Author: America Mortgages
Q&A: How This Couple Used U.S. Real Estate to Retire Early!
During our recent live webinar, “How This Couple Used U.S. Real Estate to Retire Early!,” hosted by America Mortgages’ Co-Founder Donald Klip (DK), our special guests, Han Teo & Tracy Pah (HT & TP), shared their incredible journey from U.S. real estate beginners to owners of multiple cash-flowing rental properties in the U.S. In just four years, they achieved financial freedom, and during this session, they provided valuable insights into how they navigated the U.S. real estate market.
For those who missed the opportunity to join the webinar, it is available here.
Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
1. Is it risky to invest in properties located far away?
HT & TP: Yes, it can be challenging, but it’s manageable if you educate yourself, learn from people who have done it before, and build a reliable team, such as property managers, contractors, realtors and lenders. Proper due diligence and research help mitigate the risks of remote investing, such as choosing the right market with strong rent demand.
2. How did you overcome operational challenges while managing remotely?
HT: Overcoming remote operational challenges involves building a strong team of local professionals (e.g. property managers, and contractors). You can establish trust through regular communication, such as video calls, and set clear operational guidelines through property management agreements.
3. How much capital is required to start investing?
HT & TP: In some markets, cash-flowing rental properties can be priced around $150,000 to $200,000. A down payment of 25% means you would need around $50,000 to start, depending on the property price.
4. Do you have any properties financed by America Mortgages?
HT & TP: Certainly, multiple of them! Having worked with multiple lenders before, America Mortgages has been the only lender who is well-versed in handling out-of-country loans, ensuring a timely, stress-free and smooth closing.
5. What is the minimum loan amount, and are there any restrictions on the type of housing?
DK: The minimum loan for some programs is around $100,000. The type of housing typically depends on the local market, but investing in homes priced between $150,000 and $200,000 is common.
6. How do you identify suitable properties for investment?
HT & TP: Identifying properties involves first choosing the right markets based on factors such as job growth and demand for rentals that correspond to your investment objectives. You should also consider factors that attract renters, such as proximity to amenities. After selecting the right market, you do your due diligence to ensure that rents can cover all the monthly expenses.
7. How do you manage to supervise renovations from overseas?
HT & TP: Managing renovations remotely requires clear understanding of your scope of work, stringent vetting of your contractors, managing payment milestones with contractors, and having someone trusted to oversee the work. Regular communication and photo updates are crucial.
8. How do you protect your cash flow from extended periods of vacancy that aren’t covered by property insurance?
HT: Mitigate vacancy risks by choosing markets with job and population growth, this ensures high rental demand. It is also important to keep your properties well-maintained and ensure your property is appealing to renters. Your property manager is vital in reducing vacancies as they are your first-line responders to prospective tenants.
9. What are your most popular loan programs?
DK: The most popular loan programs include rental coverage loans, which require rent to cover mortgage expenses, and bridging loans, which allow investors to access equity from their properties.
10. What are the tax obligations for foreign investors?
DK: Foreign investors have the same tax obligations as U.S. citizens, paying taxes on rental income according to state regulations. Setting up an LLC can provide tax advantages and reduce liabilities.
11. How do you overcome the psychological challenges of remote investing, especially in a country far from Singapore?
DK & HT: Remote investing can be psychologically challenging, but it’s about mindset. The key is building a trustworthy team, knowing your market, and understanding that remote investing offers freedom while managing risk.
12. Is foreign investment approval required from the U.S. government as part of a home loan application?
DK & TP: No, foreign investors do not need U.S. government approval to purchase homes or apply for loans. Setting up a US LLC can be beneficial for liability protection.
13. Did you need to establish an LLC or any other U.S. entity for liability protection?
DK & TP: While not mandatory, it is highly recommended that an LLC be established for liability protection and tax benefits. An LLC can help shield personal assets and simplify tax deductions.
14. How do you mitigate the risk of being over-leveraged if housing prices decline, potentially leading to default or foreclosure?
DK & HT: The key is ensuring your rental income covers the mortgage payments and maintaining reserves for vacancies. Even in a recession, demand for affordable rentals remains strong, since shelter is a basic necessity. In the US, there is no margin call, meaning that if your home value drops below what you borrowed from the bank, as long as you keep up with your mortgage payments, there is no need to top up the difference to the bank. This makes it one of the safest investment vehicles compared to any other equally leveraged products.
15. In how many cities are your properties located? How do you avoid contractors overcharging during renovations, and how do you find a reliable property manager?
HT & TP: We are only focused on 2 cities in the Midwest. We prefer to nurture strong teams and strong relationships in each city to support our remote rental business instead of buying across multiple cities and spreading our attention thinly in each city. This also creates scales of economies. Doing thorough due diligence, getting guidance from a mentor, and getting multiple quotations for your renovation scope of work and estimated costs are essential to avoid being overcharged. As for finding a reliable property manager, there are several aspects to look out for, which are covered in detail in our Masterclass, such as what questions to ask to interview them, what are the red flags, what their management agreement should include, etc.
16. How do you handle hot markets and multiple offer situations?
HT & TP: With experience, we have devised strategies to put up compelling offers at the right price. With our network, we also have access to off-market deals. The strategy is going to be different for every unique situation. Still, it has allowed us and our graduates to buy great cash-flowing rentals today, meeting the 1% Rule (i.e. Monthly Rent ≥ 1% of the Property Value) even in super hot markets.
17. How long did you spend on due diligence before committing to your first property? Did you visit the site often before making your decision?
HT & TP: The process took about three years, and we only visited the city once to validate our research and network before we started to buy properties. With so much available data and a strong network on the ground, there is no need to be physically there.
18. What rental yields are you achieving post-renovation compared to your cost of debt?
DK: Rental yields are generally higher than mortgage costs, especially with the benefit of rising property values and decreasing mortgage rates, leading to expanding profit margins over time.
How Can German Citizens Get Mortgages in the USA?
If you’re a German citizen planning on owning real estate in the U.S., you’re in luck! The great news is that the U.S. welcomes non-citizens to purchase property without restrictions. But what are the rules, and how can a German citizen get a mortgage in the U.S.?
In this guide, we will share all the details, from understanding mortgage financing differences between Germany and the U.S. to gathering the necessary documentation.
Can German Citizens buy real estate in the U.S.?
Yes, German citizens can obtain a mortgage to buy real estate in the U.S. as the U.S. does not restrict non-citizens from owning property here.
Buying a property as a German citizen in the U.S. is rather simple; all you need to do is meet a set of criteria. Read along to find the differences in mortgage financing in Germany and the U.S.
What are the differences between getting a mortgage in Germany versus the U.S.?
Here are all the differences between getting a mortgage in Germany and the U.S.
What are the differences between getting a mortgage in Germany versus the U.S.?
Here are all the differences when it comes to getting a mortgage in Germany vs the U.S.
Aspect | United States | Germany |
Homeownership Rate | ~65% | < 50% |
Government Involvement | Extensive involvement (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA) | Limited involvement, with a focus on private rental market |
Mortgage Interest Deduction | Mortgage interest is tax-deductible | No mortgage interest tax deduction |
Capital Gains on Home Sale | Excluded from taxes (up to a certain limit) | No capital gains exclusion |
Government Mortgage Guarantees | Public guarantees (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) | No public guarantees, rely on private schemes. |
Fixed-Rate Mortgages | Common (30-year fixed rates) | Typically fixed for 5-10 years |
Down Payment | Lower, often 3%-20% | Higher, typically 20%-30% |
Central Bank Support | Significant (Federal Reserve purchases of mortgage-backed securities) | Limited ECB support, smaller-scale bond purchases |
Tax Subsidies | Significant tax subsidies for homeowners | Minimal tax subsidies for homeowners |
Mortgage Refinancing | Easy refinancing allows tapping into home equity | Strict rules, refinancing is more complex |
Market for Home Equity | Well-developed, large-scale home equity loans | Minimal market for home equity loans |
Housing Sector Contribution to GDP | ~16% | ~19%, but less central to overall economic growth |
Documents Required for German Citizens to Purchase Property in the U.S.
The documents required to purchase a property in the U.S. as a German citizen differ depending on the type of property and the mortgage you intend to obtain.
This is a list of commonly required documents to obtain a mortgage in U.S. as a German citizen:
- A valid German passport.
- Bank statements: in some cases, you may be asked for some documents from your bank back in Germany.
- Proof of funds to cover the mortgage for a specific period.
- Pay stubs to verify income if the property is for self use (not a rental).
- Tax return documents if the property is for self use (not a rental).
- If the property is strictly for investment/rental then NO personal income proof is required, as the loan is qualified from the rental income generated from the property.
It’s worth noting that German citizens can obtain a U.S. mortgage even if they don’t have a U.S. credit history.
Mortgage options for Germans buying property in the U.S.
Foreign National Mortgage
Foreign National Mortgage is a tailored solution for foreign nationals. Making it a great option for German citizens who don’t have a U.S. credit history.
DSCR Loan (For Investment Properties)
Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) loans are specialized mortgage solutions for those foreign nationals who want to buy property in the U.S. for investment purposes only. While having a U.S. credit history is great, America Mortgages does not require you to have any U.S. credit history.
America Mortgages helps foreign nationals obtain U.S. mortgages. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.americamortgages.com.
Additionally, if you’d like to schedule a commitment-free meeting with one of our U.S. loan officers to explore your U.S. mortgage options further, you can do so using our 24/7 calendar link.
U.S. Mortgage Update: Big Rate Drop Transcript
U.S. Mortgage Update: Big Rate Drop Transcript
00:02
Robert Chadwick
Robert, it says you’ve started sharing your screen, but we’re not able to see the slides. Okay.
