Redfin

JUNE 13, 2025

Step 3: Research second-time homebuyer programs and loans Step 4: Work with an experienced agent Step 5: Make a strong offer as a second-time homebuyer Step 6: Plan your transition Second-time homebuyer FAQs Is it harder to buy a house the second time? If your finances have improved, you might even qualify for a larger loan or better terms.

Debt-to-income ratio

Marco Santarelli

JULY 21, 2025

Loan Types : Government-backed loans typically offer lower rates than conforming loans. They come with limits on loan amounts and borrower criteria which affect risk profiles. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate : Stable around 5.90%. 5-Year ARM Mortgage Rate : Slight decrease to 7.76%. If rates drop to the predicted 6.4%

Mortgages

Marco Santarelli

FEBRUARY 16, 2025

VA and FHA Loans : Competitive rates with a 30-year VA at 5.98% and FHA rates starting at 5.75%. per month (Principal & Interest) 15-Year Fixed (5.87%) : Approximately $1,296.19 per month (Principal & Interest) 15-Year Fixed (5.87%) : Approximately $1,728.25 VA Loans : These loans are backed by the U.S.

FHA loan

Redfin

JULY 23, 2025

In addition to repaying the principal amount of the loan, the monthly mortgage payment includes additional costs that can vary based on location and mortgage type. Let’s break it down. How much is the monthly mortgage payment on a $500K house?

Mortgages

Marco Santarelli

MARCH 11, 2025

Fixed-Rate Mortgages : As mentioned, fixed-rate mortgages provide stability by locking in your interest rate for the loan's duration. This means your monthly payments for principal and interest remain the same, making it easier for you to budget over time. This amount includes principal and interest but excludes other costs.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Marco Santarelli

JUNE 17, 2025

When securing a 30-year fixed mortgage, this rate means you would pay 6.93% interest over the life of the loan. For a shorter-term option, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate remains stable at 6.01% , appealing for buyers looking to pay off their loans faster. VA Loans : The 30-year fixed VA loan is at 6.52% , an increase of 0.11%.

Mortgages

Redfin

JULY 15, 2025

This assumes average interest rates, a standard loan term, and a modest down payment. Most lenders prefer a DTI of 43% or less, and many aim for 36% or under for better loan terms. Explore homebuyer assistance programs: Some state and local governments offer grants or favorable loan terms for first-time home buyers.

Debt-to-income ratio

Marco Santarelli

APRIL 2, 2025

Let's look at the specifics for today's mortgage rates: Loan Type Rate 30-Year Fixed 6.50% 20-Year Fixed 6.18% 15-Year Fixed 5.86% 5/1 ARM 6.60% 7/1 ARM 6.38% 30-Year VA 6.06% 15-Year VA 5.62% 5/1 VA 6.07% 30-Year FHA 5.95% 5/1 FHA 5.69% As you can see, the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 6.50% nationally.

Mortgages

Redfin

MARCH 3, 2025

While principal and interest make up the bulk of your payment, additional expenses like property taxes and homeowners insurance can significantly impact your total monthly cost. Example monthly payments for a $300K home (30-year loan at 6.5% Even a small rate increase can add thousands to the total cost of your loan.

Mortgages

HomeLight

MAY 14, 2025

Be aware of minimum property standards for certain loans When you place your home on the market, its hard to predict if your top offer will come from a cash buyer or a buyer pre-qualified for a home loan. General Tax Rate: 1.25% (No change) Clean Water Surcharge: Increases from 0.2%

As-is

Marco Santarelli

MARCH 27, 2025

VA Loans: Continue to offer potentially lower rates for eligible military-affiliated borrowers. The 30-year VA loan rate is at 6.14%. FHA Loans: May provide lower rates than conventional loans, but typically involve mortgage insurance payments for the duration of the loan. A common example is a 5/1 ARM.

