How to Choose Your Real Estate Lender

Because you need quick action when applying for a real estate purchase loan, find a lender you can access easily. A lender's quick response signifies good service to follow.

Once you know your middle credit score, look for a lender appropriate to your specific needs. When ready to make offers to purchase, apply for credit with lenders. Choose at least three lenders to apply with and do it at the same time. Call all your prospective lenders during the same week. This counts as only one inquiry on your credit report. Credit bureaus expect borrowers to shop for a loan.

The best way to find a good lender is to ask a real estate investor for a referral. Also, escrow officers and real estate agents know lenders who close loans efficiently in a timely manner. Avoid advice from agents or others who receive a kick-back commission for referring you, because you may pay for this referral with added charges to your loan.

Lender's Checklist

Ask potential lenders about the following requirements and costs according to a price range you think matches your needs. This also helps determine what you need to look for in a property.

1. Qualifications:
Middle credit score
Income

2. Loan costs:
Points
Processing fees
Additional "garbage" fees (underwriting fees, loan documentation preparation fee, filing fees, credit report)
Hidden costs
Prepayment penalty
Interest Rate
PMI (mortgage insurance)

Are loan costs added to loan or prepaid?
Is the seller allowed to pay a percentage of nonrecurring closing costs for the borrower?
What is the maximum allowable seller contribution?

3. Requirements:
Percentage of purchase price required down? Or loan to value ratio?
What about the condition of the property? Do they finance "fixers"?

A Better Way to Find Your Lender

After you work through all the details of the lender's checklist, you understand better the available possibilities. Now, from a different point of view, work backwards. Instead of asking the lenders what they offer you, tell them what you want and find the lender who best matches your terms. Create your own wish list of your personalized loan needs.

Personalized Borrowers Lender Checklist

Is this purchase an owner-occupied or an investment property?
What percentage do you want to put down?
If you want to sell right away, can you avoid prepayment penalties?
Do you need the loan to finance a fixer? How much of a fixer do you want to tackle?
How flexible are the lender's appraisers? Do you need a cooperative appraiser?
Do you care about "garbage fees" and need costs to be added to the loan?
Do you want to pay PMI, or a first and a second, or neither?
Do you want the seller to contribute to your closing costs?
How much do you want the seller to contribute?
How many points do you agree to pay up front or add to the loan?
Are super low payments available?

Make your own checklist according to your abilities and find the lender who comes closest to your needs. Remember, a good mortgage broker wants your business and works hard to find the right loan out of thousands to best suit your requirements. However, asking a lender for impossible demands wastes your time and theirs.

Notice the difference in real estate loan requirements, loan costs, and lender's attitudes. Figure out your qualifications, your loan needs, and find a matching lender with first-class service.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

Refinancing Your Home Loan? When Should You Refinance Your Home?
If you have a current mortgage and are unhappy with the interest rate or the amount of the monthly payments, it is possible to refinance your home and eliminate your problems. But before you call your lender, there are some questions that you should ask yourself in order to determine whether or not it's the right time for refinancing your mortgage loan.

Questions To Ask The Landlord Before Renting His Apartment
Apartment hunting is not the easiest thing around. You may find places not suited to your tastes or those which do are not to your budget.

Howard Stern is Hot in Real Estate
Howard Stern has over 20 property related files in Queens, 27 in Brooklyn and 1 in Manhattan. The files include mortgages, releases or satisfaction pieces, liens and powers of attorney.

Sell Your California Home For Top Dollar
HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME FOR TOP DOLLAR1. Make your home look like a model - even if it isn't.

Seven Tips in Choosing Maui Income Properties
Aloha! If you are interested in choosing a Maui income property, then there are some details that you should know. You might be a bit intimidated by the whole process of buying a home.

The Pros and Cons Of Hiring A Real Estate Lawyer
You're travelling in a foreign country and you get arrested for something that you didn't even know was against the law. The potential fine is huge, more than you earn in 10 years.

Real Estate Research By Talking
Real estate research might start with a look at the U.S.

As a Realtor, How Do I Attract Listings?
Have you ever noticed that despite the massive number of Realtors in your area, only a hand full are making a fortune selling real estate? Regardless of who these realtors work for; GMAC, Century 21, REMax, they are extremely successful where others in their office are barely scraping by. What is the secret to their success? First and foremost, it is their approach to marketing themselves and their customers.

Buying Houses: Types of Bargains to Find
To make a good profit in real estate, you must buy right. Check out all property types available to find the best transaction for your specific situation.

Why I Love Country Living
As somone who has lived in both places, I can tell you that country living certainly beats the hustle and bustle of city life! Living in a rural area has advantages that simply can't be bought at any price.In the city I was bombarded with the sounds of horns blowing and sirens blaring.

Real Estate Negotiation Secrets
When you bought your home, you offered less than you were willing to pay, right? That's the most common negotiation technique. For experienced investors, however, that's just one little secret among the many more powerful ones.

Property Investing
Wrapping a property is a simple concept that can create passive income for you and will give the purchaser a chance to buy a property which would have otherwise been out of reach at that time. However, there are a few things you must know before you jump in and trip up on some of the technicalities.

18 Easy Steps to Buy a Bargain House
What is a "distressed" property? What is "bargain" real estate?A distressed property is one with a distressed seller. Job loss or transfer, divorce, death, pending foreclosure, and lack of money cause sellers to sell fast for less.

Fantasy Gap [fast money in real estate]
I was in the rental business for seven-years, made 1.3 million dollars the first five years, got ill, and had to get out of it slowly, but had the money to do it.

Preparing To Make A Zero Down Offer
�� I'm going to focus on the Seller of a hypothetical property you have found and the offer that you are going to make. You want to write it so it has a reasonable chance of being accepted.

The Value of Foreclosed Property
The discount on a foreclosed property is not as great if the state allows deficiency judgments by lenders against borrowers. In contrast, the discount is larger if the property is being sold in a state that requires foreclosures to proceed through the judicial system.

FSBO: For Sale By Owners Chapter IV [part 1]
Like a monarch, Red Haring reigned in the deep leather seat of his KenWorth cab-with its king-size sleeper. The 400 horsepower Caterpillar diesel engine droned apathetically as Red downshifted for the parking lot to his favorite Boise, Idaho roadside diner.

Real Estate Investors Kick Away $1,000
Those new to real estate investing often fail to take action because they don't have much cash. The truth is that the very best investors got their start when they had little or no money.

Rental Properties: 10 Ways To Increase Income
What if you want better cash flow from your rental properties? You can't just raise the rents arbitrarily. If tenants leave, income goes down, not up.

From Foreclosure to Forbearance - The Art of Negotiation
As an active real estate investor you probably already know that the most important phase of your investment is when you buy the property. Most of us are getting the bargains in the foreclosure market.