Understanding Mortgage Basics
June 22, 2007
As common as mortgages are, there are a surprisingly large number of us who are under false impressions about the way they function, and what they actually are. For one thing, though we do commonly call mortgages "home loans," this is not at all what they actually are. In fact, mortgages aren’t loans at all, nor are they something that have been given to you by lenders. More accurately, it is a security instrument that you have provided to a lender. It is a document that protects your lender’s interest with your property itself.
A mortgage functions in the following way:
- A mortgager (you) ? also referred to as a borrower (leading to the false impression that it is a home loan) and the mortgagee, who is also called the lender (again, falsely leading you to think that a loan has been lent).
- The mortgage document itself produces a lien on your property. This is the collateral ? the security ? for the mortgagee who has provided the security instrument. This lien is recorded within public records ? likely at a county courthouse or similar establishment.
Free Money Saving Auto and Home Loan Tips
June 21, 2007
Free Auto Loan Tips
The following tips should help increase your chances of getting a car loan at a better rate.
Tip #1 - If you just started a job (recently graduated from college) then wait 6 months to apply for your car loan.
Tip #2 - If you have currently have bad credit then repair it before applying for an auto loan.
Tip #3 - If you’ve recently moved then wait until you have lived at your new address for 6 months before applying for a loan.
Tips #4 - If you have had a previous auto loan or home mortgage on your credit report then your chances for a new loan improve greatly.
Tip #5 - Try and pay off all of your credit card balances or at least lower them. You may want to consider finding the best debt consolidation loans to erase all of your credit card bills. The bottom line is don’t keep a high debt load or credit card balances.
Tip #6 - You must have a stable job or occupation.
New Credit Advice: Dont Pay off Those Credit Cards!
June 20, 2007
Credit needed for real estate mortgage financing differs from credit needed for consumer loans. If you need help getting a home mortgage, these credit tips will help you.
Contrary to what many credit advisors say, paying off credit cards each month is not always the best action to take. When making credit card payments, don’t pay the balance in full each month — let a little roll over. Carry a balance on your credit card every other month –as little as a dollar. Paying balances in full does not increase your credit score; paying balances in full may in fact lower your credit score. Accounts with zero balances do not compute significantly in your total score. For instance, a credit card with a perfect payment history and no balance will not raise your credit score as much as a credit card with a low balance. Any balance keeps the card active so it computes in your credit score.
You most likely have been advised to cut up your credit cards and close your accounts. Following this advice degrades many credit scores.
Canceling Credit Cards
Understand a Real Estate Appraisal
June 19, 2007
Happy New Year. Make a difference this year. “Pay it forward” as in the movie. If you haven’t seen it, WOW, do.
If you buy a house or refinance one, through a lender, you will have to have an appraisal. The reason it is required is FHA insures the loan, VA quarantees the loan and conventional loans are federally related. The easiest way to explain the process is from the beginning.
There are three types of residential appraisers. There are also timber, agricultural, industrial and other appraisers. Most residential appraisers are not allowed to do those and even if they are usually they will reject the request because they don’t have that kind of expertise. There are licensed, certified and general appraisers. Usually the licensed appraiser has the least education and can do an appraisal up to a certain value. I always find this a little stupid since you can’t know the value until you are done with the appraisal. What do you do, complete it and then tell the lender, oops I’m sorry, I can’t give you the completed appraisal because it exceeded my limit. Certified appraisers can usually do any value of residential property and up to a certain amount in commercial. General can pretty well appraise anything, Trump’s ……
Why Student Loans are Better Than Credit Cards
June 19, 2007
You need some more money for college expenses this semester. Do you whip out a credit card to pay for your books, or do you apply for a federal or private loan? Well, consider the options ?
-With a federal loan, your interest rate will be low (around 5%) and your payments will be deferred until 6-9 months after graduation.
-With a private loan, the interest rate will be slightly higher than with a federal loan but will still be lower than average. In addition, you will only need to make interest payments until after graduation.
-With a credit card, on the other hand, the interest rate can be as high as 21%. Interest begins accruing almost immediately, and you need to begin paying off the bill the next month.
This is not to say that credit cards do not have a place in your college life. It is good to have one national card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) on hand to help you build a positive credit history and to provide security in emergencies. When you decide to apply for a card, compare annual fees, interest rates, and introductory offers. And to keep yourself out of debt, try to-
How To Get a Mortgage If Youre Self-Employed
June 18, 2007
If you are self-employed, work on a contract basis, or have an income that is irregular or comes from multiple sources, it will generally be harder for you to get a mortgage than it is for someone who is an employee and can easily prove their income.