00:19
Donald Klip
Can you say this one?
00:20
Robert Chadwick
Yeah. Two minutes to go, guys. Eight attendees.
00:24
Speaker 3
Wow.
00:25
Donald Klip
It. Hey, Donald, just so we’re clear, I’ll just say thanks for joining us or whatever, and then you can talk. And then just kind of start talking about the slides, and we can.
01:31
Speaker 3
Yeah, and then I’ll ease, I’ll transition to you.
01:35
Donald Klip
Okay.
01:36
Speaker 3
But I’m introducing everybody initially. Right? Right at the beginning.
01:43
Donald Klip
Okay, sure. You can do that.
01:46
Robert Chadwick
I’ll let you know when to go. So, make sure to turn on your camera. I’ll just drop a message on a WhatsApp group chat. So then just turn on your camera.
01:55
Donald Klip
And turn on your camera. I’ll stop sharing, we’ll talk a little bit, and then I’ll turn the slides back on.
02:02
Robert Chadwick
Okay, I’m going to broadcast at six sharp.
02:07
Donald Klip
But we’re not going to start though.
02:08
Robert Chadwick
Broadcasting. Yeah.
02:12
Donald Klip
All right, go on, mute.
03:24
Speaker 3
It. It.
04:31
Donald Klip
Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining us. For another one of our webinars. This is quite a unique webinar. We have not had a founder’s chat for a long time. So, I’m happy to have my co-founder of global Mortgage Group and American Mortgages, Donald Clipp on with me to discuss not only the recent rate drop, but some really amazing enhancements for our business, which certainly adds or certainly adds value to you as clients and to our loan officer team and so forth. So, Donald, thanks for joining. It’s been a while. I’m glad you’re able to make the time for this.
05:22
Speaker 3
Come on. I’m super excited. We haven’t done one of these in a while. I’m really excited to engage our audience and our community, and I really appreciate everybody tuning in. 06:00 p.m. Asia. Time to listen to this presentation. There’s a lot of information you read in the news. Interest rates have been coming down. There’s a lot of reasons on why that is, but the bottom line is they have come down. So, to the extent that you are looking to potentially buy real estate or invest in us real estate, you want to get an update on the key factor in that decision, which is the cost of funding. So, looking forward to kind of discussing that as we speak. So, let’s get started.
06:09
Donald Klip
Yeah, so how this webinar will go is we will talk about the recent, big updates that we have for America mortgages, and then we will discuss the recent rate drop and why and sort of our outlook on what’s going to happen with the US real estate market. And then we’ll do our normal going over the loan programs, and then we’ll have a question-and-answer session. So, during the process, if you do have any questions, please put them into the chat and we will answer it towards the end. One thing as well, if you want to use our new platform, which we will discuss shortly, you can apply for a loan directly through the chat, or you can arrange a time to speak with one of our loan officers.
07:06
Donald Klip
Our loan officers are based all around the world, and it is literally a 24/7 schedule. So, with that, Donald, let’s start. I shall, yeah, let’s do it. Can you say that? Okay.
07:24
Speaker 3
Yep.
07:25
Donald Klip
All right. Okay. So, US mortgage loans for international clients, that’s what we do with America mortgages and global mortgage group, as everybody is probably aware, our big updates. So, for, so for the loans in general, we have seen a decrease of at least 1% across the board. So, Donald, I know were talking about this earlier today in the office. Now, if you look at where were pricing foreign nationals, for example, just two weeks ago, they were around eight and a half percent. And I think today we price something out in the very high six s, which is absolutely amazing. Okay. One of the other updates we have is that we used to have, when we first started, a minimum loan amount of 150,000, I’m sure you remember, and that has been a consistent request for our clients.
08:51
Donald Klip
So we’ve recently been able to reduce our minimum loan amount to $75,000, which is huge for a lot of our investors that own a lot of smaller properties. So now, with up to 75% financing and a reduced loan amount of $75,000, Donald, I think we’ve really made it so that almost anybody can be a real estate investor. I don’t know if you have anything you want to add on that.
09:27
Speaker 3
No, the lower loan amount has really opened up opportunities in some states where the cost of the homes is much cheaper. And that makes it very attractive for a real estate investor. If you’re investing your disposable income, obviously, you could buy some stocks, you could buy some crypto. But if you wanted to buy a home, for example, in Manhattan or Los Angeles, it’s hard to come up with a million dollars for a 50% loan-to-value on a $2 million home. However, there’s a lot of growth opportunities in the Midwest, for example, in Ohio and Michigan, and those loan amounts are smaller. So, this lower loan amount allows an entry point for a bigger and wider audience who want to take part in this amazing investment opportunity, which is us residential real estate.
10:22
Donald Klip
Excellent. Well stated. So, I’m sure a lot of people are aware of our interest only program. I think this is one of the key features that we have as a company that is super attractive when it comes to investing in us real estate. And just to cover it a little bit, our interest only program is a fixed rate for ten years. Now, that ten-year fixed loan, you’re only servicing the interest for that ten-year period. After the ten years, that loan will not reset. It’ll stay at that same rate. But now you’re paying principal and interest, so you’re looking at a total 40-year tenure. And I think what makes it super attractive, especially as rates come down, you’re really going to be able to take advantage of the yield of a property.
11:21
Donald Klip
And you assume after the ten-year period, when that rate converts into a principal and interest, 30 year fixed, your rental rates are going to be significantly higher. Wouldn’t you agree, Donald?
11:35
Speaker 3
Yes. The purpose of real estate investing, or investing in general, is to maximize your cash flow. And so, if you can have ten years where you’re not paying principal and just paying the interest, it means for those ten years, you are maximizing your cash flow opportunity, that is rental income for those ten years. Now, obviously, in ten years, the property price is going to go up and it allows you more financing options down the road. But if you’re strictly looking at earning as much rental income as you can over a period of time, this is the best option.
12:11
Donald Klip
And I think one thing that also makes it very unique, too specific to the US, is there’s no age restrictions. So, whether you’re 19 or 99 in the US, they feel you should all have the same opportunity when it comes to housing, which is considered also for the mortgages. So, no age restrictions, as in most countries, you know, it’s going to be either limited to a specific age or to a working age. So, it really makes it fantastic. All right, the next big update. And this is something, again, much like the reduced loan amount we’ve been getting requests on a regular basis. And that is if you buy a property, you renovate it and you improve the value significantly. We used to have to wait six to twelve months before we would use the new appraised value.
13:09
Donald Klip
We’re really excited to announce that we reduce this to only three months. So, I think, Donald, you have a very good example of this for clients out of Singapore, so maybe you can give a little explanation on that.
13:25
Speaker 3
Yeah, I think for those of you out there, these sophisticated investors, which is our audience listening right now, you will likely have stumbled across an investing technique called the BrRr method, which is buy, renovate. Let me get this right. It’s bought, renovate, refinance, rent out, and repeat. And what that means is you buy a home that’s undervalued. Let’s just, for example, in the neighborhood, it’s 250,000. You see a home that’s worth 150,000, you go to Home Depot, you engage a contractor, you spend ten, $20,000, and once you’re done, it actually is worth $300,000. Now, historically or previously, up until now, you would have to wait six months before you’re allowed to refinance. But now, as soon as it’s done, we engage in appraiser, and that comes out at 300. You can refinance 70%, 75%, even 80% as an expat of the new value.
14:24
Speaker 3
So you pull out the equity of the increased value, and that can be done ASAP. So, the time in which you can execute these type of strategies has now been reduced to zero previously six months, and anything can happen in six months, and that ties up your capital for six months as well, as opposed to using it to make more money.
14:47
Donald Klip
We still have a minimum time that needs to be waited, which is three months, But we’ve reduced the time by half. So, it’s absolutely fantastic. Everybody is probably already aware that we have common sense underwriting when we do our loans. I mean, you know, specifically what that means is instead of asking you for your tax returns and your pay stubs and your end of year statement, or w two, or whatever it may be called, we are only qualifying the rental properties off of the rental income. I mean, if you think about it just makes sense. Sense. This is something we’ve been doing for a while, but not everyone is aware of it. So, we talked about this the other day on our group loan officer call, Donald, and I think you brought something up about what’s needed to qualify for this.
15:49
Donald Klip
Is it a one to one or what specifically are we looking at?
15:54
Speaker 3
Yeah, you know, I think, you know, the audience, once they contact us to learn more, they’re going to be really surprised and impressed on how easy that we’ve made this foreign nationals looking to buy property for investment income. So, the way this works is, you know, we, you know, like any purchase or refinance, we will have to, you know, you will have to. There will be an appraisal that will be conducted along with a rental comparison. And what that means is if the rental comparison comes in at, let’s just, for example, say, 2000, and your mortgage and mortgage related expenses comes out at 2000 or 1999, you qualify. It’s not based on, like Robert said earlier, your pay stubs, your human resources need to write you a reference letter. All these things that typical bank loans require; we don’t need them.
16:55
Speaker 3
And it makes it easier for our clients, which are all outside the US, because sometimes there’s different, there’s time zone issues, there’s language issues. And so, we’ve made these. We specifically created these to make it easy for our international clients to qualify when they buy property in the US.
17:15
Donald Klip
Yeah, it’s actually a fantastic loan program because besides the reduced loan amount of $75,000 and not having to have us credit, being able to qualify just strictly on the rental income really makes it to where almost anybody can be a real estate investor. Build your portfolio, and for the future have passive income. The biggest update that we have, and something that Donald and I and our entire team has been working tirelessly for more than a year, is the launch of Morty AM. Morty AM is our mortgage application platform. Now, what this does is it allows you to get a pre-approval and often less than 24 hours. This is an online application, but it is also available within two weeks on the Apple and the. What’s the other one?
