Particularly for those looking to buy their first home, the big question is always, “How much house can I afford.” I can still remember my wife and I trying to crunch the numbers when we bought our first home back in 1993. I was scared to death that we wouldn’t be able to afford the mortgage payments. But we did, and as the months and years went by, our mortgage payments became more manageable.

If you’re considering buying a home, it helps to have an idea of how much you can afford. It’s very important to think of this question from two different perspectives. The first is simply how big of a mortgage will you qualify for. The answer to this question depends on a lot of factors, including your income, existing debts, interest rates, credit history and your credit score. We’ll look at several calculations that most lenders use to evaluate mortgage applicants.

The second perspective is a bit more subjective–how much home do you really need? Just because you can qualify for a mortgage, doesn’t mean that you should. Banks will qualify you for as much as they possibly can given their existing underwriting policies. But just because the money is available doesn’t mean you should take it.

With that, let’s look at 5 ways to calculate how much house you can afford, beginning with a standard rule of thumb:

2.5 to 3 Times Your Annual Income

This was the basic rule of thumb for many years. Simply take your gross income and multiple it by 2.5 or 3 to get the maximum value of the home you can afford. For somebody making $100,000, the maximum purchase price would be $250,000 to $300,000.

Keep in mind that this is a very general rule of thumb, and there are several factors that will influence the results. For example, the lower the interest rate you can obtain, the higher the home value you can afford on the same income. This is one reason why your credit score is so important. A good credit score of 760 or higher can net your an interest rate that is 1.5% lower than if you had a fair score of say 620. A 1.5% lower rate can easily translate into savings of tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a mortgage.

If you don’t know your credit score, you can get your FICO score for free from one of several credit scoring companies. Also keep in mind that some suggest higher or lower multiples. I’ve seen banks recommend ratios as low as 1.5 times salary or as high as 5 times salary. I think that for most situations, a good starting point is 2.5x your income.

The 28% Front End Ratio

When banks evaluate your home loan application, one very important calculation is known as your housing expense to income ratio. Also called the front-end ratio, banks will take your projected housing expense for the home you want to buy (principal, interest, taxes and insurance) and divide by your total monthly income. Generally, mortgage companies are looking for a ratio of 28% or less.

For example, if your income is $10,000 a month, most banks will qualify you for a loan (subject to other factors, of course) so long as your total housing expenses does not exceed $2,800 each month. While the 28% mortgage to income ratio is followed by many institutions, some will qualify a borrower with a slightly higher ratio.

The 36% Rule

Even if your housing expense to income ratio is 28% or less, you still have one more hurdle to clear—the debt to income ratio. Also referred to as the back-end ratio, it takes your total monthly minimum debt payments and divides by your gross income. Debt payments include not only your projected mortgage, but also minimum credit card payments, car loan payments, school loan payments, and any other payments on debt.

Bankers typically are looking for a back-end ratio of no more than 36%, although some will go a bit higher than this. To relate both the 28% and 36% numbers, here is a chart showing the calculations for various income levels:

$20,000	$467	$600
$30,000	$700	$900
$40,000	$933	$1,200
$50,000	$1,167	$1,500
$60,000	$1,400	$1,800
$80,000	$1,867	$2,400
$100,000	$2,333	$3,000
$150,000	$3,500	$4,500

Special HFA Rules

An FHA mortgage has special rules set by the government. For the mortgage payment expense to income ratio, the percentage cannot be greater than 29%. For the back-end ratio, the maximum to still qualify for an FHA loan is 41%. Note that although FHA loans are government sponsored, you still apply for the loans through private banks and mortgage companies. If you’d like to get see current rates, check out our mortgage rates, which are updated daily.

The Dave Ramsey Mortgage

Dave Ramsey takes a very conservative approach to home buying. If you can, he believes you should pay cash for a home. But if you do have to finance the purchase, Ramsey says you should finance your home with a 15-year mortgage and that your mortgage payments, including insurance and taxes, should be no more than 25% of your take home pay. He also believes you should not buy a home until you have a 20% down payment.