A self-employed person is someone who runs their own business and works for themselves without an employer. Directors of small limited companies, although technically employed on a PAYE basis, will generally be classed as self employed when it comes to applying for a mortgage or remortgage.
With over three million self-employed individuals in the UK, the attitude of many mortgage lenders towards the self-employed population is a problem that can affect a large number of people, even though many self-employed people often earn more than a lot of salaried workers.
The problem stems from the fact that the majority of mainstream mortgage lenders require proof of income when assessing a mortgage or remortgage application. Employed people can use their payslips and P60 as proof of salary, but there is no such straightforward equivalent if you are self-employed.
How to Draw a Personal Budget that Works
June 17, 2007
Many people spend their little income haphazardly without any planning and end up getting broke before month-end. They then borrow to make ends meet and end up with more problems that they fail to repay their debts promptly.
However, this is not a prudent way of managing your personal financial affairs. Planning your personal financial affairs through prioritization of needs and budgeting income and expenses is the best way to achieving success in managing your financial affairs.
It is important first to assess your financial needs in the short, medium and long term. What are your financial objectives? What do you want to achieve in the course of time? Do you have any targets? What is your short, medium and long term needs? List all of them down.
Next categorize income and expenses on a monthly basis. Then prioritize expenses into most important, important and most important. You can use any other weighting or prioritization formula that works best for you.
After this assess costs based on consumption per month. Put figures to the expense items. Then write down your income sources and the amount you earn per month from them. List the income on the left and the expenses on the right. Add up income amounts against expense amounts and find the difference to determine surplus or deficit.
10 Step Credit Repair Guide
June 16, 2007
The process of clearing credit can be laborious and frustrating, but your efforts will be paid for in better financing. Your rights are protected by laws, but you need to take reasonable actions toward your goal of clearing credit discrepancies. You can get the credit reporting agencies to help you instead of hindering your excellent credit quest with these tips.
1. Order credit reports.
2. Check for discrepancies.
3. Note problems and discrepancies in your Credit Dispute Log.
4. Contact disputed companies by telephone. (Contact original debtors, not collectors.)
Log the telephone call with a brief summary of agreements.
Remember to record the name of the contact representative.
5. Follow up with certified letter to original company.
6. Write letters to collectors, dispute bill, send documentation of payment to original company.
7. Fill out dispute form provided by credit bureau.
8. Write separate letter for each disputed item to credit bureaus.
Send letters by certified mail.
Enclose copies of supporting documentation.
9. Use the number provided by the credit bureau and call for progress; have your reference number handy.
10. Keep comprehensive records in your Credit File.
Mortgage Basics for First Time Home Buyers
June 15, 2007
Anyone planning to take out a mortgage for the first time will most likely find the job a little daunting, not least because the financial jargon can often be very difficult to make sense of. As with any major financial decision, it is essential to fully understand every aspect of a mortgage plan before making a commitment. It’s also vital to simply do the math, to calculate exactly how much each type of mortgage will cost for the overall life of the loan, how long it will take to repay, and what the monthly repayments will be. Buyers would be wise to make the financial calculations before choosing a home, to get a clear picture of exactly how much home they can really afford to buy. More information is available at http://www.money-smash.com
One of the most important decisions to make is choosing the term of the mortgage. Most fixed term mortgage plans work on either a 15 or a 30 year period. Generally speaking, a 15 year plan means the monthly repayments will be higher, but less interest is paid over the long term, so often the mortgage will work out cheaper over the life of the loan. A 30 year plan will normally mean more interest in the long term, but the monthly repayments will be lower, which may mean the borrower can afford to buy a more expensive home.
What You Should Know About Home Equity Loans
June 14, 2007
A home equity loan is essentially a type of second mortgage. You’ll be borrowing money against the value of your home. This carries risk, but can be worth it in the end if you know what you’re doing.
The most common type of home equity loan is a “closed end” home equity loan. This type of loan essentially allows you to borrow a certain amount of money against the value of your home. You cannot borrow more money on the same equity loan, so if you need more money later, you’ll have to try and take out another loan.
Most people find that getting a home equity loan can go a long way toward helping them to get out of debt. Since you’re borrowing money against your house, there is a greater chance that you’ll end up with a lower interest rate than you’re used to. This will probably result in a much lower monthly payment than most other loans.
One reason to get a home equity loan is if you are in a lot of debt and have several high interest payments to make each month. If you can get enough money in an equity loan to pay off your other debts, you’ll be able to effectively consolidate all of your debt into one low monthly payment.
