Financing in Pittsburgh

[Owen Hudac]

Hello All!

In an effort to save time and be more efficient with sourcing financing, I will lean on the bigger pockets community.

My fiance and I are seeking to line up financing for buying our first investment properties in 2015. We are 28 yrs. old, debt free and currently rent; we will be married in August of 2015. We are specifically interested in 2-4 family rentals, we will not be owner-occupants. Here are some of my questions:

1) Applying Jointly - are we likely to get better rates filing for our loans jointly? Also, we plan to own multiple properties in the future. Would having two names on the loan negatively affect our ability to attain more lines of future financing in total if the loan was filed as an individual?

2) Mortgage Brokers - Is connecting with a mortgage broker the quickest way to find the best financing? Are there "online" mortgage brokers? Ideally, we would like to avoid needing to go in physically to each bank to save time in the process.

3) Credit Impact - I read somewhere that applying many different places for financing, then not using them can impact your credit score. Should I avoid applying for credit at too many locations?

4) Best in Pittsburgh - Any advice on which banks, credit unions, etc. we can target first in the Pittsburgh/West PA region? I've read that small banks or credit unions can be good to work with, although it may not make a big difference for your first few deals.

Feel free to post or PM me if your information is more of a solicitation.

Thanks in advance!