Robert's Blog

 Have you ever heard the phrase: "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is."  Or: "There is no such thing as a free lunch" ?All the talk of Mortgage relief or 90 day mortgage forgiveness  today can be put under the above umbrella. It is not a handout.  It is not a freebie. It is not a gran...

 The VA just issued appraisal guidelines in response to the Covid-19 Epidemic.For the most part the guidelines are similar to the changes we have seen on the conventional side. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time the VA has allowed appraisals without an interior inspection.For Vac...

 I don't know what your thoughts are but here are a few things I never want to hear again once this is all over:Social Distancing, PPE are at the top of the list, but there are so many others. Enough of that, lets move on to the focus of this post. Even with NJ being shut down for all but "essent...

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...