18:24
Speaker 3
Android.
18:28
Donald Klip
It’ll be easily downloaded, and you will have access to this anytime you want to buy a loan. You get a pre-approval, you get it into the system. You’re talking to a realtor, maybe they’re somewhere in some country and you can zap them that pre approval letter. So, it’s a really slick program. The application itself, it’s really simplified. I don’t know if, Donald, you want touch on anything about, especially how we really worked. Very difficult to, I mean, in a very diligent way, to make this application applicable to our foreign clients.
19:08
Speaker 3
Yeah, everything we do for our clients. We created this to fix a problem. We’re a small company trying to fix a big problem, which is trying to get access to us mortgages while living overseas. So, we hear our clients, we hear the feedback. And what we’ve heard is that the world is ready for a digital solution. The world is ready to, you know, for certain aspects of a mortgage. They’re ready not to speak to somebody, obviously, you know, the initial call and the follow ups and, you know, the urgent questions, you know, we’re here for you, but a lot of the manual, things such as, you know, you know, uploading financial statements, things that, you know, that can be on autopilot through this software, just makes the clients lives a lot easier.
20:03
Speaker 3
And you could do it at your own time, as opposed to sometimes you get an email from a loan officer and forget, and you go to work and you kind of miss a day here and there. Here it’s all online. It’s, you know, you, you know, it obviously sends you reminders, but it allows you to. It allows the process to be a lot faster than normally it would be when you’re dealing with a financial institution back in the US.
20:32
Donald Klip
Yeah, I mean, I think with this launch of this program, we’ve made our services even more valuable than most of the big banks. So, it’s really fantastic. And if anybody wants to download the application or actually right now, it’s more of a link to the web portion of it. You can scan the QR code that is on this page here. So, we will go to the next page. Okay. More big updates. As everybody is aware, because all of our clients are living and working abroad, we understand that they don’t always have the ability to search for services or providers which you may have ready access to if you were living in the US. So, we’ve made it very simple.
21:33
Donald Klip
We have on our website in the middle section, our concierge section, and on that you can do everything from setting up an LLC for your company to own the property, to streamline your insurance with prime insurance coverage, to even getting the best rates on FX exchange when you need to move your money per se, of a down payment, to being able to provide proper and adequate property management solutions through a company similar to us that only focus on foreign nationals. So, another big update, and again, this comes from a lot of requests for our clients. We get clients all the time that get pre-approved for a loan. But once they get pre-approved for a loan, they don’t know where to find a property, or they’re not really sure where to find a property.
22:34
Donald Klip
So Donald has actually been the driver on the real estate portal. So, Donald, why don’t you tell us what we’re looking at and what our clients should be expecting?
22:47
Speaker 3
Yeah, so I don’t want to spill. I don’t want to, what do you call it? Unveil sort of the surprise. But I need to plug a report that we will be publishing very soon, which is, this ties into what you just said, which is we analyze the price per square foot for every major city in the US and every major global city. And we also analyze the rental yield in every major global city and the top 100 cities in the US based on population. And the reason why I say that is because once on your real estate journey, everybody has different criteria on where they’re looking for. Is it close to my relative? Am I going for pure, the highest return? Or it needs to be near an international airport or needs to. We all have different criteria, but finding the properties is difficult.
23:36
Speaker 3
So that report is going to help you narrow down your search. It’s never been done before. We’re the first ones in the world that will be able to do this. So, keep your eyes out for that. And that leads into this portion, which is when our clients use us to get a pre-approval. First of all, you need a pre-approval to buy a property because sellers won’t sell you the property unless they feel comfortable that you have financing behind you. But being able to offer carefully selected and curated property that meets the needs, price point and logistics of our international clients is very valuable. And one thing, I’m going to talk about this in the upcoming slides, but there is a six to 7 million home shortage in the US. That’s why it makes.
24:30
Speaker 3
I don’t want to pre-empt sort of my portion of the presentation, but getting property to be sold is like gold dust. So, we’ve been trying for a long time and so we’ve been able to secure homes just outside of Dallas, Texas, which is a really amazing location for gentrification. A lot of people working from home. But anyhow, I want you to contact us. We’ll give you the details for that. The website is the link is up for the properties that we have available to sell. These are new properties. They come with property management. They’re amazing. They fit the price point for our international clients. So, we will, when we send you a thank you letter, we’ll add the link to that email. So, keep an eye out for that along with the research piece that will be coming out very soon.
25:18
Donald Klip
Yeah, I’m very excited about it. I know. Again, it’s just like all of the things that we work to improve or to fix this has been a huge contention for a lot of our clients. So, with that said, we will, Donald will discuss, is this the best time to invest in us real estate? And really, here is why.
25:42
Speaker 3
Thank you, Robert. That was a fantastic presentation. I’m going to talk about really quickly the current supply demand landscape of the US. I know you read a lot of things, maybe in the media, India, a lot of it is true, but a lot of it is not understood why. Now, interest rates have gone up a lot, but if you can believe it, home prices in the US went up 8% last year. I mean, that’s unbelievable. Interest rates went up 400% and property prices still went up. Now, I’m going to address this in kind of a systematic format, which is supply and demand. So currently, over the last ten years, there have been 5.5 million households formed versus homes built. That means there’s five to 6 million more homes, households that have been created versus homes that have been built.
26:35
Speaker 3
And like it says, so there’s a massive shortage, which you’ll read everywhere when you’re doing your research. Now, those are new homes. Now, existing homes, which is about 90% of, you know, kind of the transacted homes, 80% of the folks that have mortgages, 80% of those mortgages are fixed for 30 years under 5% and 40% are fixed for 30 years under 3%. Sorry, that’s a typo. Under 3%. So, what that means is that it’s kind of put this supply grip on the market. And so, if you think about it, what happens if new homes are being built? And this is also why it’s been really difficult for us to get new homes to bring, to show our overseas clients, is that as soon as homes are built, guess who’s buying them?
27:31
Speaker 3
The average person may not be able to buy them at 8% fixed for 30 or 7% fixed for 30, but institutions can, right? And this is their playbook. They try to buy as much supply as they can because they know the supply demand is imbalanced. They control pricing. And this is no secret. You can google institutional buying of single-family homes in the US and you will see what’s going on. Like any smart investor, it’s a lot better if you invest alongside smart people. And we think the folks like Blackstone and American homes and these type of landlords that you see are fairly smart. So that’s happening now. Next slide. Now what’s happening with demand? Now, what happened with COVID was that people worked from home, they went from.
28:22
Speaker 3
It was always kind of growing at 2.5% a year, so it was heading in that direction. But during COVID overnight it went to 100%. And I think a lot of companies realized that there actually is a portion of. Of work that can be done at home. And I think that’s allowed people who lived in different states to move to find work opportunities in other areas easier. Now, the US, it’s a lot of things, but in terms of its ability to gentrify is without a doubt the best place in the world. If you can’t afford to live in California, which many can’t right now, you can rent a U Haul and move your family to Texas, which a lot of people are now, and make a living.
29:07
Speaker 3
And you look at what’s happening in the US right now is a lot of the coastal states, specifically California and New York, a lot of these big companies are created there. Facebook, Amazon, you name it, Tesla. And they become so big that folks can’t afford to live there. So, companies move their headquarters to Texas to low or no tax states. And that’s happening end masse. And that’s driving the demand to rent homes. And you’re seeing that now. In fact, Dallas is the headquarters for the most fortune global Fortune 500 companies in the world. And coincidentally, I don’t want to plug our property again, but the new homes that we’re offering at the moment is 40 minutes away from Dallas. So really want to show you those homes when we get a chance. Next slide. So, this is really eye opening.
30:05
Speaker 3
So if you look at the G seven countries, I mean, this is just a select a number, the rental yield, and this is cash flow received from rents, it’s really low. In fact, I would argue that you cannot make money of renting homes anywhere in the world except Dubai and the US. Now, if you look at the average rental yield in the US, it’s 8% at the moment. Now, if you take out California, New York, that actually turns out to be twelve to 15% gross yield. It’s really hard to believe, but it’s true. And there’s just lack of information in the world about this phenomenon. So, if you are sitting in these countries where you’re making a good living, a good income, and for example, in Singapore or Hong Kong, where I’m from, getting in the real estate market is really expensive.
31:01
Speaker 3
It’s minimum, two, three, four, $5 million. Whereas in the US, you could play this game with 100, $150,000 and enjoy 15% rental yields. Now, there’s obviously a lot of things that you need to learn, but like anything in life, you’ve put in the hard work, you reap the rewards. This is just a snapshot. In fact, I would argue that this is a little outdated. The numbers are even slightly higher at the moment. But you can see this is not to say that you should rush out and buy a home in Detroit or Milwaukee or Omaha, where actually Warren Buffett is from, but you look at places like Ann Arbor, a huge college town. University of Michigan is there. You look at Las Vegas. It’s the center of all convention business in the US at the moment.
31:50
Speaker 3
Atlanta, the home of the busiest airport in the world. Each one of these cities represents a different thematic. And look at the gross yields. This is one of the biggest surprise slides that when people see that, they go, oh, my God, why didn’t I not know about this? But now you do. And now with leverage, you can take advantage of this. So that’s my bit on the market. I will hand it over to Robert to go into our loan programs and then towards the end, open it up for Q and A. And I look forward to that.
32:24
Donald Klip
Thanks, Donald. I think too, going back to just say the yield slide that you are showing, if you look at what the general yield is in the US, say 5% or less, that is taking into account the coastal states such as California and New York. But if you were to take those out of the picture, these are actually what people could potentially be looking at. And as you said, and because we do loans, not just in the US, but all around the world, we really understand this probably better than any other country or company that are offering mortgages. Okay, so let me give a general overview of the mortgages that America mortgages offer. Now, again, 100% of our clients are living and working abroad, but obtaining us mortgages, whether for purchase, refinance or cash out.