If you decided to follow Dave’s approach, simply divide the amount of down payment you have available by .20. For example, if you have $25,000 saved for a down payment, the maximum amount you could spend on a home would be $125,000 ($25,000 / .20). Using this example, you’d finance $100,000 on a 15-year mortgage. At prevailing rates, and making some assumptions about insurance and taxes, the monthly payment would be about $1,000.

Of course, you’ll also need the income to handle the mortgage payments. Here is a table of your maximum monthly payment under the Dave Ramsey approach to mortgages. I’ve assumed take-home pay is 75% of gross income:

$20,000	$1,250	$312
$30,000	$1,875	$468
$40,000	$2,500	$625
$50,000	$3,125	$781
$60,000	$3,750	$937
$80,000	$5,000	$1,250
$100,000	$6,250	$1,562
$150,000	$9,375	$2,343

If you are a first-time home buyer, following Dave’s approach is going to be very difficult. Heck, it may be difficult if you are buying your second or third home. We certainly could not have bought our first or second home under these conditions, but it’s still an approach to consider.

Next –> What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a Home

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http://springhillgrouphome.com/2013/05/reasons-you-could-ruin-securing-the-lowest-mortgage-rate/

It is up to you and it involves your necessary steps in order to make your application desirable to lenders when it comes to securing the lowest mortgage rate possible. In the case that you already know what lenders requires when they evaluate your home loan you must now do what is needed to make certain that you’ll get the home loan you desire and the home loan you are dreaming of. Be found lacking in taking these steps can be unfavorable to your probability of home ownership.

 

The following are six sure fire approaches to wreck your likelihood of securing the lowest mortgage rate:

 

Having poor credit - Bad credit is a definitely a sure destroyer when it comes to acquiring a low rate on your mortgage. In the condition that your credit rating is depleted afterward you can anticipate to be offered an extensively higher interest comparing to those who have finer or exceptional credit. In some cases, you may even be completely denied credit or have to get hold of a bad credit mortgage. Concentrating to your credit issues prior to trying to purchase a home loan can spare you the frustration of not getting the penny-pinching interest rates.

 

Having too many debts - Even though you have good credit, holding excessively many debts can as well disapprovingly impact your chances of securing an reasonably priced mortgage rate. The higher your debt-to-income ratio is, the more possible you are to be presented a sky-scraping interest rate or less advantageous loan terms. What you need to do first is pay down your debts and you will boost your probability of getting the greatest rates possible.

 

Not having enough in savings - The less money you have in savings or that you can place towards a down payment, the more you’ll need to have a loan of, basically making you more of in a fortuity. Having reserves is a good deal tool and can assist you counteract every unforeseen financial troubles.

 

Not comparing loan rates & fees - weigh against rates is a brilliant method that you can be guaranteed of getting the most excellent deal existing. Agreeing to the initial rate you are referred or deciding on a rate based only on the information given by one lender can be very unfavorable and will cost you money.

 

Not researching your broker & lender - Not every broker or lender has the loan you require or the means to find you the loan you want. Deciding the right broker and lending company is one of the most vital processes in acquiring the lowest mortgage rate possible.

 

Not asking enough questions - throughout the home buying procedure, inquiring on questions is one of your finest means in getting the responses and information that you want. Do not be terrified or be indecisive to raise any questions that you might have. If you will not going to do this, it will cost you more harm than good.

 

Related Source :http://newscenter.springhillgrouphome.com/

 

Make Yourself Creditworthy of Home Loans | Springhill Group Home LoansSpringhill Group Home Loans

