First Mortgage Support

By: Carrie Reeder

The process of obtaining a mortgage or home loan can be very stressful and quite time consuming. Finding the best lender for your situation requires research and comparisons between lenders and loan packages. You may be searching for a first time home loan or to refinance your existing mortgage. Compare lenders carefully and find the best possible terms available to you.

If you have poor credit, you will pay a higher rate of interest than those with good credit. The amount of your down payment will also affect the interest rate you receive. The larger the down payment, the lower the interest rate. A small down payment will mean you pay more interest and your payments will be higher. You can get either a variable interest rate that changes over the length of your mortgage, or a fixed rate that never changes. Do not hesitate to ask questions of your lender and make certain you clearly understand the terms offered to you.

The amount of interest you will pay on your home loan not only depends on your credit score, but your debt-to-income ratio as well. This is the amount of money you make each month as compared to the amount of your monthly debt. Car payments, student loans, and credit card balances are all considered in determining your debt-to-income ratio. If your monthly income barely pays your monthly expenses, you will pay a higher interest rate than someone who’s income surpasses their monthly obligations. Mortgage lending is a highly competitive industry and lenders are offering a variety of loan packages to fit almost any income level and credit rating.

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By: Carrie Reeder

If you are wanting to get a home equity loan, rates are still low enough that you may want to make use of that equity in your home. Do you need some ideas on what you could do to multiply your equity or make some extra money off of the capital that could be available to you?

Here are some suggestions of ways to put the equity to good use when you go to take out a home equity or cash out refinance loan.

1. Do a home improvement that will increase the equity in your home more than the cost of doing the improvement. As an example, I have heard rumors that adding a deck to a home, because of the amount it increases the homes resale value, can add up to 4 times the cost of actually installing the deck.

2. If you have a low interest rate on your home, invest your equity in a low risk investment that has a much higher return on your money.

3. Buy an existing business or start a new business with the equity capital in your home. If you can start a low risk business, take the opportunity to let your equity work for you.

4. Use the equity as a down payment on an investment property or a rental.

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By: Carrie Reeder

There are many benefits and drawbacks to consider when deciding if a fixed rate mortgage is right for you. It is important to look at all options when it comes to something as important as getting a mortgage for your new home.

There are a few benefits to fixed rate mortgages. One benefit is that the rates and payments remain constant. There won’t be any surprises even if inflation surges out of control and mortgage rates head to 20%. This kind of stability makes budgeting easier. People can manage their money with more certainty because their housing expenses won’t change. Fixed rate mortgages are simple to understand making them appealing and good for first time buyers. Also longer term fixed rate mortgages are very affordable.

There are also a few drawbacks to fixed rate mortgages. To take advantage of falling rates, mortgage holders would have to refinance. That can mean a few thousand dollars in closing costs, another trip to the title company’s office and several hours spent digging up tax forms, bank statements etc. Fixed rate mortgages can be too expensive for some borrowers, especially in high rate environments, because there is no early on payment and rate break like there is with adjustable rate mortgages. Fixed rate mortgages are practically identical from lender to lender. While lenders keep many adjustable rate mortgages on their books, most financial institutions sell their fixed rate mortgages.

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By: Carrie Reeder

So, you’ve found the perfect home. You’ve already decided where to place each piece of your furniture inside the home, and in your mind, all of your family photographs are hanging alongside the stairwell. But wait—do you know that even if you believe that your credit report is spotless, it could negatively affect your chances of getting that home mortgage approval?

The credit bureaus handle hundreds of thousands of credit reports, and it’s only logical that they will make mistakes. In fact, studies show us that there are some types of errors on at least 50 percent of all credit reports.

Could an error be lurking on your report?

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to ensure that your credit report reflects exactly what it should.

Step One: Avoid a Bad Credit Report by Requesting a Copy of It

Under the law, you are entitled to a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies. You should simply submit a request in writing or visit their web sites and request a copy.

Step Two: Check the Personal Information

Maybe your name is Jane Smith, but the agencies have you listed as Jayne Smith. If you don’t think that it matters, you’d better think again. If the agencies have a miss-spelling in your name, the wrong address, reversed digits on your social security number, or even wrong employer information, it could mean bad news for your report. If the person who they have you confused with makes a late payment, then it will appear on your report. What’s worse, if they file for bankruptcy or default on a car loan, it will take some time to sort out the erroneous information once it’s found its way onto your report. Avoid all of this, and report any bad information now.
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By: Ann Gibson

Mortgages are easy as long as you understand them well. But how many borrowers can be confident of their knowledge of mortgages.