33:28
Donald Klip
I think as we’re seeing interest rates go down, we will see people just refinancing, not pulling cash out, but merely just to reduce the rate. So, if you’re a foreign national, you are able to get up to 75% loan to value in all 50 states. If you are a us expat, we try to make it exactly as if you walked into a bank in the US and you were living and working there. And for an investment property, you can get up to 80%. Something very unique to us mortgages. Again, there are no age restrictions. So, I always like to say, whether you’re 19 or 99, you still have the same mortgage amortization regardless of the age of the borrower. We discussed what ten-year interest only loans are absolutely fantastic.
34:24
Donald Klip
If somebody wants to maximize yield and lock in a rate to where they don’t ever have to worry about refinancing again, unless they choose to. We qualify on the rental income of the property for investment properties. It makes it a very simple, clean, easy way. We don’t care if you are self-employed or you are employed all we care about is the cash flow of the property, which again, is common sense underwriting and just makes sense foreign income. If you are, say, a US expat or you want to qualify using your income, we absolutely allow it, because again, this is all we do, all we deal with. It’s very common and very normal for us. Again, these are loan programs for non us residents, whether you are a non us passport holder or you are a us passport holder living overseas.
35:30
Donald Klip
What also makes these programs very nice and why we have a lot of business which is referred to from private banks, is all of this is dry lending. And if you’re familiar with lending in Europe, most lending requires the borrower to open up some sort of account with the bank that they’ve got a mortgage with a minimum deposit. We have no requirement for that. This is pure dry lending, meaning there is no requirement to open up a bank account with that lender. A loan process in general, once we get your application, we’re looking at 72 hours for issuing a pre-approval. With the launch of Morty, we can actually reduce that to 24 hours, if not sooner.
36:25
Donald Klip
Our average closing time is 30 to 45 days, and you can sign your closing documents in your home country without ever having to leave to travel to the US. So basically, you can start the application online through Morty, and you can close even at your local notary, depending on the country that you’re in. What makes us also very unique, and a lot of it has to do with qualifying off of the rental income of the property is 97% of the applications that get submitted are approved. It’s a number that we’re super proud of. And it’s something that if for some reason the loan isn’t approved, it’s normally property related and not really related to the borrower. Again, and this is in the chat link for everybody to work with.
37:22
Donald Klip
We have 24 hours a day, seven days a week loan officers all around the world. You speak, or you’re more comfortable speaking another language. There’s a variety of options, which, when you’re choosing a calendar time, you can click if you would prefer to speak Spanish or Chinese or whatever it may be. So, I’ll just go over a couple of the loan programs quickly and then we’ll get to the questions and answers. So, our most popular loan program is the America mortgages rental coverage plus loan. And this is something that Donald and I had talked about earlier in the webinar and what I had just gone over. This is the loan program that everybody loves. It requires you to submit no personal income. So, whether you, again, if you’re self-employed or you’re employed, you don’t show maybe your true serviceability of income.
38:19
Donald Klip
This allows anybody to still be a real estate investor. If you’re a foreign national, you can get up to 75% financing and a US expat, assuming you still have us credit, you can get up to 80%. No us credit or residency is required. It’s a very fast, simple loan program and the loan amounts are as low as $75,000 and can go as high as 3 million. Again, we offer on these programs 30-year fixes, interest only. If you look at how this loan qualifies, it’s on the bottom of this slide and it’s a very simple process. If the rental income covers the mortgage, taxes and insurance, the loan is going to qualify. So, it’s very straightforward. In the event, say that the rental amount does not qualify, it does not mean that the loan is not approved.
39:18
Donald Klip
It just merely means that maybe you have to bring in a little bit more money to be able to get that number to work. Next program is our expat program. If you are a US expat and you’re living abroad and you have gone to your local bank or one of the big banks that are well known, you will find out that you’re going to get halfway through the process before they realize that you’re earning your income in euros or in yen or whatever it may be, and they’re going to say, I’m sorry, we cannot do your loan. Well, again, because 100% of our clients fit this box. We’ve made sure that all of the loan programs that we have are specific for our clients living globally.
40:11
Donald Klip
If you’re a US expat, we allow foreign income, we allow your bank account to be in a foreign country, and there’s no requirement to provide a w two. That is huge. The only real, I guess, caveat on this is you still need to maintain us credit with at least a 646 80 credit score to qualify for this. The minimum loan amount is $150,000 and we can go all the way up to 5 million. This works just as it worked when you were living and working in the US, where it goes on your debt-to-income ratio. We have a debt-to-income ratio of 43%.
40:55
Donald Klip
So in this example, as long as you’re making $10,000 a month, and that is your gross income, not your after-tax income, and the mortgage payment, taxes and insurance are at least 4300 and below and including any other debt that you may have in the US, your loan is going to qualify. So again, we try to make this with the same rate, the same terms and the same programs as if you were living and working in the US. Absolutely fantastic program. So that’s it for our webinar for today. This is our contact information for our office in the US, as well as our office in Asia, where Donald and I are both based.
41:42
Donald Klip
You can click on, or you can scan the QR code, which is on the right hand side, that will link you directly to a WhatsApp messenger where you can reach out to one of our loan officers, ask a question about a loan, or even get the direct link for Morti to apply for a loan. Again, we have a link within the chat that allows you to schedule an appointment with a loan officer 24/7 or if you want to, you can go online and apply directly through mortgage. So, let’s get to the questions, Donald, and let’s see where we are at. So, what I’ll do is I’ll ask the questions and then we can both kind of enter and see where we go. So, first question is, what is the likelihood of being approved? Donald, do you want to take that?
42:41
Speaker 3
Yeah, I mean, the short answer is highly likely, you know, depending on what loan program you’re seeking. But as with regards to specifically the loan program that we mentioned earlier, which is based on the rental income of the property, you know, when you’re doing your research, you have a pretty good idea of what the rents are, right? You speak to you, you look on Zillow or Redfin, you speak to your realtor. So, you can do the math. And you just need a few documents to get a pre-approval with us. Robert, you want to talk about what kind of documents are actually, this answers the next question as well. What kind of documents you need to get a, a pre-approval.
43:25
Donald Klip
Yeah. Fantastic. So, to get a pre-approval for the loans, it is about as straightforward as you can get. Assuming you’re a foreign national, you’re just going to need your passport. And this is, again, on our portal, you can securely upload everything. So, there’s no security issue or trust issue on this go through, you can complete the loan application. And really the biggest concern or the biggest hurdle that most people have is the down payment for the property. So, we need to see for AML purposes that any money that is going to be used in the transaction has been in your account.
44:07
Donald Klip
It can be in the US, it can be overseas for a minimum of 60 days if you’re fine with that hurdle, then once you submit all the documents, your loan officer will review it along with the application, and we can issue a preapproval in 24 hours. Next question.
44:27
Speaker 3
Rates have come down, but will they stay down? Well, that’s a crystal ball question, but I think I could take a stab at this. Rates. I think we can all assume that rates will be cut. And these are fed fund rates now, will they stay down? I can’t see them going up. I think inflation print just came out overnight and they look like inflation is coming down. So, there’s more room to move the rates down, but who knows? But I would have to say over the course of the next few years, I can’t see rates going up, either staying flat or coming down, which is really good for being a property investor.
45:14
Donald Klip
Absolutely. So, okay, next question. What would cause a loan application to be rejected? Well, I think there’s a couple possibilities, is if you’re a us expat and say, maybe you don’t have sufficient credit, that could be a reason. Or maybe your debt to income doesn’t work. But we do have loan programs that will help you with that as well. For us in general, normally it’s not about does the loan qualify or not? We qualify 97% of our loans. It’s really, does the rental income cover the mortgage payment? And again, with that, it doesn’t really mean that the loan doesn’t qualify. It maybe just means that you have to come in with a bit more cash. Okay, next question. What is the most popular loan program in American mortgages? Funny, because that is exactly how I introduced that loan program.
46:12
Donald Klip
That is our rental coverage plus. And again, if we go back to the question about what causes an application to get rejected, this is the most straightforward, most common-sense underwriting loan program that you have where you’re qualifying off of the rental income and not the personal income of the borrower. Next question. Hey, great presentation. Which banks do you work with for underwriting and disbursement? Let me jump on that, Donald, and then maybe you can add something. But last December, we actually became a direct lender ourselves. So, we are able to lend in our own name, which makes it fantastic because we have a lot more control over the loan programs. Now, when it comes to loans that maybe don’t qualify for our own lending, then we have a variety of options.
47:07
Donald Klip
These are banks that likely you have never heard of, but banks that we’ve curated over the years that understand our clients being foreign nationals and expats.
47:20
Speaker 3
Yeah, maybe I’ll add a little bit of. A little bit here. So, it’s, you know, we’re preconditioned to think, well, most of us are not you and I, but most people in the world are preconditioned to think mortgage. They think banks. However, in the US, most and the biggest mortgage lenders are not traditional retail banks. I’ll give you an example that everybody knows. Rocket mortgage. Rocket mortgage is the largest mortgage lender in the US. But they’re not a bank. They don’t take deposits. And these are called wholesale lenders. So, these are the type of lending institutions that we work with. And we are one ourselves, as we are a lender ourselves as of December last year, which is great. So, this makes, you know, American mortgages is the only us mortgage broker outside the US. We created this process. We are the global leader.
48:20
Speaker 3
And just like, I guess, many restaurants like to use farm to table, we want to move higher up the food chain. So, we’ve become a lender so we can give you the type of service, pricing, transparency and accessibility that our clients need, deserve and want. So that’s a little bit of background on kind of our journey to becoming our own lender.
