5 Tips on Choosing a Mortgage

Availing a mortgage can be confusing as there are so many options available today. It is important to make an informed choice as any mortgage is not a “one day” matter. It will remain with you for a long time at least 5-10 or more years.

While mortgages enable you to buy your dream home or commercial property instantly it is a debt and needs to be paid back with interest. Since a mortgage is a long term financial commitment you need to consider aspects like income, expenditure, expanding family needs, and more before going right ahead and buying a home you really cannot afford. If you find yourself in apposition of confusion, seek the help of an independent financial advisor. Try not to consult a real estate agent or loan officer at the bank as it is in their interest for you to buy a property or avail a loan. A professional financial consultant will be able to sit down with you and study your case and then make sensible and practical recommendations based on aspects like income, future prospects and so on.

According to experts it is important to:

a. Know what kinds of mortgages are available. Study the various options with care. Know whether to select a fixed rate mortgage or adjustable rate mortgage.

b. Know your needs and based on that decide which type of mortgage you don’t need.

c. Next weigh the pros and cons of the remaining types and then choose the mortgage that is ideal for you.

When selecting a mortgage the most important things are:

1. Determine how much you can afford to pay towards the principle and interest each month. Remember you must have enough money left over to meet daily needs. Be practical and create an income/expenditure chart. And in your planning be sure to include escalation in expenses say for example a child will be due to start going to college in 3-4 years and so on.

2. Always make the effort of doing a comparison of lending rates and mortgage packages. There are online comparison tools that you can use.

3. Select a reputed and dependable mortgage company. Do a background check on the company you intend to use and make sure there are no complaints against them. Try and avail a mortgage from an institution you are already familiar with, for instance your own bank or credit union. Find out if the pace you work in has a tie up with any bank or financial institution.

4. Work out the loan tenure intelligently. Depending on the interest rate payable if you chose a long tenure you will pay out considerable amounts as interest. In case you find it difficult ask a loan officer to help you decide the tenure.

5. Always read the contract/agreement carefully. And if the mortgage has insurance cover avail that. This protects your family in case of death or any other problems.

A mortgage is a long term commitment and non payment or defaulting can mean loosing your home. So a mortgage must always be selected with care.

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Refinance Your Home Mortgage Online

The largest financial obligation most people ever take on couldn’t escape the reach of the Internet. Home mortgage loans originated online comprise an integral part of one of the largest and most profitable aspects of the banking industry. Unlike many shifts in big business recently, this change actually seems to greatly benefit consumers by increasing competition and placing more financial control in the hands of homeowners.

To finance or refinance a home in the olden days (before the Internet), you needed to find a mortgage lender, broker, or banker who wanted to make a loan for you. Though mortgage lenders always wanted to make good loans, the process of gathering information to compare interest rates, points, and loan programs among lenders presented a tedious task for borrowers. Without a centralized information source for mortgage rates, loan programs and financial advice, most people just called a few banks and went with the lender that seemed to offer the lowest rate for the least discount points.

Now borrowers can access up-to-the-minute financial information and economic indicators online. Comparing rates and fees between lenders takes only the click of a mouse. Loan programs and mortgage calculators quickly figure the best strategy for everything from which loan represents the lowest cost over time to how much money a borrower could save by prepaying their mortgage on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. Financial tools available online truly empower any borrower with Internet access.

Though the Internet represents a faster and more hassle-free way to refinance your first or second mortgage, remember these important facts:

Loan Programs – Just because the Internet makes the loan process easier doesn’t mean you should abandon common sense. Take the time to analyze which loan program best meets your needs based on the big picture of how long you’ll live in the house, the payment you can handle comfortably, and how much cash or equity the lender requires.

Fees – All lenders don’t charge equally. Many offer a lower interest rate, but make up the discount in fees and charges. Analyze costs between lenders by obtaining a list of all associated loan fees known as a “Good Faith Estimate”.

