Washington Mortgage Planner-straight up mortgage advice and commentary

Hello all: I hope you have great plans for the weekend. Here, it's beautiful once again. We've had a fabulous streak of nice weather.

I seem to be increasingly encountering difficult underwriting guidelines. I'm curious if you're seeing them too. The latest was on a loan that was supposed to close next week. Now, I'm not so sure. My borrower wanted cash out on his primary home. The problem was he recently took it out of an LLC (he had to in order to get the loan). When we tried to do a cash out refinance, it was approved by my underwriter initially and then nixed by the lender as these types of loans require six months seasoning on title. I know this rule has probably been in effect for the past year; the thing I asked my underwriter is why didn't we know this sooner. Her explanation was she just found out when submitting to the lender.

I heard recently that one lender was taking 78 days on average to close loans. We lock all ours for 55. What I'm seeing is our underwriters (we underwrite in-house) are bogged down by checking so many guidelines before issuing an approval. And sometimes when the approval is issued, the conditions can't be satisfied right away.

I have to admit it gets a little frustrating at times. I've heard this recently. We're all working harder for our money. I recently had to find a home equity line of credit for a borrower because they forgot about a dormant one they had on their home. Of course, they wanted to keep it but the lender wouldn't allow that. So I took the time to call a banker friend of mine to set my borrower up with a new line of credit.

It probably sounds like I'm ranting here but so be it. I love what I do and plan on making this a long-term career. If you're on the other side, please have patience. Those of us in the loan business will get your loan done. It's just taking longer. Hopefully the "oh by the ways" will diminish as we continue this economic recovery. Have a great day!

Hello all: I hope you're well! We're in day 51 of the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) and I thought I'd comment on what I've seen. From an appraisal standpoint, there really haven't been any issues. In fact, we just got a report back within a week. Granted, it's for a purchase that needs to close by July 10 but I was surprised nonetheless. The appraisal ordered before that took quite a while but that was due more to the borrower's busy schedule. Once the appraisal was done, the report was quick.

I have to admit I didn't know how the new HVCC law would play out. And I did sign the petition; mainly because I really like the two appraisers I work with. They both seem to be hanging in there even though they're not on our company's approved list. I'm seeing if it might be possible to have them added.

My conclusion? Things haven't been quite as bad as I thought they might. Either way, I'm committed to this business and told my appraisers we would adjust to this as well. So what are your experiences? Perhaps I'm the proverbially glass half full person. I welcome you to weigh in. We've had so many challenges the last few years and I honestly feel as if we're about ready to turn the corner. Have a great day!

Good morning: I hope you're enjoying your weekend. We're back to cloudy skies and drizzle after record breaking temperatures last week. I was thinking as we get into Summer if you have plans to take time off.

Yes, I know it's difficult. We're wired up and feel the need to be accessible. Even though I have several days away scheduled this summer, I'll be checking in periodically. It could be that because we're on commission we wouldn't want to miss any opportunity.

Still, I think it's important to take time away. How do you do it? Even last year when business was rough, I managed to take a couple weeks away from the office and enjoy time with my family. This summer we'll head to our own little slice of heaven (Priest Lake, Idaho) at least twice. We also have a trip to Leavenworth, WA. for a few days.

I find a day or more off recharges the batteries. Let's face it. We're in a non-stop never-ending business. Alot of us are extremely competitive too; we don't like to lose that deal to someone else. But not taking time away can lead to burnout and a bad attitude about things. I know when I need a day off. I start to get grumpy and impatient with the world around me.

What are your plans this summer? If you haven't made any, I suggest you do everything in your power to take a few days. Even if you don't go anywhere, time away from the stress will do you wonders! Here's to a great summer. Be sure to enjoy it! Take care.