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Atlanta Homes for Sale: Atlanta, GA Real Estate | Brooks

Home Buying Guide

Georgia Dream Choice Downpayment Assistance Mortgage Program

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Georgia-Dream-first-time-home-owner-program-choice-option

If you live in the state of Georgia and a member of the household has a disability, you may qualify for up to $10,000 in downpayment assistance.

Eligibility

Protectors, Educators & Nurses (PEN) — or work for these industries or active military.

First-Time Home Buyers, OR

Homebuyers who have not owned a home in the past three years, OR

Those who purchase a home in certain areas

Household income cannot exceed: 

1 or 2 persons: $84,000

3 or more persons: $96,000

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Benefits

No Interest

No monthly payments

Funds can be used for the downpayment, closing costs, prepaid and principal reduction.

Maximum Amount

$10,000

Drawback

This is a loan. Therefore, it will have to be paid back when the property is sold or if the house is transferred to a new owner.

Georgia Dream First Time Buyer Assistance Program PEN

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Georgia-dream-police-teachers-nurses-downpayment-assistance

The Georgia Dream downpayment assistance for protectors, educators, and nurses, zero interest, the loan is a way for the state to help first-time homebuyers who meet certain income criteria.

This is a zero-interest loan and the money will have to be paid back if the property is sold or transferred.

Eligibility

Protectors, Educators & Nurses (PEN) — or work for these industries or active military.

First-Time Home Buyers, OR

Homebuyers who have not owned a home in the past three years, OR

Those who purchase a home in certain areas

Household income cannot exceed: 

1 or 2 persons: $84,000

3 or more persons: $96,000

Benefits

No Interest

No monthly payments

Funds can be used for downpayment, closing costs, prepaid and principal reduction

Maximum Amount

$7,500

Drawback

The money will have to be paid back when the house is sold or transferred.

It will be very difficult to find houses within these price ranges in today’s market.

Get downpayment assistance programs sent to you now!

Click on the link below to get a list of downpayment resources

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Would you Turn Down Nearly $30K? Dekalb County Homebuyer Assistance Program

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The WE DeKalb is a down payment assistance program for homeowners who wish to live in Dekalb County and use the property as their primary residence.

Even though this program is not limited to first-time homebuyers, it is a great opportunity to take full advantage of if you are looking to live in Dekalb County.

Get downpayment assistance programs sent to you now!

Click on the link below to get a list of downpayment resources

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What Does the WE Downpayment Assistant Program Offer?

The WE Dekbalb Downpayment Assistance program is a very generous county-wide grant to people who are looking to own a home in Dekalb County. Grantees can get as much as 5% of the purchase price of the house they are going to buy. Of course, there is a property value cut-off point, but this is definitely a generous program.

Eligibility

Must be owner-occupied

Property must be in DeKalb County

Minimum Credit Scores: 640

Debt to income ratio: 45%

Property types: 1-4 attached or detached units, condos, townhomes

Household Income Limit: FHA loan: $120,600, VA loan:$120,600, Freddie Mac HFA® Advantage: $65,760.

Home price Limit: FHA: $412,850, VA loan: $548,250, Freddie Mac HFA®, Advantage loan:$548,250.

Benefits

Grant of 3-5% of mortgage

Non-repayable

No pre-payment penalty

Maximum Amount

$3-5% of the mortgage

Drawback

none

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Need more information on the WE Dekalb homebuyer assistance program? Click here. and I will give you more information about the program.

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Get up to 5% back!

What Credit Score is Needed to Buy a House?

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what credit score is needed to buy a house

The minimum credit needed to buy a house is determined by the type of loan. You will need a FICO score of at least 620 in order to qualify for a loan to buy a house. 

If your credit score is less than 620, you may be able to qualify for an unconventional loan.

Credit Score Minimums by Loan Type

Type of LoanMinimum FICO® Score
Conventional620
FHA loan requiring 3.5% down payment580
FHA loan requiring 10% down payment500-579
Veterans Affairs (VA loan)580
Jumbo loan700
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA loan)640
Credit score minimums by loan type

Conventional Loan: 620

A conventional mortgage is any type of home buyer’s loan. This loan is not offered or secured by a government entity. Instead, conventional loans are available through private lenders such as commercial banks, mortgage banks, or credit unions.

