Monday, May 7, 2012

Personal Property in a Transaction


Working with some buyers recently, we encountered sellers that had generously agreed, in their listing, to leave their washer and dryer as part of the transaction. They either didn’t want it anymore or didn’t want to move it, and the buyers thought that it was a great deal. A washer and dryer, basically free, when they purchased this new house.

There is an issue, however, with financing and the inclusion of personal property in the transaction. When using government financing such as FHA and VA, an appraiser will sign a value to that included personal property. In this case, if the appraiser decided that the washer and dryer were worth $500, this would have an impact on the loan amount that the lender could make under FHA financing.

For example, if the property value were $100,000; and then appraised for $100,000; the maximum loan under FHA financing would be 96.5% of this cost, which would be $96,500. However, with a $500 value on the washer and dryer, the underwriter must decrease the amount of maximum mortgage allowed, dollar per dollar, based on the value of the personal property. Thus making the maximum loan available $96,000 even, therefore increasing the down payment required for the buyers by $500.

The thought behind this is very reasonable once you stop to think about it. The bank/lender/FHA doesn’t want to lend money on personal property. The purpose on the loan is for the real property, and so they have to assume that part of the value in the transaction is the value of the personal property.

So, despite the fact that it sounds like a good deal, the value of personal property have a direct impact on the real estate transaction and the loan. Therefore, we discourage the inclusion of that type of personal property on a real estate contract.

For more information on buying your first home, visit www.springfieldfirsthome.com.

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