Once upon a time, mortgages that required zero or tiny down payments were all the rage, but they began to lose favor after the housing bust. Now, they are making a big comeback. According to a news article published on The Real Deal, several major lenders are currently offering mortgages with one-percent down payment, while a top 10 retail home loan provider, Movement Mortgage, has introduced a new home financing option that requires absolutely no down payment.
Movement Mortgage’s Nothing-Down Mortgage
Movement Mortgage’s new zero-down mortgage program offers a non-repayable grant of three percent or less to first-time home buyers. This enables them to qualify for a conventional mortgage with a loan-to-value ratio of 97 percent, which essentially means nothing from the applicants and three percent from the lender. For instance, in the purchase of a $300,000 home, a borrower does not have to invest anything from his or her personal funds, whereas Movement will contribute $9,000. The terms of the mortgage also allow a home seller to contribute towards a buyer’s closing costs.
Other Lenders Offering Zero-Down Mortgages
Besides Movement, there are several lenders that you can get a zero-down mortgage from. Navy Federal, the biggest credit union in the country, has been offering nothing-down home loans to its members for years, with amounts reaching as high as $1 million. The Department of Veteran Affairs and the NASA Federal Credit Union are two other government-backed lenders that provide mortgages requiring no down payment. If you do not qualify for zero-down mortgages from government agencies, you can turn to major lenders that offer a one-percent down option, such as Quicken Loans and United Wholesale Mortgage.
Considerations When Getting a Zero-Down Home Loan
While a nothing-down mortgage enables you to move into your new home quickly, it has its disadvantages. Since lenders have to take a greater risk with zero-down financing, they require you to have an excellent credit score, and they also charge significantly higher interest rates. In the event that real estate values fall, you may owe more than the value of your home. If you are not prepared to take the risks that come with a zero-down home loan, you may want to consider other options, such as borrowing from your family members or taking out a reverse mortgage if you have full equity in another home.
A low or zero-down mortgage can be a tempting financing option, but it is also a risky one. Learn more about it and see if it suits your financial situation before you apply for it.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2017 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Mortgage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.