Mortgage after foreclosure - 5 Tips to qualify for a new loan

Community Mentor

Ask Jessica

Posted on: 04th Oct, 2007 06:16pm

If you've been in foreclosure, your credit must have trashed down and this is what will stop you from buying a home or qualifying for a new mortgage after foreclosure. You'll have to organize your finances and get financially stronger prior to getting a home loan again.

You can try getting a loan 1 year after foreclosure but chances are you'll be charged with very high rates. The best thing is to wait for at least 2-4 years to get the better and lower rates on your new loan. Even if you'd like to get a mortgage after 2 years, you can try out with FHA loans but you need to have minimum score of 580-600 especially in times of mortgage and housing crisis.

5 Tips to qualify for Mortgage after Foreclosure

Here are 5 Do's to help you get a home loan after foreclosure.

Rebuild your credit:
Getting mortgage months after foreclosure may not be impossible but you should be prepared to accept higher rates of interest. For eg: you may be paying 8.20% rate with 2 points for 30 year fixed rate loan while anyone having good credit and not being in a recent foreclosure may get a 6.20% rate with 0 points. So, what you need doing is to rebuild your credit before you apply again.

The best thing is to make on-time payments on bills, credit cards etc. If possible, negotiate to lower the interest rate on your credit cards as that will help you save more. Also check your credit report for any inaccurate information being reported to the bureaus.

You may open new credit accounts but maintain regular payments - this is what lenders will be concerned about when you look out for a new mortgage. Know more...

Save for down payment:
To get the best loan program, you'll have to put down 15-20% of the home purchase price as the down payment. The more you put down, the less you need to borrow and the less you need to pay.

Prepare a budget:
Make sure that you plan a budget and spend according to it. A budget will help you maximize your savings. Use the Simple budgeting tool to plan your budget on a monthly basis. When you start budgeting, try saving some cash in an emergency fund as cash reserves help in qualifying for a mortgage loan.

Check your affordability:
Go for a house that is affordable. Also, calculate the monthly payments (including property taxes and insurance premiums) on your new loan and see if it's well within your reach. Use the Home Affordability Calculator to find out how much you can afford.

Check the housing market:
Even though you may save enough and rebuild you credit, it's important to check the housing market in your area. If you're in a declining market, be careful when you buy. Chances are, if you default, you may be unable to retrieve the loan balance by selling off your home as a result of declining home prices.

At times, certain lenders inflate appraisals and offer more money than the buyer is supposed to get. Make sure that you don't get an inflated appraisal or else you'll be paying more than you should. And later on you may not be able to repay thereby ending up in foreclosure.

Once you've been in foreclosure, what the new lender will check is how your credit has been used since the financial hardship that led to foreclosure, and how much you'll be able to put down on the new house. In fact, banks may not lend more than 75-80% of the home purchase price to anyone having gone through foreclosure in the past 2 years or so. So, it's important that you have a savings plan and adequate cash reserves.