Author Archives: theloanman

Will the Dodd-Frank Act’s Qualified Mortgage Regulation Impact You as a Borrower?

The Dodd-Frank Act, with its 2,000 plus pages, was signed into law on July 21, 2010 and touted as a consumer protection Act. In some ways that appears to be true. In others it appears to be a lender protection … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 194 Comments

How to Actually Buy a House in the Hot Dallas Market

The Dallas housing market is hot right now – and you’d think that Dallas real estate professionals would be thrilled. They would be, except for one slight problem: Too little inventory for too many buyers. Agents report receiving 10 or … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 1,676 Comments

7 Reasons to Choose an Independent Texas Mortgage Banker over a Big Bank

When shopping for a new home, one of your first steps should be to become pre-approved for your home loan. Where should you go for that pre-approval? And where should you go for the actual mortgage loan? To a small, … Continue reading

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Is a Return to Boom and Bust in Our Future?

After three decades of boom and bust in the economy, wouldn’t you think that the Fed would quit trying to manipulate things and just let the free market bring some balance back? Nope, they’re not doing it. They still believe … Continue reading

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When Your Real Estate Buyer Says “I’m pre-qualified…”

Do you know what it means when a real estate buyer is “Pre-qualified?” It doesn’t mean a thing. To become pre-qualified, a buyer simply gets on the phone with a loan officer and tells his or her story. The loan … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 794 Comments

Texas Home Shortage

In Texas and across the U.S. the real estate market has turned upside down. Now, instead of “everything” being for sale, hardly anything is available, especially for entry and mid-level home buyers. Our inventory is down 26% from the spring … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 56 Comments

Why did banks make those toxic loans?

Everybody talks about toxic loans – but where did they come from and why are there so many of them? It all started when some in government decided that everyone had the right to own a home, regardless of their … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 391 Comments

Will the new “Ability-to-Pay” Rule protect consumers, or banks?

Since the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 passed, all of us in the real estate industry have been waiting to see how it would affect us. Will the new regulations help or hurt a consumer’s … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 175 Comments

Coming Soon: An Avalanche of Mortgage Regulations

When the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law in July 2010, it contained 848 pages. From there, the regulations it proposed had to be made into “rules” that the financial industry would follow. These rules would be released over time. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 244 Comments

You may recall that back in 2003 HUD instituted a regulation stating that FHA would not insure a mortgage if the seller had owned the property for less than 90 days before signing a purchase and sale agreement with a … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2,186 Comments