Mortgage Broker Answers to Your Interview Questions
By Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com Guide
After you interview your mortgage broker or lender and ask the tough questions, what do you do with the answers? How do you know if the answers you receive are applicable to your situation? Here are the answers acceptable to most borrowers.
1. Answers to Which Type of Loan is Best
Interest-only loans are a popular option if you decide to stay in the property for a long period of time, more than five years. Otherwise, the property may not appreciate enough to provide you with adequate equity to sell if you choose this option for a short-term residency.
2. Answers to Interest Rate & APR
Typically, the costs of your loan over the maximum length of the loan are figured into theannual percentage rate (APR). If a lender advertises an APR identical to the interest rate, you are paying a higher interest rate than the market will bear.APR rates are higher than interest rates because they include costs. If you see a significant spread between the APR and interest rate, you are being charged too much for the loan. Normal spreads for a loan at par (zero points) are generally less than .5.
3. Answers to Discount / Origination Fees
If you do not plan to occupy the property for at least two to three years, do not pay points because you will probably not recoup them over the monthly payment savings.If you do decide to pay points, figure out the difference in the monthly payment without points versus the monthly payment with points. Divide that difference into the points charged, and the answer will tell you how many months it will take before you will break even.
4. Answers to Loan Costs
All mortgage loans cost money. If you are not paying the costs upfront, they are rolled into your loan, making your loan balance larger. There is no such animal as a no-cost mortgage, except maybe a loan from the Bank of Mom and Dad.Ask for an explanation of each fee. Some fees are “garbage fees,” and a way for the lender to make extra money. You can negotiate those fees or persuade a lender to waive them if you threaten to take your business elsewhere.
5. Answers to GFE Guarantee
Some lenders do not guarantee a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) because they will say the costs could change depending on whom you select for third-party services such as title, escrow, etc. Which is true, in part. But you can ask them to guarantee everything BUT your third-party fees.If you are under contract to buy a home, the lender will know who the third-party vendors are and can completely guarantee the GFE. If the lender refuses, walk away.
6. Answers to Loan Rate Locks
Most lenders will not charge a fee for a 30-day loan lock. Some will lock your loan even if you haven’t yet found a property to purchase, but typically lenders will want you to give them a property address to lock your rate.Get the rate lock in writing. Although you are not obligated to use the lender if interest rates fall, generally a lender will lower the rate at that point in exchange for keeping you as a customer. However, if rates go up, you are protected against a rate increase. In most instances, it’s a good idea to lock your loan.
7. Answers to Prepayment Penalties
There are two types of prepayment penalties: soft and hard. Soft prepays mean you cannot refinance the property without paying a penalty — generally six-months of interest — to the lender. But you can sell without a prepay.Hard prepayment penalties do not allow you to sell or refinance without paying a penalty for a certain period of time. Unless you are certain you will not move and rates will not drop during that time, do not accept a loan with a prepayment penalty.
8. Answers to In-House Funding
While I am not suggesting that lenders who do not underwrite their own loans in-house should be avoided — which is far from the truth — there is a distinct advantage to using a lender who does. The reason is the lender’s loan officers are familiar with their own underwriting guidelines and are likely to package a loan that will pass underwriting without any conditions or surprises.Moreover, some lenders approve borrowers based on running the loan application and verifications through an automated software process, which gives borrowers peace of mind, especially if ratios are tight.
9. Answers to Funding Time Frame
Agents like to think they pick the date to close, but in reality, it is the lender’s call. Before you write an offer to buy a home, coordinate the closing time with your lender. Know that funds from you will need to be delivered a few days before closing.To prevent problems at closing, try to use a lender who can fund and turnaround your loan within 24 to 48 hours after receipt of signed loan documents.
10. Answers to Yield Spread Premium
Once the mortgage broker has selected a lender for you, the yield spread premium is a known factor. Sometimes mortgage brokers do not tell you about that fee until it is time to close, when it is often too late for you to back out.
Mortgage brokers deserve to be paid a commission for finding you a good interest rate and terms; however, how much is paid to the mortgage broker is negotiable. Personally, I would rather pay a point upfront, which is tax deductible, for a lower interest rate than find out my rate could have been even lower if the lender was not paying a bonus to the broker.
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