Mortgages

Marco Santarelli

MAY 14, 2025

Average Loan Size: The average loan size in a state can also impact rates. States with higher property values (and therefore larger loan amounts) might see different rates than states with smaller average loan sizes. Competition: Competition between lenders and across different loan types can drive rates up or down.

Mortgages

Norada Real Estate

JUNE 24, 2025

Impact on Affordability : Lower rates can contribute to a decrease in monthly payments for new loans. Below are mortgage payment estimates for various loan amounts under current rates. Monthly Payment on $200,000 Mortgage If you take a $200,000 loan at the same rate of 6.85% , your monthly payment would be around $1,328.

Mortgages

Redfin

JULY 23, 2025

VA loans , available to eligible veterans and active-duty service members, require no down payment and no PMI. Other options like FHA loans or certain first-time homebuyer programs allow down payments as low as 3%, though they may still include mortgage insurance and stricter debt limits. However, there are exceptions.

Debt-to-income ratio

Redfin

JULY 30, 2025

Most homebuyers will need to think ahead about the following costs when estimating how much money is needed to purchase a home: Down payment: The down payment is a percentage of the home’s purchase price, anywhere from 0% to 20% depending on your loan. Several loan options, such as FHA or VA loans, only require a down payment of 3.5%

Pre-approval

Marco Santarelli

MAY 2, 2025

Average Loan Size: This one is pretty straightforward. Small Loan Amounts: The rate might only apply to smaller-than-average loan amounts. Save For a Larger Down Payment: Putting down more money upfront can reduce your loan-to-value ratio (LTV), which can qualify you for a lower rate. Remember September?

Mortgages

Marco Santarelli

JUNE 30, 2025

Government Loans Mixed: FHA rates increased, while VA rates showed slight increases. Jumbo Loans Varied: Jumbo loan rates experienced a mix of increases and decreases across different terms. But other conforming loans saw both increases and decreases.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Redfin

JULY 30, 2025

Additional qualifications Loans and programs Benefits of being a first-time homebuyer What are the next steps? down; 500 with 10% down Primary residence, mortgage insurance required VA loans Eligible U.S. down; 500 with 10% down Primary residence, mortgage insurance required VA loans Eligible U.S. Let’s get started.

Debt-to-income ratio

Redfin

JULY 16, 2025

Example scenario Let’s assume the following: Home price: $300,000 Down payment: 20% ($60,000) Loan: $240,000 with a 30-year term at 7.0% Example scenario Let’s assume the following: Home price: $300,000 Down payment: 20% ($60,000) Loan: $240,000 with a 30-year term at 7.0% What is the income needed for a $300k house?

Debt-to-income ratio

Marco Santarelli

MARCH 2, 2025

This type allows homeowners to spread out their payments over three decades, resulting in lower monthly payments compared to shorter term loans. However, buyers must be aware that they will pay more interest over the life of the loan than they would with a 15-year mortgage. down payment.

Mortgages

Marco Santarelli

JUNE 17, 2025

When securing a 30-year fixed mortgage, this rate means you would pay 6.93% interest over the life of the loan. For a shorter-term option, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate remains stable at 6.01% , appealing for buyers looking to pay off their loans faster. VA Loans : The 30-year fixed VA loan is at 6.52% , an increase of 0.11%.

Mortgages

Marco Santarelli

MAY 6, 2025

Here's a quick look at the national averages for different loan types: Loan Type New Purchase Rate 30-Year Fixed 7.00% FHA 30-Year Fixed 7.45% 15-Year Fixed 6.03% Jumbo 30-Year Fixed 6.95% 5/6 ARM 7.24% Source: Zillow It's worth noting that these are just averages. Larger loans might sometimes come with slightly different rates.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

JUNE 3, 2022

Lakeview Loan Servicing unveiled a rare private-label securities offering this past March involving a pool of mostly delinquent mortgages serviced by the company. The loans in the offering were all originated through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and later securitized through Ginnie Mae. In total, 99.3%

Loans

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Government-owned corporation Ginnie Mae announced on Wednesday that it has revised its definition for high-balance loans, conforming to new limits announced earlier this week by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), according to All Participants Memorandum (APM) 23-13. That’s up 5.5% compared to the current limit of $726,200.

