Sep. 28, 2006 - His House; Her House

Our first house was "my" house.  Near my Mom.  Just the right size. In a cul'de sac In a neighborhood I knew, where I could walk around and even walk to my Mom's if I was feeling energetic.  Down the street from the church.  Around the corner from the hospital.  I thought I'd live there forever.

On our first vacation we were sitting on the beach, and my husband started talking about our first single home (vs. a "twin") and I was amazed that he was already thinking about moving.  The house was just getting to be "our" home with the changes we were making.

Our second house was "his" house.  I was panicked at the price and payment.  I even went to the minister and said "I think I'd rather have a divorce than a $100,000 mortgage!"  It was across the bridge in NJ from everyone I knew.  It was gorgeous and big on a half acre, but too much for me to handle with three little ones and a full time job.  I finally freaked out and we sold it.  (I switched to real estate then, before I sold it)

Our third house was a transition house that wasn't really suited to us, but the kids really liked it.  I insisted we qualify on his income only as I had a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 mo. old.

Our fourth house everyone liked and was in the same neighborhood as the third house...

It's why I never forget that when I am working with a married couple, I have two clients and not one.  Best for everyone to like it.  OK if one likes it more than the other.  But not OK if one compromises too much and isn't comfortable in their home.

Sep. 29, 2006 - re: His House; Her House

Sep. 29, 2006 - re: His House; Her House

For stated income and zero down loans especially, my clients need to call Anne Brown of AB Homelending at 206-650-3696.

When you find a house, you can use anyone you like, of course.  But for my being able to represent you with the confidence to close, being qualified by Anne is my benchmark to convey to you that you will not lose the house based on financing issues.  There are lots of lenders, but I have NEVER had a sale not close due to financing, based on my ability to know who to believe and who not to believe, when it comes to preapprovals.

As I said, I never tell someone which lender to actually use once they are in escrow, as long as they are willing to fall back on Anne, if the lender they choose later cannot do the loan for some reason. There is no affiliated business disclosure, as I have no interest in Anne's lending business.  I used her when I bought my house, so I guess that's all I need to say about that.

When you are stated income, you really need to use someone that does a lot of stated income (as my loan was).  When you use VA, then you need to use someone who does a lot of VA loans (not Anne).  FHA , same. When someone is salaried and has a credit score of 720 or better, they should shop better for rates and charges and can pick from anyone.   Different strokes for different folds, as they say. 

I wrote an article on RCG about the 3 best lenders for one transaction.  Just type "best lender" in the search field at www.RainCityGuide.com and type in those search words.  It was a lengthy explanation of the 3 phases in a transaction when you need a lender, and how you might need 3 different ones at different times.

Very important.  DO NOT get a bunch of opinions through the home search process as their running your credit score will affect your credit score.