Seller Financing
March 20, 2010
Although any loan used for buying real estate is strictly called a purchase money mortgage, the term is often employed for seller financing, those transactions in which you “take back” a mortgage as part of the purchase price. These arrangements are suitable, of course, only when you do not need your proceeds immediately toward the purchase of another home.
Taking back financing could make your property easier to sell during a difficult mortgage market. You might hold out for a higher sale price or interest rate, because your buyers will have fewer closing costs than usual. And sometimes your income tax situation, particularly with investment property, makes it advantageous to receive the proceeds over a period of years.
But seller financing is sometimes sought by buyers who cannot qualify for regular financing, and then the question arises: if a bank won’t trust them with a loan, why should you?
A large down payment, of course, represents some safety. If you ever had to foreclose, the debt might be covered by the sale of the property. And asking for a large down payment serves to separate strong buyers from those who are weak financially — unless, of course, they’re going out and borrowing the down payment elsewhere. In that case they could end up with unmanageable payments, which would put your loan in danger.
Keep Your Eye Focused on Treasury Bond Rates To Adjust Your Current Mortgage Rates
March 16, 2010
Mortgage rates typically are based off the current rates of treasury bonds. Most lenders set their long term mortgage rates in line with 10 and 30-year treasury rates. The reason that they do this is quite simple. Treasury rates are the rates that are used as an index to represent what the future value of money will be by the secondary market and investors. The Federal Reserve Bank will issue these bonds along with an interest rate that it will pay to holder of the bond once it matures. The market, in reflecting economic and inflationary predictions, adjusts the yields. Mortgage rates are then set according to the yields. If the market expects that thing in the future are going to be good with low inflation then the mortgage rates will be lower. If the market forecasts higher inflation then the mortgage interest rates will also rise.
Construction Loan Basics
March 14, 2010
It might not be too big of an exaggeration to say that the construction loan is one of the more daunting aspects of building your custom home. Before we started our project, I had nightmares about trying to pay two full mortgages at the same time (our existing mortgage and the construction loan), and I didn’t see how it was at all possible. However, the reality ended up much more reasonable than I dared hope.
COLLATERAL: Many ? but not all ? mortgage companies require you to own your land first before you apply for the construction loan. That way, if the borrower defaults, the bank has a way to recoup their investment. Some banks will let you roll in the land purchase with the construction loan, but you may have to pay a premium.
TIMING: Your standard construction loan will be based on the one year plan. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect to finish within a year, unless you are building a handcrafted log home. The good news is that you aren’t obligated for the full construction loan amount from day one. You only have to pay interest for the amount of money you actually borrow from each draw. So you won’t really be carrying the full mortgage until the end of construction, at which point you will roll the construction loan over to a conventional mortgage.
Life of an Escrow
March 11, 2010
Escrow is one of the last stages in the purchase or sale of a real property. When someone says that they are in escrow, it means that they have either accepted an offer on the sale of their property, or their offer to purchase has been accepted. The offer to purchase agreement is the instrument that is first signed by all parties before they "go to escrow".
The life of a typical escrow in basic outline: Escrow instructions are prepared along with other pertinent documents, and signatures are obtained. Title search is ordered, a preliminary title report is received and sent out for review and approval by all parties. Demands for payoff are ordered on existing money liens, and clarification requested on tax liens and other liens. While the escrow officer is processing the file, the lender for the buyer is also processing the loan application. If the buyer is assuming the existing loan, the escrow officer requests a beneficiary statement , forwards to buyer for review and approval, and requests loan documents for transfer or for the new loan.
Why You Should Not Get Hung Up on the Interest Rates!!
March 9, 2010
This is what a mortgage can do for you!
AND Why you shouldn’t get hung up on the interest rate!
Let me show you the bottom line or the total dollar amount you will pay when paying a mortgage and paying rent and what the benefits of a mortgage are:
Let’s say John bought a home and has a $75,000 mortgage @ 10% interest for 30 years on his home with a payment of $750.00 per month. John’s friend Bill is renting a house, but he is paying $750.00 per month in rent with no interest (I am using these numbers for illustration purposes). Now, it’s a funny thing, but both men live in their homes for the full 30 years and guess how much money both paid out in that 30 years?
Do you think John would have paid more money in the 30 years then Bill did because John was paying a mortgage? The answer is no! Thirty years equal 360 months of payments and if you multiply 360 X $750.00 you get $270,000.00. That means both men paid the same amount of money over the 30 years with one BIG difference! John now OWNS his home but Bill is still paying rent and does not own the home. In fact Bill’s rent more then likely paid the mortgage off for the owner of the house he is renting from.
