house mortage advice for professionals and amateurs alike

3
House Mortage Advice For Professionals And Amateurs Alike Home mortgages can be a bit overwhelming. You do not have to be overwhelmed, though, if you take the time to learn more about them. When it comes to your finances it is best to learn all you can before signing on the dotted line. Keep reading to learn about taking out a home mortgage. Save enough money to make a down payment. Lenders may accept as little as 3.5% down but try to make a larger down payment. If you put down 20% of your total mortgage, you won't have to pay private mortgage insurance and your payments will be lower. You will also need cash to pay closing costs, application fees and other expenses. Don't make any sudden moves with your credit during your mortgage process. If your mortgage is approved, your credit needs to stay put until closing. After a lender pulls up your credit and says you're approved, that doesn't mean it's a done deal. Many lenders will pull your credit again just before the loan closes. Avoid doing anything that could impact your credit. Don't close accounts or apply for new credit lines. Be sure to pay your bills on time and don't finance new cars. Avoid fudging the numbers on your loan application. It is not unusual for people to consider exaggerating their salary and other sources of income to qualify for a larger home loan. Unfortunately, this is considered froud. You can actually be criminally prosecuted, even though it doesn't seem like a big deal. If you are buying your first home, find out if government assistance can help you get a good mortgage. There are programs to help those who have bad credit, programs in reducing closing costs, and ones for lowering your interest rate. Never let a single mortgage loan denial prevent you from seeking out another loan. One lender may deny you, but others may approve. Shop around and investigate your options. You could need a co- signer, however there will be a mortgage option for you out there. Know your credit score and verify its accuracy. Identity theft is a common occurrence so go over your credit report carefully. Notify the agency of any inaccuracies immediately. Be particularly careful to verify the information regarding your credit limits. Make all your payments in a timely manner to improve your score. Think about getting a consultant hired if you wish to get help with your home mortgage. A consultant looks after only your best interests and can help you navigate the process. They can make sure you get the best possible deal. Check with your local Better Business Bureau before giving personal information to any lender. Unfortunately, there are predatory lenders out there that are only out to steal your identity. By checking with your BBB, you can ensure that you are only giving your information to a legitimate home mortgage lender. Pay off your mortgage sooner by scheduling bi-weekly payments instead of monthly payments. You will end up making several extra payments per year and decrease the amount you pay in interest over the life of the loan. This bi-weekly payment can be automatically deducted from your bank

Upload: salvador6santos2

Post on 16-Aug-2015

77 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: House Mortage Advice For Professionals And Amateurs Alike

House Mortage Advice For Professionals And Amateurs Alike

Home mortgages can be a bit overwhelming. You do not have to be overwhelmed, though, if you takethe time to learn more about them. When it comes to your finances it is best to learn all you canbefore signing on the dotted line. Keep reading to learn about taking out a home mortgage.

Save enough money to make a down payment. Lenders may accept as little as 3.5% down but try tomake a larger down payment. If you put down 20% of your total mortgage, you won't have to payprivate mortgage insurance and your payments will be lower. You will also need cash to pay closingcosts, application fees and other expenses.

Don't make any sudden moves with your credit during your mortgage process. If your mortgage isapproved, your credit needs to stay put until closing. After a lender pulls up your credit and saysyou're approved, that doesn't mean it's a done deal. Many lenders will pull your credit again justbefore the loan closes. Avoid doing anything that could impact your credit. Don't close accounts orapply for new credit lines. Be sure to pay your bills on time and don't finance new cars.

Avoid fudging the numbers on your loan application. It is not unusual for people to considerexaggerating their salary and other sources of income to qualify for a larger home loan.Unfortunately, this is considered froud. You can actually be criminally prosecuted, even though itdoesn't seem like a big deal.

If you are buying your first home, find out if government assistance can help you get a goodmortgage. There are programs to help those who have bad credit, programs in reducing closingcosts, and ones for lowering your interest rate.

