Turned Down for a Refinance? Dont Take No for an Answer

If your application for a mortgage refinance was rejected by a lender, you dont have to take no for an answer. Find out why your application was turned down, then fix the trouble spots so youll have a better chance to qualify.

The five things that most often stop a refinance from going through:

• Your home is worth less than your current mortgage (also known as being underwater).

• Your credit score is too low.

• You cant document your income.

• The lender thinks youre not making enough money to cover your bills.

• Your home is listed for sale.

You can overcome some of those five issues fairly quickly, but others will take time.

Your owe more on your mortgage than your home is worth

You have three options:

1. Tell the lender youll bring cash to the closing table to create a downpayment on the new loan. For example, if your home is worth 100,000 and you owe 110,000 on your existing mortgage, bring the 10,000 difference between what you owe and what your house is worth. Plus, youll need to bring the minimum downpayment that the lender requires.

If youre seeking an FHA loan, add another 3.5%, or 3,500 in this example, to meet FHAs minimum 3.5% downpayment requirement, suggests finance columnistJack Guttentag, a professor at the Wharton School. Some loan programs require a 5% minimum downpayment, including FHA loans for more than 625,500.

Although the cash you bring to closing will help build equity, treat it as an expense when you calculate your refinancing costs, and when figuring if refinancing saves you money.

2. Double check the accuracy of the appraisal, and share anything concrete with your lender that the appraiser doesnt know. Check to make sure the information in the appraisal is correct, such as square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Note amenities, such as a deck, an extra-large lot, andgreen improvements, and make sure theyre properly valued.

Guttentag cites the case of a home owner who knew an identical house across the street that sold for a low price because the home owners sold to a family member. The borrower got documentation of why the price was low, the lender ordered a new appraisal, and the refinance went through.

3. See if you qualify for the federal programMaking Home Affordable, which helps home owners in your situation, or a program run by your mortgage lender.

Your credit score is too low

These days, the minimumcredit scoreyoull need to get a mortgage is higher than what was required just a few years ago. Its possible that even if your credit score hasnt fallen, its now too low for you to refinance the loan you already have.

In general, the lowest acceptable credit score is 620, but many lenders will demand 660 or higher. To get the best rates, you need a 740 or higher, says Keith Gumbinger ofHSH.com, one of the nations largest publishers of mortgage loan information.

To overcome a low credit score:

• Improve your credit scoreby paying down credit card debt and paying all bills before theyre due. Avoidcredit-repair scams.

• Get an FHA loan. They cost more up front and over the life of the loan, but FHA takes borrowers with weaker credit.

You cant document your income

Today, lenders make you prove every dime of income you use to qualify for your refinance. To ensure consideration, report all your income to the IRS on your tax returns. You need a two-year income history to refinance.

If you cant prove your income, apply for a loan from the Bank of Mom and Dad. Cash-rich relatives might welcome the chance to earn 4% by giving you a mortgage.

Your lender says youre not making enough money

Lenders look at your monthly expenses and compare that with your monthly income to come up with debt-to-income ratios. Improve yours by either lowering your debt or increasing your income. Strategies include:

• Borrowing money from family members to pay down your debts.

• Borrowing against your 401(k), if the advantages outweigh the risks for you. The cons are many, including the fact that youll pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty if youre younger than 59 1/2. But its often a lower cost of borrowing. So do your homework.

• Going with an FHA loan. FHA allows borrowers to qualify using the income of family members willing to co-sign your mortgage. The family member doesnt have to own your house, but the person does have to meet the same underwriting requirements as the main borrower (thats you) does.

Your home is listed for sale

Because it can take months to sell your home in some areas, its possible youll want to pursue a refinance while your home is on the market. But lenders wont grant a refinance mortgage while your home is listed for sale. Some lenders will give you a mortgage refinance the day after you take your house off the market, others make you wait 60 days. When you and your REALTOR® discuss taking your house off the market, ask her for a referral to a lender that wont make you wait 60 days.

If these tactics all fail, try waiting until the latest refinance boom ends and lenders arent so busy. When lenders are scrapping for business, theyre more likely to work with you or take you though manual underwriting, Guttentag says.

Dona DeZube has been writing about real estate for more than two decades. She lives in a suburban Baltimore Midcentury modest home on a 3-acre lot shared with possums, raccoons, foxes, a herd of deer, and her blue-tick hound.