Real Estate Information

How to Get Financing after Filing Bankruptcy


If you're thinking about buying a home but have declared bankruptcy in the past, don't give up hope. There are still ways for you to be able to find a loan, even if your credit history is less than sterling.

Lenders make various kinds of home loans, normally graded from "A" all the way down to "D." The more problems that show up on your credit report--slow pays, late pays, or even bankruptcy--the lower the grade of loan you'll be able to qualify for. If you're employed and have a relatively good income, you'll get better terms, even though you won't qualify for a "Grade A" loan. The longer you've been at your current job, the better, because it shows stability.

Here are some general rules about the qualifications lenders look for before giving consumers the various grades of home loans:

To qualify for an AA loan, lenders must see no late payments or any other difficulties when they look at your credit history for the past two years. First, we'll look at the top of the line loans, all in the A grade category.

To qualify for an A+ loan, you can only have one late payment in that two-year time period. An A- loan is available to borrowers whose credit report shows two or three late payments, and have at least two credit cards. Borrowers in the A category will normally be qualified for all the various perks that lenders offer, such as low interest loans and low down payments.

But if you've had a bankruptcy in the past, you're choices are more limited, and you'll generally need a larger down payment.

For instance, a grade B loan can be obtained by borrowers who've been at their jobs for a reasonable length of time in as little as 18 months after declaring bankruptcy, assuming that they've been able to reopen at least one line of credit during that time and kept it current. Usually the lender will require 15% down, and the best interest rate the borrower can generally get is 6-7%.

A grade C loan will require good, steady employment, and may be available within a similar time frame as a B grade loan. The interest rate is generally higher, currently at about 8.5%, and the down payment requirements are considerably higher. For instance, a lender will normally require 20% down on $300,000 house or 40% down on a $500,000 home.

You'll need a significant amount of down payment to qualify for a grade D home loan, as well, and the interest rate will normally run between 9.95-10.7%, depending on your overall credit score. If you're employed and your credit score is above 500, you can put down as little as 30% on a $300,000 home or 45% on a $450,000 house. If you're self-employed, however, you'll need 45% down just to buy a $250,000 home.

If you're hoping to purchase a home, talk to your local lender to see what their criteria are for their various grades of loans. Even if you've had a bankruptcy in your past, that doesn't mean you can't buy a home. It just means it may take some time, you'll need to establish a strong employment history, and you'll need to save more money for a down payment than if the bankruptcy hadn't occurred.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Forget what you've been told about credit. Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate. Visit Real Estate Credit Help Center: http://www.recredithelp.com


MORE RESOURCES:

VentureBeat

Real Estate Technology Company DotLoop Launches Free Version, DotLoop-NOW(TM)
MarketWatch (press release)
CINCINNATI, OH, May 22, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- DotLoop, the first Real Estate software company that eliminates paperwork, today launched DotLoop-NOW, a free version of their popular enterprise software. DotLoop-NOW gives individual agents and ...
Real Estate Technology Company DotLoop Raises $7 MillionSYS-CON Media (press release)
DotLoop Raises $7MPrivate Equity Hub (press release)
DotLoop Raises $7M From Trinity To Kill Real Estate PaperworkCentralia Chronicle
Cincinnati.com -Portfolio.com (blog)
all 17 news articles »


Commercial Real Estate Brokers: Now Is Best Time to Start Your Career
MarketWatch (press release)
NEW YORK, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Now is the best time for new commercial mortgage brokers to begin their careers, says Commercial Mortgage Broker Training Expert Adam Petriella, Managing Partner of The Real Estate Finance Group, ...
Commercial real estate broker to offer property management servicesVentura County Star

all 7 news articles »


Real Estate Investing Opportunities to Buy Investment Property Now Offered at ...
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Real estate investing opportunities to help investors buy investment property are now offered at JacksonvilleWealthBuilders.com. Completely renovated homes with signed lease tenants are offered to help kick start real estate investing careers for ...

and more »


Globe and Mail

Wisconsin real estate market continues to rebound
Leader-Telegram
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The real estate market in Wisconsin continued to rebound last month, as sales of existing homes rose 19.5 percent and the median sale price nudged up 2.4 percent. The figures released by the Wisconsin Realtors Association reflect the ...
Real estate market continues to reboundWausau Daily Herald

all 404 news articles »


Recent real estate sales in town
Boston.com
Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com/bg. 54 Lawler Rd. — Hope R. Power and Debra L. Fabbri to Thomas C.

and more »


Inside INdiana Business (press release)

Real Estate Seller Leads – Company Giving Away Marketing Videos for $1
Houston Chronicle
RealEstateLeads4Realtors.com is giving away Realtor marketing videos for $1 helping agents generate real estate seller leads online. RealEstateLeads4Realtors.com is allowing real estate agents to register for a $300 real estate agent marketing video ...
LockBoxSwap Real Estate Lockbox Co-Founder Named To National Association of ...San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
April Real Estate Report Among The 'Best in Years'Inside INdiana Business (press release)
Business Beat: Leesville real estate agent makes national '30 Under 30' listAlexandria Town Talk
Carroll County Times -Leesville Daily Leader
all 13 news articles »


Qazzoo.com Seeks to Transform Real Estate Industry Lead Generation
MarketWatch (press release)
"The real estate community is embracing the idea of self-empowerment. At times there were real estate pros from all over the country lined up three and four people deep, waiting for their turn to search for potential home sellers and buyers in their ...

and more »


Recent real estate sales in Peabody
Boston.com
Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com/bg. 12 Bristol Rd. — Ralph A. Bavaro to Stephen P. Miraglia and Lee ...



WAVY-TV

NY man who dressed as dead mom in bizarre real estate scam gets more than 13 ...
Orlando Sentinel
COLLEEN LONG, AP NEW YORK (AP) — A man who dressed up as his mother in a bizarre real estate fraud that involved doctoring her death certificate and cashing her Social Security checks for six years after she died was sentenced Monday to more than 13 ...
Brooklyn Man Who Dressed As Dead Mother In Real Estate Scam Is Heading To PrisonVillage Voice (blog)

all 282 news articles »


Recent real estate sales in Beverly
Boston.com
Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com/bg. 95 Rantoul St. — Vernco 95 LLC to Hilary RT and Frederick S.


Google News

home | site map
© 2006