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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The most problems of home loans


I have included below some of the most problems borrowers find themselves in after signing off on their home loans. The good news is that all of these mistakes can be avoided! So, don?t let these happen to you!
1) Biting off more than you can chew. This is the worst problem we see from past borrowers. Although a lender may approve you for higher loan that what you were expecting, it doesn?t mean that you should necessarily buy a home that expensive. Find out what the monthly payment will be, and compare that amount to what you currently pay for housing. Will it be a stretch to make that payment every month? It?s not worth taking the risk and having to sell the home later simply because you couldn?t afford it to being with. You don?t want to be stuck with a home that you never should have bought.

2) Opting for an adjustable rate mortgage. I think all buyers have learned from this mistake by seeing other home buyers on the news in the past year or so. Although ARMs made a little more sense back in the 1980s when rates were triple or quadruple what they are now, it?s simply better to know what your monthly payment will be for the next twenty or thirty years. Also, with the incredibly low rates we?re seeing right now, it makes sense to go ahead and lock in what may potentially be the lowest rate we see again for years.

3) Getting Mortgage life insurance. In the first few months after closing on your home, you?ll get plenty of mail telling you to get mortgage life insurance or mortgage disability insurance. Both of these kinds of policies pay your mortgage bills in the chance that you die or get disabled (and are unable to work). These policies are typically so overpriced that it?s practically a rip off. If you want to get an insurance policy to cover your mortgage, it would be better to get a general life insurance plan or disability insurance (not one specifically for a mortgage).

4) Relying on Prequalification. Many buyers confuse getting prequalified to getting preapproved. Some of these buyers learn the difference the hard way when the lender who prequalified them a month ago tells them a day before closing that they?re actually not going to be able to get the home they picked out. And, yes, this does really happen to people. Be sure to get preapproved before you make an offer on a home. Preapproval is a much more thorough and accurate process than simply getting prequalified.

5) Choosing a bad lender. Simply put, be sure that you choose a lender who will actually lend you the money when the time comes. This mistake usually ties in with the previous mistake ? meaning that some lenders don?t take the necessary steps to really look into a borrower?s situation until right before closing. Be sure to ask your real estate agent for recommendations. He or she will be able to give you a short list of people you can contact who have a good history of getting their borrowers to the closing table.

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A Loan for home ?


A Home Loan Modification can help you stop foreclosure and stay in your home. But if you’re like most homeowners, you’re probably wondering how it will affect your credit, and whether in a good or bad way. Unfortunately, there’s no single answer—it all depends on how far behind you are and the kind of mortgage loan modification you’ll be granted.

Best-case scenarios:-

Technically, since you’re not borrowing any money, a home loan modification won’t hurt your credit score. If you’re paying less in interest, you have a smaller debt burden. And since most lenders prefer an interest rate reduction, there’s a pretty good chance that a Home loan modification will improve your credit score.

The implications are even better if your lender forgives part of the principal, although this is less common. If they write off $50,000 from your loan amount, it will show up on your report as a smaller loan, which can increase your credit score.

The lender factor:-

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way. It also depends on how your lender reports the home loan modification to the credit bureaus. Many of them will consider it paid for less than the original amount owed, which will count against your score. If you’re already in foreclosure, the impact on your credit can be substantial. Of course, compared to a short sale or a foreclosure, a Mortgage Loan Modification is still the best way to maintain your credit standing.

Tax implications:-

One of the early problems with Loan modification is that the amount forgiven is usually taxable. That means if your debt is reduced by $50,000, the IRS views it as income and imposes the corresponding tax. This can catch homeowners off guard during tax season, as many of them don’t know the tax implications at the time of the modification.

To avoid such incidents, the IRS announced in 2007 that Loan modification would no longer be classified as “prohibited transactions.” This applied to all loans originated from January 2004 to July 2007, the peak of the sub-prime boom, and those due to adjust from January 2009 to July 2012. If your mortgage falls under these categories, you won’t have to file a 1099 declaring the change as taxable.

A loan modification is much like going to court: you can save your money and get a court-appointed lawyer, or you can invest in professional representation and get the best mortgage assistance. Your loss mitigation won’t happen overnight, but if with a capable Loan Modification Attorney, you can be sure you’re in good hands

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Obtaining Mortgage


A lot of the people who have attempted to compare mortgages from company to company have articulated the process as somewhat of a lottery. The literature that mortgage companies offer, has a great deal of Jargon, with an even greater deal of percentage. The Internet is full of information that fits this description, information which for a lot of people, is of no use at all.

Mortgage companies are obviously fairly unaware that the information is really hard to understand, because if they did, then they would not be selling mortgages over the Internet, to people that obviously have no idea of what they are buying. This assumption is backed up by the fact that only 17% of the UK fell that they are completely aware of what their mortgage entails. With this in mind, more people would find themselves in a better position if they
employed the services of a broker.

Something that people need to be made aware of when choosing a broker, is that there are two types of broker. There is the broker that uses a portion of the market in order to secure a deal for their client, and there is the broker that uses the majority of the market in order to find a deal for their client. Mortgage brokers offer a really fast and reliable service, that means that clients are saved money. It may be obvious, but the brokers that look at the majority of the market are the preferable ones, because there is a greater chance of them finding their client the ideal mortgage. A broker that is merely looking at part of the market, is missing out on a whole load of quotes, and a client can never be sure whether the deal that they are getting is the best one.

