Home Equity Loan - What Exactly Is It?

If you are a homeowner you have probably received information in the mail about taking out a home equity loan. Don't know what this is? Don't worry, you are not the only home owner out there that has had to stop and ask exactly what this is.

These have actually become more common over the last 20 years or so. But if you have never needed one before there is no reason for you to know all of the logistics.

Understanding the Credit

A loan on the equity of your home simply allows for a homeowner to borrow against his or her abode. Another way to look at it is that the homeowner uses the equity in his or her abode as collateral. These borrowings are often taken out by homeowners that need to finance repairs or remodeling, pay for unexpected medical bills, or even to pay for higher education.

Basically what this type of credit does is create a lien against the property and until it is paid off the actual value in the house is reduced by the borrowed amount.

Not everyone is a candidate for this. These are reserved for those that are and have been in good standing with their mortgage company and also have excellent credit histories. This loan is essentially a second mortgage because they are secured with the value of the house just as a first mortgage is.

Most of the time these are not as long term as a first mortgage, meaning they will need to be paid off before the original borrowing.

There are two basic types: open end and closed end. Open end home equity loans are those that are referred to as a line of credit. With this type of borrowing the borrower can determine when and how they would like to borrow. These usually allow for the borrower to borrow 100% of the value and can be made available for up to 30 years with a variable interest rate.

A closed end option is a bit different in that the borrower is given a lump sum of money and cannot borrow anything else. The amount that is given is figured by determining the value, the income of the borrower, as well as the credit history. These have fixed rates and the tenor is usually 15 years.

A home equity loan is a good idea for someone who owns a house and needs cash to pay for things such as those mentioned above. Many times homeowners are able to secure a better interest rate than they can on a personal loan, making this a more affordable option. Before assuming that this is the best choice for you, make sure you look into all of the fees to be sure that it really is the most affordable option.

By : Ajeet Khurana

Want a refinance loan? We will get you a home equity loan or a mortgage loan. Come to us for your home finance needs today.

Tips On Looking For A Home Loan Mortgage Company

People who need to get a loan will soon realize that banks are not the only ones who can lend money to a customer. There are also home mortgage companies who can also offer the same service to the person.

There are two ways for the individual to find a home mortgage company. The first will be to do this without anyone’s help. The second will be looking for a middleman or a broker who will do all the legwork.

In any case, the applicant will have to shop around for a firm that is offering it at a reasonable rate. Those who have never done this before should be accompanied by a friend because the lessons learned will prevent the individual from making the same mistakes.

The person will notice that home mortgage companies can be found in the phone directory, the newspaper and in the Internet.

The best of these is probably the one found in the web since there is a home calculator that can be used to figure out the amount that has to be paid monthly if the individual chooses to get a loan from this firm.

Regardless where the home mortgage company was found, the person will have to narrow this down perhaps to five from the ten or twelve that have sent a proposal to the home. This will make it easier to review before meeting a representative and asking some hard-hitting questions.

This includes finding out how these firms are compensated. Some of these home mortgage companies will charge a flat fee while others make money by getting a percentage from the amount of the approved loan.

If the payment is reasonable, the individual should also ask for a few names of past customers who have transacted with this firm. These people will be able to tell if the service provided was adequate enough to suit the needs of the customer.

Should there be no problems, the person should also check with the agent if this is the best package to get. The home mortgage company may have something better to offer to the client.

Getting a home mortgage loan is easy. The challenging part is finding a company that is there to help and not just get money from the customer. Those who are successful will just have to fill up the forms and wait a few days to find out if the request has been approved.

Tips On Improving Credit Report For Home Mortgage

Getting a home mortgage is easy for a person with good credit ratings. Lenders will always check the credit rating of an applicant before even considering him for a loan mortgage. Thus, every person who plans to get a home mortgage in the future should strive to maintain a good credit rating.

A person’s credit rating is usually based on the reports submitted by companies he has done business with on credit basis. The reports of these companies summarize the credit transactions of a person. It is then compiled and from such reports comes the credit score of person.

A person with a credit score of 620 below is already considered to have a bad credit. The higher the credit score of a person the more chances he has of getting his home mortgage approved.

However, the credit score of a person does not always reflect the true status of his credit reputation. Some people get low credit scores not because they have unpaid bills or they incurred late payments but probably because they do not have enough credit transactions.

A good credit reputation is not earned overnight. A person has to work hard to build his credit score. If he is concerned about his credit rating then he should always check his credit report and make sure that all the transactions there are valid. If there is a dispute on certain transactions then he should immediately call the attention of the company concerned and have the changes reflected on the credit report.

A person who wants to have a good and reliable credit report should be mindful of his credits. He should keep a record of what and how much he owes and pay them on time. Ideally, a person should never incur a debt if he is not sure where to get his payment.

While credit is an efficient way of getting things done, every person who owns a plastic should also keep his credit at a minimum. Only spend on items that are necessary. Never splurge on things that are considered as unimportant and unnecessary.

Do not give in to the temptation of using another credit line to pay a previous debt because it will only pile up debts and will instead be reflected as a negative mark on the credit report.

And lastly, a credit line should be treated as a lifeline in case of an emergency and should never be used and abused for unnecessary things.

Tips On Getting A Mortgage For Your Home

Are you thinking of buying a new house? If you are, then a good mortgage deal is something you should shop for before you proceed in scouting for a new house. And choosing the right home mortgage loan can be so complicated that you really have to get guidance for it.

To help you with the task of choosing the right mortgage deal, here are some good tips you can follow:

1. Evaluate your financial status. What is your potential as a borrower? How much can you manage to pay from your monthly income? Know your current financial situation and decide from there.

2. Go to the right lender. Today, there are almost a thousand mortgage companies working hard to reach potential customers. And each of these lenders has their own set of mortgage deals worth checking out. It is just a matter of selecting the best one that fits your general lifestyle.

3. Understand the mortgage deal. If you are good with numbers, try to analyze the annual interest, the principal, and the rest of the financial elements of your mortgage. Then you should be able to decide which deal to take. If in any case, you don't have the numerical ability to analyze mortgage figures, talk to an expert. Let him enlighten you on the facts and figures surrounding the mortgage.

4. Know more about the application requirements. The mortgage won't be given to you in a silver platter and that's a fact. You have to go through the right channels and the proper application process. Go to the lender that is more likely to approve your loan over those who won't.

5. Know all the other elements involved in the mortgage. The elements include valuations and surveys, as well as insurance policy coverage. These are equally important things that you need to consider. Your mortgage will always have these two in the package. Knowing more about the lender's guidelines for these necessities will help you much in the decision-making stages.

6. Seek the help of a professional mortgage counselor. If self-teaching proved to be unworthy, get an impartial but reliable financial counselor. Have him evaluate what you've got against what you are trying to get and how you intend to get it. Professionals can educate you, if not directly advice you, as to how you should go about buying your new house.

These are six good tips you can follow if and when you intend to get a home mortgage. Follow these and you will soon wake up in the new environment of your new house.

Tips On Financing Your Home Mortgage

Every person, even drifters, dream of building their own home someday. A home is a family’s shelter against the storm and this can even be taken literally. A person who does not have a home will forever be uprooted and lost because he does not have somewhere to go back to.

Owning a home is thus a very important part of every person’s goal at any time in his life. Some people are lucky because they have the financial capability to build their own homes. What about those who are working for monthly paychecks to support their families, can they still hope for an abode they can call their own?

The answer is yes, thanks to home financing opportunities offered for people who have a very good credit line. Some who have not so impeccable credit ratings are even given the opportunity to get a home mortgage.

