Welcome to Mortgage Refinance


Saturday, November 25, 2006

Refinance or HELOC - Things You Should Consider

When looking to take a loan out a one’s home, look at all options available. Refinancing is a way to lower a monthly mortgage payment and save over time by paying a lower interest rate. A Home Equity Line of Credit is slightly different, but is still considered a loan. When a person owns of home, they may borrow on the equity to pay for anything they want to spend the money on. Most people save this for emergencies. Unlike a traditional loan, a HELOC is a line of credit. This means that the amount a person qualifies for might be over what a person actually borrows. There are many advantages to either of these loans.

Refinancing your Loans. By refinancing, a person can save money over time. Depending on how much they owe on their home, they can have extra money to use for college, repairs, and other expenses. They will still make monthly mortgage payments, but the payments will be smaller because the amount of time on the loan has been lengthened. This is a disadvantage to refinancing. If people are considering moving within five years after refinancing, then this loan may not be the best choice for them. Also, refinancing should only be considered if a person can get an interest rate 2% or lower than their current rate. Since the market fluctuates often a person could be taking a gamble. One week the interest is lower and after a person applies for a loan, it could go back up.

Choosing a Home Equity Line of Credit. A HELOC loan should be considered when a person wants a line of credit that they can access for emergencies or home repairs. This loan is paid back monthly in addition to a mortgage payment. People who are careful with their money and know how to use it should consider a HELOC loan. These loans are oftentimes tax deductible and can be taken out for more than what a person owes on their home. The only drawback is when a person goes to sell their home; they will need to sell it for at least the amount of money taken from the HELOC account.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Mortgage Refinance Information: Three Tips to Find the Best Mortgage Loan Regardless of Credit

Mortgage Refinance Information is fast and easy to find online. Using the Internet you can quickly find mortgage refinance information from a dozens of online lenders. Comparing mortgage refinance information from these lenders will help you find the best mortgage for your financial situation; here are three tips to help you quickly find mortgage refinance information and the best home loan for your financial situation.

I. Shop from a Variety of Brokers and Lenders

When you compare loan offers while collecting mortgage refinance information, you can use the internet to quickly screen mortgage offers. The main advantage of using the Internet is that you can quickly screen mortgage refinance information without having the lender run your credit. You will need to provide general information about your income and the state of your credit; however, you can complete all of your online shopping without providing your Social Security Number.

II. Avoid Exaggerating Your Income and Credit

When comparison shopping mortgage refinance information, the lenders and brokers will ask you for general information regarding your income, assets, and credit. You should avoid the temptation to exaggerate any of this information. While you are not providing your Social Security number when shopping for mortgage refinance information, the lender or broker will run your credit before approving your loan. If the lender finds discrepancies when they run your credit score, you could lose the interest rate you were hoping to receive or have your application denied. You will find the process of refinancing your mortgage go much smoother if you provide accurate information in a timely manner when comparing mortgage refinance information online.

III. Make Sure You Deal with Reputable Sources of Mortgage Refinance Information

When comparing mortgage refinance information online, make sure the websites you work with are reputable. Does the mortgage refinance information provided seem professional? Does the website list full contact information and use Secure Socket Layer connections for encrypting mortgage refinance information? Never provide sensitive personal information without insuring the website you are dealing with is a reputable source of mortgage refinance information.

You can find more sources for mortgage refinance information, including common mistakes to avoid by registering for a free mortgage guidebook.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Understanding Negative Amortization

Negative amortization occurs when the monthly payments are not large enough to pay all of the unpaid balance of the loan, therefore increasing the loan balance and going in a "negative" direction. In this particular scenario, a borrower can literally end up owing more money than they originally borrowed. The reason that this occurs is because on a negatively amortized loan, the borrower is given several different payment options.

- OPTION 1: To pay what is known as the fully indexed payment. This is the margin plus index on the adjustable. This payment, which is typically the highest of the options, will prevent you from going negative.

- OPTION 2: An interest only payment. You would not be going negative by making this payment either, but you would not be decreasing the principal balance that you owe on your loan. This is because you are paying only the interest portion and no additional principal to your loan.