"This can work in two ways, trough email, text message or social-media post, the gift-check scam is more popular during Christmas season where people are buying on this a lot. The scam goes like this; a message will appear from nowhere announcing you a winner of a popular retail gift card. You are then instructed to follow a link and when you click it you will be directed to a site that is a remarkable clone of the real thing. This site will ask for your personal information like your email, birth date and favorite color. This indicates that you're directed off the bogus site to a credit-card application, and because you filled-up this information sheet the fraudster has what he wants. You can also deceived by buying bogus card online from third parties. And if buying over the counter, make sure the PIN code on the back hasn't been scratched off, an indication that it's been hacked by someone in the store. This next bogus often comes via email. This one is called package-delivery scam. It appears to be from a legitimate company, the email gives the impression of being genuine complete with a phony tracking number and a note about the delivery error. There's an attachment with a made-up delivery label that you're told to take to the nearest delivery office to get the package. Open it, and you'll be subjecting your computer or smartphone to malware and virus attacks. These E-cards appears to be seemingly harmless thank you note or holiday greetings but you will never know until you click on it and it could be spyware or viruses that automatically download when opened or when they direct you to download to see the card. Best-deal-ever scams, if it is to good to be true more like it is a scam, it is a lie. The idea is they will attract you on deals and items then after sending them the money you will not get anything in return. They will say that items are limited and rare to find so they are selling it for higher prices on online auction site but af

Frogs and other amphibians are among the most threatened creatures in the world today - globally, at least a third, probably 40%, of amphibian species are in urgent danger of extinction, making a total of more than 2,000 species of amphibian so far documented to be officially "threatened", "endangered" or "vulnerable", classifications used by scientists to describe the level of threat. "This is higher than any other terrestrial animal," said Jaime García-Moreno, executive director of the Amphibian Survival Alliance. The plight of frogs and other amphibians is of particular concern to scientists because many think the devastation afflicting them could be a foretaste of that in waiting for other creatures. Their physiognomy makes amphibians particularly sensitive to small changes in their environment, including temperature changes such as global warming, and to water and air pollution. This sensitivity, some scientists believe, could be behind the sudden and unexpected extinction of certain species even from well-protected areas. Waldman pointed to the golden toad of Costa Rica which "disappeared from a pristine habitat".

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"http://www.fhanewsblog.com/2012/10/fha-warns-about-home-equity-mortgage-loan-scams/ The FHA official site includes a page about reverse mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. On that page, you'll find a warning from the FHA and HUD about scam artists who take advantage of some loan applicants who don't know enough about the FHA's free information on HECM loans and reverse mortgage loans. "Reverse mortgages are becoming popular in America" the FHA site says, "Reverse mortgages are a special type of home loan that lets a homeowner convert the equity in his/her home into cash. They can give older Americans greater financial security to supplement social security, meet unexpected medical expenses, make home improvements, and more. If you are interested in a reverse mortgage, beware of scam artists that charge thousands of dollars for information that is free from HUD!" The warning is good-but what kind of information are these scam artists charging so much money for? According to the FHA, simple details such as the nature of a HECM loan, who is eligible, even free advice about whether a borrower should us an estate planner to find a participating lender. On this topic, the FHA and HUD advise: "FHA does NOT recommend using any service that charges a fee for referring a borrower to an FHA-approved lender.  You can locate a FHA-approved lender by searching online at www.hud.gov or by contacting a HECM counselor for a listing. Services rendered by HECM counselors are free or at a low cost.  To locate a HECM counselor Search online or call (800) 569-4287 toll-free, for the name and location of a HUD-approved housing counseling agency near you". Very good advice for borrowers age 62 an older (the only people who qualify for FHA HECM loans) interested in applying for an FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage. Here's another fact about HECM loans you might not know-according to the FHA official site: "By law, you have three calendar da

"Springhill Group Korea : News Center - Springhill Group Home Loans - BlogSpot http://newscenter-springhillgrouphome.blogspot.com/ FHA Warns About Home Equity Mortgage Loan Scams The FHA official site includes a page about reverse mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages. On that page, you'll find a warning from the FHA and HUD about scam artists who take advantage of some loan applicants who don't know enough about the FHA's free information on HECM loans and reverse mortgage loans. "Reverse mortgages are becoming popular in America" the FHA site says, "Reverse mortgages are a special type of home loan that lets a homeowner convert the equity in his/her home into cash. They can give older Americans greater financial security to supplement social security, meet unexpected medical expenses, make home improvements, and more. If you are interested in a reverse mortgage, beware of scam artists that charge thousands of dollars for information that is free from HUD!" The warning is good-but what kind of information are these scam artists charging so much money for? According to the FHA, simple details such as the nature of a HECM loan, who is eligible, even free advice about whether a borrower should us an estate planner to find a participating lender. On this topic, the FHA and HUD advise: "FHA does NOT recommend using any service that charges a fee for referring a borrower to an FHA-approved lender. You can locate a FHA-approved lender by searching online at www.hud.gov or by contacting a HECM counselor for a listing. Services rendered by HECM counselors are free or at a low cost. To locate a HECM counselor Search online or call (800) 569-4287 toll-free, for the name and location of a HUD-approved housing counseling agency near you". Very good advice for borrowers age 62 an older (the only people who qualify for FHA HECM loans) interested in applying for an FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage. Here's another fact about HECM loans you might n