With a credit score of 620, a borrower may be able to get a conventional loan. Conventional loans may have higher qualifying standards. Some conventional lenders may require downpayments as high as 20% of the purchase price. If you pay less than 20%, you may be required to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI). PMI protects the lender—not you—if you stop making payments on your loan. Some lenders may charge a higher interest rate, rather than charge PMI. 

Federal Housing Administration Loans (FHA Loan): 500s

If you have a credit score in the 500s, your best chance for a home loan may be one insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). FHA loans allow down payments as low as 3.5%. To qualify, you’ll need a FICO score of 580 or better. If you still qualify and your score is less than 580, you may be required to make a 10% down payment.

Department of Veterans Affairs VA Loan): 600s

These mortgages are guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. To qualify for a VA Loan, you must be a veteran, an active-duty member of the military, or an eligible spouse. VA loans don’t have a government-set minimum credit score to buy a house. 

VA lenders choose their own minimum credit scores. Typically, they select customers with scores in the mid 600s and upwards.  

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Loan): 600s

Like VA loans, home loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture don’t have a set minimum credit score — and lenders can require their own score minimums. But if your score is over 640, you could be eligible for streamlined credit processing on a USDA loan.

Jumbo Loan: 700

A jumbo loan is a mortgage used to finance properties that are too expensive for a conventional conforming loan. This limit is set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

The loan limits are determined by the cost of homes in the area where the property will be located. In Georgia, the current conforming loan limit is $647,200. 

Typically, credit scores of at least 720 are needed to qualify for this type of loan. The higher the score, the better the interest rate.

How Does a Mortgage Affect Your Credit Score?

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When it’s time to buy a house, few people can afford to pay entirely in cash.

Most homebuyers opt for a mortgage or a home loan. Like all major lines of credit, a mortgage will appear on your credit report. For most people, this is beneficial. A mortgage can help build your credit in the long run, provided you pay as agreed.

Payments that are made on credit cards are called revolving (reusable) credit. A mortgage (like a car or student loan) is an installment loan.

When it comes to your credit profile, it is important to understand that there are factors that affect your credit. Look at the table below to see the main factors that affect your credit:

Credit History FactorLevel of Impact on Credit
Payment history35%
Amounts owed30%
Credit history length15%
Credit mix10%

A mortgage adds to your credit payment history

From the table above it can be seen that payment history has the highest impact on credit profile and scores. Payment history accounts for 35% of a person’s credit score. A single missed payment can deliver a serious blow to your credit report. Creditors want to make sure that timely payments will be made when they loan money out. Therefore, repayment history is weighed heavily.

Mortgages hit the nail on the head when it comes to a person’s credit profile. It is an installment payment that is is weighted heavily on a person’s credit profile. 

Since mortgages typically require 15 to 30 years of payments,  making payments on time over the life of the mortgage looks good to creditors and will positively reflect on a person’s credit profile.

A mortgage adds to credit history length

Since a mortgage is an installment payment model that takes many years, a mortgage will add to the credit history length. Credit history length contributes to the age of your credit, or how long you’ve had credit, which may help. 

Credit history length may affect a person’s credit score by as much as 15%. Therefore, if you miss payments, expect a drop in your credit score. Conversely, if your payments are made on time, you will see your credit score inch in the upward direction.

A mortgage diversifies your credit

The average person primarily has credit cards, students loans, and auto loans. However, credit mixes such as credit cards, auto loans, and mortgages also affect your score.  The more credit mix there are, the more positive the impact on a person’s credit score. 

A new credit may temporarily cause a dip in credit

New credit and hard inquiries may temporarily lower a person’s credit. New credit can negatively impact a credit profile by as much as 10%.

Conclusion

Pound for pound, paying a mortgage has a better long-term impact on your profile compared to paying rent. Typically, paying rent will not add to your credit profile. 

It may be more beneficial to own your own real estate, especially if you will be staying in one location for a long time.

Initially, a mortgage will temporarily lower your credit. However, as the algorithm monitors your credit profile, it will change and usually in a positive direction, if a creditor continues to make timely payments and keep s their credit mix diverse. 

Think you are too Broke to Make Money in Real Estate? Think Again!

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Make Money in Real Estate

Real estate profits can produce real income. Over the years, the market has shown that real estate is one of the most efficient ways to produce a steady income in the long term primarily through leases and flipping real estate. 

You do not need a lot of starting capital to make money in the real estate industry. However, you do need to know what to do and how to do things to protect yourself and your interests. 

Below, I will outline how to make money in real estate. There are even options available to make money in real estate even if you do not have a high credit score or very little savings.