A person who plans to buy or build a home through financing should ask himself how much he can afford in terms of the total cost of the home. He should consider his monthly income and how much he can afford to pay for a home mortgage considering his other expenses.

There are several home financing options that are tailored for individual needs. A person who could not pay much monthly can get a long term loan but it will be more expensive in the end although he gets to pay a meager amount every month.

Frankly, getting a home mortgage can be quite a hassle considering the many requirements a person has to submit and the rigors he has to go through to get that home mortgage. Added to that is the problem of financing his home mortgage. In other words, where to get the money to pay for the home mortgage once it is approved.

Generally, a person has to have some form of sustainable income to qualify for a home loan. His take home pay should also be more than what he has to pay for his home loan and his living expenses.

Anyone getting a home loan should also consider other forms of income, aside form his regular monthly income, to augment his home mortgage payments and other expenses. If he intends to pay for his home mortgage the soonest possible time, then he should look for other sources of income to augment his finances.

He can also ask members of his family to contribute with the monthly house payments to make sure that the home mortgage is paid on or before the due date.

The Secret Of Home Mortgage Refinancing

Refinancing your home mortgage comes with numerous advantages. Primarily, home mortgage refinancing could save you a lot of home on your payment. It can also allow you to pay off the full home mortgage faster, especially when you have feasible terms.

When you’re planning to refinance your home mortgage loan, make sure to consider these four important things to ensure it will not cause any problems afterwards:

* Learn the terms of your original mortgage

Before shopping around for the appropriate home mortgage lender, ensure that your original mortgage does not have pre-payment penalties or any kind of early payoff penalty.

Many people refinance their home mortgage not knowing that they will be charged for a pre-payment penalty. These penalties usually range from six months up to three years, plus another penalty for early payoff.

Although penalty amount varies, the average pre-payment penalty amounts to a six-month worth of mortgage interest. In order to justify refinancing mortgage loans with pre-payment penalties, you need to have significant payment and interest savings.

* Maximize your options

In order to ensure you’re getting the lowest rate in the market, apply for pre-approvals to several different lenders. However, make sure that the lender is not pulling out your credit history during an initial pre-approval application.

Be aware that every time your credit history is pulled, it slightly reduces your credit score. When your credit history has too many inquiries, this may prevent you from refinancing your mortgage loan with a low rate.

In addition, assess different lender offers concerning interest rate offerings and closing costs. Remember that these two factors will largely affect your lender choice. Choose a lender with feasible rates to maximize your mortgage refinancing benefits.

* Choose your lender

Once you have compared different lenders, you can now allow your choice of lender to pull your credit history. Then, make sure to get the interest rates and closing costs into writing. Ask your lender to provide you with a quotation in advance of all possible costs involved with your loan.

Ask for information about whether the refinancing loan, which you will be getting, has pre-payment penalties. Most lenders leave this important information out, knowing they might scare consumers away.

In refinancing home mortgage, make sure you shop around and assess different lending options. Do not grab the first opportunity that comes before you. Be a smart consumer and refinance your home mortgage with the lowest rate possible.

The Most Appropriate Loan Type

Loans can be very helpful. However, this is only the case if you were able to choose the most appropriate for you. Otherwise, you might end up being so burdened by what you have to pay regularly for the loan.

Loan providers are always willing to give you assistance on this. It is true that loan options can really be confusing. Thus, as long as you communicate well your needs to your loan agent, you may expect a professional advice and suggestions from them.

One type is called fixed rate mortgage. The rates here are consistent all throughout the life of the loan. Thus, monthly payments do not fluctuate and remain the same until everything has been settled.

If you prefer lower monthly payments, you may choose 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. The downside, however, is the fact that it will take you a while to accumulate equity in your home. This option is most advisable if only you intend to stay in your home for quite a number of years with a stable rate.

If such is not the case for you, you may opt for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage instead. Since the principal and interest are distributed to a 15-year period, you easily accumulate equity in your home. However, the monthly rates are definitely higher since you cut the period to half. This is most advisable if you have intentions of selling your home in a few years time while enjoying a stable rate.

The disadvantage for any form of fixed rate mortgages is manifested if interest rates happen to go down after some time. As soon as you agree to a certain rate at the start, no matter how much the interest rates decrease along the way, you will not be covered by that anymore and you will have to adhere to what has been agreed upon.

Another type is called adjustable rate mortgages. Interest rates here change periodically based on a stable index so monthly payments will either increase or decrease. A 1-year adjustable rate mortgage, for example, causes adjustments in the interest rates annually.

Common indices followed by adjustable rate mortgages include 1-year Treasury Notes, Federal Funds rate, and the National Cost of Funds Index. There is usually a margin of one to two percentage points which are added up to the declared index rates.

The rates may increase or decrease depending on the two caps that are normally included. The first cap sets forth limitations on the adjustment during a certain period while the second one gives limitations all throughout the loan.

The advantage with this type is that monthly payments go down with a decrease in the index. However, payments are also going to be vulnerable whenever there is an increase. You might then want to evaluate the current system and situation given these pros and cons before deciding which one to choose.

Moreover, if in case you do not want to be tied up with an adjustable rate mortgage until the end of your loan, you may opt to avail of a convertible loan. This is actually an adjustable rate mortgage that can be changed to a fixed rate mortgage after a declared number of years. However, you may need to pay for some costs when you do avail of this.

Another way of possibly shortening your mortgage is through the purchase of a balloon mortgage which may function either as a fixed rate mortgage or an adjustable rate mortgage during the initial years.

After a certain period of time, a considerable amount of loan is left which you have to pay in bulk. This is most ideal to those who have plans of selling the home after some years and use the money generated from the sales to pay off the remaining balance and finally be loan-free.

Indeed, there are several options for you in the market. You only have to identify exactly what your financial situation really is and from there, choose the loan type that will not give you a hard time every month. Also, an idea about the current condition of the loan industry will help since it will make you aware which loan type will be most advantageous given your financial capabilities.

The Essential Guide to Saving More Money on Mortgages

Many people may have been enjoying mortgage rates that are lower than what you have right now, but it isn't easy to say so.

Why? Simply because getting lower mortgage rates isn't that easy. First, you have to think about the refinancing schemes that mortgage lenders will provide you in case you want to lower your rates. Lending companies wouldn't give you something good without the necessary qualification.

So the next step is for you to consider if it is high time for you to refinance your mortgage. Some people think that refinancing their mortgage will be a lot easier to do because of the financial history they have built with the company. Most of them believe that refinancing is always a good choice of getting lower rates.

In some ways, refinancing a mortgage can be a good idea, but it still depends on the situation or on the type of mortgage that you have.

Lending companies may no longer need new research on your properties or a simple property assessment. In most cases, lending companies are also willing to give lower rates.

All of these things are easily provided to those who wish to refinance their mortgages because lending companies believe that it is easier to maintain a paying customer than to find another one.

So the question now lies on whether it is time for you to refinance or not because not all refinancing schemes are created equal. This goes to show that every refinancing scheme may differ from the others and would entirely depend on the kind of program you wish to pursue.

For instance, would you like to have a plain refinancing scheme for your mortgage? Or would you like to have lower rates and still cash out to pay down other debt?

Before you can decide on such things, it is best that you consider first the reasons why you are refinancing your mortgage in the first place. Here are some of the common reasons consumers make whenever they decide on refinancing their mortgages:

1. To gain benefit from an enhanced credit rating

Some people are lucky enough to get mortgages in spite of their bad credit rating. However, they may have to suffer the consequence such as having higher interest rates.

As time goes by, these consumers try to build up their credit rating by paying their dues on time. Nevertheless, having high interest rates can be very expensive to maintain. That is why they opt to refinance and desire for lower interest rates.

