It’s true that credit can be an important part of qualifying for a home loan, but it’s not the end-all and be-all. There are buyers who get a home loan with little or no credit—the process just takes a few extra steps.
You know credit scores are important, but you may be wondering how they are calculated and what the big deal is. This all-important number can be looked at for a multitude of reasons: when you get a job, lease an apartment, open a new account, or apply for a loan—including a home loan.
Your credit score is an important factor when it comes to buying a home. That’s because it gives your lender a snapshot of how responsible you’ve been as a borrower through your payment history—which means they can assess how responsible you’re likely to be as a borrower going forward.
If you or your loved ones have been affected by a wildfire, our hearts go out to you. In this time of hardship and loss, we at American Pacific Mortgage send you our deepest sympathies and can only hope for a sense of calm and safety to be restored for you as soon as possible.
Before you go too far down the house-hunting rabbit hole, you’ll want to make sure you can qualify for a home in the price range you want. Though many factors go into this, your credit score is definitely one of them!
The clock is ticking, but we still have a little time before 2022 is upon us. This year, no one could blame you for simply surviving the challenges that 2021 brought, but for those who want to thrive in the new year, setting a few effective resolutions can be your key to success.
Most people understand that a home can be a great investment. What they may not realize is that this investment can pay off while you still own the home! And we’re not talking about renting it out, either.
“We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.” ―Orison Swett Marden
’Tis the season! APM’s annual employee Giving Challenge is underway. From November 30 to December 21, APM departments and branches engage in a friendly battle for the top spot in generosity. Points are awarded for acts of giving, including donating to a food bank or toy drive, participating in a local charity run, sharing pictures and video of fun holiday traditions, or enrolling in our nonprofit entity, APMCares. It’s a fun way to kick off the holiday season and encourage employees to get active and do good in our local communities.
If you’ve owned a home over the past several years, chances are you have a great big smile on your face. That’s because you’ve probably watched your home’s value go up and up (and up). This is where all that scrimping, saving, and stressing over the homebuying process really pays off.
Equity. The word alone sounds promising, doesn’t it? It should. Equity equals value, and it’s a great strategy for building wealth.
But before you can put that equity to good use, you should first understand what home equity is.
The holidays are HERE! And what better way to celebrate than curled up with a few yummy dishes and the ones you love? Our APM family once again came through—sharing all their favorite holiday appetizers and sides with us.
Passing recipes down from generation to generation—or coming up with new recipes that beget new memories and traditions—is one of the best things about the holidays. Regardless of what holidays you celebrate, the food, love, and family and friend time are what it’s all about.
So we’re sharing a little food, love, and family with you, our extended APM family. We hope you enjoy the recipes—and the holiday season!
Cyber Monday is one of the largest online shopping days of the year. Its popularity has grown as consumers have increasingly turned to online shopping, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. While Cyber Monday’s popularity has grown, so have the risks of shopping online.
The holidays are all about festivities, food, and family. We’re thankful every day for our extended APM family, which includes our clients.
We hope the holiday season has been full of the 3Fs, with a healthy dose of fun thrown in.
In the spirit of the holidays, APM asked its employees to share their favorite holiday family recipes. These were turned into an APM family cookbook, and we’d love to share a little slice of that with you now.
Giving and showing thanks benefits more than just the recipient; it does great things for the giver as well. And this isn’t new-age mumbo jumbo. It’s backed by science.
If you or a loved one has served your country and are now looking to buy a home, you may be wondering if you qualify for a VA loan. And for good reason! VA loans offer tons of benefits, like no down payment requirements, no monthly mortgage insurance, and flexible underwriting guidelines. In this article, we’re answering the six most commonly asked questions about VA loans in an effort to help determine if VA home financing is right for you.
A non-conforming loan is any loan that doesn’t adhere to the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lending guidelines. These government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have certain rules that loans—referred to as “conforming loans”—have to meet regarding loan amount and credit score.
Jumbo loans. Their name kind of hints at their function. The jumbo loan program is designed for loan amounts that exceed the conventional conforming loan limits of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). In other words, they’re big loans. Some might even call them “jumbo.”
A large loan amount can mean something different to everyone—especially depending on where you live—which is why the FHFA carved out some guidelines on jumbo loans. Understanding them will be key to understanding when you need a jumbo loan.
With all the specialized loan programs out there—FHA, VA, etc.—it’s easy for the standard, conventional loan to get lost in the shuffle. After sifting through all these programs, you may find yourself stepping back and asking, “Wait, just what is a conventional loan?”
The word “conventional” simply means the loan is not part of a specific government program like FHA and VA loans are. Instead, they’re offered by mortgage companies, banks, and credit unions. Conventional loans that follow specific guidelines set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—two federally backed companies that buy and guarantee mortgages—are known as conforming loans.
