Saturday, May 19, 2012

30-Year Home Loan

The 30-year home loan is an industry standard, but is it the right choice for you?  Because the total payments are spread over a longer period of time and the interest rate set for the entire time of the mortgage.  This was the first choice of most home owners.

As we mentioned, the plus side for a 30-year home loan is lower monthly payments.  This attraction is somewhat dimmed by the fact that you pay thousands extra in interest.  But, your interest is 100% tax deductible which does lower your after tax cost.  It offers you some flexibility so that if your financial situation changes and you have more money you can pay it off in less than 30 years, this while keeping the low monthly payments.  Your payments are smaller so in reality you can purchase a larger roomier home.

To show an example of the interest difference between 30 year home loan rates and one of the other rates.  On a 30 year, 100,000 dollar loan using 7% interest rate your monthly payment of interest and principle would be $665.30 dollars.  Over the next 30 years you will have paid $139,511.04 in interest alone.  Now with a 15 year home loan rate on the same amount you will pay $871.11 per month and over the next 15 years, you would pay $56,799 in interest.  This would save you $82,712 dollars.

If you have the will power to invest the savings from the monthly payments, it still could be a good choice to go with the 30 year mortgage.  Especially if you can find an investment that the long term payoff matches or exceeds what you would save in a 15 year mortgage.  Another factor to consider is how fast you want to accrue equity in your home or to own it out right.  30-year home loan rates take much longer to build equity.

30-year home loan rates are certainly attractive and the vast majority of home buyers get it because that is the longest home loan available today.  Experts agree if they could get a 35- or 40-year loan, they probably would.  There are many other options to consider.  Probably the biggest question you have to ask yourself when considering a loan is what are your financial goals?  What loan plan will help you the most to reach that goal?  It is clearly to your advantage to look into other loan options for the best loan available for you and your financial goals.  It may surprise you that because of your personal situation there may be other plans more suitable for you.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Mortgages for People with Bad Credit

The most important factor that determines whether a person is can procure a loan for himself or not is the fact, whether is past credit history is stable enough or not. All factors depend on his past record of handling credits. A bad credit history implies that his appeal for a loan would be rejected and won’t be met in most of the places. And the worst part is that, if the concerned individual in his past has ever been declared as bankrupt or had a foreclosure, then for sure the borrower would face difficulties when he tries to get a financing for a home mortgage purchase, home equity or second mortgage loan. But the gab that home loans are not available for people with bad credit history is just a baseless myth. Since these loans are available to people with bad credit history too. The way however to find such a kind of loan, however is to be to be persistent in looking out for such kind of loans, because there are home mortgage loans for people with bad credit.

The basic problems involving, the process of procuring loan arises from the activities of sub-prime lenders. These are those lenders who actually work really hard for fetching loans for the people with bad credit background and low credit score and then the charge absolutely unreasonable price for the job. Borrowers should be careful of borrowing money from sub-prime lenders, as they can charge high interest rates which, comparatively are too high than the market rate. Not only this, but these lenders also charge unreasonable pre-payment penalties. Online articles are posted in websites to inform the borrowers about their existence and caution them. 

However, it’s not absolutely impossible to find lenders who give out loans at reasonable rates and agreeable charges, to people who have a bad credit history. All a borrower needs to do is look around and talk to different mortgage brokers, which would prove to be helpful to find a lender, that can get them an approved loan with a reasonable interest rate and fair terms of repayment.

Things that the borrower, should make sure about, are that he makes use of the lowest interest rate and terms possible. Specially a borrower with a bad credit history and bad credit score should make sure that he sends application for loans to a number of different lenders, since it would be sensible for him to make comparison between different mortgage loan quotes, so that he makes sure that he chooses the best one.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Second Mortgage Loans - What Are They?

Second mortgage loans are loans that are made in addition to the first mortgage, and it is usually based on the amount of equity that the borrower uses to build into his home. Usually it’s required to fund home renovations. Since the borrower has already been through the process once, the underwriting that is required to get a second mortgage is much simpler than it was the first time around when the borrower had taken the first loan. The cost of the transactions involved will be lower when the borrower applies for the loan second time. This usually happens for the fact that interest rates on the second mortgage are a bit higher than they were on the first one. But then, there are some positive points too. For example, the fact that the interest paid on the loan may be tax deductible. In most cases the interest is 100% fully deductible as long as the combined loan to value of the 1st and 2nd mortgage does not exceed the value of the home.

On a second mortgage, one borrows a fixed sum of money against the home equity, and pays it back after a specific time. The amount borrowed will be combined with the amount the borrower still owes on his first mortgage. But there are a few things that one should keep in mind. First of all, one should not take a second mortgage on his home unless one has made payments on the original mortgage balance for a good amount of time. One may be able to get a second mortgage if one does not have much equity, but then the loan rates will be much higher, and the amount that one can borrow much lower. It will essentially be a waste of time and money.

A second mortgage is a loan that is secured by the equity in ones home. While obtaining a second mortgage loan the lender places a lien on the borrowers’ house. This lien will be recorded in 2nd position after the primary or 1st mortgage lender's lien, hence the term second mortgage. Second mortgages aren't for everyone. Borrowing more than 80% of the home's value will subject the borrower to private mortgage insurance. The monthly payments should also be a factor. If one refinances in the future, he will have to pay off the 2nd mortgage.

Loan proceeds from a second mortgage loan can be used for just about anything. Many consumers take out 2nd mortgage loans to consolidate debt, do home improvements or pay for their children’s college education. Whatever one decides to do with the loan proceeds it is important to remember that if one defaults on then payment then he can lose his home. So one would want to make sure that he is taking the loan out for a worthwhile purpose.

Thus we see that a second home loan can be of great help to the borrowers, although the borrower must take steps to ensure that he does not squander away the advantages of second mortgage.

Mortgage Loan

In the past decades, it was believed that a mortgage loan is a mortgage loan no matter whichever is chosen. But this theory is not workable anymore because of the many mortgage loan products available in the market. So, before choosing a mortgage loan, it is very important to decide which one is right for you. Finding the right mortgage loan means balancing your mortgage options with your housing requirements and financial picture, now and in the future. Also the right mortgage is not just having the lowest interest rate but much more than that. And this “much more” will be determined by your personal situation. Your personal situation and your limits to pay for monthly mortgage payments can be evaluated by answering the following questions:

•    What is your current financial situation (including income, savings, cash reserves and debt-to-cash ratio)?
•    How you expect your finances to changeover in the coming years?
•    Have you plan to return the mortgage loan before retirement?
•    How long you intend to keep your house?
•    How comfortable you are with your changing mortgage payment amount?

The answers to these questions will give you the idea of your financial position. Now the next step is to decide two key options:

•    mortgage length,
•    type of interest rate (fixed interest rate or adjustable interest rate).

The length of mortgage loan can be minimum 15 years; can be 20, or at maximum 30 years. While selecting a fixed or adjustable interest rate you should be aware of the facts that the adjustable interest rate mortgage is more risky because the interest rate will change, while a fixed-rate loan offers more stability because of the locked-in rate. You will be able to pay off a shorter-term loan more quickly, but your monthly payments will be substantially higher. Long-term fixed-rate loans are popular because they offer certainty, and many people find that they are easier to fit into their budget. Although, in long run they will cost you more, but you will have more available capital when you need it, and you will be less likely to default on the loan should an emergency arise.

In the light of above mentioned aspects, it is clear that the key to select the right mortgage loan for your needs should fit comfortably into your entire financial picture, that is having payments within your budget and comfortable level of risk connected to it.