Never let a single mortgage loan denial prevent you from seeking out another loan. One lender maydeny you, but others may approve. Shop around and investigate your options. You could need a co-signer, however there will be a mortgage option for you out there.

Know your credit score and verify its accuracy. Identity theft is a common occurrence so go overyour credit report carefully. Notify the agency of any inaccuracies immediately. Be particularlycareful to verify the information regarding your credit limits. Make all your payments in a timelymanner to improve your score.

Think about getting a consultant hired if you wish to get help with your home mortgage. Aconsultant looks after only your best interests and can help you navigate the process. They can makesure you get the best possible deal.

Check with your local Better Business Bureau before giving personal information to any lender.Unfortunately, there are predatory lenders out there that are only out to steal your identity. Bychecking with your BBB, you can ensure that you are only giving your information to a legitimatehome mortgage lender.

Pay off your mortgage sooner by scheduling bi-weekly payments instead of monthly payments. Youwill end up making several extra payments per year and decrease the amount you pay in interestover the life of the loan. This bi-weekly payment can be automatically deducted from your bank

Page 2: House Mortage Advice For Professionals And Amateurs Alike

account to make it easy and convenient.

Learn about the three main types of home mortgage options. The three choices are a balloonmortgage, a fixed-rate mortgage, and an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM). Each of these types ofmortgages has different terms and you want to know this information before you make a decisionabout what is right for you.

Know the risk involved with mortgage brokers. Many mortgage brokers are up-front with their feesand costs. Some other brokers are not so transparent. They will add costs onto your loan tocompensate themselves for their involvement. This can quickly add up to an expense you did not seecoming.

If you have previously been a renter where maintenance was included in the rent, remember toinclude it in your budget calculations as a homeowner. A good rule of thumb is to dedicate one, twoor even three perecent of the home's market value annually towards maintenance. This should beenough to keep the home up over time.

After applying for a home loan, ask your lender for a copy ofthe good faith estimate. This contains vital informationabout the costs associated with your home loan. Informationincludes the approximate cost of appraisals, commissionsand surveys along with any points that are included in theloan agreement.

Ask a lot of questions of the mortgage lender you plan touse. The lender should answer your questions clearly,

without being vague. If a lender dodges your questions or refuses to give a straight answer, youknow it's time to look for a new home mortgage lender to work with.

Decide what you want your price range to be before applying with a mortgage broker. If you getapproved for an amount higher than what you can really afford, it can give you some wiggle room.Regardless, keep yourself in check and don't over-commit. Such a situation can result in seriousfinancial issues later on.

Rebuild or repair your credit before shopping for a home mortgage. A good credit history and creditscore qualifies you for a better interest rate. It ishttp://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/mortgage_rates/ also frustrating to find the perfect house butnot qualify for the loan you need. Taking the time to fix your credit before buying a house will saveyou money in the long run.

Ask about making bi-weekly payments to pay off your mortgage faster. This is a great way to makesure you own the house faster, or at least owe less when you decide to sell the home. Paying off yourhome sooner relieves the stress of having to make payments when you are older.

Most financial institutions want the assurance that the property they finance is insured and theproperty taxes are current. They do this by requiring that you add an amount to cover thoseexpenses to your mortgage payments. This is called an escrow account, and most people find it isconvenient to set up payments this way.

Page 3: House Mortage Advice For Professionals And Amateurs Alike

One item of documentation for home mortgage application that is often overlooked is a gift letter. Ifyour relatives have chipped in to help you make your down payment, you may need to documentyour http://feeds.feedburner.com/weebly/TaaI source of income. This really depends on the type ofhome mortgage you get. Some require this, and others do not. Play it safe by getting a gift letterfrom anyone who gives you money to help you buy your home. Have this on file with your otherdocumentation.

As stated above, you have to do some research before you decide on a plan for something asimportant as your home mortgage. Reading the advice in this article was a great start to learningmore about home mortgages. Research your options a little more to make sure you are getting thebest mortgage possible.