"Springhill Group Home is a housing finance company with the principal goal of achieving a social requirement of motivating home ownership by offering long-term finance to households. Springhill Group Home has turned the idea of housing finance in Springhill into a world-class business venture with outstanding reputation for dependability, honesty and outstanding services. Springhill Group Home has a wide network of contacts from different loan companies within United States and Asia catering to towns & cities spread across the country providing housing loans and property advisory services. For inquiries, email us at info@springhillgrouphome.com "

"For the twelfth successive year, identity theft topped the consumer complaint database of the Federal Trade Commission with the largest number of complaints, perhaps owing to the rampant use (and misuse) of online services such as social networking and e-commerce websites.   From the 1.8 million complaints the FTC got in 2011, almost 300,000 are about identity theft. The information of FTC has included complaints filed to them or from other states and federal consumer protection groups.   Most of the complaints of identity theft are coming from consumers saying that their personal details are used in government documents without their knowledge, with scammers aiming to collect benefits. Last year, government-related identity theft was 27% of the total complaints in that category, increasing by 11% since 2009. Accounting for the 14% of identity theft complaints is credit card fraud, with the rest consisting of complaints of bank, utilities and phone fraud.   More than half of all the complaints last year were related to fraud and taxpayers reportedly paid a total of over USD 1.5 billion in fraudulent schemes, with the average amount paid being USD 537. Moreover, 43% of the victims acknowledged that scammers reached them through email messages.   The top three states that have the most per capita rate of fraud reported are Colorado, Delaware and Maryland as first, second and third, respectively.   Generally, FTC discovered that people are either more willing to file complaints or they simply have more complaints now. The total amount of complaints they have received has increased by over 20% - from 1.5 million to 1.8 million in 2011 - that includes both identity theft and fraud complaints.   The following is the complete list of FTC's top 10 consumer complaints for the year 2011:   1. Identity theft 2. Debt collection 3. Lotteries, sweepstakes, prizes 4. Catalog sales, shop-at-home, 5. Lenders and Banks 6. Internet services 7. Auto-re

"South Korean Police said yesterday they have Busted ares fifteen-Member Group that faked the Adoption of Children to pull off ares Real-Estate Scam. The ring earned about four hundred eighty million Won ($ four hundred and seventy-nine thousand five hundred twenty) abusing are housing Law that Gives preference to are private Home Buyer Children are healthy and child or with an. The ringleader while WAS 14 Others Arrested, Including Real Estate Brokers and loan shark are, Were charged but not detained, said spokesman for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency are. Government Regulations FIX anti-speculation the price of some Apartments built privately and Reserve ares are seen as what percentage of homes for deserving applicants. Officials are trying to Overcome Traditional reluctance in South Korea are, which places stress on Great Family Bloodlines, to Adopt Children. Police said the loan shark visited ares Street vendor last July and received 10 million won. Return to rights he waived in HIS HIS Daughters are let and Street Cleaner "Adopt" them. The Street Cleaner used to the Adoption Document to Secure rights are Buy Luxury Condominium but are resold the rights to high School Teacher. Using fake Adoption Documents, the Obtained the right ring to Buy Apartments in Seoul and nearby Cities twenty-one. Police also charged 20 biological and nineteen "adoptive parents" for accepting up to 10 million Won in Each Case. AFP"

