PMIi or Private Mortgagei Insuranceiii is normally required when you buy a house with less than 20% down. Mortgage insurance is a type of guarantee that helps protect lenders against the costs of foreclosurei. This insurance protection is provided by private mortgage-insurance companies. It enables lenders to accept lower down payments than they would normally accept. In effect, mortgage insurance provides what the equityi of a higher down paymenti would provide to cover a lender's losses in the unfortunate event of foreclosure. Therefore, without mortgage insurance, you might not be able to buy a home without a 20% down payment.

While it's not something you may think about often, interesti rates affect a large part of your life. Your mortgagei, car, even crediti card payments are based on interest rates. There's a good chance your investments may even involve interest rates. Lower interest rates can mean lower monthly payments or the ability to buy a larger home.

The Importance of a Professional Real Estatei Appraisali

Because much private, corporate, and public wealth lies in real estate, the determination of its value is essential to the economic well-being of society. It is the job of the professional appraiseri to determine these values by gathering, analyzing, and applying information pertinent to a property.

Unquestionably, the professional opinion of the appraiser, backed by extensive training and knowledge, influences the decisions of people who own, manage, sell, purchase, invest in, and lend money on the securityi of real estate. And because the appraiser is trained to be an impartial third party in the lending process, this professional serves as a vital "check in the system," protecting real estate buyers from overpaying for property as well as lenders from over lending to buyers.

Whether you are buying a home or looking to refinance your house you will need the services of an appraiser.

Appraiser Qualifications

Many states require all real estate appraisers to be, at a minimum, state licensed or state certified and have fulfilled rigorous education and experience requirements and must adhere to strict industry standards and a professional code of ethics as promulgated by the Appraisal Foundation.

How long does an appraisal take?

The physical inspection of the real propertyi being appraised can take from approximately fifteen minutes to several hours, depending upon the size and complexity involved.

After the initial inspection of the property the appraiser spends time touring through the neighborhood or area. The purpose of this tour is to search for comparable sales (other properties that are similar to the property being appraised) that have sold within the last year or so. When the field work is finished, the appraiser completes the report at his office. The report can consist of a short form report (typically under ten pages) to a long narrative report which can sometimes exceed a hundred pages. A short form report usually takes between three to six hours to complete. A narrative report can take weeks or sometimes even months, depending upon the complexity of the assignmenti.

Appraisal vs. Engineer or Whole House Inspection?

The appraiser is not a whole house inspector, engineer, architect, electrician, plumber, H.V.A.C. technician or contractor. The appraiser briefly walks through the house to get an idea of the general condition and room count. An appraisal is not a guarantee of condition. The appraiser will ask about any visible problems and those which may not be visible, and will do his/her best to gauge any impact on value attributable to those problems. You are encouraged to seek the advice of experts if you have any questions about the structural or mechanical aspects.

Short form "2055" Vs. "URAR Fannie Maei" Form Appraisal Report

A "Fannie Mae" - URAR form report has many items required by the secondary mortgagei lending market, that are not necessarily needed in a simple report to find the market valuei. Both primarily rely on a direct sales comparison or market approach with a comparison grid (see below) to determine the market value of the subject property. The lenders report has many additional arbitrary requirements which have little bearing on the value found by a report needed for many other purposes. The traditional "lender" reports need census tracti & smsa information for tracking lending patterns. Some lender reports require a lot of the appraisers effort to determine and substantiate how much additional rental income is available to support a higher mortgage. In addition, a great deal of detail is required to help the lender determine what if any, necessary repairs might be needed before the property meets their underwritingi requirements. All of these things and much more, may be quite important for a lender, but probably are useless for most people, who just want to know what a property is worth for a variety of reasons. Our short form reports are particularly well suited for helping a seller to price a home for sale, helping a buyer to decide how much to offeri or pay for a home, for estate tax, gift tax, tax grievance, uncontested divorce & most any other potential use other than for obtaining a mortgage or in litigation where the report will be used in conjunction with expert testimony.

1. How much money can I qualify for?

You can usually obtain a mortgagei valued at between two and three times your annual household income, assuming you have an average debti load.

2. What if I have had crediti problems?

You will need to explain the circumstances. If you have overcome the problem and kept up with your obligations on a timely basis for a year or more, most lenders will accept your mortgage applicationi. However, if you believe you have a possible credit problem, please contact us to discuss it. We may be able to help.

If you're like most people, buying a home is the biggest investment you'll ever make. Annual mortgagei, taxes and insurancei costs can range from 25% to 40% of your gross annual income. By reading the information on this page, you're on your way to protecting yourself, and making the home-buying process easier by becoming an informed consumer. Read, talk to family, friends and real estatei professionals. You'll be glad you took the time to understand the process.