- OPTION 3: (And the one that most often gets people into trouble...) The negatively amortized payment. This is a payment that not only does not cover the principal, but dosn't cover all of the interest owed on the monthly payment, therefore accruing negative equity as a result.

Neg Am loans are great for some people and not so great for others. A lot of what you need to know depends on what your short term and long term goals are. If you would like to discuss this further please call or email me. I have helped many people get into the right loan for them for over 30 years. I will break everything down and we will be able to see if this is the right loan for you.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

A Quick Guide to Freddie Mac

Acronyms seem to be everywhere in the mortgage industry. Freddie Mac is one such acronym and an important one when trying to understand how the mortgage industry works.

A Quick Guide to Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac actually stands for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Based in McLean, Virginia, Freddie Mac is a social financing experiment that has worked out very well. It was created in 1970 by the federal government, but is a shareholder owned entity that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. It remains heavily regulated by the government, which makes it one of the few quasi-publicly traded government agencies/business entities. How it became known by that name is anyone’s guess, but the company performs a very important function in the mortgage industry.

As you know, the real estate market went through an absolutely massive boom recently. A lot of money was moved during that market in the form of mortgage loans. Given the rate of purchase for homes, have you ever wondered where the money was coming from? Well, the lenders were selling off the loans on the secondary market to gain liquidity so they could write even more loans. This is where Freddie Mac comes in.

Freddie Mac is charged by the federal government with providing liquidity in the secondary mortgage market. Simply put, it buys loans from lenders that meet certain classifications. By serving this function, Freddie Mac pumps money into the market, giving the bank the ability to continue to issue loans to you and me. This is reflective of an overall government policy of promoting home ownership, which is the staple of middle class America.

While Freddie Mac stands ready to buy loans from retail lenders, it does not just buy anything. Instead, it issues specifications regarding the types of loans it will buy. As you might guess, first time buyers and low income purchases are favored. The point is to expand homeownership, and Freddie Mac does that through its various policies.

Since Freddie Mac is a publicly traded company, you are probably wondering how it makes money. Well, the company takes the loans it has purchased and sells them to other investors! There is a little twist, however, that makes these loans an excellent investment for private money investors. Freddie Mac guarantees that the investor will be repaid on the loan even if the individual who borrowed the money fails to make all the payments. In exchange for this guarantee, Freddie Mac keeps a small percentage of the interest being paid by the borrower on the loan. When this small amount is multiplied over the total volume of loans Freddie Mac handles, revenues in the billions are generated

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Refinance Home Loan: How to Find the Best Home Loan When Refinancing Your Mortgage

If you are in the process of refinancing your home loan, shopping around for the most competitive loan offer will save you thousands of dollars. There are other steps you can take before applying that will improve the interest rate and loan terms that you qualify. Here are three tips to help you qualify for the best mortgage when refinancing your home loan.

I. Clean Up Your Credit First

Mortgage interest rates are on the rise and anything you can do to improve your credit score prior to applying will save you money. Your credit score has a major influence on the interest rate and terms you will receive on your new mortgage. Your credit score is derived from the contents of your credit reports and because these reports are maintained by three separate companies, they are prone to mistakes. Before you apply for any home loan it is important to request copies of your credit reports and carefully review them for errors. If you find errors you will need to dispute the mistakes with each credit agency.

II. Shop Around for the Best Home Loan

Comparison shopping for a mortgage will help you find the best home loan offer. The Internet is a useful tool for quickly locating and comparing mortgage offers. You can easily screen mortgage loans from dozens of lenders with little time and effort. When you compare home loans it is important to compare all aspects of the mortgages you consider, not just the Annual Percentage Rate. There is a simple way to do a line by line comparison to determine which mortgage is a better deal. You can learn more about mortgage comparison shopping by registering for a free mortgage guidebook at the end of this article.

