Mortgage Loans Explained In Plain English
With the many different kinds of mortgage loans out there, choosing the right one for your needs can be a difficult task. The following points will help you understand the pros and cons of the different types of mortgage loans available to you. What are the main types of mortgage loans? There are two main types of mortgage loans-fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages. A fixed-rate mortgage comes with an interest rate that will never change over the 15, 20 or 30 years that the loan will last. In contrast, the interest rate of an adjustable-rate mortgage will change. The rates are usually attached to an interest rate index-the LIBOR rate (London Inter-Bank Offer Rate) is a popular one-and your payments will go up and down if the indexes change. If I get a fixed-rate mortgage loan, what should I keep in mind? Fixed-rate mortgages offer stability above all. You know exactly what interest rate you will be paying. If you think that your income is not going to change much over the coming years, or if you are planning to stay in your house for a long time, then a fixed mortgage loan is a good option for you. On the flipside, stability comes at a price. You will initially pay higher interest rates than in an adjustable-rate mortgage loan and you will need to put a higher down payment (somewhere between 10 to 20 percent of the loan) into the mortgage. If you don't have enough money to afford a high down payment, you will need to get Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), which will increase your monthly payments. What should I consider when getting an adjustable-rate mortgage loan? An adjustable-rate mortgage loan initially gives you a lower interest rate than a fixed one. Many loans give you three to five years during which you pay a low fixed interest rate, and then the rate begins to fluctuate with the market. Some loans will put caps on how much your rate can change from year to year to protect you from market fluctuations. The risk with this type of loan is that interest rates might go up, but then again, interests can also go down and your payments will go down with them. If you are not planning to be at your house for the long haul or you are planning to sell, then this loan is a better option for you. How can I compare different mortgage loans? Mortgage brokers are required by law to provide you with an Annual Percentage Rate (APR). This figure adds up all your expenses (property taxes, insurance, loan fees, interest payments, etc.) and expresses them as a percentage of your loan. For example, a loan might have a one percent interest rate, but when you add all the extra expenses, you will actually pay 1.5 percent. The APR is the best way to compare mortgage loans and decide which one offers you the best deal. How will mortgage brokers decide whether I can get a mortgage loan? Mortgage brokers are looking for indicators that tell them that you can pay the loan back. Among the things they will look at are your credit history and whether you have had stable employment for the last two years. It is usually a good idea to ask for a copy of your credit history before you go to your mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers use a formula called 28/36 to decide if you can afford your mortgage loan payments. This means that your mortgage payments cannot be higher than 28 percent of your income and your total credit payments (for credit cards or other loans, including your mortgage) cannot be higher than 36 percent. Joel Meadowridge is the editor for the Mortgage Broker National Directory where you will find more information about mortgage loans and a directory of mortgage brokers located in major cities across the United States.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Home Loans ? Repair Credit Errors in Three Days!
Most consumers are aware that a history of paying bills late or not at all can hurt one's ability to obtain a loan. All financial transactions are recorded by three credit bureaus and offered to lenders upon request in the form of a credit report. That report contains the all-important credit score, which determines whether or not the borrower is a good risk for a loan. If you have a poor payment history, you could be out of luck when you try to obtain a loan. The same applies if there are errors on your credit report that suggest that you may pose a greater risk to the lender than you really do. Traditionally, it has taken months to straighten out problems on a credit report, and borrowers who are eager to close on a mortgage or home equity loan may not have months to wait. What can be done? A relatively new mortgage-related product known as rapid rescoring can, in some instances, fix problems on a credit report in as little as three days.
The Right Home Loan - Floating or Fixed Rate Loan
Choosing a home loan has never been tougher. Yes, with all these cheap interest rates floating around, you as a customer are faced with a happy predicament. The banker finally seems to be your friend. He calls you in the morning, day and evening. He remembers your name and offers you the best deal. He meets you and tries to convince you to take a loan to buy your dream home. And in cash if you have only a vague idea of your dream home, the banker friend might also help you decide on the property.
Jumbo Home Mortgage Loans - What They Are and Where To Get Jumbo Loan Financing
A jumbo mortgage is different than a conforming loan. A jumbo loan amount exceeds that limit set by FNMA. That limit can change every year, but is around $300,000. With a jumbo mortgage, the interest rate is a little higher than other similar mortgage loans that are for smaller amounts. The reason the rate is higher is because the loan has a perceived higher risk by lenders.
Home or Investment Property Equity: Be Sure the Bank Gives You All that You Deserve
Home equity is your own personal money machine. If you want financial freedom, a home equity loan is probably the best way to achieve it. You can pay down credit cards, pay off cars, both at high interest rates, or you can actually use your home equity to invest and build the money into a fortune. The biggest problem people run into with home equity is that they don't have enough of it. Sometimes, the problem may be with your bank and not with your equity.
