Can You Really Buy a Home After a Bankruptcy?

Don't assume your chances to get a loan are gone, but follow these tips for your best chance of getting a mortgage. On the contrary, some lending companies do provide mortgage loans to those who have a history with financial difficulties. With some effort, you may still be able to get that mortgage for your dream home.

It is recommended to forgo getting a loan within a span of 2 to 3 years. These times will be well spent in repairing your damaged credit rating, and will allow you ample time to start over again from scratch.  In the meantime, you still can move into your dream home.  Places like BadCreditHomeFinder.com can help you own a home while you fix your credit.

Fix the problem

A damaged credit rating is a big obstacle to buying a home, but that does not mean you should give up. If you follow the traditional route to buying a home, repairing your credit is a must. Here are some steps on how to restore your negative credit rating:

1. Try to get a credit report and check out each item carefully. Take note of those transactions which gives you a negative credit rating. Paying online can help you keep your payments on time. This might take some time depending on the number of transactions you made with late payments, but everything will all add up in the long run.

2. It is quite possible to obtain a loan even after foreclosure and bankruptcy issues; it is true that its impossible to get low interest rates from lending companies on the first hand; but as you continue to do on-time payments then you are well on your way to repairing your damaged credit. If the company notices that you've been making on-time payment on a regular basis then they might award you by lowering your interest rates.

3. Getting a new and secured credit card is a good way to improve your credit rating. Try to make on time payments with your new credit card for a year to show the lending organization that you are financially stable and your past woes are now erased from history.

Finding a lender for your new home

It will be quite difficult in finding a new mortgage lender that will provide you with the best deals for your dream home, but never impossible. It is true that your past bout with foreclosure and bankruptcy damaged your credit thus earning you higher interest rates than normal from lenders around the city.

There are two ways to go for a loan even with a damaged credit: one, you can scout around for lenders with manageable interest rates and continually pay on-time so that they can lower the interest rates with your timely payments. Second, you can scout around for various lenders who are willing to give people with bad credit another chance at life.

Researching online will reveal many lenders who may be willing to qualify you for a loan. Online mortgage brokers will go out of their way to help you out even if you have a damaged credit record. Also, some online lending companies give low interest rates even to ones with bad credit record; try to keep an eye out for these sites since you can get back to them later to compare terms and agreements, conditions and interest rates.

If traditional lenders fail

Your best bet would be to think outside the normal avenues.  Sites like BadCreditHomeFinder.com can help you get into a home while you improve your credit. 

More often than not, traditional lenders will refuse to do business with people with bad credit records, especially those who just came out from foreclosure and bankruptcy; then one option you have is through sub prime mortgage loan lenders.  Although the current environment makes it more difficult to get a sub prime mortgage, you should still pursue this avenue to see whether you can qualify.

Even with bad credit, sub prime and high-risk mortgage lenders do business with people who have credit ratings of 650 and below. The standard score for any traditional lender is 660 and above. Sometimes lenders will increase the required credit score to 670, to lower their risk of making the loan.

Sub prime and high-risk mortgage lenders are usually found online with sites detailed with various information like requirements, qualification criteria and other services. Again, you can find lots of credit card companies that issue credit cards for people with poor credit.

Crossing that Bridge Loan when you come to it

What exactly is a bridge loan and what can it do for you? A bridge loan is simply a short-term loan used by a person or business that needs a fast cash infusion until permanent financing can be achieved. A bridge loan, sometimes referred to as a swing loan or gap financing, is generally expected to be paid back very quickly. Most bridge loans have a term of about six months to one year.

When would someone need a bridge loan? Bridge loans are often used by prospective home buyers who are ready to buy, but who have not yet sold their current home. When the housing market is booming and houses are selling within days or weeks of being listed, a bridge loan makes little sense. But what about those times when the housing market seems to be moving along at a more reasonable pace?

Imagine, for example, that you find your dream home. You are eager to purchase it, except for one major setback: you need to sell your current home first. In the meantime, you can snatch up that dream house by applying for a bridge loan. A bridge loan can allow you to pay off the mortgage on your current house, or gather enough cash to make a down payment on your dream house while you wait for your current home to sell. In hindsight, the opposite situation would be ideal: selling your home, and then finding your dream home. But since life, and especially issues of personal finance, are not always ideal, a bridge loan is a viable option for anyone who finds themselves caught in between.

The terms of a bridge loan can vary widely. Some types of bridge loans allow you to completely pay off the mortgage on your current home. A fairly typical bridge loan might work as follows: the bridge loan is used to pay off the mortgage on your current home, and the rest of the money is used to make a down payment on your new home. In this type of scenario, closing costs and six months of prepaid interest are normally subtracted from the loan amount. If the first home is not sold after a period of six months, the borrower is usually allowed to begin making interest-only payments on the bridge loan. When the first home is sold, the bridge loan can be paid off in its entirety, with any unearned interest payments credited to the borrower.

Be warned that using bridge loans in this way—to span the disparity between two separate transactions—can be costly. Bridge loans often come with high fees, so make sure you understand the terms of your loan before signing. Also, be prepared to face the possibility of having to pay the equivalent to three mortgage payments (your current house, new house, and the amount of the loan itself) until your home is sold. Before even considering a bridge loan, speak to your real estate agent. Find out how long homes in your houses’ price range are taking to sell. If the housing market is so slow that you expect your home to remain unsold for many months, a bridge loan may not be such a good idea.

Bridge loans are also commonly used in real estate investing. Individuals interested in investing in real estate property, but who may not have access to conventional loans, can use a bridge loan to make the purchase. Individuals who use bridge loans may be unable to qualify for conventional loans due to credit problems. Thus, many bridge loans are often available through non-traditional lenders, who offer interest rates ranging from 14 to 20 percent. These lenders often also charge ‘points’, or fees, on these loans. One point is one percent of the total loan amount. Because these lenders are not as concerned with credit ratings as traditional lenders, bridge loans are much more accessible, though also much costly.

Bridge loans offer a fast and relatively easy way to receive a fast cash infusion. But they are also saddled with higher than average fees and interest rates. The best advice regarding bridge loans is also perhaps the simplest: don’t use them unless you really have to.