III. Take Your Time

One common mistake homeowners make when refinancing is rushing through and accepting the first promising offer they receive. When you take your time and learn mortgage terminology you will understand the home loan offers you consider. Comparison shopping will also help you avoid common mortgage mistakes that cost you thousands of dollars. Remember, never rush your financial decisions and you will save yourself money and future headaches.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

Understanding Home Mortgage Refinance Options

Most people preoccupy with nothing but interest rates when they are thinking about when the opportune time is for a home mortgage refinance. The aspect most people fail to remember is that there is more to the mortgage refinancing than just interest rates. In many cases, the terms of the mortgage may be sufficient reason for mortgage refinance. One of the most prevalent term issues that prompt a mortgage refinance is the distinction between two home mortgage refinance options: fixed rate loan and variable rate loan. Essentially, there is just one difference between these two options. The variable rate loan exactly means what it sounds like. Loan payments fluctuate monthly and the borrower effectively pays whatever amount is dictated by the prevailing prime interest rate. In point of fact, the prime interest rate in the market is a consensus among a certain group of lenders of what interest rates should be—pretty out of anyone else’s control per se. Hence, for the borrower there are quite a number of negative things that are associated with the variable rate home mortgage refinance option.

Firstly, and importantly the most inconvenient, is that one never knows exactly how much mortgage payment will be for a particular month. Mortgage payments are unpredictable. They may remain fairly steady for a while, albeit a certain level of fluctuation always exists. Depending on the terms of a particular loan, one may unfortunately be paying late fees or incredibly high interest as a penalty to any portion of the payment one fails to make, even if it was merely an oversight. The reason is that one really cannot tell how much the payment should have been. On the other hand, the stability of fixed rate home mortgage refinance option is something that is recommended to alleviate the problem of unpredictability of variable rate loans.

The apparent hype with variable rate mortgages is brought about by the wildly fluctuating interest rates a few years ago. Large fluctuation was attractive because the interest rate has a high chance of going really low. Thus by locking into a fixed rate, one cannot benefit from a situation wherein interest rates plummet. In other words, variable rate home mortgage refinance is suitable for risk takers who are willing to absorb high interest rates for the chance that they could gain from really low ones. The fixed rate option is risk averse.

Still there are many other different types of home mortgage refinance options out there besides the two most common ones that have been discussed above. Other options go under the names of interest only mortgages, discounted rate mortgages, balloon payment mortgages, and negative amortization mortgages. For somebody who is considering mortgage refinance, it is important to do research before you choose which particular option you would take with respect to his financial situation, lender’s rates, lending policies, the prevailing housing real estate market, and lots more. Regrets from choosing the wrong option are mitigated if one pays a little time and effort with research.

Home mortgage refinancing is indeed an effective tool to escape from debts that normally plague a lot of homeowners. There are several options available in the market but it is very important for one understand the risks involved with each option. However, as a rule of thumb fixed rate home mortgage refinance option is the most appealing because of its risk-averse, hence more secure, nature

Monday, November 20, 2006

Remortgage Tips

Most of us have all experienced hard times at some stage in our lives and received letters from banks telling us that they are going to charge us £27 for bouncing a cheque or non payment of a direct debit or standing order. Would you like to hit back? Would you like some remortgage tips?

Now is the time to hit back and take some of that money back from them by taking advantage of the discounts that they have to offer to existing and new borrowers. There are massive savings to be had by remortgaging and the bigger your mortgage, the more the potential savings. So, if there is massive saving to be had, why do people not remortgage more often?

Surveys conducted by lenders have identified that some people are just not aware, whilst others have said that they just could not be bothered. Some people have stated that the mortgage market is just too complicated. Bet you would like some remortgage tips?

Well, the range of UK mortgages has increased dramatically over the past few years and although this increase in mortgage types has added complexity, it has also introduced fierce competition, which has in turn resulted in the availability of some very attractive remortgage products for the customer. With over 10,000 mortgage products to choose from, how do we ensure that we get the best remortgages and cheapest remortgage rates?

Employing the services of a whole of market UK mortgage broker can pay dividends here as they have sophisticated computer software to narrow down the mortgage products and arrange the cheapest and best remortgages.

Consider this as a normal mathematical comparison. A 2% saving on a £100,000 mortgage works out at £2,000 per year and assuming that this saving can be made every year by moving the mortgage to another lender, it equates to an astronomical £50,000 saving over the normal mortgage term of 25 years. That equates to £40 per week, every week. It just doesn’t make sense to be putting that sort of money into a lenders pockets when they already make billions of £££’s net profit per year.

