Existing FHA and VA mortgages are assumable at the note rate to owner-occupied buyers who qualify.  This can be an alternative to paying higher, current rates and benefit buyers with lower closing costs while saving money on the payment.

For the last 20 years, rates have been steadily coming down and there was no reason to qualify for the assumption when a new loan had a lower interest rate.

Assuming an FHA or VA loan with a lower interest rate will obviously mean lower payments but it will also build equity faster because the amortization schedule is advanced from a new 30-year mortgage.  Another benefit is that the acquisition costs on an assumption are much lower than starting a new loan.

In the example in Table One, a couple bought a home two years ago for $400,000 with a 3% FHA mortgage that has principal and interest payments of $1,656.  It is now worth $435,000.

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation involving the sale of this home after two years.  The savvy listing agent explains that the home may have additional marketability due to the assumability of the FHA mortgage in place.

In scenario #1, the buyer purchases it for $435,000 with 10% down payment at the then, current rate of 5% for 30 years.  The principal and interest payment is $2,102.  If the home appreciates at 4% annually the equity will be $230,989 in seven years.

In scenario #2, the buyer purchases it at the same price with the same down payment but assumes the 3% mortgage with 28 years remaining.  Since he doesn’t have enough cash to buy the equity, he gets a second mortgage for the balance at 5%.  The combination of the payments on the first and second are $1,739 or $363 less than the payments in scenario #1.

In seven years, the $363 savings accumulated to $30,492.  The future equity is $21,457 larger on the assumption because the first mortgage is at a lower rate and the loan is amortizing faster.  In this example, the buyer is much better off assuming the FHA mortgage.

There will be a challenge in identifying which homes for sale have assumable FHA or VA mortgages because for decades it didn’t make much difference to list it in the description.  Many MLS’s are not even including fields for existing mortgages.

Finding the “Right” home for a buyer is important but equally important is finding the “Right” financing.  

In divorce it is common, for the spouse who keeps the home to refinance to remove the other spouse from the loan.  Equally as common, first-time buyers who don’t have enough income to qualify may ask a parent to co-sign and must add their name to the mortgage.

Another situation that requires removing or adding a person to a loan could be to qualify for a better interest rate.  The difference in a minimally acceptable credit score and something that might be considered “good” could be as much as a 0.5% higher rate for the term of the mortgage.

Consider that a couple is buying a home with a conventional loan, and they have individual credit scores of 760 and 670.  The underwriters will price the loan based on the lower of the two scores.  A half percent interest on a $400,000 30-year mortgage could have close to $110 a month difference.

A possible solution to this dilemma could be available, assuming the borrower with the higher credit score had enough income to qualify for the mortgage separately.  If so, that person would be eligible for the lower rate. The property could still be titled in both names and if so, both would be liable for the mortgage should the named borrower default on the loan.

Another scenario that may arise is perhaps a couple has enough income to qualify for a mortgage but because one of the parties has a lower credit score, it will be priced higher.  Consider having a parent or relative added to the mortgage as a non-occupying borrower to help with the credit score.  Interest rates are determined on the lowest middle of three scores for the borrowers applying for the loan. Assuming the parent’s score was higher than the lowest score of the couple, it could improve the rate applied to the mortgage loan.

The value of a trusted mortgage professional is very important.  They can offer alternatives to situations that could be worth tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the mortgage and in some cases, can make the difference in being approved at all. If you have questions about real estate finance let us know. We have mortgage professionals that have been part of our team for over 20 years.

Equity build-up could be one of the biggest advantages to buying a home.  There are two distinct dynamics that take place to make this happen: each house payment applies an amount to reduce the mortgage owed and appreciation causes the value of the home to go up.

It is easy to make a projection based on the type of mortgage you get and your estimation of appreciation over the time you expect to own the home.  Even conservative estimates can produce impressive results.

Let’s look at an example of a home with a $270,000 mortgage at 4.5% for 30 years and a total payment of $2,047.55 payment including principal, interest, taxes and insurance.  The average monthly principal reduction for the first year is $362.98. If you assume a 3% appreciation on the $300,000 home, the average monthly appreciation is $750 a month.

The total payment of $2,047.55 less $1,112.98 for principal reduction and appreciation makes the net monthly cost of housing, excluding tax benefits, $934.57.  If this hypothetical person was paying $2,500 in rent, it would cost them $1,565.43 more to rent than to own.  In the first year, it would cost them over $18,000 more to rent.

Together, the items in this example contribute over $1,100 to the equity in the home .  This is one of the reasons a home is considered forced savings.  By making your house payments and enjoying increases in value, the equity grows and the net cost of housing decreases by the same amount.

In this same example, the $30,000 down payment grows to $133,991 in equity in seven years.  While this is equity build-up, the extraordinary growth is attributed to leverage.  Leverage is an investment principle involving the use of borrowed funds to control an asset.

To see what your net cost of housing and the effect of leverage will have on a home in your price range, see the Rent vs. Own.  If you have questions or need assistance, contact me at (206) 979-9632.