Service – Obtaining a loan online won’t do you a bit of good if you run into a problem and need to speak with a live human. Make sure your online lender maintains offline customer service.

Rate Lock-in – The lender’s website should clearly explain their interest rate lock-in period and policy. Don’t get lured in by a lender offering a lower rate and points only to find out the hard way that your interest rate lock expires before you can get the loan closed.

Loan Commitment – Find out from the lender’s site what legally binding documentation they provide to document the loan commitment once you get loan approval.

Though many borrowers use the Internet purely for research, record numbers now go online to apply and complete the entire mortgage process on the Web, while saving significant money and time in the process.

Jim Edwards

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Your Finances

Which category do you fall in?

I have determined that financially, people fall into one of
three categories.

1. Family 1 has all the money they need for necessities and
more and manage it very well.

2. Family 2 has all the money they need for necessities and
more but live payday to payday with ever increasing debt.

3. Family 3 don't have enough money for necessities.

The funny thing about the three families above is that they
could have exactly the same income and family size. This is
not to say that special circumstances has nothing to do with
it, but on the average most people live above their means.

Family 1 has established a workable budget. They don't pay
more than they can afford for housing, transportation,
utilities, etc. They also have money set aside for long and
short term savings. This short term savings provides two
things. First, it makes money available when the car breaks
down, you need a new washer or any number of unexpected
expenses that crop up. Second, it prevents the need to use
credit cards for these items. The savings here could be
hundreds of dollars. Family 1 planned.

Family 2 is still struggling to establish a budget. In many
cases their house payments or rent is much more than they can
afford. They don't take the time to evaluate the money that
could be saved with little effort. Usually there is no short
term savings, let alone short term. They use credit cards as
if they were cash and pay hundreds of dollars in unnessary
finance charges and penalities. These people find themselves
with financial problems that often leads to bankruptcy. Family
2 either didn't plan or may not know how the handle their
finances.

Family 3 has given up on a budget. No matter what they do there
isn't enough money to pay for housing and other necessities.
They struggle to put food on the table. Most don't qualify for
credit cards, which is a good thing. In some cases this
situation is self inflicted and some are due to circumstances.

What is the answer to these problems?

Family 1 - Leave these people alone unless you plan to ask their
advice.

Family 2 - These are the people that need to seek help and stand
a chance of becoming a family 1 family. The possible solutions
include a debt management company like Consumer Credit Counseling
Service. They need to establish a budget and stick to it. If
their housing and other expenses are too high, then they need to
cut back, even if they have to move. They also need to cut up
the credit cards and think about consolidating. Depending on
how far they are in debt, this could take years.

Family 3 - While their struggle seems useless, there are things
that can be done. First, they need to see to it that everything
is being done to keep expenses down. The electric bill is a
good example. There is federally subsidized housing that only
charges a small fee based on your income. Make sure that they
are receiving all federal and state benefits that they are
entitled. If they are able, they should seek job training or
some other means to make their life a little better.

Which family are you? No matter whether your are family 1, 2
or 3, there is hope. The primary thing that must be done is to
educate everyone that learning to managing their finances is
absolutely for their peace of mind. With the vast amount of
information on the internet providing help, this is possible.

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Will You Qualify for that New Mortgage or Re-Finance?

The Federal Reserve continues to raise short-term interest rates, but long-term mortgage rates are still at 40-year lows. This may be one of your last opportunities to lock in great interest rates below 6%. So, we put together a brief checklist for you to follow in order to make sure that the process goes smoothly for you.

First, it is a good idea to check your credit report to make sure there will be no surprises when your lender takes a look at it. You can get a free copy of your credit report and credit score at http://www.trimyourdebt.com/GetYourCreditScore.aspx. Remember a score above 700 usually means you will get the best interest rates. Usually a rate below 680 is considered to be of higher risk and so the lender requires a higher interest rate to mitigate the increased risk of loss.