If you are having trouble paying your current mortgage, loan or credit cards or you think that you are not receiving the best mortgage deal you possibly can, then perhaps it is time to think about finding the best remortgages. However, many people are unsure about the relative benefits and problems of a remortgage. Here are some useful remortgage tips to help you decide if remortgaging is right for you:

What is a remortgage?
A remortgage is when you replace your existing mortgage loan with a new one from either the same lender or a new lender. This is usually done to reduce monthly payments or to release equity. Remortgaging is usually carried out through a remortgage broker to find the best rates.

Remortgaging for lower payments
One of the most common reasons to re-mortgage is to get lower monthly payments than you do now. If you are struggling to pay off your monthly payments, then you need to look for a better deal, as soon as you can. If you can find one, then ask your current mortgage lender if they can match this, if they would prefer to keep you as a customer at a lower rate than lose you altogether. If they cannot match the rate, then you should look at remortgaging.

Remortgaging to release equity
Another reason why people remortgage is to get hold of some extra money by releasing equity they may have built up in their property. This means that you borrow more than your current mortgage debt to release the money you have already paid into the property and this extra money may be used for debt consolidation or home improvements. This is especially useful if your property has gone up in price or if you have paid off a large percentage of your mortgage. It is like getting out a loan, but the rates are low as they are part of the remortgage.

Some Pitfalls of Remortgages
One thing that you should look at before remortgaging is whether or not it is really right for you. There maybe a number of costs involved, such as legal fees and penalties for changing mortgages. These fees could add up and might be more than you can afford. Also, if you borrow more money or you get lower monthly payments, it could mean that you will be paying the money back for a longer period of time.

Although a remortgage may seem helpful now, you could end up paying more long-term and if you are still paying the money back when you retired you might be left unable to make the payments without pension provisions.

Remortgaging can help you if you are struggling with payments or you need to free up some money. However, you should think carefully about whether or not remortgaging will be beneficial to you in the long-term but if you have a problem remortgage it could be the ideal situation. 100% adverse credit remortgages, self-employed and self-certification remortgages are all available in the UK mortgage market.

Some More Remortgage Tips
1) If the mortgage is small, look at the fees charged by the lender, as they will impact on the loan.
2) If the mortgage is large, it will be interest rate sensitive, not fee sensitive.
3) Use a whole of market mortgage broker.
4) Review the mortgage before the end of each deal.
5) On a repayment mortgage, have a monthly rest interest rate.

Refinance Home Loan: How to Shop for the Best Mortgage Loan

If you are in the process of refinancing your home loan you can save yourself a lot of money by shopping for the most competitive loan offer. Comparison shopping means collecting no obligation quotes from a variety of mortgage lenders and comparing all aspects of the loans. Here are several tips to help you compare loan offers and find the best home loan for your financial situation.

Refinancing your mortgage can save you a lot of money if you do it correctly. Because there are expenses involved when refinancing your home loan it will take you several years to recoup your expenses. You should factor how long you plan on staying in your home into your decision to refinance the loan. You can use a mortgage calculator to determine if refinancing will save you money based on prevailing interest rates and your monthly budget.

Shop Around for the Best Mortgage

Once you have decided to refinance your mortgage you can save yourself a lot of money by researching mortgage lenders and shopping for the best loan. The Internet is an excellent tool for comparing loan offers from dozens of mortgage lenders. When you compare loan offers it is important to compare all aspects of the loans and not rely solely on the Annual Percentage Rate or interest rate. Homeowners that focus solely on interest rates often overlook many other fees and closing costs.

Use No Obligation Mortgage Quotes

Stated income and credit quotes allow you to receive loan information without accessing your credit or needing sensitive information. Ask the lenders you consider for a copy of the Good Faith Estimate for comparing loan quotes. You can learn more about shopping for the best mortgage while avoiding common homeowner mistakes by registering for a free mortgage guidebook.

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Mortgage Or Rent?

For many home buyers, the dilemma of whether to rent or to own is a common one. There are three benefits of home ownership. Firstly, home ownership produces one of the safest and surest opportunities to build your personal wealth assuming that the purchase is geared lightly. Secondly, property offers a potential source of capital preservation. Finally, home ownership yields non-financial benefits that far outweigh monetary returns and provide satisfaction to the owners.