In this way, refinancing now could be the best time for you to save more than to continue paying higher interest rates in spite of your good credit rating.

Besides, maintaining higher interest rates may only bring you troubles considering the fact that at any point in time, you may not be able to sustain higher interest charges.

2. Modify your loan

If you have chosen an adjustable mortgage rate in the first place, you may find it reasonable now to get a fixed-rate mortgage considering the discrepancies on the interest rates.

Adjustable rate mortgage may appear very low at some point in time because they are primarily dependent on the different factors that affect the interest rates set by the Federal Reserve.

But then again, adjustable rate mortgage can change a maximum of twice a year. So that goes to show that interest rates such as these can change from time to time. So to speak, you can get either a lower or a higher rate depending on the kind of adjustable rate mortgage you have.

On the other hand, fixed-rate mortgage can give you lower rates in the end because they don't change whatever happens.

So if you want to convert your loan into a fixed-rate mortgage, you have to refinance your mortgage.

3. Get a lower interest rate and cash out and pay other debts

Some consumers want to have a better deal. They want to refinance their mortgage but would also like to cash out at closing so that they can use the money to pay their other debts.

It is like hitting two birds with one stone. There are some people taking charge of their home equity whenever the prime rate is lower than the standard rate of a fixed-rate mortgage with a 30-year pay out plan.

Financial experts say that getting home equity is the better option at this point because the rates will be cheaper. However, as time passes by, cashing out and still get lower rates through refinancing schemes is still the best choice.

Refinancing your mortgage to a lower rate and still get to cash out to pay your other debts would simply mean getting more than what you presently have a loan from, and subsequently taking the change.

For instance, you have an existing loan of $50,000 on a $90,000 house. You have decided to get a lower interest rate on that loan and still get $10,000 cash to pay off your car loan.

Through cash-out refinancing, you can easily get your heart’s desire by refinancing your mortgage from $50,000 to $60,000. In that way, you were able to lower your mortgage interest rate on your standing balance of $50,000 and still get cash as you wish.

With all these things, refinancing might just be the answers to your prayers. You see, it really pays to know the difference. Don't just take somebody’s word for it. Work on it…now!

The Most Appropriate Loan Type

Loans can be very helpful. However, this is only the case if you were able to choose the most appropriate for you. Otherwise, you might end up being so burdened by what you have to pay regularly for the loan.

Loan providers are always willing to give you assistance on this. It is true that loan options can really be confusing. Thus, as long as you communicate well your needs to your loan agent, you may expect a professional advice and suggestions from them.

One type is called fixed rate mortgage. The rates here are consistent all throughout the life of the loan. Thus, monthly payments do not fluctuate and remain the same until everything has been settled.

If you prefer lower monthly payments, you may choose 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. The downside, however, is the fact that it will take you a while to accumulate equity in your home. This option is most advisable if only you intend to stay in your home for quite a number of years with a stable rate.

If such is not the case for you, you may opt for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage instead. Since the principal and interest are distributed to a 15-year period, you easily accumulate equity in your home. However, the monthly rates are definitely higher since you cut the period to half. This is most advisable if you have intentions of selling your home in a few years time while enjoying a stable rate.

The disadvantage for any form of fixed rate mortgages is manifested if interest rates happen to go down after some time. As soon as you agree to a certain rate at the start, no matter how much the interest rates decrease along the way, you will not be covered by that anymore and you will have to adhere to what has been agreed upon.

Another type is called adjustable rate mortgages. Interest rates here change periodically based on a stable index so monthly payments will either increase or decrease. A 1-year adjustable rate mortgage, for example, causes adjustments in the interest rates annually.

Common indices followed by adjustable rate mortgages include 1-year Treasury Notes, Federal Funds rate, and the National Cost of Funds Index. There is usually a margin of one to two percentage points which are added up to the declared index rates.

The rates may increase or decrease depending on the two caps that are normally included. The first cap sets forth limitations on the adjustment during a certain period while the second one gives limitations all throughout the loan.

The advantage with this type is that monthly payments go down with a decrease in the index. However, payments are also going to be vulnerable whenever there is an increase. You might then want to evaluate the current system and situation given these pros and cons before deciding which one to choose.

Moreover, if in case you do not want to be tied up with an adjustable rate mortgage until the end of your loan, you may opt to avail of a convertible loan. This is actually an adjustable rate mortgage that can be changed to a fixed rate mortgage after a declared number of years. However, you may need to pay for some costs when you do avail of this.

Another way of possibly shortening your mortgage is through the purchase of a balloon mortgage which may function either as a fixed rate mortgage or an adjustable rate mortgage during the initial years.

After a certain period of time, a considerable amount of loan is left which you have to pay in bulk. This is most ideal to those who have plans of selling the home after some years and use the money generated from the sales to pay off the remaining balance and finally be loan-free.

Indeed, there are several options for you in the market. You only have to identify exactly what your financial situation really is and from there, choose the loan type that will not give you a hard time every month. Also, an idea about the current condition of the loan industry will help since it will make you aware which loan type will be most advantageous given your financial capabilities.

Always Be Aware of Current Rates

Before going in for mortgage loans you should always remember that mortgage rates fluctuate with respect to the rate of real estate markets. The fluctuation is quite similar to the stock market system; someday experiencing the depression, the next day it grows.

Therefore, it becomes mandatory for you to consider the interest rate factors before going in for the actual deal or filling up the form. To predict the current mortgage rate is somewhat impossible. The changes in the rates are sometimes so rapid that it may fall drastically as you start to pay or may rise enormously, after you get your loans. In order to get a keen sight on the market and the rates, it is advisable to understand the reason behind the rise and fall of the interest rates.

The Basics

It happens, that whenever the economy suffers a crisis, the desire to invest on the current mortgages consequently decreases, thereby bringing a drastic fall on the mortgage rates. On the contrary, when the economy is going through a pleasant phase, and receive a growth on the money availability, people invest wholeheartedly in the market, causing inflation in the mortgage rates. However, the rise and fall of the mortgage rates also depends upon the actions taken by the Federal Reserve, which slow down or accelerate the economy, and hence mortgage rates are lowered or increased accordingly.

Effects Of The Federal Reserve Actions

Sometimes the Federal Reserve increases the interest rates deliberately. This is done in order to decrease ongoing inflation rates, in order to slow-down the economy, when it is going through a stagnation period. The cause of inflation in the market can be the rise in the prices of goods, thereby bringing in a drastic growth in the current economy. And this strong economy thereby gives rise to the inflation in the real estate market prices, like apartments, rents and mortgage rates.

Actual mortgage rates are determined by the supply and demand equation. But it is very different from the interest rate equation, hence making the rise and fall of the mortgage rates different when compared to other rates. The situation turns critical for you, when you are about to step in into your new home, but are still uncertain about its mortgage rates. The best thing to do in this case is to ask the lender to fix a rate for you, so that at the time of the fall in the interest rates, by refinancing you get to pay the lower rates. But there is always an air of uncertainty, which pervades you. So it is better to refinance only if you are getting the interest rate of the mortgage rates lowered by two percent than the current mortgage rate.

By : Sarah Dinkins

--- Sarah Dinkins is an Expert Loan Consultant at Badcreditfinancialexperts.com where she helps people to repair their credit and to get approved for home loans, student loans, consolidation loans, car loans and other types of loans and financial products. If you need more useful articles find them Here with professional advice on the financial field.

Interest Only Mortgages Loan Is It Good Or Bad?

Have you seen commercials about interest-only mortgages... the ones where you're told about what a wonderful benefit it is to have a super low mortgage payment and all the wonderful tax write-offs you'll receive?

Before you decide to jump into an interest-only mortgage, take a few minutes to enlighten yourself a bit about them.

