The Real Estate Browser Volume 11, Issue 7 | Page 8

8 — Say you saw it in The Real Estate Browser of Lynchburg — Volume 11 Number 6 www.LynchburgRealEstateBrowser.com Rates Remain Low and it’s a Great Time to Buy a Home! By Sherry Brady, Branch Manager, Apex Home Loans, Inc. Were you discouraged a couple of years ago when mortgage interest rates started to rise? Maybe you thought you’d lost your chance to get a home loan at a historically low interest rate. Take heart because there is good news for you! NMLS #217258 Cell [phone] [email protected] While things cooled a bit when we were in full shut-down mode with Covid-19, people continued to buy and sell home, and now as we are starting to ease restrictions and all the pent up demand is starting to be unleashed, the number of home coming on the market are increasing, and also the number of buyers looking for those homes are increasing. And interest rates? They have been holding steady at some of lowest levels we’ve seen in the last few years. For anyone who thought they had missed the opportunity to get a great, low rate, you’ve got another chance. There is no way to predict how long this will last, of course, so as the old saying goes… “there’s no time like the present” to buy a home! What do lower rates really mean to you though? A lower rate can either mean a lower payment or it can mean that you can buy a more expensive home. The difference between 3.25% and 4.5% on a $200,000 mortgage is $115 per month!! If you finance $200,000 at 3.5% for 30 years, your principal and interest payment would be $870 per month. If you wait until rates are at 4.5%, that same $200,000 principal and interest payment will be $1,013! That difference translates to nearly $33,000 in increased buying power. By that I mean that you can finance a $233,000 house at 3.25% for the same monthly payment as $200,000 would cost you if financed at 4.5%!! That’s a lot of extra buying power! us, we’ll discuss all the loan types available and determine which ones you qualify for based on your credit and income. We’ll figure out how much home you can buy, what your monthly payment will be, whether you’ll have to make a down payment, what the closing costs are. Once we finish our first conversation, you’ll know the answers to these questions and will be able to shop for your home with confidence, and less stress! This is a very competitive market right now; good homes that are priced right are going under contract within hours in some cases. If you find a home you love, having a pre-approval letter to accompany your offer tells seller of the home you want to buy that you are serious and capable: not only do you want to buy their home, but you have the financial ability to do so. And by getting pre-approved, we can begin your loan underwriting process before you even find a home, so that once you find the home you love you’ll be able to close quickly! In today’s market, that will go a long way toward making you a very attractive buyer. Ready to get preapproved? At Apex Home Loans, we have virtually every loan program to serve you, including several NO MONEY DOWN options. Apex’s highly qualified, local, and experienced team is ready to help you! Go online to www. LynchburgLender.com and get to know our team; or call us at 434-237-1027 and let us help you GET MOVING! Apex Home Loans, Inc. NMLS #2884, nmlsconsumeraccess.org, Equal Housing Opportunity. If you want to be able to take advantage of these low rates, the first step is to get pre-approved. Getting pre-approved is a quick and painless process and can be done in minutes! When you meet with