Some people may have the notion that home ownership will no longer produce good financial returns because of the compounding effect of mortgages. However, not everyone has the discipline or skill to put a certain amount of money aside monthly to build up their wealth. The temptation to take out the profits for consumption may be too great to resist.

Maybe buying a home is the best way to commit yourself to save for the initial down payment. Then, by merely waiting until the total needed amount for your dream house is saved, most will end up not being able to fulfill their goals as they may not be disciplined enough to follow strictly their saving plan and also inflation may keep on eroding the purchasing power of money. Conversely, building wealth through home equity has consistently proven to be a prudent strategy as property values are more stable than other asset values.

Concerning the issue of wealth accumulation via home equity, homeowners have to consider if they are better off if they rent and put their extra money into saving. If the returns on other investment instruments are greater than the appreciation of the house prices, then by all means to continue in renting.

However, most homeowners spend less for housing than renters do. Even though the exact cost advantages will differ between towns and cities throughout the country, over time rents continue to increase as mortgage payments remain quite stable.

Moreover, after your mortgage is paid off, your monthly payments will be reduced to zero. This cost advantage of owning means that as the homeowners grow older, they will have more money left from their salaries after paying off the mortgage. Thus, they have more money for other purposes like children education and medical bills.

Aside from the possibility of financial gains, there are many more non-monetary benefits you can enjoy. When you buy your own home, you don't just buy a house, you also gain freedom. You are not only saving money each month and building wealth, but more importantly, you have escaped from the 'renters' jail'. By freeing yourselves from the 'renters' jail', there will be no more landlords to tell you how you can decorate, who you can have over, or whether you can get a cat or dog. For the first time in your life, you are free to do with the home the way you want. Even if the mortgage costs you more, it'd be worth.

What If You Don't Qualify For A Mortgage Loan?

If you are a borrower, either in the form of mortgage or loan, chances are alarmingly high that you are being or have been periled by lenders, brokers, and banks by their routinely changing loan terms between the time of application and closing. Sometimes, they can have justifiable reasons for doing so, but more often they don't.

Reasons

Sometimes, rejection does happen due to some mistakes that can be fount in your past credit history. Though they may have happened in the past, the consequence remains in the present. Many times people don't closely monitor their bills and accounts and sometimes miss payments or pay late. This can heavily damage your credit and may constitute and obstacle when trying to get approved.

Common Obstacles

In certain cases it may be hard to get a mortgage, for example if you are self-employed or if you have had debt problems in the past. Other probable situation is that if you're retiring within the next 2-3 months, then this situation can impede you from getting approval for mortgage. What’s the reason? Probably, because the lender thinks you won't be able to make the payments once you stop working.

It could be your income or employment status, or because of problems with the property. You could apply again to a different lender; however, you previous rejection will show on your credit report. If you have a bad debt case registered with a credit reference agency, you must ensure that correct details about you are recorded at the agency. If you find any information to be incorrect, contact the agencies to get your record corrected and inform the lender about the error committed on their behalf.

In case, a mortgage broker or lender has unfairly treated you, you can make a formal complaint. Under the Mortgage Code the firm ought to have a complaints procedure.

Read Thoroughly Before Applying

Often, the problem with some customers is that they forget to read everything specified in the promotions. Lenders may overstate the scope of what they're offering, just by throwing out terms like "pre-approved" or "approved, provided these conditions are met" and giving a superficial explanation in the fine print. This helps the lenders to cancel or modify their offers for countless reasons. When you object changes in the offer or in the loan terms, lenders just point out those disclosures.

So, whatever you apply for is never guaranteed because there are variables during the process that may change the initial assumed profile of the loan.

Borrowers unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the lending business could proceed happily towards closing on the loan, only to get surprised by a negative. Or to find out that they're going to pay up a few thousand more dollars or lose their houses and loans. Lenders think they don't need to cite a genuine reason to change the loan terms. Usually, brokers and lenders will just add some extra costs into a loan to book their profits. Thus, you need to be aware of your rights and read everything prior to signing.