Think about this... if you just pay the interest on your home, will you ever start paying on the principal and will you ever have any equity in your property?

By definition, a mortgage is a "temporary conditional pledge of property to a creditor as security for performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt."

Or, putting it simply, that means you borrow money from a financial institution and they essentially buy your house and you pay it back. But how can you pay it back if you're just paying interest?

More accurately, interest-only mortgages are a temporary reprieve for paying off a traditional mortgage. You may actually be prolonging the inevitable and eventually making it even more expensive to pay off your mortgage.

Far too many people are in debt way over their heads because of interest-only mortgages. They took advantage of what appeared to be attractive offers to 'buy now and pay later.'

With an interest-only payment you're keeping the principal at the full loan value and every penny you pay is interest. With a more conventional mortgage you'd be slowly paying down the total mortgage amount.

Most interest-only payment schedules are offered on Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs), but they can also be found on fixed rate mortgages. Interest-only payment periods almost never run for the entire term of the loan which is normally 15 or 30 years.

Depending on the terms of your mortgage, you could be expected to start paying on the principal in five, seven or ten years. Once the interest-only period ends, your monthly payment will go up because then you'll be paying on both principal and interest.

On the other hand, interest-only mortgages can be a good thing for some people. For those people wanting to purchase a bigger/better home for a lower down payment AND who anticipate moving within seven years, the interest-only mortgage method may be the way to go.

However, keep in mind that in a "down" real estate market you generally won't be building any equity and making money by doing it this way. The majority of the money made from investing in real estate comes from an increase in value to the home.

The average person moves every seven years anyway. The days when people stay in a home thirty years or more are gone. So if you anticipate moving before you'll have to start paying on the principal, then an interest-only mortgage loan may be ideal for you.

There's a lot of fine print to any mortgage. Evaluate your own goals and be vigilant when reviewing the terms on the loan you're considering before acting.

By : Jim Power

Jim Power is writer for the student loan information site http://mortagesave.com/ where there is more information to be found interest only mortgage can be found.

The FCRA And Credit Rating

You may be a person that is currently having financial difficulties and are looking for a temporary solution to your present troubles. Loans are some of the more popular and oft used methods to address this problem. There are presently many different types of loans, including pawning jewelry and valuables at a pawnshop, asking a foundation to lend you some money, corporate loans, and more.

Home mortgage

One type of loan, especially those looking to pay larger debts than usual, is a home mortgage. A home mortgage (usually involving a bank but not limited to it) is simply a pledge or commitment in which a home owner offers the title of his property as a form of security for a loan – you place your home as the collateral. When you get your loan, you are required to pay a certain amount at different intervals, depending on what is agreed upon, and if you don’t, you could potentially lose your home.

However, not everyone can easily get a loan, especially from big banks and financial centers. Think about it – you yourself would be hesitant if a complete and total stranger came to you and asked to borrow some money, right? That is right about the same case when it comes to borrowing money from a bank or lender.

How do you go about securing a loan? You have to apply for it, which is no guarantee that it will be granted. Banks, financial companies, and other lenders will have to consider carefully your profile, particularly something called a credit rating.

Credit rating

A credit rating is something that is drawn up from credit reports, which details your credit activities such as borrowing, debt, payments, etc. Basically, the credit rating details the amount of credit which can be lent to a person without unwarranted risk. This essentially means that the higher your credit rating, the higher the loan amount you can get.

To get a good credit rating, which entails that the chances for you getting a loan (including the amount you need) are much higher than normal, you simply need to pay your bills and loans on time, as well as other financial obligations. A good credit rating is obviously much better than a lower one, since your financial opportunities are much wider than when compared to having a low rating, which severely limits what you can do financially.

Credit reports

It was mentioned that the credit rating comes from credit reports, so you might be asking, what are credit reports? They are actually the ones where your credit activities are recorded – including loans, balances, unpaid debts, along with a little bit of background information. These credit reports are gathered by credit bureaus, also known as a consumer reporting agency.

You might be wondering why such agencies exist – basically they are there to stabilize the financial market. Also, there is no need for you to worry as they exist legally, with the knowledge of the government, including what they do. In fact, there is a law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Fair Credit Reporting Act

This law is a federal law which regulates consumer credit information. By regulating this consumer credit information, credit ratings can then be properly given out with most, if not all, of the information at hand. There are certain rules and regulations which the consumer reporting agencies have to follow, which are found in this particular federal law.

This law is actually beneficial to the consumers, the consumer reporting agency, and the lenders. This law makes clear some of the potential problems that may arise between consumers and their credit rating, and tries to prevent that from occurring. Consumers themselves are entitled to one free credit report per year, thanks in part to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

In summary, you may probably want or need to get a loan via a home mortgage. If that is the case, it would be to your best interest that you have a good credit rating which is reflected on a very positive credit report. Since the credit rating and credit report are taken into great consideration when applying for a loan, the amount of credit rating you have proves to the lender how good you are when it comes to dealing in finances.

Should You Get a Mortgage Now?

It's never a good sign when your home loan company files for bankruptcy. Sadly, that's just what's happening to many sub-prime mortgage lenders these days. Mortgage rates are low right now (about 5.5% - 6% for a 15-year fixed interest loan at the time of this writing), but the lenders who managed to stay afloat are tightening their lending guidelines. Should you get a mortgage while the housing market is so volatile?

Simply put, yes, you should get a mortgage if you're in a position to afford a house. But it's not that simple. Before you sign that dotted line, you need to consider some things.

First, do your research. Learn about mortgages and mortgage professionals. If you get a good offer, don't assume that it's the best you'll get. Shop around and compare offers. You might find that that initial offer wasn't as great as it seemed. Compare the terms you're offered to the current national mortgage rates. You can find these online at My FICO. By familiarizing yourself with what's out there and with what can be expected, you're protecting yourself from scams.

Mortgage scams are a problem, but they can be avoided. Just remember that mortgages that seem too good to be true probably are. The Mortgage Asset Research Institute reported that 26 states have "serious problems with mortgage fraud". Some tactics include pressuring home buyers to file quitclaim deeds; buying homes at low prices and re-selling them for profit through dishonest appraisals; and manipulating fees and penalties to re-classify performing loans as defaults.

When choosing who you'll do business with, be sure to select an established business with a good reputation. This doesn't necessarily mean that the largest lenders will give you the best terms; don't forget to look for local firms, too. Check them out online through the Better Business Bureau and Rip-off Report. Ask to speak with previous clients, or solicit opinions through online forums or classified ads. If you're very concerned, you can always hire a lawyer to represent your best interests.

Also, don't accept a variable-interest loan, or a mortgage with a low-interest introductory period. That period won't last forever, and your interest rates - and monthly payments - will likely soar when it's over. Look at how many homes have been foreclosed because buyers couldn't afford the payments after their interest reset at a higher rate. Carefully read everything you sign, and demand clarification for any vague or unspecified points. It wouldn't hurt to have an attorney look it over, too.

Finally, you should consider using a professional mortgage broker. As pros, they have the knowledge and resources to find great loans quickly and easily. Using a broker will cost you some up front money, but will save you time and stress.

We've all heard the myriad horror stories about families losing their homes, houses that were foreclosed and auctioned off for insultingly low prices. This should not scare you away from buying a home, but it should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone looking to secure a mortgage: take your time, and do your homework. If you get caught up in the dream of owning your own home, you're more prone to take the first good deal that comes along. Don't make yourself vulnerable to unscrupulous lenders. Instead, arm yourself with knowledge and keep your head about you. Taking your time to think things through could make all the difference.