Fees are something that need to be considered when dealing with a mortgage broker, and the ones that charge commission and fees work out more expensive than the ones that charge fees, (independent mortgage brokers) and get their commissions through a rebate process. If you are reading all of this and you have been subject to bad credit in the passed, therefore worrying that some of it may not apply to you, then do not worry, because all brokers deal with the ‘sub-prime’ market, since it became the law that people in such circumstances are not allowed to be discriminated against.

If a mortgage has been secured by a really good mortgage broker, then the product should be a really good one. Some manage to get added protection with the mortgage, so that in adversity, the proprietor has a security net to be thrown into. One really good aspect of a really good broker, is the fact that they can generally wangle deals with their skills, that a lesser broker would not be able to.

For the vast majority of people, a mortgage is the biggest financial commitment that they make. Hiring a good broker means that you will be dealing with a person that is going to make it easy for you to understand the market. It is assurance that you are going to end up with a good deal, and it means that you are not going to be put into a predicament where you are being sold something that you have an incomplete understanding of.

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How do you get a good mortgage ?




Everywhere you look there are appalling stories about the credit crisis and financial downturn, including the tightness of the mortgage market. So how do you get a good mortgage in a atmosphere of financial crisis? Here are some guidelines for getting the right mortgage in the today's financial market.

One of the main factors in getting a good mortgage agreement is your credit rating, so you should find out what yours is before checking out the mortgage market. Your credit rating is a record of your credit transactions, such as mortgages, credit cards, loans, and payment plans. If you pay all of your bills on time and make the full amount of the payments, then you will have a good credit rating. If you have had financial difficulties or have large amounts of financial obligations outstanding, then your credit rating may be average or inferior.

Investigate Interest Rates

Make sure to research interest rates in the location in which you are buying. Even if you choose to get help with sourcing a mortgage, it is useful to have this information. Use an online calculator to figure out how much you can afford to borrow. Most calculators will ask you to give your income and expenses and will work out an approximate figure. Knowing how much you can borrow tells you how much you can spend on the house you want to buy. Then, you will not consume time looking at properties that are outside of your budget.

Mortgage Rates

Right now, if you meet the requirements the fixed mortgage rates are very low. Most lenders will not give you a loan unless you have 20% down. A fixed rate mortgage establishes the rate for the full term of the loan. During the length of the loan the rate will not increase or fall. It is probable that interest rates will rise higher than the fixed rate you can get now, so that is a advantageous option. Interest rates on adjustable rate mortgages go up and down with fluctuations in the economy. So many people were devastated by them that banks do not even offer them currently.

When choosing a mortgage check out points, which are pre-paid interest on your loan. If you intend to take the entire term to repay your mortgage, then points may be helpful. Also, be prepared for closing fees and other unanticipated fees on the mortgage. These can really mount up, and it is worth comparing prices to find the agreement with the lowest fees. Lastly, you may get assistance with sourcing your mortgage from a broker. Be sure to ask for recommendations so you can choose a professional with a good reputation

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Institutions in the mortgage market .



The mortgage business has its own complexities and it is known to be an ever changing industry, hence it is important that you should understand the fact as to how the mortgage market functions and how do they generate the profits. It is important to note the fact that the mortgage industry requires a good understanding of the loans and what is the procedure through which the loans gain appreciation and what is the reason for which some loan are being offered by only some lenders. This article provides you with an overview about the different institution that caters to the need of mortgage brokers.

Institutional lender Vs the private lenders: The first and foremost classification is the comparison of the institutional versus the private lenders. Some of the institutional lenders include commercial banks, savings and loans, credit unions, mortgage banking companies, pension funds, and insurance companies. The loan is generally granted by them based on the income and credit of the borrower and they follow the set of standard lending guidelines. It is important to note the fact that generally the private lenders are the individuals and the small companies that do not have many guaranteed depositors and they are not even guided by the regulations of the federal government.

Primary Vs Secondary market: First and foremost it is important to understand eth fact that these markets should not be confused with the first and second mortgages. The primary mortgage lenders should deal directly with the public. They themselves originate the loans and then lend the loan amount directly to the borrower. They are often referred as the “retail” side of the business, and the lenders generate the profits based on the loan processing fees and it is important to note the fact that the profit is not generated through the interest paid on the loan.

The primary mortgage lenders are the lenders who generally lend the money to the consumers and then they also sell the mortgage notes to the investors in the secondary mortgage so that they could replenish their cash reserves. The largest buyers in the secondary market are the Federal National Mortgage association, FNMA, or Fannie Mae, the Government National Mortgage association or GNMA or even the Ginnie Mae and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or FHLMC or Freddie Mac. There are a number of private financial institutions like the banks, life insurance companies, other private investors and the other thrift associations that are also involved in the process of buying notes.

Mortgage brokers versus mortgage bankers: There is general assumption prevailing in the mortgage market that the mortgage companies are the banks that lend their own money and it is important to remember the fact that the company that lends you money may be either a mortgage banker or a mortgage broker. A mortgage banker is a direct lender that lends you its own money; however they sell the loans to the secondary market. But it is important to remember the fact that these bankers sometimes retain the servicing rights also. On the other hand the mortgage broker is the intermediary who does the loan shopping, the analysis for the borrower and he brings the borrower and the lender together.

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