Massachusetts Home Buyer Guide

Not since Y2K have so many predicted such great disruption and chaos in our lives.

MassHousing launched Operation Welcome Home last month, a new conventional loan product for eligible Veterans that combines a traditional 97 percent loan-to-value first mortgage with a zero-interest second mortgage of up to 3 percent to create a 100 percent financing product that offers essentially the same attributes of a traditional VA loan.

In addition to the down payment, homebuyers need to pay closing costs. Closing costs are the collection of fees, expenses, and charges associated with purchasing a home with a mortgage loan. 

Boston has happy home buyers, while Las Vegas lacks reliable residents, according to a new study by WalletHub, a consumer finance website. The study looked at how the housing recovery affected consumers across the country. Having the right type of financing could set home buyers up for happy home ownership while risky mortgages could set families up for failure down the road. Metro areas with high equity values, low interest rates and strict lending practices show promise for a stable housing market recovery. The following 1:24-minute video is from USA Today. 

Some potential Massachusetts home buyers may be sitting on the real estate sidelines because of misconceptions about what it takes to secure a home loan, according to a recent survey by Wells Fargo and Ipsos Public Affairs. 

When it comes to buying a home – and making other important decisions in life – it's not what you don't know, it's what you don't know you don't know that should worry you. There are plenty of potential pitfalls Massachusetts home buyers need to be aware of and avoid. The following are just three common Massachusetts home-buying mistakes to know about. 

Several first-time home buyer programs require borrowers obtain a home-buying certificate in order to qualify for the loan program. MassHousing requires borrowers to participate in a home buyer class and obtain a certificate of completion in order to buy a home with one of its mortgages.  

Many potential Massachusetts home buyers may have heard the recent news that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) reduced cost of private mortgage insurance (PMI), but there are two other important things to know about PMI as it applies to FHA mortgages. 

The real estate media, as well as many real estate bloggers, have been buzzing about the announcement that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will now offer first-time home buyers conventional mortgages with only a 3 percent down payment, but in Massachusetts home buyers already have two options for low down payment mortgages.

No home buyer wants to pay mortgage insurance (MI), commonly referred to as private mortgage insurance or PMI, but saving enough money for a 20 percent down payment to avoid PMI, especially in the high-cost Boston area real estate market, is easier said than done.

Massachusetts first-time home buyers have a lot to think about, and obtaining an affordable home mortgage is certainly one of those considerations. Fortunately, first-time home buyers have some options to obtain a straightforward, low down payment mortgage, with competitive rates.

There are a few home loan programs that benefit different types of first-time home buyers; however, the two best arguably are the Massachusetts Housing Partnership ONE Mortgage and the MassHousing Mortgage. Both mortgage options have income limits and other requirements. 

Several first-time home buyer programs require borrowers obtain a home-buying certificate in order to qualify for the loan program. MassHousing mortgages, as well as the Massachusetts Housing Partnership ONE Mortgage, require home buyers to participate in a qualified Massachusetts first-time home buyer class. 

BLUE, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, is offering a two-day class, Home Buying 101, at the Eastern Middlesex Association of Realtors in Reading, Massachusetts on September 20th and 21st. Participants who attend both days will receive a home buyer certificate required for MassHousing Mortgage loans.