For additional help visit our bankruptcy forum at http://DestroyDebt.com

By : Janna Weiss

Successfully Building A Lender-Friendly Credit Report

Perhaps you are looking to or need to loan some money, maybe from a large, well-known bank, or some smaller financial institution. However, loaning money is not as easy as coming to the lender and asking for a loan – chances are, it will not come quickly, if ever the loan is approved (there is a chance that it may not). Lending institutions, just as a normal stranger, would hesitate to lend some money to somebody they don’t exactly know.

Logically, lending institutions would first want to know the person they are lending money to, because there is always the risk that they will not be paid back, or will receive incomplete payments. This is the reason why there are credit reports. These credit reports are simply records and listings of credit activities, including credit card accounts, past and present loans, unpaid balances, and even how quickly you pay your bills and debts.

Credit reports ultimately affect your credit rating, which the lenders look at when deciding whether or not to loan you money, including how much. These credit reports come from consumer reporting agencies, which are bodies tasked to collect and properly distribute to the proper recipients these reports regarding the consumer. Don’t worry, these credit reports cannot be distributed to just anyone, or else they would be in violation of federal law.

In order to have a greater chance at securing a loan, your credit report and rating must be in good standing. Take note, it is not the consumer reporting agency that declares whether you can get a loan or not – it is the lenders themselves. The consumer reporting agency merely provides the necessary information to give the lenders some background about the person asking for a loan.

A credit report usually contains identification, credit information, public records, and recent inquiries. Identification contains any relevant information including name, address, work history, etc. Credit information contains any credit card accounts, credit limit, bills paid and unpaid (if any), and the like. Public records are simply any state or county records while recent inquiries are those who have acquired your credit report within the past year.

In order to build a lender-friendly credit report, these factors must be addressed and should reflect your good standing. These parts of a credit report should complement each other and show that you are basically a person to be trusted with the money that they lend. Any suspicious data that they find could potentially be the key to the lenders not approving the loan.

For the identification part of a credit report, they will take a look at your work history, so if you have job instability, it will reflect on your credit report and would likely discourage them from loaning you money. It would be better if you stick to a job for quite some time before changing work. They will also take a look at the companies you’ve worked for, if these are in good standing as well.

With regard to credit information (which is perhaps the most important part of the report), you should make sure to pay any bills on time – electricity, water, telephone, cable, etc. Unpaid bills are a big discouragement to lenders, including any previous loans that you may have paid in full, but after the agreed-upon time. If they see that you are a responsible person when it comes to finances, you have a better chance of securing a loan, also with a higher amount.

Public records are usually used to see if you’ve been paying your taxes properly. This, like credit information, shows them your responsibility in financial dealings. They will also state if you have filed for bankruptcy and the like.

The deed of your home (to be used in home mortgages) is sometimes not enough for the lenders – they actually want to look at your credit report and deduce if you are able to pay the loan, and if you’re good in handling finances. If you have a good credit report and subsequently a good credit rating, a loan or home mortgage is not as difficult to obtain. It is important to keep in good standing financially, since consumer reporting agencies are observing you carefully.

Looking to Remortgage?

The term 'remortgage' simply means to replace your existing mortgage.

Reasons to Remortgage
People remortgage their properties for a variety of reasons including:

• To reduce monthly repayments: If you have had a mortgage for a number of years you will almost certainly be able to reduce your monthly repayments by remortgaging, either with your existing lender or with an alternative mortgage provider.
• To fund a home extension: If you are happy with the location of your home but need additional space, adding an extra room or two to your home is likely to be much cheaper and less traumatic than moving house. If you have built up some equity in your home since you took out your original mortgage and have been reliable in making mortgage repayments, you should have little problem in obtaining a remortgage to pay for an extension to your home, whether it is an extra bedroom, bathroom, home office, conservatory or garage.
• To consolidate debts: Although incredibly convenient in so many ways, credit cards are a very expensive way of borrowing money. If you have credit card debts or other unsecured loans, remortgaging can be an effective way of consolidating borrowings into a single loan, at a lower rate of interest than that charged by the credit card companies. However, you need to be disciplined with your credit card spending, if this method in of refinancing is going to be successful in the long term. Adding ever increasing debts to your mortgage every few years by remortgaging is not an advisable strategy for lasting financial peace of mind.

Competition is keen between financial institutions in the remortgage sector so it certainly pays to investigate the options available from different lenders, before making your decision.

Types of Remortgage
When financial institutions first introduced remortgage deals, they often attached stringent conditions to them. Nowadays, many mortgage providers' remortgage options closely resemble their mainstream mortgages, with a choice of standard variable rate (SVR), discounted rate, tracker, capped rate and fixed rate options.

Remortgaging Costs
Although remortgaging is relatively straightforward, the costs involved cannot be ignored. You might have to pay some of all of these remortgage costs:

• penalty for early termination of your existing mortgage;
• remortgage arrangement fee;
• property valuation fee;
• higher lending charge, if borrowing at a high loan to value (LTV) ratio.

Because borrowers are remortgaging more frequently, some mortgage providers have increased these remortgaging fees in an attempt to try to preserve their margins.

The one major cost that you can avoid by remortgaging is Stamp Duty, because you are not moving to a new property. Similarly, you will not be liable for estate agents' fees or other costs associated with selling a house.

As with any other major financial transaction, it always pays to read the small print carefully, in order to avoid unpleasant remortgage surprises.

If you are looking to get a remortgage FancyAMortgage.co.uk can help by offering unbiased overviews on available products as well as providing mortgage comparisons. By : Paul Giles

Saving For Your Home Mortgage Down Payment

If one is faced with monetary constraints when buying a house, he will be forced to avail of a home mortgage plan. A home mortgage plan allows a person to pay up for a house for a longer period of time. A house can be paid up for by a buyer on an extended period, paying a certain percentage of the whole amount every paying period with some interest payment.

Depending on the agreement of the lender and the borrower, one can choose the amount of down payment that you would like to pay for the initial period. One can choose different amounts for the down payment.

What are some things to consider when choosing an amount to pay for the down payment of a home mortgage plan? Always remember that mortgage payments are always affected by interest rates. Interest rates can add up if it takes you longer to pay up for the principal payment.

The longer it takes you to pay, the more you pay. Also, remember that if you can minimize the principal payment amount as you make a larger down payment, then it will always be better. It all depends on the amount of money that one has in his pocket today and how much he expects to make tomorrow.

How does one save for the down payment for a home mortgage? A house is one of the most important and probably one of the most expensive investments that one will get in his whole life, and paying the down payment can really dig a hole in one’s pockets. Saving is one of the most important things to consider when buying up a house.

There’s one rule that many people don’t realize about how they should save. For most people, savings is the leftover money after all the daily (and miscellaneous) expenses have been covered. The truth about savings is that it should be the first “expense” that should be made.

Calculate the amount of money that you already have in your bank account that you are willing to allot to the down payment and divide the remaining balance of the down payment amount by the number of months that is left for you to pay the down payment. Save the said amount each pay day by prioritizing it as a first expense.

Following the step above is the only sure way to save for a home mortgage down payment. Make sure that you follow it before you seriously consider buying a house.

Which is Better - Fixed Rate or Variable Rate?

Interest rates change so much it's hard to keep proper track of them. Yet they affect our lives in lots of different ways - not least in the amount we pay for the privilege of owning our own home every month, and in the amount we earn on our savings.

When you buy your own home you tend to start praying for lower interest rates, as they will directly affect the amount you have to pay back each month. But if you choose to repay the amount on a fixed rate deal, you don't need to worry. Or do you?

Its small wonder then that home buying is fraught with tough decisions to be made and questions to be asked. Owning your own home is a big decision, but it doesn't have to cost you more than is absolutely necessary.