Short-Term Interest Rates on the Rise; Adjustable Rate Mortgage Holders Prepare for Increase in Rate
Interest rates are on the rise and many home owners who have adjustable rate mortgages may see increases in their forthcoming annual adjustments.
How to Find the Best Home Improvement Loan
If you're looking for the best home improvement loan for your money it can sometimes seem like an uphill climb. You may not know whether the offer that you've received is the best that you can get, or if you should try to find a better offer elsewhere? but you shouldn't let finding the best home improvement loan stress you out so badly.
The Truth behind Pension Mortgages
A pension mortgage may seem lucrative at the first sight. However, they seldom are, if the customers who took pension mortgage are to be believed.
What Exactly Is A Reverse Mortgage And How Does It Work?
A reverse mortgage is a certain loan that allows the older generation to take their home equity and turn it into cash. With this type of loan the bank is actually paying you monthly out of the equity in your home. The funds from reverse mortgages can be used for whatever you like. Many people like to use it for taking a trip, home renovations, buying new furniture, or just for day to day living. Most people don't realize that they have this option with their homes equity.
Adjustable Rate Mortgage - How They Work?
How does an ARM work.
Home Equity Loans - Are They Right For You?
The bills are out of control and you need a new car. "Maybe we can get a new carpet and paint the house", you say to yourself. These are just a few reasons why home equity loans can seem like the solution to all your problems and are so popular.
Should You Refinance?
There are several reasons that might make someone consider refinancing their existing mortgage. One would be to get a lower interest rate than what they currently have, thereby reducing monthly payments and lowering the overall cost of the mortgage. Another is to shorten the length of the loan, which can save quite a bit in interest payments. Thirdly, someone may have other debts that they wish to pay off, and refinancing may provide them a means of consolidating that debt into one overall lower payment.
A Simple Way to Save Thousands on Your Mortgage Charges
How many times do you check you restaurant bill? If not often, I would advise you to do it more, especially when dining on your overseas vacations. Still, much more Americans check their restaurants bill, than the number of homebuyers, who check the charges for their mortgages.
Bad Credit Remortgage Loan: When Bad Credit Plays Mischief With Your Mortgage
Financial difficulties are married to bad credit. It is a tough marriage but can be peaceful with a little bit of counseling. The recommended counseling in case you have bad credit with a mortgage loan is bad credit remortgage. Remortgage is defined as replacing the current mortgage lender with a different one. Remortgage in case you have bad credit is very much feasible. You are a homeowner and that places you in a dominant position in spite of bad credit. You can make admirable use of your current position with your Bad credit remortgage.
Mortgage and Credit Card Companies Under the Spotlight on Consumer Charging
For the first time since May 1996 reports have indicated that wage increases have risen faster than house price inflation. According to Nationwide, "The overall picture remains one of a gently softening market".
Choosing a Real Estate Agent
Before you go looking at houses, you'll need to find a real estate agent. Hiring a real estate agent takes a little bit of time to do. You're making one of the most important financial decisions in your life and you want to make sure you hire the right person.
What You Dont Know About The Real Estate Process, Some Inside Secrets
Some people in the real estate industry have a terrible reputation. Why, because they deserve it. A lot of hard earned money trades hands and if things go wrong that leaves a very bitter taste in the injured parties mouths.
Kippers or Red Herrings?
Recent news has made much of parents stretching their finances to cover costs for their twenty and thirty something children. Debts and high property prices have forced many offspring to return home, tail between legs, under the attractive new marketing term of "kippers": kids in parents' pockets eroding retirement savings.
A Personal Mortgage Experience
I don't know what the mortgage situation is around the world but here in England the mortgage industry is a constant point of debate. It used to be that everyone aspired to having a mortgage on a nice home ? you know the kind of house with enough rooms to cater for the average family with 2.4 children. I was no different myself when I first wanted to get on the first rung of the housing ladder ten years ago.
Home Loans -- The Hot New Product? The 30-year, Fixed-rate Mortgage
In recent years, the mortgage industry has introduced dozens of new types of loans. The needs of every borrower are different, so the mortgage companies have tried to come up with an answer for every problem. They've introduced 40-year mortgages, promoted 15-year mortgages, and introduced the wildest array of variable-rate mortgages imaginable. There are mortgages that have interest rates that adjust every few months, every few years, or just once. A recently popular product that thrives on the East and West coasts is the interest-only mortgage, which reduces payments by not requiring payment on the loan's principal for the first few years of the loan. The prospective homebuyer could have as many as one hundred possible types of loans to choose from when searching for a mortgage. Amidst this huge array of loan types, one type is growing in popularity faster than all the rest, and it may surprise you. The fastest-growing type of mortgage in America right now is the traditional 30-year, fixed-rate loan. Last year, only about 35% of all borrowers took out a 30 year, fixed-rate loan, but so far this year, the rate has increased to nearly 50%.
Avoiding Foreclosure
If you fall behind in your mortgage payments, you face the threat of foreclosure.
|
