Easy to do Tips for Selling Your Home This Spring

Spring has sprung! Have you gotten your duster out for some spring cleaning? It is that time again! If you are in the market to sell your home now is the time to start cleaning out those closets and de-cluttering your home. The first impression is always what counts. Just imagine yourself stepping into a potential new home for yourself. You open the door and that first sight of the home sticks with you and continues to be that same image as you continue your search for that perfect new home! So, with that in mind, be sure to put all your grandmother’s trinkets away that have been passed down from generations, and all those magazines you have been collecting over the past few months. You can start placing those items safely in boxes to place away in your garage or storage until you are ready to move. Moving does not mean you have to wait until you sell your home…you can start early! It helps you get rid of the things you no longer need or want as well as help make your home free of clutter. It also helps make your move less stressful. Next you will want to make sure you clean your carpets, blinds, and drapes. You will want to deodorize your carpets especially if you have pets in your home. Utilize your pillows, towels, and throws in soft spring colors to help light up the room. Try light shades of yellow, blue, coral or grey. These items are very inexpensive to purchase and add accents to any room. Next on your checklist you will definitely want to increase curb appeal. Trim back bushes and branches so the house can be seen, and brighten up the yard with some colorful flowers. Also pressure wash the driveway, sidewalk, and patio. Finally, repair anything that’s showing wear and tear if it is noticeable from the road. Sometimes buyers drive by just looking for homes in your area. If they are not impressed with the outside, they are less likely to want to see the inside of your home. Lastly, research your market. Home buying and selling can be tricky, which is why it is important to make sure you have your home market knowledge up to date. It is a good idea to work with an experienced real estate agent to help you not only choose the correct listing price, but also get an idea of what your home is likely to sell for in the current market. If you are in the market to buy or sell this spring, we can help you find an experienced real estate agent who is knowledgeable in the area you are interested in. Prior to purchasing any home, you will need a pre-qualification letter to let the buyer and sellers agent know you mean business and are ready and qualified to buy a new home. Contact Steve Head, 281-627-4222 with Texas Premier Mortgage. He is more than qualified to help you with finding that right agent for you, as well as assist you with your pre-qualification letter and purchase mortgage needs. Good luck with your move, and happy spring house hunting!

How To Tips: Building Your Credit

In order to help build your credit you have to first understand what factors influence their credit scores. Let’s start with how your credit—or FICO—score is calculated. Your credit score is affected by 5 factors: Payment History: Your payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. The goal is to establish a record of full, on-time payments. Recent history is given more weight. Amounts Owed: Your debts account for 30% of your credit score. Credit bureaus look at both your total debt and your debt-to-credit-limit ratio. Not all debts are bad, but loads of credit card debt is definitely frowned upon. Length of Credit History: How much history you’ve already established accounts for 15% of your credit score. This can make it difficult for folks just starting out. New Credit: Recent credit acquisitions account for 10% of your credit score. New accounts are handled with suspicion. Types of credit used: The types of credit utilized account for 10% of your credit score. It’s helpful to diversify. Lenders use your credit score to determine your financial trustworthiness. They’re more inclined to give money to people who will successfully pay it back. To prove your trustworthiness, you must demonstrate through example. Here’s a list of simple guidelines to follow as you work your way up the ranks. One, make payments ON TIME, ALWAYS. This is the #1 rule of building credit. This applies to credit cards, loans, mortgages, everything. Keep credit card debt LOW. Use your card regularly, but don’t spend money you don’t have. Stay well under your credit limit. You’ll be scored favorably if you keep below 30% of your total credit limit. To raise your limit, consider a credit card that has no hidden fees. Don’t take out cash advances. Keep accounts open for as long as possible, especially if doing so is cost-free. This raises your average account age and your total credit limit. Don’t open too many new accounts all at once. This lowers your average account age. Checking your credit report regularly will help to keep you up to date on where you stand with your credit score. Paying through installment loans will raise your score. Stay away from prepaid debit cards because they do not help to improve your credit. If you have everything lined up your next step is finding a credit card. Stay on top of your credit, and remember to NEVER spend more than you can afford…and ALWAYS pay more than the minimum monthly payment to help keep you from getting behind in the future. For more information or helpful credit tips contact Steve Head at steve@txpremiermortgage.com, or call at 281-627-4222.