In fact, more and more people are considering remortgages in order to take advantage of a better interest rate than the one they are already on. A fixed rate mortgage is ideal if you are a first time buyer and you need to know exactly how much you will be paying for your mortgage every month, but as interest rates change it can turn out to be costly.

Variable rates are usually cheaper than fixed rates if you compare them side by side, but as time goes on this situation can and usually does change. If interest rates start to rise sharply, unfortunately so will your mortgage payment.

UK remortgages can get you out of an existing mortgage that is no longer giving you value for money, and transfer you into one that could save you a considerable amount every month. If you aren't sure whether you want to be locked into a long mortgage term, look or a short term fixed rate deal which runs for a year or two. You can then look for another one once the time is up.

Obviously the longer your fixed rate deal runs for, the more likely it is that interest rates will drop below the rate you are fixed on, meaning you will lose money. But you also need to consider the long term effects of this - you might save more money in the long term, even if you do end up paying more for a few months than you would on a variable rate deal.

In short, your situation will largely dictate what kind of deal is best for you. There is no definitive answer to whether fixed rate or variable rate mortgages are best - it depends on what is happening at the time and what interest rate deal you are on. However, for peace of mind in knowing exactly what your outgoings are, a fixed rate can be the better option.

By : Elisha Burberry

Elisha Burberry is an online, freelance journalist and keen traveller and water sports enthusiast. Originally from Scotland, she now resides in London.

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/debt-solutions/index.shtml

Opening A Home Mortgage Business

Jackie works as a real estate agent. The job kept this person out on the field often because the apartment, condominium or home had to be presented to the potential customer.

The salary of this person was commission based. This meant there would only be a paycheck if a deal was closed. Things like this did not happen everyday so Jackie decided to request for transfer into another department in the company as a loans officer.

The new job required going into the field once in awhile and a lot of paperwork to finish while being in the office. The pay here was much more stable since the employer paid a base salary as well as commission for every client that was approved.

Jackie was doing well at the new post and the boss also took notice. Less than a year later, this employee was promoted to the position of broker. This meant more money coming in since this individual would now be the middle person in closing deals.

The highest position in any home mortgage company is the broker. This is because the firm where Jackie was employed in not only sold property but also helped customers find ways to pay for the loan.

Feeling that this was the end of the road and there was nowhere else to go, Jackie left the firm after working there for 5 years and decided to open a home mortgage business.

Jackie did not have enough money to rent office space to start the business. The only thing this individual had was the experience of how a home mortgage company operates so this had to be done by working at home.

The first people that Jackie called up were some clients who purchased a piece of property before. Some of these individuals were ready to buy again while those who weren’t gave the names and numbers of friends and family instead.

Using some former contacts in other real estate companies, this person was also able to get some houses, condominiums and apartments, which can be shown, to potential customers. Being the owner of the business, all the money now went to Jackie whenever a deal was made.

It took awhile for someone like Jackie to learn everything before deciding to put up a home mortgage business. People can do the same thing this person did and be more successful than those who have no idea where to begin and learn from the mistakes made.

Mortgage Tips For First Time Home Buyers

Everyone wishes to live in the dream house they always picture in their minds when they were kids. If you have saved up and worked hard throughout the years, then you are just a few steps away from that dream. But reality bites, home buying needs a lot of serious preparation to ensure that everything would come out right.

If you are excited to buy that house you always wanted, be prepared and read through these mortgage tips:

Pay your debt

Instead of saving up for your house, why not pay off your debts first? This is the more sensible thing to do than saving thousands of dollars in your bank. Debts, including credit card debts, actually limit your capability to save. Also, when applying for a home loan, lenders would always look at your credit card record as a reference on how much you can borrow from them.

Evaluate how much money you can afford

There are two things you need to know before buying a home: How much you are willing to cash out as down payment and how much you are willing to borrow. Your mortgage loan, on an annual basis, should never reach 30% of your annual gross income.

Understand Loan Types

There are government-sponsored institutions (Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae) that can offer home loans at a very affordable price. You can also head to private lenders who offer a great package for first-time homebuyers. Going to your bank and applying for a mortgage loan is also a sound option.

Real estate shopping

If you got all your finances all figured out, then you can start shopping for you house. The first thing to do is to get in touch with a reliable real estate agent that can show you a number of options. It is important to choose the right neighborhood for you and your family. Make a quick wish list of the things you want and use this as a reference before you purchase a property. It is important that you personally inspect each house that you are looking at buying.

Making an offer

If you already decided which house to buy, discuss it with your real estate agent and make your offer. Negotiate with the seller with regards to pricing and other terms and conditions. Remember to put everything you settled and agreed on in writing. Be sure to read and reread all the statements in any contracts before you sign them.

How to Get a Mortgage That Gets You in Your Dream Home While Saving You Money Every Month

It was only a few years ago that Freehold Dubai property was unheard of, so it's not all that surprising that until very recently the mortgages available here were fairly limited. It is far too easy to forget that only a decade or so ago, what is now row after row of high rise buildings and luxury villas used to be empty desert, with just a few scattered buildings. Well you may have noticed things have come along way in a short time since then. Dubai has transformed itself into one of the hottest property markets and tourists destinations in the world. Yet despite this, when trying to purchasing a property, buyers were finding themselves with a very limited choice of mortgages, and those that were available were not offering vary favorable rates. Buyers only had a choice of Amlak for Emaar properties and with Nakheel's property their financer Tamweel. Therefore with no competition and no solid legal frame work in place the market was destined to have to improve.

And I am glad to say that has been the case! The market has now been opened up by the government, resulting in a much improved situation for property buyers. You now have world renowned lenders like Barclays, HSBC along with the likes of RakBank and National Bank of Dubai competing with Amlak and Tamweel, who have been forced to reduce their rates with the extra competition. So, you may be thinking that this is all well and good, but how does it actually save you money? Well, it's not exactly a secrete that Dubai's rents are rather on the high side. And when I say I mean up to and over 50% of people's earnings. And what do they get at the end of all this, after paying out large sums of money every month. Nothing! And you don't need to be an expert to figure out that is not exactly a great investment. It has got to the point where rents are nearing a similar level as mortgage repayments, throwing up the odd situation where you can purchase your own property for a similar monthly outgoing as your rent would be.

When this is your choice, anyone looking to stay in Dubai for more than a few months would do well to purchase a property and actually save themselves money whilst doing so! Buying a freehold property has made so much sense!

Dubai Real Estate and Palm Dubai

By : Nabi Baig

Little Known Ways To Qualify For A Home Mortgage Loan

Once you decide to shop around for a certain lender, you have officially started the process of a home mortgage loan. However, it doesn’t end here. You will then have to sign a purchase contract and undergo through the credit approval process, which verifies your actual income, certain liabilities and your ability to repay the potential loan.

When you are invited for a loan interview, make sure to bring a signed copy of the purchase contract. This contract for your house loan specifies the down payment amount, price of the house and your proposed closing date. Typically, when you apply for a mortgage loan, the lender uses all these information to calculate whether the house you wish to buy could serve as collateral for the money you want to borrow.

Make sure to obtain your credit report and correct possible errors before applying for a home mortgage loan since this information will largely affect your ability to obtain the loan.

In order to be processed for a home mortgage as quickly as possible, remember to complete all the documents virtually all lenders require for the loan process.