South Korean Police said yesterday they have Busted ares fifteen-Member Group that faked the Adoption of Children to pull off ares Real-Estate Scam. The ring earned about four hundred eighty million Won ($ four hundred and seventy-nine thousand five hundred twenty) abusing are housing Law that Gives preference to are private Home Buyer Children are healthy and child or with an. The ringleader while WAS 14 Others Arrested, Including Real Estate Brokers and loan shark are, Were charged but not detained, said spokesman for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency are. Government Regulations FIX anti-speculation the price of some Apartments built privately and Reserve ares are seen as what percentage of homes for deserving applicants. Officials are trying to Overcome Traditional reluctance in South Korea are, which places stress on Great Family Bloodlines, to Adopt Children. Police said the loan shark visited ares Street vendor last July and received 10 million won. Return to rights he waived in HIS HIS Daughters are let and Street Cleaner "Adopt" them. The Street Cleaner used to the Adoption Document to Secure rights are Buy Luxury Condominium but are resold the rights to high School Teacher. Using fake Adoption Documents, the Obtained the right ring to Buy Apartments in Seoul and nearby Cities twenty-one. Police also charged 20 biological and nineteen "adoptive parents" for accepting up to 10 million Won in Each Case. AFP

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SEOUL: Seoul shares rebounded on Thursday from losses the previous session, tracking an overnight Wall Street rally as solid U.S. corporate earnings lifted the S&P 500 index to a two-and-a-half month high. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index ( KOSPI) was up 1.66 percent at 1,824.63 points as of 0240 GMT. Dampening the rebound, though, were sharp falls for shares of Korean banks being probed by authorities investigating how a key interest rate has been set. The overall market got a boost after the S&P 500 hit its highest level since early May, helped by quarterly numbers from bellwethers such as Intel Corp and Honeywell and better-than-expected U.S. housing starts. Seoul's broad market rally lifted 17 of the 19 industry group sub-indices tracked by the main bourse operator Korea Exchange. But analysts remained cautious on whether the rally can be sustained as concerns about growth persist. "There is a dearth of fundamental cues to make any solid bets on," said Lee Woo-jin, an analyst at Woori Investment & Securities. Investors looking for fresh signs of further easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve were left wanting, after Chairman Ben Bernanke repeated the central bank's pledge to act if the economy needed it, but remained tight-lipped over any specific measures. Index-giant Samsung Electronics soared 3.6 percent while SK Hynix rose 1.2 percent. Shares in South Korea's top four banks bucked broader market trend to post steep falls on Thursday after being investigated by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the local anti-trust agency, as part of a widening probe into suspected collusion in fixing certificate of deposit rates. Hana Financial slumped 3.5 percent while Woori Finance Holdings tumbled 4.1 percent. Shinhan Financial and KB Financial each declined more than 2.5 percent.

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to ease mortgage lending limits and take other measures in a bid to tackle the housing market slump and spur domestic demand, the presidential office said Sunday. The plan, which came after a government-private meeting, calls for relaxing the so-called debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which serves as a major tool to control housing loans by tying the maximum amount of money that home buyers can borrow to their income levels. The current ceiling is 40-60 percent in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, the nation's most populous region. "We will maintain the basic principle of DTI and plan to complement irrational parts (of the system) for those who actually want to buy houses," Kim Dae-ki, the chief presidential economic advisor, said at a briefing, without elaborating. The growing number of people who can't afford to make payments on their home loans emerged as a major concern as policymakers brace for an economic slowdown in the wake of the eurozone debt crisis. During the meeting, which lasted nearly 10 hours through midnight, officials and industry experts agreed to a set of measures aimed at spurring foreign investment and tax support for small and medium companies as well as eased regulations on building new hotels and resorts, participants said. As a way to spur domestic demand, the government officials and businessmen agreed to encourage employees to use up their vacations during the summer, they said. Kim said the finance ministry will hold a meeting on Monday with related agencies to prepare follow-up measures aimed at boosting domestic demand in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The stimulus plan comes as South Korea's economy has been losing steam in the face of the eurozone debt crisis and a global economic slump that have made a dent in exports, the main driver of its growth. In the second quarter, Asia's fourth-largest economy is estimated to have grown a