Mortgage Terminology for the First Time Home Buyer
March 6, 2010
Buying a Home for the first time can be a little "nerve racking". Mortgage terminology that brokers use everyday can leave you scratching your head or shaking your head pretending that you know what they’re talking about. Here are some mortgage terms and definitions that you"ll be hearing when shopping for a first time home buyer loan:
Adjustable-rate loans, also known as variable-rate loans, usually offer a lower initial interest rate than fixed-rate loans. The interest rate fluctuates over the life of the loan based on market conditions, but the loan agreement generally sets maximum and minimum rates. When interest rates rise, generally so do your loan payments; and when interest rates fall, your monthly payments may be lowered.
Annual percentage rate (APR) is the cost of credit expressed as a yearly rate. The APR includes the interest rate, points, broker fees, and certain other credit charges that the borrower is required to pay.
Conventional loans are mortgage loans other than those insured or guaranteed by a government agency such as the FHA (Federal Housing Administration), the VA (Veterans Administration), or the Rural Development Services (formerly know as Farmers Home Administration, or FmHA).
Secured Loans ? Making the Most of Your Home as Collateral
March 3, 2010
My visit to the lender was interrupted with my wife demanding a reason for my preference for secured loans. Though I hushed up the matter then, it kept on ringing in my mind hours later. Actually, I didn’t know of options other than the secured loans that are available. The various instances of people that have lost their homes to lenders that she used to supplement her contention refused to leave my thoughts.
Therefore, the first thing that I did on reaching the lender was to put my wife’s question thus. What makes secured loans more favourable for me? And the answer that I received has made me content that secured loans are the best for me.
The answer that I received could have helped a number of people who try to seek alternative sources of finance fearing secured loans can be perilous to their homes. Through this article, I have tried to bring forth the various aspects of secured loans that make them more favourable.
Secured loans are easily available:
Mortgage Sales Hit Problems
February 28, 2010
The housing market has been buoyant over the past few years, but mortgage providers and first-time buyers are both now facing a tough time. Following announcements from the Bank of England that there has been an overall decline in the total number of UK home-buyers, and a declaration from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) that the number of disputes concerning mis-sold mortgage endowments has now hit record levels, it seems that mortgage lenders are facing a bleak time. Add to this the results of a new survey, by the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre, which shows potential first-time buyers fear that they may never get onto the property market, and you start to see a worrying picture of the housing market emerge.
The problem with the mis-selling of endowment mortgage products has recently made the headlines in the world of personal finance. The FOS admitted receiving 70,000 new complaints about endowment mortgages, the equivalent of 1,300 a week, compared to just 300 a week three years ago.
The main grounds for complaint revolve around people who believe that mis-selling had occurred regarding policies. Many consumers feel that the endowment product sold to them was unsuitable either because it would lead to financial short-falls, or because the level of risk involved had not been adequately explained to them prior to the policy commencing.
How To Turn Disadvantages Of A Reverse Mortgage To Your Advantage
February 26, 2010
When it comes to a reverse mortgage, wise consumers weigh the advantages and disadvantages prior to signing on the dotted line.
Let’s start on a positive note, you could do what most borrowers do and opt for the reverse mortgage line of credit. Just think about how you would then be able to draw on the loan whenever money is required for daily living expenses, medical bills, prescription costs, home repairs, etc. This could really enhance your retirement years including in-home care expenses in later years.
Furthermore, your new found income does not affect regular Social Security payments or Medicare benefits. And lenders cannot foreclose on the loan for the life of the borrower.
Okay, that’s all well and good but how do you turn the major disadvantages of a reverse mortgage into a positive one? It’s all in the perspective. For every negative there is a positive to obtaining this loan.
It’s true a reverse mortgage loan may affect your eligibility for state and federal government assistance programs such as Medicaid but it also gives you an important financial cushion and does not (as mentioned above) affect your regular Social Security payments or Medicare benefits.
Using a Calculator to Assess Your Loan
February 23, 2010
Buying a house is a very important step in your life. Every family dreams of having their own home and whether you are looking into your first, or are moving or upgrading your home, you know your mortgage is important. And when it comes to getting a mortgage, there is a lot of data to be calculated. This is where a mortgage calculator can really help you out.
These calculators are very convenient for people who are in the beginning stages of trying to figure out what kind of home they want to buy and working out what kind of home they can afford, taking into account government charges, bank fees and the deposit they have saved. A mortgage calculator will give you a very good idea of the maximum size of a loan that you can apply for. It will also help you to see what kind of monthly payments you can expect to pay once you have purchased the home.
So if you are going to use a mortgage calculator to find out information about your qualifications, you should get some information together first. You need to know information like the gross income of the family and what kind of monthly expenses the household has. You should include credit cards, utilities, personal loans and other expenses. This will help calculate what you can afford.