48:41
Donald Klip
Perfect. And Raul, to answer your question again, we don’t use a normal bank, even for us citizens. We’re going to use a bank that understands you as a borrower. So, it’s what we do is unique, and it really works when it comes to earning foreign earned income. As an expat, which I’m assuming you.
49:05
Speaker 3
Are, I’m going to give a quick anecdote to our audience, and I think folks in Hong Kong can empathize with this. We had a client recently call us and said that their loan got rejected because they could not put a zip code into the little box that says, what’s your zip code? Because Hong Kong doesn’t have any zip codes. And just because of that, they couldn’t move forward with their loan. Now, this is just a microcosm and a small sample of the issues that we’re trying to fix. And, like, we know the cultural and country idiosyncrasies of folks living outside the US. And this is just a funny example, but it’s true. And it happens all the time, but not with us, because all we do.
49:53
Donald Klip
Yeah, absolutely. I would probably say 20% of our business is expats that were going through a major bank in the middle of a purchase to have their loan officers say, oh, I didn’t realize that you are earning foreign income. So. Okay, next question. Can a loan commitment be less than 30 years, if you choose. Absolutely. If you want to have a 15-year term, that’s your option. In general, our loans are 30-year fixes just because people want that safety and that security. But if you want to pay your loan off or make double payments or even have a reduced 15-year term, that’s absolutely fine. Again, we just, if you’re qualifying off of the rental income, you know, when you shorten the amortization, that could be an issue, but is absolutely perfectly acceptable. Next question.
50:45
Donald Klip
How do we make sure that the rental price, I’m assuming this means, is accurate. And that’s a super good question. And I think we receive this every day when we order the appraisal or the valuation, depending on the, depending on where you’re living, we order a supplement to go along with that. That supplement tells us exactly what the average rent is for that specific property, and that’s the number that we use to qualify. So, it not only protects the lender, but it also protects yourself to making sure that this is the type of rent that, you know, you’ve been told by the realtor you’re going to get. Next question. Do your loans have unit count Max or minimum? I’m not exactly sure what that means. Donald, do you have an idea?
51:38
Speaker 3
Yeah, so I think it’s the number of doors per loan. I think you’re going to be more of an expert on this, Robert. But I think the per loan, the number, I think it’s a four-unit max for four door max on some of our loan programs. I really should get more involved in the loans, but I apologize. I believe that’s what this.
52:06
Donald Klip
Okay, so, yeah, if that’s what it means. So, a one to four unit, we can qualify technically as a single family. So, you have the same LQB options that’s available. So, thanks for the explanation, Donald. Next question. You mentioned that you qualify most of your borrowers, and usually the properties fall down to a 3% rejected application. Could you give us an example of the type of properties that you will not finance? Again, very good question. If you look at, say, exactly in New York has a lot of co-ops, very difficult to finance. We won’t do rural properties. So, properties that are quite far away from the city center, and we really will stay away from mobile homes or manufactured homes. Otherwise, it’s an open market.
53:04
Donald Klip
You find a property that you love, you want to be able to finance, you know it’s going to get fantastic rent a, give one of our loan officers a call and run it by them. They’ll tell you immediately if it’s going to be possible. Yeah.
53:15
Speaker 3
And one thing, you know, one thing that, you know, part of that 3% that were not approved, a lot of that has to do with the property that you may have missed when you. When you. When you. When you view the property. You know, for example, in San Francisco, there’s, you know, part of the appraisal is looking at asbestos, which is in between walls, which there’s no way you would be able to see that. So, in different cities, they’ll look at different things, you know, the structure wise or what’s in the walls or maybe holes that you didn’t see, and they don’t pass the appraisal process. So, a lot of times it has to do with the specific property, not actually you as a borrower. So that’s really important to say.
53:57
Donald Klip
Yeah, absolutely. Okay, next question. Some investor loans that fall into the better financing deals have a four-unit max. So, this is actually a really good question. In general, our very vanilla loan, especially the loans that we offer ourselves, are one to four units. So that is, we can do that every day. However, we also have loan programs that are for five to eight units. So, if you see something that, you know, it’s a fantastic loan, we can still qualify our fantastic property. Sorry. We can still be able to provide that loan for that up to 75% loan to value up to an eight-unit property. Next question. Can I close my existing loan midway through the tenor and reset my rate? So, in general, an investment loan will have a prepayment penalty.
54:56
Donald Klip
So that prepayment penalty normally will be a decreasing amount, that every year will get less, but it is still there for investment properties. However, it does not mean that you cannot. If interest rates go down and you’re able to do a simple calculation of what the breakeven is, it doesn’t mean that you will not be able to refinance your property at any time. If you wait until the prepayment penalty is finished, certainly you can refinance it without any penalties into either a shorter loan or you wanna pay it off, or even a brand-new loan and pull cash out. Next question. In the last question of the night, what is the minimum down payment required to qualify for a loan? So, in general, it’s 25% if you are a foreign national with no us credit.
55:54
Donald Klip
If you are a us expat, then it is 20% with that. Thank you, everybody, for staying through this hour. I think when Donald and I were talking about doing this, were saying we’ll probably knock it out in 15 to 30 minutes. But as you can see, with a lot of involvement and all of these fantastic things that we’re able to offer, this ran a bit longer. So, Donald, do you have any parting words that.
56:23
Speaker 3
Yeah, listen, all I want to say is, I say this to clients, is, if you can make the numbers work now, they’re only going to get better because the cost part of your equation is going to go down, interest rates and the income part of your equation is going to go up, which is your rental income. And then after, because the property is increasing in value over time, which has been proven that at some point you can refinance at a higher rate and recoup some of your initial capital expenditure. That’s what makes us real estate, the game of us real estate investing, unlike any other place in the world.
57:04
Donald Klip
Refinance at a lower rate.
57:05
Speaker 3
Lower rate. Sorry.
57:08
Donald Klip
So, again, I think just to kind of, like, add to that, if you’re waiting for interest rates to hit the lowest p or the lowest point possible, you’re going to miss out on what right now is still a buyer’s market. So, we always recommend, get in there now, rates are still absolutely fantastic, especially if you lock it in long term, you do an interest only. So, thank you again, everybody. Thank you, Donald. And we will see you, I believe, in a couple weeks for the next webinar. Appreciate everybody’s time. Don’t forget, in the chat box, there is a link to either doing the application on Morty or to schedule a time and day to speak with a loan officer. So, thank you, everybody. Appreciate your time.
57:52
Speaker 3
Thank you, everybody. Have a good evening.
Disclaimer: This transcript is AI-generated, so kindly pardon any transcription or grammatical errors that may be present.
Robert Chadwick
CEO, America Mortgages
SG: +65 8430.1541
(Direct/WhatsApp) | U.S.:+1 830.564.3290
Email:[email protected]
Donald Klip
Co-Founder, Global Mortgage Group & America Mortgages
SG: +65 9773.0273
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gmg.asia
How Can Hong Kong Citizens Get Mortgages in the U.S.?
The U.S. real estate market has been one of the strongest property markets globally with no signs of slowing down. If you are a Hong Kong citizen looking to diversify your portfolio or simply get the most out of the booming U.S. economy, now is the time!
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), China (including Hong Kong) emerged as the top country among foreign buyers in 2021! Between 2010 and 2021, they purchased an average of $18 billion worth of U.S. property annually, acquiring around 27,000 units each year.
Can Hong Kong citizens buy property in the U.S.?
Yes, Hong Kong citizens can buy property in the U.S.
There are no limitations towards any foreign nationals to purchase real estate in the U.S. If you are ready to invest in U.S. real estate simply apply for a mortgage as a non-citizen.
We’ve noticed an uptick in foreigners from various Asian countries investing in U.S. real estate owing to better housing prices. If you are considering obtaining a mortgage in the U.S. but are cautious about the process, you are not alone.
There are significant differences in how the mortgage system works in Hong Kong vs the U.S. So let’s clear them out. We’ll share the ins and outs of obtaining a U.S. mortgage as a Hong Kong citizen.
How do home prices in the U.S. compare to Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is notorious for its sky-high property prices. In fact, it’s one of the most expensive real estate markets globally. Let’s take a look at the average prices per square meter for comparison, Hong Kong is USD 28,570
In contrast, some major U.S. metro areas have significantly lower prices:
- San Francisco, California: USD 7,180
- Miami Area, Florida: USD 2,660
- Orlando, Florida: USD 1,940
- New York Metro Areas: USD 3,070
- Austin, Texas: USD 2,620
Source: NAR
Difference between mortgages in Hong Kong vs. U.S.
Feature | Hong Kong | USA |
Down Payment | Ranges between 40-50% | Ranges between 20-25% for non-residents (foreign nationals and U.S. expats) |
Loan-to-Value (LTV) Ratio | Between 50-60% | Up to 80% for non-residents (foreign nationals and U.S. expats) |
Repayment Options | Monthly fixed or floating-rate payments | Monthly fixed or adjustable-rate payments |
Prepayment Penalties | Common in some loans | Less common |
Legal Fees | Higher due to stringent regulations | Generally lower, varies by state |
Tax Considerations | No mortgage interest deduction | Mortgage interest can be tax-deductible |
Types of U.S. mortgages available for Hong Kong citizens
1. Foreign National Mortgage
A mortgage that is designed for foreign nationals, or non-U.S. citizens. So if you don’t have a U.S. social security number or a green card this is the perfect option for you. A Foreign National Mortgage generally has a down payment of 25% of the property value and requires proof of payment and substantial financial reserves.
2. Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) Loan
This loan is based on the property’s income potential and not the borrower’s income. This means that even if you don’t have a high personal income or a strong credit history, you can still qualify for a loan if the property itself is profitable. It’s a great option for investors who want to leverage rental income to finance their property purchases.
3. Bridge Loans
Bridge loans are a short-term loan used to bridge the gap between purchasing a new property and selling an existing one. They are ideal for acting quickly and seizing the investment opportunities but haven’t yet sold your current property yet.without waiting for your existing property to sell.
4. Portfolio Loans
These are mortgages that lenders keep on their books rather than selling on the secondary market. Since the terms are customizable these loans offer more flexibility. Portfolio loans are especially great for high-value properties, unique properties, or borrowers with unconventional financial profiles.
How Can Hong Kong Citizens Get Mortgages in the U.S.?
America Mortgages helps foreign nationals obtain U.S. mortgages. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.americamortgages.com.
Additionally, if you’d like to schedule a commitment-free meeting with one of our U.S. loan officers to explore your U.S. mortgage options further, you can do so using our 24/7 calendar link.
FAQs
Can Hong Kong citizens get a mortgage in the U.S.?
Yes, Hong Kong citizens can obtain mortgages in the U.S.
Do Hong Kong citizens need a Social Security Number to get a mortgage in the USA?
No, lenders offer mortgages for foreign nationals without a Social Security Number.
Canadian Tax Overhaul: Strategic Moves for U.S. Investments Transcript
Canadian Tax Overhaul: Strategic Moves for U.S. Investments Transcript
01:46
Kyle Mazzuchin
Hello everybody. Thank you very much for joining us. We’re just waiting for a few more people to come on the line, and then we’ll start in a few seconds. Hello everybody. My name is Kyle Mazuchin, vice president for the domestic markets here for American mortgages. Hopefully, you’re doing well this wonderful Thursday evening and Friday, wherever you are around the world—joining us. Today, we’re here to talk about some Canadian tax overhaul and strategic moves for our investments. So, here is just a little bit of content for today. We’re here to review a little bit from the last webinar we did in February and a little bit about myself, the presenter, being here with American Mortgages since August 2023. It’s been a wonderful ride thus far. And then why the US versus Canada?
03:46
Kyle Mazzuchin
There are lots of domestic trends that have really turned the tide in terms of Canadians investing in American real estate. Also, some underlying statistics as to immigration trends are included in that piece. So, we want to make sure that there are some pieces of data that support why there are going to be strategic investments from Canadians investing in the US. And then probably one of the biggest pieces of the 2024 tax here in Canada has been the Canadian tax changes. The Canadian gains inclusion has gone up. Which state is good for me, and what should I do with your capital? So why American mortgages? 100% of our clients are working abroad. So, we want to make sure that there is relative ease in having American-based access from anywhere around the world, including Canada.
04:54
Kyle Mazzuchin
Naturally, being close to the border, we only focus on foreign nationals and us expats. We have representation in twelve different countries. Make sure that whatever language that you speak, we have that availability for you. Speaking of languages, we have several different kinds of languages, and we also understand cultural nuances. And then also we have all loans don’t have a requirement for us credit, which is fantastic. Also, we can have closing documents signed without traveling to the US. Common sense underwriting, which is probably one of our main focuses here at American Mortgage, makes sure that the process is very easy and simple to understand. There’s no age limit or restrictions on getting any sort of US-based investments and then interest-only servicing facilities.
05:47
Kyle Mazzuchin
So, in order to keep your rental yield high longer, the sanitization schedule that we can have is 40 years, then loans in all 50 states. So, you have 50 different options in whatever state you want to invest in. We have transparent fees and processing and then also 24/7 access to myself or any of my colleagues around the world. So if you want to have a 04:00 a.m. or if you want to speak mortgage to somebody, go to our website, www.americanmortgage.com. A little bit about myself. Been in financial services for approximately, probably just a little bit over ten years, in different capacities, specializing in mortgage origination, providing solutions for all different types of customers and investors, whether it’s in Canada or the United States.
06:36
Kyle Mazzuchin
My previous leadership experience was as a senior leader at the Bank of Montreal, managing a team of 25 based on beautiful Vancouver Island with my family, two children, and a wonderful spouse. So why invest in Canada versus the United States? So larger, bigger, better, a more diversified economy, global influence, and innovation. Obviously, when we’re talking about any sort of R and D, we really look to the United States for being a leader in that area. Lower taxes and also favorable tax treaty, stronger currency. Obviously, a lot of different countries hold it as a reserve currency, and it has the reserve currency status in many different countries around the world. Probably one of the most interesting topics here in Canada in the year 2024 was the capital gains inclusion tax change. So now it’s in the 2024 federal budget.
07:36
Kyle Mazzuchin
There have been lots of changes to the proposed capital gains inclusion rate for individuals, trusts, and corporations. So, as of June 20 25th, 2024, not that long ago, anyone making about $250,000 and above on a sale of an asset has their inclusion tax change from 50% to 66.7%. There are obviously a couple of delays, but it will still definitely impact some investors looking to make a profit on any sort of asset or real estate in this case. So, just some examples. So if we look at someone making $75,000 and they profit from the sale of a cottage, for example, 100 grand, after paying real estate fees and clothing costs, 50% of that profit is going to be taxable, about 50 grand added to your income. So, if we look at this extrapolation. So you’re looking at about 125 grand in that case.
08:37
Kyle Mazzuchin
So, pertaining to this situation and understanding these implications can empower you to make informed financial decisions and effectively plan for your future. So, based on the budget that has passed, all corporations and trusts will increase the 66.67% up to 50%. So, it is quite a substantial increase for anyone making $250,000 or more. So, for individuals making over 250,000, the inclusion rate would be that percentage. And for individuals under 250,000, the inclusion rate will remain at 50%. So, how do we plan the future as Canadians? So, realizing the existing capital gains before June 25 is critical. Then, complete pending transactions before the deadline. Review capital assets held in trusts or corporations, and then stay the course with long-term unrealized assets, analyze the time and value of money for tax payment decisions and review your residency requirements to optimize your tax situation.
09:50
Kyle Mazzuchin
So, how do we compare to our brothers down south? So, Us citizens, for example, or green card holders in Canada, can face a total tax rate of approximately 39% of capital gains. So, Canadian, us, federal, or us net investment tax. So leaving Canada can become, you know, a bit of a challenge. So, becoming a non-resident in a non-income tax state could definitely provide you with better results. So, for example, as you can see here, taxes are only 24%, but when you leave Canada, it imposes a departure tax on individuals, ceasing residency of some sort and subjecting them to a certain capital gain amount. Another piece of information we can use is net investment income tax. So, us citizens and green card holders in Canada are subject to us tax.
10:41
Kyle Mazzuchin
The federal tax on capital gains and capital assets held for one year or longer has a maximum tax rate of 20%. Capital gains taxes can be claimed as a foreign tax credit to reduce or eliminate your federal income tax. So, in summary, capital gains tax impacts cross-border investment decisions. And it’s best to get the proper tax advice from a cross-border accountant so that you can optimize your Canadian and our tax situation. So, here is some data pertaining to immigration from Canada to the US. So, the federal government ultimately wants to increase the number of permanent residents. So, in the last probably two years, we’ve had a lot of immigration. So, in this case, there will be about half a million permanent residents by 2025.
11:42
Kyle Mazzuchin
Lots of different reasons why lots of mass retirements are built, and there is a job shortage in certain occupations that are really looking at the government of Canada, in this case, the liberal party, in order to bring in twice as many as they have done since 2015. So that’s going to be impacting a lot of new house builds in Canada. So essentially, an estimated three and a half million houses and units beyond what we project need to be built as usual. So essentially, that’s going to leave a big hole in terms of bringing half a million people and doubling our immigration in 2015. It really impacted the affordability of housing in Canada. So, with that comes a bit of reach from our tax system. In order to stop speculation in the Canadian housing market, a series of taxation pieces came aboard.
12:38
Kyle Mazzuchin
For example, the capital gains piece, the underused housing tax, and a myriad of different provincial regulations have come aboard, especially with Airbnb in provinces such as Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. So you can see immigration back to the trend after the pandemic, for example. So, as you can see here, between 2018 and 2023, the number of people for every quarter has essentially left Canada with upwards of half a million people per year coming in. So we’re seeing a lot of that level out, especially with affordability being difficult, especially in the real estate sector, and not keeping up with mass immigration, in addition to individuals leaving Canada for whatever reason. So, just some trends. So, in the first six months of 2023, 42,000 people have left Canada. This adds to about 93,318.
13:43
Kyle Mazzuchin
Sorry, 93,818 people have left between 2022 and exits in 2021. The immigration rate hit a two-decade high in 2019. So this really gives you an example of some statistics. This is not a new trend. It’s really been here since probably the year 2017, where we’ve seen a net loss of a lot of citizens leaving and then trying to recoup a lot of that through immigration, through the permanent residency program, since probably after the pandemic has ended. So now to some probably better news. You want to look at different jurisdictions in order to make a purchase. So, a couple of different places that Canadians are looking at is Florida. As you can see, there’s a big Quebecois community in Florida as well as everywhere around the world. Florida is very desirable for its diverse housing options.
14:43
Kyle Mazzuchin
Arizona is quite dry and mild, especially for those Alberta-based individuals who are looking at Sedona Monument Valley to lower their costs in the state of Arizona. California is definitely one of those, as well. It’s a diverse lifestyle with access to the ocean, mountains, and forests. California probably has the 8th largest economy in the world. So there’s a very diversified economy, probably just as big as other countries combined. Probably one thing that we’ve never thought of is really Louisiana, so it’s for its southern culture. French influence. So again, another French Canada influence. The lower cost of living and favorable property tax system has left its appeal with Canadians looking to Louisiana as an option. Montana is close to British Columbia and Alberta. So, there are lots of nature enthusiasts who enjoy abundant outdoor activities, such as skiing, fishing, and hunting. So, it is definitely an outdoor escape for a lot of individuals.