ATLANTA - Cases of residential mortgage fraud reported by institutions in the home financing industry fell last year for the second year in a row, according to a new study. The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Mortgage Fraud Report released Wednesday tracks verified instances of home loan fraud or misrepresentation by mortgage industry professionals, as reported by banks and other financial institutions. The fraud could include a borrower falsifying information on loan documents but only if the borrower was conspiring with a mortgage industry professional. The study found that mortgage fraud reports declined 35 percent between 2010 and 2011. One factor in the decline is that mortgage loan originations sank to their lowest levels since 2001 last year, reflecting a sharp drop in sales of new and previously occupied homes. Another is that fewer mortgage fraud schemes are taking place at the point where a buyer tries to get a home loan. Mortgage fraud involving the buying or selling of homes in some stage of foreclosure is becoming more common, according to the FBI. Mortgage fraud investigations by the FBI resulted in 1,082 convictions in fiscal 2011, the agency has said. Loan application and home appraisal fraud and misrepresentation made up the largest category of fraud type being investigated by lenders last year, according to the LexisNexis study. Among the trends identified in the report: Instances where buyers and sellers potentially colluded in a home sale or purchase transaction are running at an elevated pace. One red flag of collusion in a real estate transaction is when there is an undisclosed relationship between buyer and seller, or agent, which could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. Unless disclosed, real estate transactions are expected to be arm's-length, or with buyer and seller having no relationship to each other. In 2011, lenders reported that transactions where such a relationship was not disclosed d

Scope Note The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the breadth and depth of mortgage fraud crimes perpetrated against the United States and its citizens during 2009. This report updates the 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report and addresses current mortgage fraud projections, issues, and the identification of mortgage fraud "hot spots." The objective of this study is to provide FBI program managers with relevant data to better understand the threat, identify trends, allocate resources, and prioritize investigations. The report was requested by the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division (CID), and prepared by the Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU), Directorate of Intelligence (DI). This report is based on FBI, state and local law enforcement, mortgage industry, and open-source reporting. Information was also provided by other government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Industry reporting was obtained from the LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI), RealtyTrac, Inc., Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and Interthinx®. Some industry reporting was acquired through open sources. While the FBI has high confidence in all of these sources, some inconsistencies relative to the cataloging of statistics by some organizations are noted. For example, suspicious activity reports (SARs) are cataloged according to the year in which they are submitted and the information contained within them may describe activity that occurred in previous months or years. The geographic specificity of industry reporting varies as some companies report at the zip code level, and others by city, region, or state. Many of the statistics provided by the external sources, including FinCEN, FHA, and HU

ATLANTA - Cases of residential mortgage fraud reported by institutions in the home financing industry fell last year for the second year in a row, according to a new study. The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Mortgage Fraud Report released Wednesday tracks verified instances of home loan fraud or misrepresentation by mortgage industry professionals, as reported by banks and other financial institutions. The fraud could include a borrower falsifying information on loan documents but only if the borrower was conspiring with a mortgage industry professional. The study found that mortgage fraud reports declined 35 percent between 2010 and 2011. One factor in the decline is that mortgage loan originations sank to their lowest levels since 2001 last year, reflecting a sharp drop in sales of new and previously occupied homes. Another is that fewer mortgage fraud schemes are taking place at the point where a buyer tries to get a home loan. Mortgage fraud involving the buying or selling of homes in some stage of foreclosure is becoming more common, according to the FBI. Mortgage fraud investigations by the FBI resulted in 1,082 convictions in fiscal 2011, the agency has said. Loan application and home appraisal fraud and misrepresentation made up the largest category of fraud type being investigated by lenders last year, according to the LexisNexis study. Among the trends identified in the report: Instances where buyers and sellers potentially colluded in a home sale or purchase transaction are running at an elevated pace. One red flag of collusion in a real estate transaction is when there is an undisclosed relationship between buyer and seller, or agent, which could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. Unless disclosed, real estate transactions are expected to be arm's-length, or with buyer and seller having no relationship to each other. In 2011, lenders reported that transactions where such a relationship was not disclosed declined to