With the list of terms and terminologies related to mortgages growing fastly, it is difficult to keep pace with it. However, the legal maxim goes as follows – “ignorantia juris non excusat” (ignorance of law is no excuse). Therefore, it is necessary to be updated in the field of mortgages.

This will not require a wide knowledge of mortgages. A basic understanding of the mortgage terms and the impact that every mortgage decision has on the overall financial condition of the customer will be desirable.

Once the need for mortgage advice is created, it is easy to get it. There are various articles on the topic. Newspaper clippings, seminars etc. can be valuable source of information. Friends and relatives who have taken mortgages too can provide valuable information. These explain the various terms associated with mortgage in easy to understand language.

Nevertheless, whether or not the advice given is independent still needs to be ascertained. Independence of the advice is an important criterion by which borrowers rate its value. Some sources are just selling their mortgage products in the guise of independent mortgage providers. It is important to stay away from these advisors. They tend to hide the disadvantages of the products while enumerating its advantages.

Whether the person or any other source offering advice is competent to provide advice will be the next criterion to judge the usefulness of the advice. It is advisable to contact independent financial advisors for all queries related to mortgages. Independent financial advisors provide advice according to the guidelines of the Financial Services Authority.

The first thing to understand will be the type of mortgage to be taken. There are a number of mortgages designed for different purposes. First time buyer mortgage is for people who are buying home for the first time. Those who aim to repay the mortgage through house rent can take buy to let mortgage. Those aiming to provide for their old age take a pension mortgage. There are many more mortgages to choose from. Customers must be aware of the uses that each mortgage can be put to, and their inherent advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing the mode of repayment will be the next to decide. One can pay outright the principal and interest through a repayment mortgage, or can choose to pay only the interest through an interest only mortgage. Few more terminologies like fixed rate, variable rate and capped rate creep in when the decision regarding the way interest is to be charged needs to be decided.

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By: John Mussi

A mortgage is borrowing money using property as a security, a type of secured loan in other words. Primarily, the purpose in borrowing the money is to purchase a property.

A mortgage is really another word for a property loan - a loan that allows you to borrow a large amount of money in order to buy a home or property which is secured on the value of that property, and which you pay back over an agreed period of time.

The term ’secured’ means that if you default on payments and can’t keep up with the payments schedule as agreed, the lender has the right to sell your property in order to recover their money.

A mortgage can be broken down into four main parts:

Capital – This is the amount of money that you borrow to buy the house.

Interest – This is the charge for borrowing money. Worked out as a percentage of the capital.

Term – This is the fixed period of time that the money is borrowed over.

Repayments – These are the regular payments you make throughout the term of the mortgage.

The mortgage is created by a legal charge on the property and, significantly, does not involve the transfer of land. The charge confirms that the property has been pledged to the lender as security for the mortgage loan.

Mortgages are usually repaid over 25 years, but depending on your situation and earnings it can be arranged over either a longer or shorter period of time. The amount you borrow is called the ‘capital’, and you will also have to pay back the interest charged to you by the lender.

The title deeds are held by the lender but when the purchase monies are paid over to the vendor, usually through a solicitor, the mortgagor becomes the owner of the property. The legal charge is supported by a loan agreement between the two parties which sets out the terms of the loan, the responsibilities and undertakings.

You have two options - repay the capital and the interest together - this is a ‘repayment’ mortgage, or repay the interest only, and organise another investment to cover the capital at the end of the term. This is known as an ‘interest only’ mortgage.

When looking at how much money a lender is willing to let you borrow, there are two factors that they will want to consider.

First of all, they will want to know how much you earn. Usually you will only be able to borrow around three times your salary.

If you are looking to purchase a joint mortgage with a partner or friend, then the income multiplier may be worked out differently. Some lenders will offer two-and-a-half times the joint salaries, or three times the higher salary, and one times the lower salary, whichever is higher.

Most lenders will also take into account the amount that you are looking to borrow, and the total value of the property. Although some lenders will allow you to borrow the full value of the property, most will only lend a certain percentage, say 95%.

When applying for a mortgage, there are certain points that you will need to consider before you sign on the dotted line.

First of all you need to consider how much you can afford. You should complete a budget, and work out how much money you have coming in, and how much money you spend each month. This should then give you an idea to how much you can afford to pay a lender each month for your mortgage.

You should also consider whether your income would allow you to afford the property you are after.

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