15:48
Kyle Mazzuchin
South Carolina has lots of good golfing beaches as well. Near, near Georgia, so wonderful in terms of its rich history and showcasing museums and plantations. So, where do Canadians go? So, as you can see, it’s California, Florida, New York, or Texas. Critical in terms of identifying which spot you want to be in such specific counties in these certain states. Los Angeles County is very natural. Orange County, Maricopa County in Arizona. King County is in Washington, especially near British Columbia and then Broward County. So, combined, these five counties are home to approximately 13% of all immigrants currently living in the United States. So which cities are most popular for tourists? So if you’re just looking for vacation means, Orlando, Las Vegas is a wonderful place to go for a weekend getaway. You’re looking for a nice winter getaway from Toronto in the minus ten degrees Celsius.
16:58
Kyle Mazzuchin
Miami, Los Angeles, San Fran, and are you looking for a New Year’s getaway? Definitely New York. Now, one of our biggest passions is our mortgage overview here at American Mortgage. So, here is just a little bit of a review of our programs. No us credit is required, and there is no need for assets under administration. Foreign income is allowed through an income letter loan program in all 50 states, up to 75% loan to value foreign national booking for purchases, and then if you are living in Canada and want to purchase back in the US, So 80% LTV or loan to value for ex pets loan approvals are in 72 hours. Contact us. We’ll have a letter ready for you. If you’re looking for a pre-approval or conditional approval based on a refinance application, we can definitely close in 30 to 45 days.
18:00
Kyle Mazzuchin
Probably one of the biggest pieces. Can you sign closing documents in major countries? So we’ll get into that a little bit later in terms of what that process will look like. So we can definitely look at purchasing properties, refinance, and if you’re looking for an equity release, 30-year amortization regardless of age, ten-year interest only to keep your rental yields high. Loan programs without income are available, and 97% of all of our loan applications that are submitted are approved. So, some of our programs are just a highlight there. So, the AM rental coverage program, which is closed for 30 to 45 days, as we alluded to, does not require US credit or residency. So, we qualify only on the property’s projected rental income.
18:54
Kyle Mazzuchin
So again, if we look at the example below, $2,400 $2,400 in expenses, you qualify for the AM student program, so student tenants are not required to have income, but we can definitely get you approved to help your child’s credit and available between $150 to $3 million AM investors. So, we can use 30 to 45 days for income, but tax returns are not required. So, we qualify using an income letter from an employer or accountant. Loan amounts from $150 to $3 million are available, and again, a 30-year fixed interest-only program is available and up to 75% financing foreign nationals. So, if we look at a debt-to-income ratio, 43% of that.
19:52
Kyle Mazzuchin
So if we look at a gross income of ten grand, and if we look at your mortgage payment, taxes, and insurance at $4,300, we definitely can look at that ratio of 43%, which is fantastic, so if you’re a us citizen living in Canada and wanting to purchase in the States. Again, the same DTI, or debt-to-income ratio at 43%, requires two years of tax returns, and a 680 FICO score is definitely required. And we qualify the same as if you are living and working in the US. Loan amounts differ a little bit between three to 5 million. So, our high net worth program. So, no personal income is needed, and no assets under administration are required. So essentially, that financial institution doesn’t need the $5 million portfolio in order to exist on their balance sheet.
20:48
Kyle Mazzuchin
So you can just confirm it; we’ll just need to confirm a two-month average liquidity of your portfolio in order to qualify. So, the methodology below. So, if we look at 5 million divided by the 60-month fixed term, you’ll be able to have that mortgage payment at 80,000 and the income generated at $83,333. So, a little bit of our contact information is here. As you can see, our headquarters are in the US and Singapore, and our global mortgage group’s office is there. So, everybody, thank you very much for taking part in our presentation. So we’ll just go to a question and answer period. So, it looks like we have a couple of questions that have popped up. So, can I register a property in a Canadian company or an American LLC?
21:54
Kyle Mazzuchin
So, you want to make sure that you’re looking at registering an American LLC. You can go to our website @americanmortgages.com, and on the concierge tab, you’ll be able to get directions to register a limited liability company. So essentially, that removes any sort of liability you held personally. So, if you register a company name onto a property in the United States, you’ll be able to remove any sort of personal liability. Also, please go to a tax accountant in order to make sure that you receive net benefits within your home country in terms of taxation. So, I have a second question: What’s the best way to get my application started? So, at the end of this presentation, we could definitely look at sending out some details in order to start your application.
22:56
Kyle Mazzuchin
So we do have a wonderful new dashboard that we’ve launched in the last six weeks where you can start your application from the comfort of your own home rather than sending emails so you can log in to apply dot americanmortgages.com Kyle Mazuchin Register you’ll be able to make your application and send your documents directly to our online portal and have immediate updates. So how easy, another question here. So, how easy is it to transfer cash into us dollars? So we’ve teamed up with our concierge tab; you can definitely go to one of our partnerships, and vendors will be able to transfer cash with relative ease and transfer it from Canadian to American dollars. So, we’ll definitely have some information on our website and our concierge tab.
23:50
Kyle Mazzuchin
So, I think we might have answered this other question here in terms of how to register an LLC. So you can register through our website [email protected]. Use the concierge tab to look at getting your LLC started. It’s very inexpensive. In order to do that under dollar 150 US, you’ll be able to do that. So, can I complete my us purchase without leaving Canada? Great question. Very common. So if you have a, if you have the ability to go to your local notary and if they have something called an apostille stamp, essentially it’s a service where a lawyer is able to witness other documents from other countries, and it’s legal there.
24:50
Kyle Mazzuchin
So you can have your lawyer or not be able to use that stamp from Canada, and then you send the documents back over courier, and you’ll be able to get your mortgage funded without the need to go to the US. Another way is to go to the local US embassy to make an appointment. One drawback is that it could take a couple of months for you to get an appointment. So you may want to look at both options. Okay, so I’m a Canadian looking to buy a vacation home in the United States. And what are the rates? So your rates will be different from having an established credit score in the United States or not so normal for your down payment. You’ll be looking for at least a 25% down payment based on our income letter program.
25:48
Kyle Mazzuchin
Interest rates will probably range between the high sevens to about mid-eights, just dependent on state and location. So, can I get an insurance quote through American Mortgages? Yes, you can. Mauri alluded to that. So please go to our [email protected] on our concierge tab in order to get an insurance quote through our website. So, another question. I’m purchasing a foreclosed property. Can I get financing? So, great question. So, most of the time, there needs to be a bit of a cash-purchasing situation.
26:33
Kyle Mazzuchin
So you’ll need to go through a bit of an auction process, so they may allow it, but in order to have a more competitive situation, I would recommend that you have cash in place, purchase it, and then maybe do a refinance at a later date, because you may want to look at the condition of the property, get your inspections done, and then have an improved property. And if you’re looking at improving the property as well, we do have products that we can look at as an option for you to rehabilitate the property. So what’s the maximum loan-to-value for investors, and is it income-dependent? So, the maximum loan to value for purchasing is a 75% loan to value.
27:23
Kyle Mazzuchin
It can differ depending on a couple of items, such as if you want to qualify with your income in Canada with the income letter, we can definitely do that, or we do definitely have some other options for you based on debt servicing or DSCR or projected rental income, but that could come in at a slightly lower loan to value. So, definitely, there is a recording that will be sent out over the next little while. So, it will probably be out in the next ten to 14 days, posted on YouTube and all of our socials. So, which of the states you highlighted are the most popular for Canadians to own? So, it definitely happens in two different ways. So investors are looking at Ohio, Illinois, and probably southern Ontario. A lot of individuals who live down there look at the adjacent states.
28:27
Kyle Mazzuchin
So New York, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, kind of in a bit of the belt of North America, near the Great Lakes. So, a lot of individuals in that area of the world are looking at those particular states for retirees and secondary homes. You can definitely know that retirees are looking at warmer states. So, Florida is definitely a big option for lots of different communities down there, such as a very big Quebecois community in Florida. Lots of Canadians that are down there are also realtors. So, if you’re looking at purchasing in Florida, we do have some Canadian contacts available to you in those states. Some other popular options from western Canada. So, in Alberta, lots of individuals like to make purchases in Texas. We do have some relationships with some developers in Texas.
29:22
Kyle Mazzuchin
So, if you’re looking at a brand new home, for example, pay attention to our newsletters that go out probably every other day pertaining to real estate topics or themes and trends within different states. Another option is Arizona. Arizona is a wonderful option for Western Canadians looking to purchase a property. And also Nevada. Nevada is definitely popular with Airbnb and transient zone properties, including Florida and California. So, we have another individual here, the 1031 exchange, so you can delay capital gains taxes in us by using it for a similar or more expensive property. So, you want to make sure that whatever you sell is of the same value or higher in order to take advantage of the 1031 exchange.
30:20
Kyle Mazzuchin
If you’re looking at those different options, I highly recommend that you go to a tax professional or a cross-border accountant if you need any sort of options for cross-border. I do have individuals available, and you can also go to our [email protected] in the concierge section. You can have somebody reach out to you from our tax consultancy partner. Are there age restrictions for retirees applying for mortgages? So again, none whatsoever. Fantastic. Very little in terms of risk for anyone who feels that they want to diversify their assets without the need of having any sort of age restrictions. So our other question is, how long would it take for investors with American mortgages to get mortgage approval? So, again, 72 hours is our golden rule.
