Top 10 Things You Should Know About Your Mortgage When Going Through a Divorce

Divorcing clients have many questions when going through a divorce; especially when real estate and mortgage financing are involved. Here are ten top things every divorcing client should take into consideration when dealing with the marital home and/or other real estate.

1. Timing of Filing The Divorce Petition. The timing of filing a divorce petition with the court has a direct impact on mortgage financing. When a petition for divorce is filed, most mortgage lenders will require either a temporary settlement agreement or a finalized divorce settlement agreement ordered by the court in order to complete and close a new mortgage application and/or loan.

Top 10 Things You Should Know About Your Mortgage When Going Through a Divorce Booklet

2. Use/Ownership Rule. Often times divorcing couples agree to hold on to the martial home until a certain event happens in the future such as a child finishing school, etc. If you anticipate any type of Capital Gains issue when the sale of the home occurs, please be sure to discuss your options with your attorney and/or financial planner.

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3. Title Vesting. Title Vesting is the manner in which ownership/title is held on the property. Various states have various ways of holding title;
however, the 3 most common are:

• Tenancy by the Entirety
• Joint Tenancy with Survivorship
• Tenancy in Common

If you are retaining the marital home and leaving any current mortgage financing in place, please be sure to discuss current title vesting with your attorney as a divorce judgement can have a default effect on title.

4. Contingent Liability. Often times in a divorce situation, the divorce settlement agreement will specify which party is responsible for the payment of specific debt obligations. In situations where both parties are jointly obligated for the payment of a debt and the court orders one party responsible for the payment, the debt is considered a “Contingent Liability.” Note: Even though the court can order one party responsible for the payment; neither party is released from the overall obligation to the creditor.

5. Qualified Income and 6/36 Rule. There is a significant difference between what is viewed as income and what counts as ‘qualified income.’ In divorce situations there is often times the receipt of maintenance, child support and income from a property settlement note. While each constitutes as ‘income’ – each source must meet specific requirements to be considered as qualified income for mortgage financing.

6. Equity Buy Out. In a divorce situation where one spouse is required to refinance the marital home to give the departing spouse a cash settlement for their share of equity in the marital home—it is considered an “Equity Buy Out”. The divorce settlement agreement must be worded correctly to avoid this transaction from being considered a “Cash Out” refinance which may carry higher interest rates and lower loan to value restrictions.

7. 90 Day Cash Rule. If you are considering purchasing a new home with cash to avoid any potential mortgage financing during the divorce process and plan to take a mortgage out in the future, you should understand the 90 Day Cash Rule from both a mortgage perspective as well as an IRS Tax perspective.

From a mortgage perspective, you have 90 days to apply for a new mortgage and avoid the new mortgage being considered a ‘cash out’ mortgage which again may carry a higher interest rate and lower loan to value limits. (Not valid in Texas)

8. Maintaining Credit During Divorce. Maintaining your credit during a divorce can sometimes be a chal- lenge; however, understanding what impacts your credit score ahead of time can be beneficial. You have the ability to access your credit report from all 3 bureaus (Experian, Equifax and Transunion) annually. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com for your free report.

9. Appraised Value / Appraisal. One of the first steps in dealing with real estate issues in a
divorce situation is to determine the value of the property. If you and your spouse are unable to agree on the current market value, it is often most cost effective to agree on a real estate appraiser to have a market valuation performed. A professional divorce appraiser is also able to determine a value of the property at a specific period in time as well –not only current value.

10. Documentation Needed. Every divorce is a unique situation and the documentation requirements for obtaining mortgage financing will vary depending on the situation. I understand that this is a very emotional and private time for you and I hope by providing this information I can diffuse some the negative emotions involved. The most common items of documentation in a divorce situation will consist of:

 * An executed copy of the final Divorce Settlement Agreement
 * Proof of age for children whom child support is paid
* Proof of receipt of maintenance/support. Typically this will require 6 months proof of receipt and again meeting the 3 year continuance of income as well.

Depending on the situation of your specific divorce case, there may be a need for more or less documentation. I understand the sensitivity of many of these documents and I want to assure you that my team of underwriters will not request anything that is not needed and they value and respect your privacy as well..

If you would like more details on the top 10 things your clients should know about their mortgage when going through a divorce, please let me know and I will send you a copy of an informational booklet for reference as well as extra copies you can provide to your divorcing clients as well.

Richard Woodward, NMLS 217454
Your Local, Direct, 5 Star Rated Mortgage Lender
Office: (214) 945-1066
www.MortgageProsUs.com
Service First Mortgage NMLS 166487
6800 Weiskopf Ave #200, McKinney, TX 75070

Licensed by the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (SML) Mortgage Banker Registration. Service First Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. This is not an offer of credit or commitment to lend. Loans are subject to buyer and property qualification. Rates and fees are subject to change without notice.