Thursday, 1. April 2010
Buying a home is a big step. In fact, it’s the most expensive purchase that most people will ever make. Unless you are fortunate enough to be able to pay cash for your new abode, you will soon become familiar with home loan lenders, mortgage loan interest rates and all of the necessary paperwork that is required to get your home loan approved. A mortgage loan, also known as a home loan, can be a lengthy process. If you want to minimize your time spent working with home loan lenders and start enjoying your home faster, it’s the perfect time to learn everything that you can about mortgage loans.
When most people purchase a new home, they either plan to live in it for many years or are purchasing it with the thought of later cashing in on the equity if the property value increases. In deciding which kind of home loan to apply for, you must first decide how long you plan to live in the home. A fixed rate mortgage loan is a popular choice among those who plan to live in a home for 10 years or more. As the name implies, this type of home loan offers the buyer a fixed rate over the entire life of the loan, which means the interest rate will never change.
An adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) is one in which the interest adjusts according to the current market rates. This type of home loan is popular for those who plan to sell in several years in order to cash in on rising property values. Interest-only loans, on the other hand, allow potential home buyers to make payments toward the loan’s interest for a specified amount of time.
In determining your eligibility for a mortgage loan, your credit report will be accessed so that the home loan lender can evaluate your creditworthiness. Today, the average American’s credit score is under 700, but even those with lower scores can be approved for a mortgage loan. The truth is that you don’t have to have excellent credit to obtain a home loan. In fact, more home loan lenders are granting bad credit loans to those who currently have the ability to repay or have shown improvement in their credit report. Even if you have a bankruptcy on your credit report, most home loan lenders will begin to consider your application after two years.
Before applying for a mortgage loan, it is recommended that you check your credit reports from each of the three major reporting bureaus, including TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Inspect each entry carefully and make sure that all notations, including account numbers, balance, payment history and contact information are correct. If anything needs correction, file a dispute with the credit reporting agency and await their reply. When you apply for a home loan, your eligibility and interest rates will be determined by the information contained in your credit report, which is why it should be completely accurate when you are ready to submit a loan application.
If you are considering a home equity loan based on your property’s current value, there are a number of home loan lenders who are more than willing to accept an application. The amount granted for a home equity loan will greatly depend on your home’s equity, but it will also depend on your ability to repay the debt. Most home loan lenders offer a free qualification process that will give you a good idea as to how much, if any, you can borrow against the current equity in your home.
The information contained in this article is designed to be used for reference purposes only. It should not be used as, in place of or in conjunction with professional financial advice relating to mortgage loans, home loan lenders, bad credit loans or the lending process as a whole. For additional information, consult with a lender who specializes in these types of loans.
By: Andrew Daigle
Sunday, 28. March 2010
Your refinance home loan is a new loan using once again the subject property as collateral. But what if you have seen the possibility of relocating to another state because a child is going to college soon? What are your options?
Opting for an Adjustable Rate Mortgage
With the likely prospect of relocating in a few years, the option for an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) for your refinance home loan is a smart one. For the last three or four years of your stay in your house, you will be paying low interest rates on your new loan before rates take an upward swing.
Commonly, people shy away from an ARM for their refinance home loan because of an unpredictable market. But here’s the advantages you’ll get from an ARM:
1. Low interest rates for the first few years.
2. Time to plan for the future.
3. More cash flow because of lower monthly payments.
4. When rates fall, you don’t need to refinance companies will ensure you get the low rates.
However, before you go for an ARM, you only have to answer one very important question: Can you afford to continue paying the loan in case the rates soar? If the answer is yes, then, by all means, go for it.
What You Need To Know
The interest rate for your refinance home loan on ARM changes over time. The first interest rate is set below the market standard comparable to a fixed rate loan. Unlike the fixed rate mortgage, the ARM rates rises and beyond three years or seven years depending on your loan contract, the rates exceed those of the fixed rate mortgage.
This is the reason why this is attractive for those who are planning to stay in the house for a few years. By the time the interest of your refinance home loan rises ,you can sell your home after working it out with your lender and checking your mortgage pay-off.
In selling your home, calculate your estimated expenses. Deduct the mortgage payoff from the fair market value of your home and subtract the charges to sell from the remaining balance to arrive at an estimate of proceeds due to you at the closing.
Here is the list of expenses to be incurred when you’re going to sell your home:
1. Commission of the real estate agency.
2. Advertising costs if you’re selling on your own.
3. Attorneys fees for the closing if you’re selling on your own.
4. Excise tax for the transaction.
5. Homeowner Association fees and property taxes and other fees.
6. Inspections and surveys.
When all is said and done, the amount paid to you at the closing should enable you to pay for a new home. If not, then you have to pursue a new loan. This is why you should get pre-approved for another loan before you sell your house. A ready house on the block makes it easier for you to calculate the amount of the new refinance home loan you will need.
By: Rony Walker
Friday, 26. March 2010
Do you need cash? Here’s a mortgage for you. If you are not in a good position to take an equity line of credit on your home, because you have not built enough equity or a poor credit situation is making bankers steer clear of you, altogether, there is another option — the cashout refinance.
This loan does what the equity line does in most cases, but it is not an interest-only loan, and it has conventional mortgage terms. The advantage for people without enough equity and less than perfect credit is you can get at what little equity you do have by refinancing to a new conventional mortgage, taking cash out at the close of the loan.
Here’s how it works.
Let’s assume you have a home valued at $110,000. You owe $86,000, and you would like to get $8,000 in cash to pay off two small credit cards with high interest and to do some minor rehab work on you home. With your B credit rating, banks won’t give you 100 percent of your equity or even 95 percent, so an equity line won’t work.
However, you will qualify for a 90 percent cashout refinance loan. In order to keep your costs down, you combine this strategy with another one, an adjustable rate mortgage, and this helps you maintain a low monthly payment.
You need about $4,000 to close the loan (remember it’s a conventional mortgage with all the closing costs — equity loans can be closed with no costs at all). The closing costs, though, will be financed into your new loan, so you don’t have to come out of pocket with any money.
So, you get a new mortgage for $99,000, which pays off your old fixed rate mortgage loan, covers the closing costs and, best of all, leaves you with $9,000 in cash — $1,000 more than you actually need.
The ARM rate is probably one percent less than your old fixed rate, so your payment will stay close to what it was. Plus, you eliminate monthly credit debt, so you have created even more cash! This is just an overview of a very powerful loan.
By: Mark Barnes