For the verification of your income, you need to bring:

* Earning statements (w-2 forms, current pay stubs and tax returns for the past year)
* For self-employed (profit and loss statements and return tax for the past two years)
* Extra income (overtime, commission, veteran benefits, social security, and so on)

For the verification of your assets, you should have obtained:

* List of all bank account numbers (including branch address and checking or savings account statements for the past three months)
* All copies of any title to motor vehicles, which are paid in full.
* List of stocks, investments, and saving bonds (including approximate market value of each)

For the verification of your credit history, you need to bring:

* Copies of credit card statements for the past six months
* List of all consumer debts (including furniture, student or car loans and other co-signed installment loans with the creditor’s contact numbers and addresses)
* Evidence or copies of rental payments or mortgage
* Documents of child support or alimony

If you have not established your credit rating, provide the lender with other information showing payment histories. These include utility payments, canceled checks or any recurring obligations.

Having these documents could speed up the process of your home mortgage loan. However, take into account that different lenders may have different information requirements. For this reason, ask your lender in advance about what to bring for your initial home mortgage interview

How Long Should You Be Paying For Your House?

Buying a house is one of the biggest responsibilities you can have in your life. You are making a commitment to pay a monthly amount for a very long time in order to own your own property. By the time you come to the end of the term you will have paid far more than the original cost of the property, but this is the only way you can have your own home.

Or is it? Many of us don't even consider other options when we look at buying instead of renting. It's true that buying a house means your money does not go to waste each month. Renting is often referred to as 'empty money' - you can pay your rent on a property for years and still not own it. Buying your home is different; it might take you years to finally own every brick of it, but each payment does chip away at the amount you borrowed from the bank.

The amount you pay back can differ greatly if you do your research before jumping in. The basic rule to remember is this - the longer the term over which you pay back the amount borrowed, the smaller the monthly payment will be and the larger the sum paid back. If you reduce the period of time over which you are borrowing the money to buy your house, your monthly payment will be larger, but you will also pay far less interest overall.

Mortgages are more versatile nowadays than they used to be. There are far more options to help those who are on lower incomes, and who find it hard to get on the housing ladder because of the high cost of property at present. This means that there are more options available than the twenty five year mortgage term that is still the most common one offered. However if you want to pay back the money borrowed with as little interest as possible, you'll want to opt for a shorter mortgage term rather than a longer one.

The key to deciding whether or not this is for you is to work out how much you can afford to pay each month for your mortgage. Write down all your expenses and deduct them from your current salary to see what you can afford. Be sure not to overstretch yourself. Most people enjoy a certain number of promotions during their working life, but don't count on one to be able to pay a higher mortgage amount. Only work with the figures you know to be true at the moment.

By doing this you might discover you are able to pay off your mortgage a few years earlier than you might have thought - which is excellent news for you and your bank balance.

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/loans/index.shtml

By : Adam Singelton

How to Qualify For A Mortgage Loan

Applying for a mortgage loan is quite an important step for many people. However, many are quite adamant about actually applying for the mortgage loan simply because people are not sure what they need to qualify for one. The qualifications of a mortgage loan are actually not that complicated.

Here are some of the general guidelines of how you can qualify for a mortgage loan:

1. If you have filed for bankruptcy, you should wait for at least 2 years since your final discharge date.

2. If you have had an foreclosures, there should have been at least 3 years since the foreclosure had been finalized.

3. You should have had no late payments with your previous credits for at least one year (12 months). But if you have had a great credit record for several years and you had some little occasions of late payment, your application might still be considered. Usually, lenders watch out for late payments that are 30 days behind or more.

4. Your rental payment history might also be checked. You should have punctual payments for at least, the last 2 years to prove that you pay on time.

5. Usually you might get disqualified for a mortgage loan if the government has guaranteed your student loan to be default. However, there are cases the disqualification may be lifted provided that you have renegotiated your repayment schedule for the loan and you have made punctual payments again for the past year.

6. All of your account that is in a collection status should be repaid prior to the application for the mortgage loan.

7. Judgments ordered by the court should already have been paid in full. Those cases that involve child support should have payments that are current and caught up.

8. If you are self-employed or your income is based on commission, you would usually need to have been receiving a steady income from that source for at least two years in such a way that the lender would be able to account for your average income. There may be some exempted cases, however.

9. Lenders would usually only account for bonus or overtime pay as part of the “qualifying” source of income if you have had a history of bonus or overtime pay from your present employer for at least a year or two. Your employer should verify how much overtime hours you have served or how much bonus income you would be getting for such sources of income to be considered.

10. If you have two jobs, your secondary income may usually be counted as part of the qualifying income when you have had a continued history of earning from both jobs in the past two years, otherwise, only one job may be included in the qualifying income.

11. If you have been receiving income through child support, you should have been receiving income consistently. You would be required to submit a history of the payments made for the child support. Usually, if your child support status has just been awarded recently, it might not be considered as a qualifying source of income.

12. If you are currently being sued, or if you are currently involved in any legal matter such as an ongoing divorce suit, you might have to wait until the lawsuit becomes settled before you could apply for a mortgage loan.

What is the point of these qualifications?

Lenders carefully scrutinize your qualifications in order to ascertain how much the maximum amount of money you could afford to pay them ever month. They do so by fitting your information into certain formulas that give fairly accurate predictions. Should these predictions prove that you can afford to pay the monthly dues that will be stipulated by the loan, you are most likely to be granted the mortgage loan.

The importance of having a clean or at least a decent record cannot be over stressed when it comes to getting a mortgage loan. However, if you have had some small stains in your record, lenders provide considerations such as specified above. Knowing these, you can pretty much estimate if you would be able to qualify for a mortgage loan or not.

How to Pre-qualify for an FHA Home Loan

FHA home loans are mortgages that are insured by the United States government, more particularly the Federal Housing Administration. FHA in itself does not make the loans. What they do is that they insure the loans that were in turn, given out by their qualified group of commercial lenders.

With the introduction of the FHA home loan, a lot of low-income Americans were able to secure a loan to purchase their homes. FHA home loans are conceptualized in 1930's during the time of the Great Depression. The government acted to subsidize loaning programs through FHA in response to the growing rate of defaults and foreclosures.

The good news is that FHA is for every American. But they have to follow the set guidelines in applying for it. To know if you qualify for an FHA home loan, here is a checklist that you can use.

See for yourself if you can take advantage of FHA's easy mortgage loan plans.

1. First and foremost, you should have a steady employment history. By this, you should be able to prove to the agency that you have at least two years of service with your current employer. Stability of job and income is the main factor. That's the primary requirement of FHA.

2. You should have an increasing income, or at least, a consistent one. So that FHA can correctly assess your capability to pay, you should show them that in your current job, you are earning a fixed amount. And if in case it is not the case, your income should follow a steady rising pattern, not a fluctuating one.

3. You should be able to boast about your credit history. Your credit report definitely says a lot about your financial status. It is FHA's requirement that all their applicants are in good credit standing. And not only that, they also require that there is not a single payment over due for more than a month within the last two years in their credit reports.

4. You should also show that you've got no history of bankruptcy. Or even if you had, it should be at least two years before. You should also show and that you already had regained financial stability for the past two years. You should be in a good credit standing for two consecutive years.

5. Your foreclosures, if any, should be three years old at the very least. This one follows the same principle as the bankruptcy rule stated above. It is a must that for the past three years, what you have is a good credit standing.

6. You can only apply for a loan that is 30% of your total monthly income. If you have everything else worked out, remember this last important detail: FHA will approve you a loan corresponding to your gross income. So, do not apply for one that exceeds 30%. Your application will just be denied. Look and settle for a house that is just within the set limits.

These are the different points to consider when applying for an FHA loan. You should qualify in the every step stated here. These are the exact guidelines that FHA is currently following.

But you have to know that pre-qualifying for the loan is just the first step. It is not a guarantee of anything. All it means is that FHA will merit a review of your application and proceed from there. Your dream of buying the perfect house is still in the cooking stages, so to speak.

