Frequently Asked Questions
Programs + Rates
PrimeLending offers these competitive loan programs and options:
Fixed Rate and Adjustable Rate
FHA, VA, and USDA Loans
Jumbo and Conforming Loans
Conventional Financing
Renovation Loans
Your lifestyle and financial situation are the best guides for deciding on the best loan program for you. Consider these questions:
How long will you live in this home? Several years, or just a few?
Do you anticipate your income or finances to significantly change over the next few years?
Are you either comfortable or uncomfortable with an adjusting monthly mortgage payment?
Do you plan to be out of mortgage debt by, for example, when your children start college or when you retire?
Based on your answers, we can discuss different home loan programs that will suit you financially and help you reach life’s milestones.
A VA loan is guaranteed by Department of Veterans Affairs. Individuals who have served in the armed forces for a specified time may be eligible for this type of loan.
An FHA loan, on the other hand, is guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration. FHA is a government agency that works with approved lenders such as PrimeLending.
We will advise you of the rates available for your loan product and when you are ready, we can lock in your interest rate. Your interest rate can stay locked in for up to 180 days (additional restrictions and fees may apply for lock terms in excess of 90 days). This guarantees your rate for the entire lock period.
When deciding on the type of rate you want, it’s all a matter of time.
You’ll want to think about a fixed-rate mortgage if you plan to live in your home for more than a few years. Fixed rates provide you with stable payments and protection against increasing mortgage interest rates.
An adjustable-rate mortgage would be more suitable for you if you foresee living in your home for only a few years. With an adjustable-rate mortgage, you open yourself up to the possibility of having your monthly payments increase or decrease each time your interest rate changes.
Mortgage Process
An approval letter comes from the lender. The letter states that the lender agrees to provide a mortgage to you, the homebuyer, under certain conditions. Approval letters help you set realistic goals while you’re house hunting. Additionally, they can provide you with the same negotiating ability as a cash buyer and enable you to move quickly once you find the perfect home.
Do I have to pay for the approval process?
No. We invite you to use our website for information, to compare interest rates and terms for various loans. Then contact us to get the process started.
Absolutely. If your credit score and finances are already in order prior to your house hunt, the process goes much smoother. The approval process is simple:
Gather your personal financial information such as bank statements, W-2 forms and paycheck stubs, and meet with your PrimeLending loan officer.
We will pull your credit report and an underwriter will evaluate your financial documents. With this information, we are able to discuss the best home financing options that will help you achieve your financial and homeownership goals.
Once you are approved, PrimeLending will give you an approval letter to inform your real estate professional and the seller of the property that you’re a preferred and serious potential buyer. This will give more weight to any offer you extend on a property as well as allow you to relax and enjoy the process of looking for your new home.
The typical documents that you’ll need are those that verify your income, employment and assets. However, every situation is unique and could require more (or less) documentation. Here are docs that are always required:
W-2s and tax returns for past two years
Driver's license for all borrowers
Two most recent pay stubs showing year-to-date earnings
Checking and savings account statements for past two months
Most recent retirement or investment account statements
The lender requires a home appraisal on most transactions. If the appraiser recommends repairs or if repairs are mentioned in the contract, the lender may require that those repairs be completed before closing. The appraiser then will perform a final inspection to ensure that the repairs were completed.
General Questions
You're not alone. Everyone finds themsevles in tough financial situations at one point or another. Don't allow previous problems to discourage you from trying to start fresh and get into a home of your own. After we pull credit, if you'd like a copy of your credit report, you can obtain it through the credit bureaus.
Paying origination discount points allows you to lock in a lower interest rate. Typically, origination points are applied and disclosed at the time of locking in an interest rate. On the other hand, discount points can be added at the time of lock or later in the process if you choose to pay to reduce your interest rate.
Origination fees are the fees required to originate the loan. They can include processing fees, underwriting fees, administrative fees, and several others. We can give you a complete breakdown of these fees as they vary from state to state.
A mortgage broker serves his or her client by shopping around for various lenders who will approve the homebuyer’s loan. While this sounds convenient, many times the buyers end up paying higher costs for their mortgage because of the broker’s fees.
A direct lender, on the other hand is just that – a direct connection between the homebuyer and one company, from start to finish. As a direct lender, PrimeLending delivers a fast and efficient process to our buyers from the initial application, to approval of a competitive loan and to the final closing.
Making Payments
A lender may charge a pre-payment penalty if the borrower decides to pay off the home loan early. Some loans with lower rates contain a pre-payment penalty, which discourages refinancing if interest rates fall. This ultimately benefits the lender with a higher rate of return on the loan. Although home loans are structured in various ways, a pre-payment penalty is typically a percentage of the unpaid balance or the amount of interest on a specified number of months.
Statistically speaking, most homebuyers will either move or refinance before paying off the loan, so they rarely see the benefit of a slightly lower interest rate in exchange for a for a possible pre-payment penalty. None of PrimeLending’s loans carry prepayment penalties.