1. What do I have to do to qualify?
A: Submit the brief information provided on the “Pre-Qualify” page. We will contact you with any further information required.

2. What if I’ve had credit problems?
A: Your credit history is only one factor in qualifying for a loan, and having made some late payments doesn’t have to keep you from buying a home. Someone who has consistently made payments on time in the past may have more financing options than someone who has not, but that doesn’t mean a mortgage is off-limits if you’ve had credit problems

3. What is the minimum down payment I can make on a home?
A: There is generally no minimum down payment required for buying a home. Many first-time buyers believe they must be able to put down as much as 20% of a home’s purchase price in cash. That may have been true in the past, but many of the mortgage options available to today’s home-buyers require little or no down payment. With housing prices as high as they are, homeownership would be impossible for many people if not for these low-down-payment options.

4. Will I have to pay Private Mortgage Insurance?
A: Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) provides your lender with a way to recoup its investment if you are unable to repay your loan. PMI is usually required when the mortgage amount is higher than 80% of the home’s value. That means that if you buy a home with a down payment of less than 20%, you will probably have to pay for PMI. One common way of bypassing PMI without making any down payment at all is to use an 80/20 program, which combines a first mortgage with home equity financing.

5. Should I pay discount points?
A: Discount points are prepaid interest, which you can pay to your lender at closing in exchange for a lower interest rate on your mortgage. Paying discount points, each of which is equal to 1% of the loan amount, is often called “buying down” your rate. So does paying points make sense for you? The answer depends primarily on how long you plan to stay in your home. First, find out how much lower your monthly payments will be if you pay points. Then, calculate how long it will take for those monthly savings to add up to the cost of the points. If it would take five years to break even and you’re planning to live in your home for 10, paying discount points may be a smart move.

6. Should I lock my rate?
A: Locking your interest rate means your lender guarantees the rate on your loan even if market rates change before closing. Most lenders will allow you to lock your rate for 30 to 60 days, with the option to extend the rate-lock period for a fee. So how do you know whether to lock your interest rate? It depends on whether you expect rates to rise or fall before you close on your home. No one knows for sure which direction rates will go at a given time, so it’s difficult to make a reliable prediction. It helps to keep track of announcements from the Federal Reserve Board, whose monetary policies have an effect on mortgage rates, and to talk to you financial advisor about what may happen in the near term.