. But when do you ever hear any GOOD stories about people who took that leap? And waiving an inspection can cost you a fortune. But there are a few things you can do to hedge your inspection bets while remaining competitive.

If you love the home and the buyer will permit it, inspect it before you make an offer or sign a contract. At best, it passes muster and when you offer you can waive the contingency. At worst, you’ve spent a few hundred dollars on a house you don’t end up buying.

If the seller already had their own inspection performed (which is a wise thing to do in order to make a home as marketable as possible), you have the luxury of scrutinizing that report without spending a dime. Even then, however, many buyers will get an inspection of their own because, like an attorney representing a client, the inspector is liable only to the person who paid for and ordered the inspection. And if that person missed something in their report, you would not have any recourse.

Because Realtors understand that time is vital for good outcomes, they will encourage you to get your offer in quickly and advise you to pre-schedule an inspection even before the ink is dry on your offer. Seasoned agents have relationships with inspectors at the ready to ring the seller’s doorbell within a day or two of acceptance. And writing in a short inspection contingency timeframe into your offer assures the seller that momentum is alive and well.

Bidding wars are rife with emotion as well as fear-of-loss, but it’s wise to keep the bigger picture in mind when purchasing what may well be your life’s biggest asset. Your goal is to wake up in that house morning after morning knowing you did all you could to ensure a mostly problem-free investment in yours and your family’s future. Because money pits are no fun.

Source: Zillow/TBWS

Bill Nickerson NMLS #4194 | Email | 978-273-3227

Knowing the difference between a buyer’s and seller’s market is a good idea

There is one verse missing from the famous and well-worn song Turn, Turn, Turn written by the Byrds back in 1962. The one that should be added is “there is a time to buy, a time to sell…” Realtor’s Terri Williams likens it to a card game (which was also a song) about knowing “when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.”

Buyers’ markets and sellers’ markets are simply part of the economy journey, reflecting not just what is happening on a national level, but also what happens depending on supply and demand. They might also reflect tax laws and consumer confidence. It’s a mixed bag. When it’s someone’s “market,” that means the market favors them. So a buyer’s market means it’s a great time to consider buying. A buyers’ market usually means a period of six months or longer where prices steadily soften. Inventory usually rises, and interest rates drop to fuel the market. The bigger the inventory, the more negotiating there will be, including asking for perks such as help with closing costs, a credit in escrow for a new paint job, etc. It may also mean a quick closing if you need the place right away.

So how does this affect sellers? It’s not a happy time for them. It takes longer for homes to sell and hoping to get the price the seller thinks their house is worth is often a pipe dream. They can stack the odds for it, however by making sure their home is move-in ready and shows well both in person as well as in photos.

 

For some time now, it has been the reverse of this. With little inventory, sellers have been reaping the rewards of the market with multiple offers and naming their terms. That is, however, now changing according to a recent CNBC article, which says that consumer sentiment in housing improved in August and that they believe mortgage rates will keep dropping. Say one Dallas-based real estate agent: “It’s not a seller’s market right now. Now is not the time for sellers to put out these crazy prices. Appraisals have gotten a lot harder, and buyers are a little more cautious. They’re more willing to take their time.” The article goes on to say that while mortgage rates are low, buyers are becoming more cautious. With competition cooling, sellers can no longer command any

price.

“Unfortunately, much of the lower interest rate environment can be attributed to global economic uncertainties, which appear to have dampened consumer sentiment regarding the direction of the economy,” said Doug Duncan, chief economist at Fannie Mae in the article. “We do expect housing market activity to remain relatively stable, and the favorable rate environment should continue supporting increased refinance activity.” CNBC writer Diana Olick agrees that home prices are still higher than they were a year ago, but the gains have been moderating.

Source: Realtor, CNBC, TBWS

Bill Nickerson NMLS #4194

As-Is; What does it really mean in a Real Estate transaction?

When Billy Joel wrote the song Just the Way You Are, it wasn’t about buying a house. It would be too unromantic to say, “I’ll take you as is.” But that’s what many sellers are stipulating when they list their homes.

