Difficulty of getting a loan in Morgantown WV

Difficulty of getting a loan in Morgantown WV

Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 29 posts · 7 votes

Hello lenders of BP! I need your advice, and please don't sugar coat things. If you don't think I could qualify for a loan under my current circumstances, let me hear it.

I want to contact a mortgage broker to get preapproved for a loan but I don't know if my earned income, as well as other factors would allow me to qualify. I am a server at a restaurant and haven't really read a lot about people starting out investing on this type of income.

I want to invest in a multifamily with my boyfriend in my area. I'm aiming for a low down payment (3.5%) fha, owner occupancy loan. I don't have a property in mind, but I would like to know if I could even qualify before doing the hard work of finding something and then getting a big denial.

I've served and worked in restaurants for 3 years and same goes for my boyfriend (A little over 1 year at our current employer). He is also in the military.

Me:  2014 w-2 income: $12,100.                             2015 w-2 income: $15,100.

Him: 2014: $23,000.  (Server & military)                    2015: $20,000.  (Server & military)

I have $4k in savings. Not sure if I need to include expenses, but just in case.. I pay $85 for phone, $75 for auto insurance. no loans. We split our $820 rent 50/50. 

He has $500 in savings. Monthly he pays $260 for car payment, $50 for health insurance, $125 for phone, $75 for student loans. 

My credit score: 740                            His credit score: 670

Questions

-For the type of loan we want, can you count the income from the potential rentals as income. I know they would have to actually be rented out in order for that to work.

-When servers get a loan for a car they don't go by your W-2 income, because they know servers generally make a lot more money than they claim on their taxes. Is it the same for a mortgage? Because I really make closer to $20k a year, and my boyfriend makes even more.. (Please no lectures on the laws of claiming tips. You won't find a server that voluntarily claims 100% if its not required by management)

-Does getting property management training help when getting a loan, or is that only for properties that are 5+ units?

I think now you are required to have 6 months worth of payments set aside in savings for a property. We have someone willing to lend us some money for this and a down payment.

As of now, how do you think we stand? Maybe an idea of how much we can get approved for. Also, tell me anything we could do to improve our chances. If you say get a job with more income, feel free to say it, I won't cry haha. And last but most importantly, let me know if I seem misinformed about anything I've said.

As always, thanks in advanced!

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Lender · Rochester, NY · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y

@Chelsey Hamill

You can count the potential income with an FHA mortgage. It doesn't look like either of you have much debt. Car insurance and cell phone bills don't count. You can ask the seller to pay 6% towards closing costs. If you are using rental income you need 6 months reserves. You probably need to save up more for the 3.5% down payment and the reserves if you are asking the seller to pay closing costs. A family member can also gift you money for a down payment, but not lend it to you.

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  • Lender · Rochester, NY · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    @Chelsey Hamill

    You can count the potential income with an FHA mortgage. It doesn't look like either of you have much debt. Car insurance and cell phone bills don't count. You can ask the seller to pay 6% towards closing costs. If you are using rental income you need 6 months reserves. You probably need to save up more for the 3.5% down payment and the reserves if you are asking the seller to pay closing costs. A family member can also gift you money for a down payment, but not lend it to you.

  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 29 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    @Jerry Padilla So it doesn't seem far fetched that we would be able to get one of these loans? We've spoken about CO, but property in WV is way cheaper. You can find a 3-unit that needs a little work for well under $200k. And unfortunately we need to stick around here for a while longer before moving out west. So I might as well get started looking at different loans and making connections around here asap.

  • Lender · Rochester, NY · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    @Chelsey Hamill

    It is best for you both to start out getting pre-qualified to see what purchase price you can go up to. 

  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 29 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    @Jerry Padilla Yes, of course. Thank you!

  • Real Estate Broker · Windsor, CT · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 268 votes
    10y

    @Chelsey Hamill Thank you for posting this question as a real estate agent in my state sometimes it is difficult to answer questions like this one from my clients who have similar profession as you.

  • Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2014 · 730 posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    If your husband is in the military, why not look at a VA loan? 0% down, similiar terms as FHA

  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 29 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    @Melissa Gittens no problem. I will update this post once I do eventually approach a broker. As much as I would like to know beforehand I can't tell until I try.

    @Account Closed unfortunately we are not married yet, so I don't think I would be able to put my name on the loan.. Which isn't something I'm comfortable with in a worst case scenario.

  • Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2014 · 730 posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    If you aren't comfortable putting your name on a loan, then you probably aren't ready to purchase a house together. If you intend to use both yours and his income, you will both need to be on the loan. This is the case for all types (FHA, VA, conventional, etc)

    Hop on over to the County Clerk, say "I do" and then apply for a VA loan. Done :)

  • Rental Property Investor · Boston · Member since 2014 · 103 posts · 21 votes
    10y

    This may sound blunt, but only a bank can tell you if and how much you qualify for. Buying a multifamily may be your best option though. You can apply 75% of that income to your DTI.

  • Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2015 · 29 posts · 7 votes
    10y

    @Account Closed haha that's not what I meant by being uncomfortable. I mean if something were to happen to him, so to speak, I wouldn't want his name to be the only one on the loan. It's not that I haven't considered the VA loan, because believe me 0% down sounds pretty great. I just haven't done enough research into it yet.

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