Benefits of Mortgage Refinance

Refinancing a mortgage means paying off an existing loan and replacing it with a new one. There are many common reasons why homeowners refinance: The opportunity to obtain a lower interest rate to decrease monthly payment, shorten the term of their mortgage, the desire to convert from an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) to a fixed-rate mortgage, or vice versa, the opportunity to tap a home's equity in order to finance a large purchase, or the desire to consolidate debt. If any of these sound good to you, keep reading. How does this process occur? Basically, refinancing is done when you seek to obtain a different or even better interest term and rate. Before you refinance take a careful look at your financial situation, and ask yourself: How long do I plan to continue living in the house? And how much money will I save by refinancing? If reducing your monthly payment is your goal, and interest rates are low, refinancing is the way to go. Reducing your interest rate not only helps you save money, but it increases the rate at which you build equity in your home, and it can decrease the size of your monthly payment. When interest rates fall, homeowners often have the opportunity to refinance an existing loan for another loan that, without much change in the monthly payment, has a shorter term. You can go from a 30 year fixed to a 15 year fixed with a slight change in monthly payment if you are wanting to decrease the time it takes to pay off your loan. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage, you may want to consider going to a fixed in order to secure a lower interest rate as well as eliminating the concern over future interest rate hikes. Conversely, converting from a fixed-rate loan to an ARM can also be a sound financial strategy, particularly in a falling interest rate environment. If rates continue to fall, the periodic rate adjustments on an ARM result in decreasing rates and smaller monthly mortgage payments, eliminating the need to refinance every time rates drop. Converting to an ARM may be a good idea especially for homeowners who don't plan to stay in their home for more than a few years. If interest rates are falling, these homeowners can reduce their loan's interest rate and monthly payment, but they won't have to worry about interest rates rising in the future. To see what your monthly payment would be with a lower interest rate click here. Another option homeowners often access is the equity in their homes to cover big expenses, such as the costs of home remodeling or a child's college education. Many homeowners also refinance in order to consolidate their debt. Whatever your financial need, refinancing is indeed an option to help you achieve your financial goals for the future. First consider what goal you are wanting to achieve by refinancing, then find the right lender to assist you with the process. Now is the time, when rates are low to consider saving yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars per year.

New Year... New Resolutions for 2015

With a new year comes resolutions. Spending more time with family, taking that trip you’ve been putting off, buying your dream home — there are undoubtedly goals you’ve set for yourself entering 2015. But is improving your way of life by reducing your monthly debt one of them? It should be, even if you already spend a great deal of time and effort to make sure you stick to a budget, there are still ways you can reduce your monthly mortgage payment to help save you thousands of dollars each year!

No doubt each year brings new challenges, and your circumstances change. So lets review your current needs and compare your financing options. Think about your own reality- what you wake up to each day, your daily activities, your work schedule, your family and their needs, your finances, and your own desire to enjoy your life on a daily basis. Now, think about and just imagine this…imagine having peace of mind knowing you have the money to meet your most pressing needs right NOW! That is where we come in! We specifically help to meet your needs by customizing mortgage solutions that work for you and your family’s needs. Each loan we do we take personally, so that we can provide the utmost best customer service and to help ensure you get the best rate possible to help lower your monthly mortgage payment, or to have cash on hand for those home improvements you have been putting off. So as you are thinking of your new year’s resolutions, think about what kind of mortgage is right for you. If things such as making home improvements, enhancing your lifestyle, building your wealth, improving cash flow, paying excessive monthly bills off, funding college for your kids, switching your ARM for a fixed-rate mortgage, or paying off your home loan early sound enticing….then hesitate no further. These great low mortgage rates won’t last forever! Click here to start your new home process and lock in that low rate!

How To Conquer Debt 101

Debt can be a very scary thing. If you are not careful, before you know it you have mounds of debt laying at your feet. How can you handle it if you end up creating more than you can handle? Here are a few steps to help you get back on your feet.

Make more than the minimum payment. Credit card companies love it when you pay just enough to get by every month. At that rate, you’re mostly paying off interest and barely scratching the surface of your actual debt. You will want to pay more than what they are asking for in order to decrease payments and minimize those monthly accruing interest charges. Pay off debt with the highest interest rate first. It goes almost without saying, but it's something that a lot of people forget. If one credit line is charging you 11% APR (interest over the course of a year) while another credit line is charging you 9% APR, focus all your attention on the debt that falls under 11% interest rate. Pay it off before even touching the other debt. You want to pay off the one with the highest interest rate in order to decrease your interest debt. Sure the other cards will continue to charge interest but it will be at a lower rate, and in return not charge you as much as a higher rate in the long run. Talk to your credit card companies. Explain your financial situation and ask if there is anything they can do to help. Many will lower your interest rate for a period of time and/or waive current late fee balances, to give you a better opportunity to catch up. Especially if you are one that has never had a history of late fees and or credit problems in the past. Never close cards with existing balances. It might seem like an easy way to get a handle on your debt, but it'll do horrors to your credit score, and you'll still be on the hook for the debt. All this will do is send your credit utilization (your available limit v. your current debt) down, further driving down your credit score. Learn more here on how to increase your credit score. Move your debts around. Though transferring money from a credit card with 12% interest to a card with 0% interest may damage your short-term credit, barely chipping away at your debt because your interest is so high will damage your finances in the long term. Shop around for long-term, low- or no-percent interest rate transfer opportunities, or look into transferring some of your debt onto a low-interest card that you already have. Keep the following in mind: How long the low interest rate will last. Depending on your total debt and how quickly you think you can pay it off, 0% interest for six months may not be as good a deal as 2% for 18 months. Liquidate big ticket items to help lower your debt. If you just bought a car, or a memory foam mattress, or a new dirt bike, think seriously about your ability to keep such big-budget items, especially if you're paying for them on installment. Liquidating your big-ticket items now will mean less financial hardship for you later on. This is one not everyone likes to do, but if you are in a bind it’s better to wait and re buy an item later when you are in a more stable financial situation than to have an item and have headaches continuously over debt each month.

