Are you looking for information about mortgage refinance? This article will point you in the right direction.
One of the most important things to remember is to get your mortgage and refinancing information from the best sources. Instead of just haphazardly looking around the search engines, make sure to check out established websites. It is usually good to compare the commercial offers to knowledgeable information sites like industry blogs. Here I’ll stick to the most basic information about mortgage refinance and you can click the various links on this page for more info.
If you want to find the best rate for refinancing your home mortgage, or if you just want more information on 80-20 loans or other financial instruments you can expect to come across, first make sure you understand the ins and outs of why you should even consider refinancing in the first place.
Refinancing is basically getting a new home loan to repay the existing mortgage on your house. This is especially beneficial when the new loan has a lot better terms than your original loan. This can net you substantial savings.
Why refinance? Lots of things that make your credit score fall tend to resolve themselves over time. Bad items on your credit report, even major ones, usually stay there only for a few years. Once they fall off your credit score can go up a lot higher, making it a no-brainer to refinance your home mortgage loans. Also if your financial situation changes to the point where you are making more money, it could be wise to get a shorter-term mortgage to save on the amount of interest you pay. Also if your financial situation changed for the worse, you might want to consider refinancing with a longer term, which will save money on monthly payments.
You may encounter 80-20 loans. You can find more detailed information elsewhere, but the basics are that 80-20 mortgage loans are a way to get enough funds to buy a home, while in the meantime avoiding private mortgage insurance. The 80-20 loan is actually two loans in one. The first loan is for 80% of the house sale price, while the second loan is for 20% of the house sale price. Use this loan as a way to
In this economic climate when many people are living from paycheck to paycheck, it can be very beneficial to find a refinance option that saves you money on a monthly mortgage payment. If you refinance you can decrease both the monthly payment and the amount of interest being paid every month. Another benefit for homeowners in choosing to refinance is that it consolidates existing debts. To do this you would use your existing equity on your mortgage as collateral to get a new low interest loan which can repay other existing debts. So you can use your mortgage to gain a larger loan in order to pay off whatever other loans that may be charging you a high interest rate.
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The Real Cost of your Cash-back Mortgage Option
If you look at the most stressful events in a person’s life, buying a home is on the top ten list. After all, it’s a big decision – both emotionally and financially. Many home buyers go through an anxious period after they’ve arranged for their mortgage and get ready to move into their new home. Knowing you’ll get a pocketful of cash would sure help, wouldn’t it?
That’s a big part of the attraction of cash-back mortgages. A plump cheque is a psychological boost to home buyers who have just made one of the biggest financial commitments of their lives. As mortgage brokers, we like to work with our clients to ensure that they look beyond the temporary “feel good” of the cash, and weigh their options wisely.
Remember that the cash-back option comes with a trade-off: if you choose not to take the cash back, you can get a lower interest rate. Over time, you could see substantial savings in interest payments.
So, start with the most important question: What will the cash be used for? Is this purchase a priority, and is it worth the difference in the rate? Perhaps you have a plan to take advantage of the cash-back to purchase the household appliances for your new home. The extra ,000 for new kitchen or laundry appliances may be an urgent immediate need and a higher priority overall than the lower interest rate for your mortgage term.
But here is the second question to discuss with your mortgage broker: What will be the impact of the rate difference over time? You’ll need real-life figures to work out the details for your personal situation, but let’s look at an example*:
Let’s say that your cash-back option pays 1% of the mortgage amount on a two-year deal, 3% on five years, and 5% cash back on a ten-year closed mortgage. And let’s assume that you’re looking at borrowing 0,000 for a 5-year term, amortized over 25 years. Not long ago, you might be looking at the difference between cash back and a rate of 6.60%, or a discounted interest rate of 5.29%.
So what’s the bottom line? Your cash-back option would give you ,000 up-front, but over your 5-year term, you would pay a little over ,300 more in interest costs than you would have with the discounted rate. The exact cost of the cash-back option in this example is ,330.44 – paid out over 5 years.
Is that a good deal? It depends. Did you get the much-needed appliances for your home… or use the funds to manage a high-priority expense? Then you probably got good value from the option. If – five years later – you can’t remember where the money went, then perhaps you didn’t make the best trade-off.
The House Team is commited to providing quality information to help people make informed decisions about their mortgage financing needs.
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Forclosures Have Met Their Match? Reverse Mortgages
Foreclosure filings were reported on 2.3 million U.S. properties in 2008, an increase of 81 percent from 2007 and up 225 percent from 2006, according to the RealtyTrac U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released January 15, 2009. The soaring number of forclosures have sent ripples through the housing and banking industry with the affects being felt by millions.
According to RealtyTrac, California, Florida, Arizona posted the highest 2008 foreclosure totals. A total of 523,624 California properties received a foreclosure filing in 2008, the nation’s highest state total. Foreclosure activity in the state increased nearly 110 percent from 2007 and nearly 498 percent from 2006. With 385,309 properties receiving a foreclosure filing in 2008, Florida documented the second highest state total. Florida foreclosure activity increased 133 percent from 2007 and nearly 412 percent from 2006. Arizona’s 2008 total of 116,911 properties receiving a foreclosure filing was third highest among the states. Foreclosure activity in Arizona increased 203 percent from 2007 and 655 percent from 2006. Other states with Top 10 totals for 2008 were Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Nevada and New Jersey.
With mounting job losses and a weakening economy, forclosures and mortgage delinquencies are expected to continue to rise. The nation’s unemployment rate shot up at the end of the year, reaching 7.2 percent in December — its highest level since early 1993, according to a Labor Department report release January 9, 2009. That puts U.S. job losses at 2.6 million for 2008.
However, with all this doom and gloom in the housing market, there is a glimmer of hope for senior homeowners 62 years of age and older. That hope comes in the form of a HUD Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) or Reverse Mortgage. Those who have obtained a reverse mortgage need not be concerned with the increasing forclosure rates and whether or not they can make their mortgage payments. With a HECM reverse mortgage, there are no monthly payments required.
Borrowers remain in their homes for life and never have to worry about making a mortgage payment again. All they need to do is keep the property in good repair, pay their property taxes and keep their homeowners insurance current and paid.
For seniors who currently do not have a reverse mortgage, now may be the time to explore the option. It does not matter if a senior is currently late on their mortgage. They may still qualify for a reverse mortgage. To qualify all borrowers on title must be 62 years or older, occupy the property as their primary residence and not currently be in a bankruptcy. That’s it!
MLS Reverse Mortgage has helped save several seniors who were months away from losing their homes.
So, in these tough economic times, there is still hope for seniors looking for mortgage payment relief or cash out to enjoy life’s pleasures.
Learn more online: http://www.mlsreversemortgage.com
Josh Borba has been a mortgage professional since graduating from San Francisco State in 2002. He is currently a Senior Reverse Mortgage Advisor at MLS Reverse Mortgage. Toll Free (888) 888-4834. Visit our website. Read more of our articles online. Government Insured Reverse Mortgage Programs.
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