When you buy a mortgage from someone else, the assumption fee is exactly what it sounds like, the fee you pay on that assumption. This fee, imposed on the person buying the mortgage, is essentially meant to cover all the necessary paperwork required to legally transfer ownership of a mortgage to a new person.
The Drawbacks of Mortgage Assumption
In a simple assumption, the seller remains liable for the outstanding mortgage debt. If the buyer defaults on payments, both parties' credit scores are affected. This shared risk can strain the relationship between buyer and seller and lead to financial repercussions for both.
To assume a loan, you must qualify with the lender. If the price of the house exceeds the remaining mortgage, you must remit a down payment worth the difference between the sale price and the mortgage.
To assume a mortgage, your lender has to give you the green light. That means meeting the same requirements that you'd need to meet for a typical mortgage, such as having a good enough credit score and a low debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.
Mortgages that are eligible are considered "assumable." In order to transfer a mortgage, the mortgage lender will typically need to verify that the person or entity that will assume the loan has adequate income and credit history to be able to make payments in a timely manner.
How long does it take to complete an assumption? Government guidelines say home loan assumptions should be completed within 45 days of a complete submission, but these are just guidelines. Your assumption can take anywhere between 45/60 days on the fast end and 120+ days on the slow end.
The elevated interest rate environment has brought an old product, the assumable mortgage, back into fashion. But a landscape of strict regulations, product limitations and operational inefficiencies hamper its widespread adoption.
An assumable mortgage allows a home buyer to not just move into the seller's former house but to step into the seller's loan, too. This means that the remaining balance, repayment schedule and rate will be taken over by the new owner.
You'll need to qualify for the mortgage that you're assuming, which means you may need a credit score of at least 500 for an FHA loan or 620 for a VA loan. Although a higher credit score won't lead to a lower interest rate—because you're taking over the current loan's rate—it might increase your chances of approval.
Assumptions and Their Disadvantages
Assumptions, when left unexamined, can pave the way for a multitude of disadvantages. They create blind spots in decision-making, clouding our judgment and leading us down paths that may not align with our goals.
With an assumable mortgage, instead of applying for a brand-new loan, you can take over — or “assume” — an existing one. If that loan has a low interest rate, you can sit back and enjoy the perks of having a rate far below what the current market offers.
Quick google searches reveal that 60% of homes have mortgages and 23% of those mortgages are assumable (as of May 2024).
Lender fees include various charges associated with processing and funding your mortgage. They may include an origination fee, application fee and underwriting fee. In some cases, underwriting fees are a flat rate, but they're most often between 0.5% and 1% of your loan amount.
The catch is that you have to come up with the cash to bridge the gap between the mortgage amount and the purchase price.
Full Loan Cost May Not Be Covered
When you assume a loan, the mortgage may not cover the cost of the home. This means you may need additional financing or a down payment, along with the payment you make to the seller.
You'll have to pay closing costs on a loan assumption, which are typically 2-5% of the loan amount. But some of those may be capped. And you're unlikely to need a new appraisal. So you may pay less on closing than a 'typical' home purchase — but only a bit less.
An assumption fee is a charge that a buyer pays to assume an existing mortgage on a property. The fee is paid to the lender to transfer the mortgage from the seller to the buyer. It covers the lender's administrative costs associated with transferring the mortgage from the seller to the buyer.
Keep in mind that the average loan assumption takes anywhere from 45-90 days to complete. The more issues there are with underwriting, the longer you'll have to wait to finalize your agreement. Do yourself a favor and get the necessary criteria organized in advance.
An executed original of this Assumption Agreement will be recorded in the Land Records as a modification to the Security Instrument.
In some situations, a buyer may be able to assume the seller's existing mortgage. The buyer takes over the seller's mortgage payments, and the seller receives the value of their equity in the home. An assumable mortgage could have advantages for a buyer, but it also has notable drawbacks.
Typically, removing a name from a mortgage could require you to pay off the loan in full or refinance it with a new loan. But, there are alternatives where you can take over the loan without paying off it off or refinancing. These could include mortgage assumption, loan modification and bankruptcy.
You can take over someone else's mortgage without refinancing. You don't need your own loan to do the takeover, and it's not subject to due-on-sale restrictions that prohibit transfer without refinancing. That means if you have a loan with another lender, you can still get this done!