If you find any incorrect information in your credit report, be sure to get it cleaned up before applying. Cleaning up negative items from your credit will also ensure that you get a better credit score. For information on how to get your credit cleaned up before you get that new mortgage, visit http://www.trimyourdebt.com/CreditRepairGuide.aspx.

Next, list out all of the debts reported on your credit report and add up all of the monthly payments. Also include what your payment would be with your new mortgage. In order to estimate your monthly payment with a mortgage interest rate of 6%, you can use $6 per thousand dollars of mortgage. So for example, if you need a $150,000 mortgage, then multiply 6 times 150, which equals $900 per month. Add this payment to the other monthly debts listed on your credit report and this will be your total debts.

Now take out your most recent paycheck stubs to do a debt-to-income calculation. The calculation is done by taking the total debts from above and dividing this number by your gross monthly income. The ratio should be less than 38%. If your ratio is too high, then you need to do your best to start paying down your debts. The quickest way to do this is to follow the debt plan that is available at http://www.trimyourdebt.com/welcome_budget_short.aspx.

The final item that you will need to provide to your lender is documentation that shows your assets such as bank account statements, 401(k) statements, any cash value of life insurance, etc. Your lender wants to see where your down payment will be coming from.

You are now ready to check for the best rates and start looking for a lender. To get free rate quotes with no obligation and no credit check, feel free to visit us at http://www.trimyourdebt.com/MortgagePlanner.aspx.

About the Author

Don Blackhurst is the co-founder of TrimYourDebt.com (http://www.TrimYourDebt.com), which provides free budgeting tools, debt planning, and credit help. He has been working in the banking and finance industries for over 15 years and has an MBA with an emphasis in Finance and Econometrics.

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Take a Second Mortgage For Improving Your Home

When you need finance for a home improvement project, you have many options at your reach. However, one that is not often considered and can turn out to be a very cheap source of founds is to take a second mortgage on the same property you are planning to improve. Home equity loans or second mortgages are the right tool for financing home improvements.

The fact that these loans are based on equity and that you are planning to improve the property that is guaranteeing them has several implications that need to be taken into account. Both the lender and the borrower will benefit from the fact that the loan will be used to improve the asset that is guaranteeing the loan.

Home Equity Loans (Second Mortgages)

Home equity loans or second mortgages are based on the remaining equity on your home. Basically, equity is the difference between the home value of your property and the outstanding debt guaranteed by that property. Home equity loans use this equity as collateral to guarantee the loan just like home loans use the property as collateral.

This implies that the risk involved for the lender is reduced due to the guarantee and thus, the interest rate charged is low. These loans along with home loans are probably the lowest rate loans of the private financial market. This in turn, implies also low monthly payments which are perfect for financing home improvements so you do not have to pay high lump sums every month.

Also, since these loans are guaranteed, the lender is willing to offer higher loan amounts. However, the loan amount will be limited by the equity left on your home. Higher loan amounts are also very useful for home improvements because generally, home improvements are rather expensive and an important amount of funds are needed to undertake home improvement projects.

An Alternative: Home Equity Lines of Credit for Home Improvements

These lines of credit are revolving sources of funds that are also guaranteed with your home equity. Instead of a fixed loan amount, what you are offered when requesting a home equity line of credit, is a flexible source of funds with certain credit limit. Up to this limit you can request as much money as you need and repay it the way you want. Generally, the minimum payment is the interests charged for the money you withdraw.

Once you repay the principal, you can withdraw it again as many times as you want as long as you do not exceed the credit limit. This tool provides a lot of flexibility that comes in very handy when making home improvements that have costs that you cannot always predict and thus having a fixed amount can seriously limit your project.

The main difference as regards the terms of home equity loans and lines of credit is that home equity lines of credit always carry a variable interest rate that is altered every three months according to market conditions, while home equity loans can carry either a variable rate or a fixed interest rate that will remain the same all through the life of the loan.

by Amanda Hash

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