Those few words can have a significant impact on your transaction if you are the buyer. In a typical sale, after the buyers do all their inspections, they’re allowed to negotiate the recommended repairs with the sellers. It’s a “push-me-pull-you” kind of thing. The sellers will agree to have some portion of the work completed by a qualified professional or, alternatively, they will agree to give the buyers a credit towards the cost of the work.

That all changes when you buy a home in “as-is” condition. In real estate terms, a home that’s being sold as-is essentially means that you’re willing to accept responsibility for any work that needs to be done to the home.

This does not mean you have to skip inspections, however. You still have the option to do inspections for your own benefit, but the information you glean will be informational rather for negotiating purposes. That being said, it’s wise to do the inspections to understand what you’re in for — a new roof? HVAC system needs to be replaced? If you find that the house needs more work than you can handle, you’ll have the option to back out of the deal.

By now you may wonder why to consider an as-is purchase at all. The one big benefit is that you can usually get it for a better price. Forbes’ Tara Mastroeni writes, “Since the sellers are unwilling to negotiate on repairs, they’ll often price the home lower than would be expected in order to make their property seem more attractive to potential buyers.” She goes on to say that the other benefit is that you’ll have more control over any repairs done to the home once you’re the homeowner. “In a typical sale, the sellers get to choose who does the repairs that they’ve agreed to make. In this situation, you’d be able to hire professionals that you trust.”

As for reasons NOT to buy an as-is condition home? Risk. Even if you do your inspections, that home that took your breath away at first sight might end up costing more than expected and, in this case, you’d be the one responsible for footing the bill.

If you are on the selling end of the equation, you’ll need to educate yourself before listing a home as-is. Many homeowners assume that selling as-is relieves them from all the general obligations that come with the sale of a home, including unloading the property for whatever price they can get while avoiding the need to talk about or disclose any issues with the home. This is where they’d be wrong. Disclosure still rules, but the terms of disclosure rules can vary from state to state.

Listing agents can often become the fall-guy in as-is transactions, as they are held to a higher standard when it comes to disclosing a home’s defects. This is due to the Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 93A). MaxRealEstate’s Bill Gasset says this means, “Realtors have an obligation to disclose any fact that could influence the buyer not to enter into a real estate transaction. For example, if a real estate agent knows that the seller’s basement floods every spring, this is something a Realtor has to disclose.” As for what might stand up in court if a buyer backs down, it can become a he-said-she-said conundrum.

Gasset lists examples of issues a real estate agent must disclose to a prospective home buyer, such as evidence of a structural defect like a major crack in the foundation, the appearance of mold in the home, termite damage, roof leaks, high radon levels, known plumbing or electrical issues, obnoxious noise levels and especially any legal issues such as a cloud on the title.

As for the issues a home has that are not evident or lie beneath walls and floorboards, real estate agents do have a duty disclose if they discover some problem on their own or the owner lets them know. No secrets allowed. Gasset says most real estate companies ask sellers they are representing to fill out a document called a “Sellers Statement of Property Condition” — a report that outlines what an owner knows and doesn’t know about their home.

So after all this information about as-is listings, why would sellers opt NOT to do this? Simple. There is a negative connotation with buying a home as-is. “Buyers will low-ball you,” says Gasset. “Under the assumption that your home has serious defects, the buyer will bargain with you like you are desperate. You can expect offers that are probably less than what you want, or what your home is worth.”

You’ll also have to work harder at justifying your sales price. “Because buyers will be coming into the transaction with so much negative baggage, it will be difficult to break through the assumptions to show that there are plenty of reasons why your home is desirable.”

Unless selling homes in your area is as easy as fogging up a mirror, you may also drive away a lot of potential buyers with an as-is stipulation. “Even if you are in a position where you want to put minimum effort or money into the home to make a sale, you could still benefit from avoiding the as-is designation in the listing,” says Gasset. “Let buyers come and make offers, see how you feel, and go ahead and turn down requests to make repairs if you feel it is the right choice.”

Sources: Forbes, MaxRealEstate, TBWS

 

Bill Nickerson NMLS #4194  | 978.273.3227  | Email | Website