Loans

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 2, 2020

million homeowners remain in COVID-19-related forbearance plans representing $751 billion in unpaid principal. According to the report, the portfolio-held and private labeled security loans were largely responsible for the recent increase, with forbearance share gaining from 7.1% to 7.3% – a total of 28,000 new loans in forbearance.

Loans

Housing Wire

MAY 25, 2021

New legislation would extend a benefit similar to Veterans Affairs loans to first responders and teachers who buy homes. Mortgages would be subject to FHA loan limits. percent of the principal, which could be financed, and would not pay a monthly insurance premium. Representatives John Rutherford (R-Fla.),

FHA loan

Housing Wire

MARCH 24, 2022

The national median monthly mortgage payment settled in loan applications increased 8.3%, from $1,526 in January to $1,653 in February, according to a survey published Thursday by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Conventional loans’ national median mortgage payment went from $1,582 in January to $1,749 in February. in the prior month.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

In 2013, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) began requiring borrowers to pay the Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) for the life of an FHA loan. People have equated FHA insurance to that of private mortgage insurance used by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), which is not life-of-loan.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

It essentially allows qualified buyers with a government loan to purchase a home by assuming responsibility for the sellers’ mortgage terms, including the current balance and interest rate. The fees are typically lower than in new loans, and no appraisal is needed. In fact, it was fairly common a few decades ago.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

MAY 10, 2023

” The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Wednesday announced that it would rescind a controversial loan-level pricing adjustment (LLPA) for conventional borrowers with debt-to-income (DTI) levels at or above 40%. That’s the entire mortgage industry shouting, “hip, hip hooray!” ” .

FHA loan

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

In the aftermath, one of the most contentious issues in the minds of mortgage professionals is how the ruling might affect FHA and VA mortgage borrowers. FHA loans are a popular option for first-time homebuyers or those who don’t have a lot of cash saved for a down payment, because the loans require a minimum of 3.5%

VA loan

Housing Wire

MARCH 10, 2022

Lakeview Loan Servicing , one of the nation’s largest issuers of Ginnie Mae securities, is making a play in the private-label securities market by sponsoring an offering backed by a pool of 2,192 Federal Housing Administration -guaranteed mortgages valued at $423.6 A fourth such transaction, a $370.7 And what am I getting?

Mortgages

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

The streamlined SMART portal allows borrowers and servicers to request payoff amounts in real time for FHA partial claims or subordination checklists, which are used to refinance FHA loans.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

JUNE 26, 2023

The total number of loans in forbearance at the end of Q1 stood at 65,757, coming out to 0.21% of the total loans serviced and 15% of delinquent loans. Sixteen percent of home modifications in Q1 were modifications with principal forbearance, the report said. The serious delinquency rate also decreased to 0.6%

VA loan

Housing Wire

JUNE 23, 2022

The national median mortgage payment for conventional loans was $1,960, down slightly from April’s $1,967, but significantly higher than a year ago, when it was $1,394 in May 2021. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan payments rose to $1,430 in May from the previous month’s $1,374. . in May from 162.8

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MAY 31, 2023

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) submitted for public comment on Wednesday its proposal to create a new partial claim option, a result of its acknowledgment that its current loss mitigation toolkit isn’t enough to support struggling borrowers as rates surge. A partial claim is an interest-free loan from the U.S.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

APRIL 15, 2024

Louis that compares the median home price in Nevada at the time Biden took office ($342,995) to the figure as of January 2024 ($460,000), and illustrated increases in monthly payment obligations for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers. Utilizing a 3.5% at the market interest rate of 2.82%,” Gov. Lombardo said in his letter.

FHA loan