Posted by admin on June 12th, 2011
Ideally, traditional mortgage lenders want new homebuyers to have a 20% down payment when purchasing a new home. Thus, if purchasing a $200,000 home, you should be prepared to have $40,000 as a down payment.
Unfortunately, many people do not have this kind of money lying around. For this matter, private mortgage insurance (PMI) was created as a way for mortgage companies to recoup their money if a homeowner defaults on the loan. There are various loans available to assist people with down payments. In some instances, homeowners can obtain 100% financing, and avoid PMI
What is Private Mortgage Insurance?
Because Americans are earning less money, and home prices are steadily increasing, the majority of the population is unable to save the recommended down payment of 20%. In order to make owning a home possible, mortgage companies created a particular mortgage insurance, (PMI), for people with less than 20% to put down on a home. This insurance protects the lender if you default on the mortgage.
How to Avoid Paying Private Mortgage Insurance
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Posted by admin on May 26th, 2011
Sub-prime lenders now offer financing packages with zero down. Interest rates are higher on these types of loans, but they make purchasing a house easier. And unlike a conventional loan, there is no private mortgage insurance required. There are two types of zero-down mortgage packages, each with their own requirements.
Types Of Zero-Down Loans
100% financing, as it names implies, offers complete financing of your property. The other option, 80/20, finances your mortgage with two loans. Both loans may be carried by your lender, but sometimes the seller or a second lender is required to carry the 20% mortgage.
100% financing is easier to deal with, but not all lenders will offer this type of home loan. 80/20 financing is more common, but takes some negotiation if the seller is involved.
Qualifications For Zero-Down
Each lender has their own criteria for determining who will qualify for a zero-down loan. Most sub-prime lenders require any bankruptcies or foreclosures to have been at least twelve months ago. A conventional loan requires these to be discharged two to four years ago.
While a credit score of 600 or higher is best, large cash reserves can also qualify you. Six to twelve month’s worth of cash reserves in the form of savings, money market, or other liquid assets are considered ideal.
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Posted by admin on May 6th, 2011
Discussions of mortgages often focus on interest rates, but there is a much more basic decision to make. Should you go with a 30 year mortgage term or a 15 year mortgage term?
30 Year vs. 15 Year Mortgages
Any discussion of mortgages tends to turn on two points. How can you qualify for the most money with the lowest payment? How can you get the lowest interest rate for the mortgage? While these are two important issues, there is an addition one that people fail to consider, resulting in significant wasted money.
The term of a mortgage is extremely critical for a couple of reason. First, it sets the length of the obligation you are undertaking. Second, it defines the amount of interest you are going to pay over the life of the loan. These are huge issues when it comes to building equity.
The longer the loan, the more total interest you are going to pay. The trade off, of course, is you are going to have smaller monthly payments the farther you stretch out the obligation. While this may sound like a good goal when you first get the mortgage, it can backfire on you in the long run.
Most people focus on interest rates as a way to save money on mortgages. This is a valid approach, but playing with the length of the loan is a better way to save money. If you can cut the payments in half by going with a shorter loan, you can save huge amounts on the total interest repaid to a lender.
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Posted by admin on April 14th, 2011
People usually apply for a second mortgage or home equity loan when they need money for debt consolidation, to pay large expenses or for home remodeling and home improvement. Second mortgages are generally categorized as fixed interest rate home equity installment loans (HELOANS) and adjustable mortgage rate home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). Which you choose depends on your needs, but the application and approval process is similar for both. These nine tips will help your loan process be as hitch-free as possible:
1. Compare options like mortgage refinancing and other loan options to determine if a second mortgage is the best choice.
2. Make sure you can tell lender what the purpose of the loan is. Your answer will help determine whether or not you are approved.
3. Check your credit report for errors and get your FICO scores (myfico.com/12) because lenders will review your FICO score to determine your loan rates. Check “How to Improve Your Credit Score” for more information on cleaning up your credit.
4. Compare several home equity loan options. Discuss the loan programs with your broker or lender and find the best loan for your situation. Getting a good interest rates isn’t a bad idea either.
5. When applying for a loan, you will get a mortgage checklist from your lender containing the list of paperwork you need to close the loan, including:
• Copy of deed to property.
• Recent tax appraisal.
• Last two years’ W-2′s, tax returns and current pay stub, or two years’ tax returns if self-employed. Be sure to include all schedules. Read the rest of this entry »