Stable and Reliable Residential Property Income

As with any investment in real estate, location is the first thing that you should consider when you decide to invest in real estate for rental income.

The majority of residential property income comes from rent. Your monthly rent from tenants is your gross revenue. That is the amount you earn on that property before you subtract monthly expenses on that property. The difference between your monthly income and expenses is your net income on that property each month. 

With all things being equal, a property in a good location and stable tenants will become more profitable as inflation increases.

The property will become increasingly more profitable. This will mean that your monthly income is more likely to increase. A property in a desirable location will be more desirable and easier to rent. 

Fix and Flip

You have seen those shows fix and fix shows on television. An investor visits a property and because of the location and condition of the property, they instantly have earning potential.  This earning will materialize if the property can be renovated and sold.

Fixing and flipping properties can be very lucrative if the timing is right. However, there are inherent risks involved in this process. Therefore, this method of investing is not for the faint of heart. You can end up on the losing end if too many mistakes are made.

As with most investments, a good fix and flip property have to be bought at a good price. This provides a cushion to buffer all the costs that will be involved in renovating that property.

Private Lending

This form of lending is also known as hard money lending. If you have the coin but lack the tools and the time to get your hands dirty flipping properties, or getting involved in the rental side of the business, you can use your financial reserves to help others for a fee.

You can help out others by acting as a sort of bank and charging fees and interest on money that you loan out to carry out property renovations.

Commercial Real Estate

Most successful businesses have a storefront. Commercial real estate will always be in demand. Like any other form of real estate, there are inherent risks involved, however, the payoff can be substantial by getting into the commercial real estate segment of the market. 

In the commercial real estate space, you can make money by fixing and flipping properties or even improving raw land. The opportunities in this space are endless.

Vacation Rentals and Airbnb Rentals

Having a vacation rental can prove quite profitable. If you buy in a location where people are looking to rest and relax, you could find yourself in a gold mine. 

Think about where you would go if you wanted to go on vacation. Imagine, a high trafficked area along the coast, such as Miami or Savannah, or in the mountains along rivers and lakes

Owning a property in a location where people want to take a break can prove lucrative. Listing properties that you already own on sites such as AIRBNB and FlipKey are easy ways to get into the short-term rental space. 

Real Estate Wholesaling

You are probably thinking, what is real estate wholesaling? Well, real estate wholesaling is flipping a real estate contract. This means that you find a seller who is willing to sell their house for less than it is worth. You as the buyer place this house under contract. After the house goes under contract, you find an investor that is willing to purchase this house for more than what you offered the seller. At this point, you will then transfer your equitable rights to the property in the form of an assignment agreement.

Wholesaling is also a great way to start investing in real estate with little money upfront. The most an investor would need upfront would be the earnest money to show the buyer that you are serious.

Make Money From Investing in Raw Land

Some investors purchase land in areas where others may shy away from. Depending on the rights that the owner has in the property or the restrictions based on building codes for that location, raw can could be used as parking lots, access roads, or land for cell towers. 

Unimproved land can also be rented for agricultural production. Raw land can also be planted with valuable timber that could serve as a form of long-term investment or a hedge against future inflation.  

Invest in Digital Real Estate Through Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Did images of Metaverse swirl through your mind? Are you looking for other ways to invest in real estate without getting your hands dirty? Then, investing in REITs may be for you.

REITs are companies that own and operate large real estate portfolios such as shopping malls, apartment complexes, business parks, and hotels. You can invest in REITs by purchasing shares of stock in REITs. This allows you to invest without owning properties.

Purchasing Short sales Foreclosures and Auctioned Properties

The idea behind these investments is that you will purchase the property for less than the fair market value. 

After the property is acquired, it can then be held in a portfolio and offered to rent or fixed and flipped for profit.

These forms of investments can be time-consuming and risky. Most investors will limit themselves to properties that they can tour.

Lease Options

As the name suggests, a lease option is leasing a property with the option to buy. 

Lease options can be a great way to get involved in real estate. You do not have to invest a lot of money to invest in real estate through the lease option route. In addition, you do not need to have stellar credit. 

A real estate option may work well in a market where the prices are climbing. By participating in a lease option, you are agreeing to be given the right of first refusal to a future sale price. That means that you could agree to be given the first rights to a property you are renting. If the fair market value of the property is significantly greater than the agreed price, you could turn around and sell that property for profit if the numbers work out.