31:17
Kyle Mazzuchin
We want to make sure that there’s a little bit of time to look at different. If you have a specific corporate setup, we want to make sure that we’re doing our due diligence and asking our lenders. So, for the more complex situation that you may have, we want to make sure that we’re asking the right questions. But for very straightforward applications, 72 hours is our golden rule in getting back to you with conditional approval. So, another question. So, look, got a bit of a three-packer here. So, question one: Is an LLC subject to double tax? So, again, highly recommend that you go to a a tax professional within the country that you’re in. Or go to our [email protected], on the concierge section. Or if you would like somebody from the Canadian side who’s dual licensed, please let me know.
32:09
Kyle Mazzuchin
However, there are tax structures specifically for Canadians. I would just recommend that if your financial picture allows it, you speak to somebody on that side. Is a remote online notary not available, and do other companies offer that? Again, I just think that in order to keep the process standardized and straightforward, different states do different things. So, in order to keep compliant with a lot of complex situations per state, I’d recommend using the apostille stat method with any sort of Canadian notary or lawyer. Okay. Then, there are three HeLOCs available for liquidity as a foreign national. And if you don’t have tax residency, the product is not available. So, just to reinforce that, here are some other questions. So, are interest rates better if you qualify with an income letter instead of a DSCR?
33:12
Kyle Mazzuchin
Again, this is probably from a lender to a lender piece. So, different lenders will have different specials. Definitely, when it comes to having established credit in the United States, you will definitely look at getting a slightly better option. Also, increasing your down payment. So, with that kind of 40% mark, you’ll definitely get a break in your interest rates. So, another question here. If I have a property generating a cash flow of $2,500, how much loan can I get? So it’s a little bit more complex than that. So I would recommend, again, speaking to one of our loan officers, including myself. So, I have my calendar link in the chat. So please go there, click on it, and then see what my availability is.
34:03
Kyle Mazzuchin
And maybe we can chat in order to see how much of that $2,500 we can help you get a loan against a property. So, is an American mortgage broker or a lender? So, American mortgages essentially help with getting financing in that situation. So we definitely can provide you with a myriad of different options in order to make sure that we’re able to place the right loan in the situation that you may have. Okay, so we’re about 535. So again, if you’re looking at any sort of situation when it comes to getting pre-approved for future purchases, please contact us. My Calendly link or contact information will be in our chat and in future correspondence with everyone who has been on this particular webinar.
35:15
Kyle Mazzuchin
A little bit more of an update, just with the most recent changes to the capital gains inclusion tax. So again, we just want to make sure that everyone in Canada has an option when they’re purchasing properties in the United States, whether it be a secondary property or a revenue property in all jurisdictions across the United States. So, as you can see there, just click on the link in the chat. Highly recommend that you book with us in order to explore a lot of our loan programs in all different states. If you have any questions, we are readily available 24/7/365 days a week. If you want to talk on Christmas Day, some people are available, but we have to wait till Santa leaves the particular area in order to be available. So. So again, everybody, that’s our presentation for today.
36:20
Kyle Mazzuchin
If you have any further questions, please ask them in our chat. You can also contact us at any time at Kyle dot mizuchinmericanmortgages.com. Like, follow, and subscribe to all of our socials. We definitely do a lot of different social media posts every other day with our wonderful co-founders, Robert Chadwick and Donald Clip, who have wonderful posts, and with Global Mortgage Group and American mortgages. So that’s it for us for today. Thank you very much, and have a wonderful day.
Disclaimer: This transcript is AI-generated, so kindly pardon any transcription or grammatical errors that may be present.
Kyle Mazzuchin
Vice President, Canadian Markets
(Direct/WhatsApp) | U.S.: +1 778.838.9654
Email: [email protected]
America Mortgages Introduces Enhanced U.S. Mortgages for Global Investors
Here’s Our New and Improved U.S. Mortgage Loans and Process!
You’ve asked – We delivered!
Our America Mortgages team has been diligently working to make qualifying for a U.S. mortgage loan easier. We are proud to launch several new tools that make investing in U.S. real estate more straightforward than ever before.
“Finding ways to break down barriers to obtain a U.S. mortgage for foreign nationals and U.S. expats has been our sole focus. As a result, we now offer market rate mortgages with common sense underwriting,” states Nick Worthing, VP of U.S. Loan Originations. He continues, “With the launch of our new America Mortgages web platform and downloadable app, our process and ability to provide U.S. mortgages now surpasses even what the big banks offer (if they could offer U.S. mortgages for non-residents).”
You can use our platform to apply for a U.S. mortgage here.
In addition to our application platform, we’ve improved our mortgage loan programs. Previously, when you were seeking a U.S. mortgage, we had certain requirements that may have discouraged you from applying.
These two items are:
- Requirement to open a U.S. bank account
- Requirement to have owned a property in the past
These two items are now no longer required!
- Requirement to open a U.S. bank account
- Requirement to have owned a property in the past
In addition, we’ve also added:
- 75% financing on multifamily (5-8 unit) properties for both foreign nationals and U.S. expats
- Asset Based Lending – loans underwritten only on the property value and not the financials of the borrower on commercial and residential properties up to US$75M
Our goal is to simplify U.S. property investing. We would like to reconnect with you to discuss our enhanced loan offerings for foreign nationals and U.S. expat clients.
If you would like to discuss our enhanced loan programs, you can schedule a call with one of our U.S. Loan Specialists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As always, thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to working with you.
How Can Mexicans Get Mortgages in the U.S.?
Yes, you Can Buy Property in the U.S. as a Mexican Citizen!
Great news! Just like U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, including Mexican nationals, have the same rights to acquire and own real estate in the United States. Mexico is the second largest country of origin for foreign buyers in the USA.
Important Points to Note For Mexican Citizens Obtaining a U.S. Mortgage
Many Mexican buyers pay cash simply because they aren’t aware of the mortgage options available. Let’s clear up some misconceptions and share some points you need to be aware of:
- You don’t need U.S. credit history to secure mortgage financing from America Mortgages.
- All mortgage options are available whether you’re buying a house as a second / holiday home or as an investment.
- Last year, 33% of Mexico’s property purchasers offered cash. This is often due to a lack of awareness about available financing options from America Mortgages.
- You can qualify only on the rental income of the property. No personal income needs to be provided.
- If you are not a legal resident of the United States, you will need to file an annual tax return reporting any rental income earned from the property; however, with proper tax planning taxes due can be mitigated.
- You need a valid U.S. visa to be able to get a mortgage.
What are the differences between getting a mortgage in Mexico versus the U.S.?
Buying a home is a huge opportunity, whether it’s in Mexico or the U.S. On top of that, the process can be quite different between the two countries. We understand that, so let’s break it down so you know what to expect when applying for a mortgage in the U.S.
Down Payment
In Mexico, people prefer to pay for property with the majority in cash. It is common to make a down payment of as high as 50% and finance the rest with a bank loan. While in the U.S., most international property investors take out a mortgage with down payments as low as 25%.
Loan Terms
In Mexico, the average mortgage repayment period is much shorter—it typically lasts 10 years. The loan repayment period in the U.S. is much longer and can span 30 years and, in some cases, up to 40 years.
Amortization
In Mexico, mortgages are ‘fully amortizing’, which means every payment covers both the principal amount and the interest incurred. This works a bit differently in the U.S., where There are options for a principal and interest loan and an interest-only loan.
To qualify for a bank loan in Mexico, you need a good credit history and must earn at least three times the monthly loan payment. For America Mortgages loans you don’t need U.S. credit and can qualify based on the rental income of the property alone.
Ownership
In Mexico, the bank owns the property until the loan is fully paid off. Whereas in the U.S. you own the property once the closing costs are covered and the documents are signed. At the same time, the bank holds a lien on the property until the loan is paid off.
What are the Documents Required for a U.S. Mortgage Approval?
The following documents are needed based on citizenship status when obtaining a U.S. mortgage:
- Copy of passport, Green Card, or a U.S. visa
- Two months of bank or financial statements showing you have the funds for down payment and any closing costs (purchase)
- Tax Identification Number (ITIN) if available
- Income letter from your employer if employed or your accountant if self-employed OR you can qualify on the rental income of the property
How Can Mexican Citizens Obtain a U.S. Mortgage?
America Mortgages can help you obtain a U.S. mortgage. As a company, our only focus is providing U.S. mortgage financing for non-U.S. residents and U.S. expats. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.americamortgages.com. Additionally, if you’d like to schedule a commitment-free meeting with one of our U.S. loan officers to explore your U.S. mortgage options further, you can do so using our 24/7 calendar link.
FAQs
How can Mexican citizens establish a credit history in the U.S.?
Mexican citizens can establish a credit history in the U.S. by obtaining a secured credit card, opening a bank account, and making timely payments on any U.S. bills or loans.
Are there specific lenders that cater to Mexican nationals in the U.S.?
Yes, America Mortgages provides U.S. mortgages for foreign nationals, including Mexicans.
What impact do exchange rate fluctuations have on U.S. mortgage repayments for Mexicans?
Exchange rate fluctuations can affect the cost of mortgage repayments if the borrower’s income is in pesos while the mortgage is in dollars. It’s important to consider these fluctuations when planning repayments.
Is a Social Security Number required for Mexicans to get a mortgage in the U.S.?
A Social Security Number is not required, but having one or an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) can simplify the process. America Mortgages does not require an investor to have either to obtain a U.S. mortgage.
What is the minimum down payment required for Mexican citizens to secure a U.S. mortgage?
The minimum down payment for foreign nationals, including Mexicans, is 25% of the property’s purchase price.
Can Mexicans refinance their U.S. mortgage?
Yes, Mexican citizens can refinance their U.S. mortgages, provided they meet America Mortgages’ requirements and demonstrate their ability to repay the loan.