Pre-qualification is the first step to getting a loan, though. Needless to say, it is an important step altogether. If you don't pass the pre-qualification stage, there is no way that you will be able to purchase the house that you always wanted, at least not through FHA.

What the pre-qualification step really does is that it assesses your income, your assets, and your ability to pay. After which, you are to show it to the lender waiting on the wings. Then they further study your case. You'll get the loan once they see that you are indeed, financially stable.

With all these said, go ahead and start evaluating yourself for an FHA home loan. Take advantage of what they are offering today. This is your chance to own the house of your dreams. Take it while it is still there.

Home Equity Loans - Cashing Out Home Equity

What are Bridge Loans, Home Equity Loans & Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC)?

Home equity loans are typically junior loans and should not be confused with a basic refinance, which means paying off an existing mortgage and replacing it with another loan. Refinances can take 30 days or more to process. Home equity loans fund fairly quickly and are subordinate to an existing first mortgage. In other words, an equity loan falls into second position.

The lender's security for the loan is your home, meaning if you go into default and do not make your mortgage payments or otherwise abide by the terms of the loan, the lender has the right to foreclose. In many states, like California, if a homeowner stops paying the first lender, to protect its security, the second-position lender can step in, make up the payments to the first lender and begin its own foreclosure proceedings.All of which means your home is at risk when you take out a home equity loan.

Bridge Loans

Bridge loans are used by sellers who want to buy a new home before selling an existing home but need the cash from the existing home. You will see bridge loans used more often in seller's markets than in buyer's markets. Common terms for a bridge loan are:

Loan amounts up to 80% of market value
Higher loan costs such as points or admin fees
No payments for 3 to 4 months
Right to renegotiate loan terms if home does not sell within loan term
Some lenders demand the borrower obtain the financing for their new home from the lender making the bridge loan

Home Equity Loans

Borrowers cannot obtain equity loans in all 50 states. Equity loans can be used toward the purchase price of a new home but the lender will not make the loan if your home is on the market. This is the main reason many sellers obtain bridge loans instead. But since costs are higher with a bridge loan, it makes more sense to get an equity loan if you can plan far enough in advance.

Borrowers also obtain home equity loans to pay for home improvements / remodeling, college education or medical expenses. Because interest is tax deductible on a home equity loan, many homeowners choose to borrow against a residence to buy consumer goods. They reason that if they finance consumer goods by obtaining an unsecured loan or putting the purchase on a credit card, they cannot deduct the interest, but they often do not stop to consider whether the item is really a necessity. It is not a good idea to borrow against your home to purchase luxuries such as motor homes, ski boats or vacations, but people do it. Advantages to a home equity loan are:

Typically, fixed rate of interest
Borrow 100% of equity or more
Amortized payments
Longer loan terms such as 3, 5, 7, 10 or 15 years.

Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)

Borrowers can take out a home equity line of credit and never repay a dime. That's because a HELOC is a line of credit, meaning if you never actually take any of the money available, you won't ever need to pay it back. It's available by writing a check for more than you have in your account or by making withdrawals against a specific account at your lending institution.
Some of the characteristics inherent with a HELOC are:

Generally, an adjustable-rate loan
Once the money has been repaid, you can borrow it again
Flexible payment terms, sometimes as low as 1% of your loan balance

Note: The time to apply for a HELOC is when you don't need it. It's credit that will be available to you should you ever need to draw on it, whether you are subsequently unemployed or facing an immediate financial emergency.

By : Elizabeth Weintraub

Home Mortgage Loans

Getting rid of the mortgage early is something that many home owners in the UK aspire to achieve. Being free of the principal financial debt in most people's lives at the earliest stage possible offers financial security and peace of mind for later on in life. Paying off the mortgage early is no pipe dream though. In 2003, the average age of outright home ownership was 56, by 2004 the average age had fallen dramatically to just 48!

How home owners pay off their mortgages early

The secret to paying your mortgage off early lies in choosing the right type of home loan, and this is where flexible mortgage loans and offset mortgage loans step in.

Flexible mortgage loans, as their name suggests, offer flexible mortgage repayment terms where overpayment of mortgage is allowed by the home owner without incurring a penalty. Some flexible mortgage loans allow overpayment of a limited amount, such as 10% of the mortgage value, while other flexible home mortgage loans cater for unlimited overpayment by the home owner.

The advantage of flexible home mortgage loans is that as well as allowing you to overpay, you can also underpay, so taking a 'payment holiday' if finances become a little thin. Underpayment is of course subject to the terms of the mortgage, and will normally only be allowed if it amounts to less than the funds that have been overpaid.

Overpayment via flexible home mortgage loans means that you get to reduce your mortgage capital as well as pay off interest accrued on the capital each month. For each successive month that you make an overpayment the amount of interest paid on the overall mortgage is therefore reduced. An overpayment of just £65 on an £80,000 mortgage with the interest rate at 6.0%, will see mortgage loans paid off 5 years early, amounting to a total saving of some £15,000.
Offset home mortgage loans

Offset home mortgage loans were unveiled to the home owner in 1998, and have gained a great deal of respect from home owners since that time.

Offset mortgage loans help to pay off a mortgage early by using what is known as a 'sweeper' system. Providing that the home owner has their current and/or savings account with the mortgage loans provider, their available balance is 'swept' across to their mortgage account each day to offset/reduce the amount of mortgage capital subjected to interest.

To illustrate the advantages of offset mortgage loans, take a mortgage of £100,000 and a balance of £10,000 in your current account and/or savings account. Instead of the interest rate being applied to the £100,000 every day or every month, the interest rate would be applied to your mortgage balance less the balance in your current account / savings account. This means that interest would only be applied to £90,000 of your mortgage, effectively making 10% of your mortgage interest-free!

About the Author
Matthew Bourne has been working in the loans, mortgage and life insurance industry for over 10yrs and is currently working for http://www.loansgalaxy.com/secured-loans/uk/home/

By : Matthew Bourne

How To Find Poor Credit Home Mortgage Lenders

What would you do if you have very poor credit yet you so desperately want to buy a house and have a home you could call your own?

Relax, there is a solution to your predicament. Though having poor credit would usually make home purchasing a tad difficult, it is not entirely impossible.

The following are some of the options one could consider in finding poor credit lenders.

Ask, ask, ask

It is okay if you ask the seller to be the one who will carry the housing loan. If in case the seller somehow still has money owed on the house, it is possible to acquire a mortgage wraparound.

Basically, this type of mortgage allows one to make a payment every month on a mortgage that is existing as well as additional payment that will cover the other balance.

Pursue an option for lease

Via pursuing an option for lease, this allows one to set the current purchasing price as well as apply a small portion of a particular rent every month towards the down payment.

After each lease period (usually between twelve to thirty six months), the prices should then have increased and should have equity accrued.

Be aware that if such an option is not utilized, money paid to a particular seller will not be returned.

Increase, increase, increase

It is okay to increase the price you are more than willing to pay to a particular seller.
After which, asking the seller to credit the money to you back in order for that to be utilized as a down payment for cost closing is perfectly fine.

Do not be afraid to borrow

Borrowing money from relatives and friends would help in defraying costs for closing as well as in increasing down payment.

Also, borrowing from retirement or pension plans is another way to increase down payment.

Maybe a mortgage broker could help

Availing the mortgage that is best for you could probably be helped by availing the services of a broker.

This could be done by contacting local and state realtor boards for the list of brokers in your local area. You could also ask around your own circle of real estate friends or agents for additional references.

All in all, buying a home is easy as long as you are willing to spend the necessary time to expend the energy needed to buy the home of your dreams. Because, believe it or not, it is possible.