Needing more help? Have more questions about credit? At Texas Premier Mortgage, we have licensed loan officers who specialize in helping people to be able to afford their home whether it be right away or in the future. They can help sort through your debt and offer assistance as needed. Why not give them a call today so they can help you decrease your debt so you can afford that dream home you have always wanted. Contact Steve Head, President of Texas Premier Mortgage to begin your steps to decreasing your debt and gaining that perfect home.

How do I Know if I can Apply for a Mortgage?

Many factors come into play once you decide you are ready to take the next step: applying for the mortgage. It sounds really scary to one who has not ever had any experience with owning their own home. With a knowledgeable lender who can lead you each step of the way there really is nothing to worry about at all! A few things that will need to be looked at. The lender will want to see financial stability. A potential lender will look for steady employment, with a single employer for the past two years or at least employment in the same field. Your credit history and if you have any late note payments will also be a factor. Lenders pay particular attention to any rent or mortgage payments that were more than 30 days past due. They will also look into your current bank statements. In order to qualify for a mortgage, most lenders require that you have a debt-to-income ratio of 28/36. This means that no more than 28 percent of your total monthly income (from all sources and before taxes) can go toward housing, and no more than 36 percent of your monthly income can go toward your total monthly debt (this includes your mortgage payment). Lenders will ask you to provide some of the following information as well: Your current credit report. Pay stubs for the past 30 days. W-2 forms for the past two years. Information about debt obligations, including car loans, student loans, tax liabilities, liens (including federal tax liens), bankruptcies, etc. Recent statements from your checking, savings, mutual fund or other accounts. Tax returns for the past two years if you're self-employed. Proof of any supplemental income. Records of any negative credit accounts that have been paid off. Records of child support or alimony if applicable. At Texas Premier Mortgage, we are here to assist you with every step of the process. Contact Steve Head

today at 281-627-4222 to help you begin your journey to purchasing your next home!

What drives you?

What drives you? This is a question many people ask themselves but do not ask others. Life brings obstacles but the question is: how do you handle those obstacles? Do you turn the other way and pretend your problem does not exist? Do you hope that it will end in a happy ending? Life is too short....you have to plan ahead! But what keeps you going? Remember this: God won't bring you through something that he can not help you out of. Whatever he gives you he can bring you through. Things happen. Life may bring you through tough things, but you will come out better and brighter than before if you just have trust and faith. So it is easy to say that. But can we really get out of our problems? Can things really turn around? God will bring you through, you just have to push through your difficulties, keep moving forward, and keep praising God through it all! At Texas Premier Mortgage, we have built our foundation on the premise that if you put God first, and praise him through all things, then everything will fall into place. That is why we continue doing what we do...helping those who need assistance. This year we have reached out to the community, and have been involved with Montgomery County's Women's Council of Realtors Community Outreach program that does just that. The Holidays for Heroes program has helped to benefit Veterans for the past nine years. This year we collected items to fill over 500 stockings to be delivered to 40 deployed veterans, and over 400 homeless veterans in Houston that will be hand delivered on Christmas Eve. We also are pleased to announce this year we added a partnership with Lone Star College to create an endowment for a scholarship for veterans returning to school after returning home. This endowment will be ongoing, and what a difference it could mean to a veteran determined to finish college to help continue an abundant life for them. Giving back, that is what it is about, that is what we are about...helping to increase others and lift them up. At Texas Premier Mortgage, we have seasoned loan officers that can help you through your big or small obstacles. It may take some time

but we know it will work our for good. We can walk you through your life's challenges. No matter where you are, we can help you at any stage of your life. If you need credit assistance we can help. Our highly qualified and seasoned loan officers can assist you through the home loan process. It does not have to be stressful, we can help! Let us know how we can assist you. It is our pleasure. Contact Steve Head today to get started at steve@txpremiermortgage.com, 281-627-4222 or 281-907-6401 ext. 100. We are ready to help!