Robert's Blog

With all the talk of last weekend's Fed move- here is the history - you can see we spent close to 8 years at today's Fed's Funds level, so it isn't anything new. What we have today that did not exist in 2008 is a lack of an appetite in the markets for ANY investment. The only thing experiencing a...

Looking to buy or refinance? It is time to hop on a mortgage!Unprecedented, that is the only word that sums up what we have been experiencing in the markets the past week or so.  Interest rates are in territory that we have NEVER experienced. For the first time EVER FNMA 2.0s traded last week. Ef...

 I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked if a retired person could get a 30-year loan.You are NEVER too old to get a mortgage. For a residential mortgage the only reason your age is on a mortgage application is to prove you are at least 18 and can legally sign the application. ...

   For anyone in the mortgage world this one will make you laugh.  No matter how many times we ask for all pages of a bank statement there are so many that don't understand the meaning of the word "all".  Even if they are blank pages, advertising, balance pages- we need them.  If the statement sa...

 Call me for all your residential lending needs! Robert Rauf Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS# 248937http://www.homebridge.com/RobertRauf or my blog: http://activerain.com/blogs/rrauf Office: (732)908-4868  Cell (732)740-0175 RRauf@HomeBridge.com www.RobertRauf.com  Since 1987 I have been helping my...

 We are just 2 weeks away from the mandatory deadline for employers to send out 2019 Income Documentation.If you have a loan in process or have a recent preapproval it is important to get your 2019 W2 to your lender as soon as you have it.If you are closing in January you probably will not need i...

 A recent article by the Financial Times suggested the Fed is considering allowing inflation to run higher than their target levels.  If this is truly Chairman Powell's goal it is likely we will see long term rates (Mortgages included) move higher.  The market already thinks that is a possibility...

JUST ANNOUNCED TODAY, 11/26/2019:The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2020.  In most of the U.S., the 2020 maximum conforming loan limit for one-unit properties will be $510,400, ...

  Call me for all your residential lending needs! Robert Rauf Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS# 248937http://www.homebridge.com/RobertRauf or my blog: http://activerain.com/blogs/rrauf Office: (732)908-4868  Cell (732)740-0175 RRauf@HomeBridge.com www.RobertRauf.com  Since 1987 I have been helping m...

The VA announced that there will be a change to the VA Funding fee with all loans closing beginning 1/1/2020.First off- What is the VA funding fee? Effectively it is the VA's version of Mortgage insurance and it is the least expensive version of insurance available for borrowers today. For any ve...