Reaping Financial Rewards ? Bad Credit Home Equity Loans
May 31, 2008
Home is the place you inhabit. It is the place where you live, breathe, grow, thrive. It does more than just providing a living space. The moment you build up this house, or moved to your present apartment, you did not realize that you have struck it rich. ‘Rich’ ? that is not the exact word to define your current status as you are struggling with bad credit. I know you want to argue on this point but let me explain. There is something called home equity that lies in the embryonic state waiting to be germinated. Home equity has more to it than what meets the eye. However, many of us do not understand the meaning of home equity. Let alone use it for their own prosperity.
Understanding Credit Report Score
May 30, 2008
Understanding credit report scores is important when you see your credit report because you need to be able to make some sense of it.
Your credit score is used by anyone loaning you money such as credit card companies, home loan lenders, auto loan lenders and finance companies. They all use your credit score to determine your credit risk. The interest the lender charges you is based on your credit risk. So you can see how understanding credit report scores is information that can save or cost you money.
You need to find out what your credit score is before you talk to any lender in case there is something on your report that you may question. You don’t want the lender to find a mistake that you aren’t aware of. If you find a mistake, it takes at least 30-60 days before you see corrections in your credit reports and scores.
You have probably heard that checking your credit will bring down your score. But checking your own credit report and score is counted as a “soft inquiry” and doesn’t harm your credit score at all. Only “hard inquiries” from a lender or creditor, made when you apply for credit, will bring your credit score down a few points.
Reverse Mortgage Offers Fresh Approach To Income From Real Estate
May 29, 2008
If you owe 40 percent or less of your original mortgage, there is a great program that is available to you that will generate extra monthly income. It’s called a reverse mortgage. The reverse mortgage is similar to a home equity loan, only in the fact that it pays you the equity you have in your house. The differences, though, are many. If you have a large amount of equity in your home, you’ll want to consider a reverse mortgage.
The reverse mortgage does exactly what the phrase says. Instead of the homeowner making monthly mortgage payments, the bank literally reverses the action and pays the homeowner. Sound too good to be true? It’s not, and it’s a completely legitimate program. Banks like it, because at the end of the term of the loan (usually when the homeowner dies), the bank acquires the house and may resell it.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say you own a home with a mortgage balance of $30,000 and it’s worth $100,000. The bank will put a loan on some or all of the remaining balance, amortize it over 30 years and send you a check for this amount monthly. Sometimes, they’ll use enough of the remaining equity to pay off your balance, so you owe nothing. Then, you get payments each month, and when you die, the house belongs to the bank.
The Wonders of Compound Interest
May 29, 2008
Albert Einstein called compound interest "the greatest invention of all time." It has even been referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." The trick is to get this tremendous force working for you rather than against you.
Is compound interest gobbling up a significant chunk of your earnings? If you maintain an ongoing balance with a credit card company, compound interest is costing you much more than you probably realize.
Let’s start with basic interest, which is a fee that you pay to a lender for the privilege of borrowing his money. This interest is attached to the original amount at an agreed upon rate. Compound interest is calculated on the balance owing plus any previous interest charges. So then you find yourself paying interest on the interest. This compounding effect continues until it virtually takes on a life of its own. Credit card lenders make a killing putting this principle to work for them. Allow me to illustrate.
Our World Of Credit Cards! Which One Is Right For You
May 28, 2008
There are not many of us who do not have a credit card these days. But, not all of us are as wise in the area of understanding how they work and how they make money. There are many types available to the young and old. Student credit cards even begin to get teenagers into the world of credit cards. Secured credit cards, cards that usually can’t be written off, are even misleading in their name. So, what does that discover credit card in your wallet actually do for you?
Even young adults are being lured into the world of credit cards. Student credit cards are widely available. Some link the parent to the card, others are geared towards college students who most of the time don’t even have jobs to pay for them. They seem like a great way to pay for college expenses, but the fees can be outrageous.
Sorting through mortgage elimination programs
May 27, 2008
Mortgage elimination programs are all the rage these days. In the event that you don’t know what they are, it’s a really basic concept. You apply more money to the principal balance on your loan or you make payments at times other than once per month, and ultimately you lower you balance and pay your mortgage off sooner than the original term. It sounds great, but be careful what you read, because there are a lot of these mortgage elimination programs that either don’t make sense or just plain scams.
I clicked on a website gloating that it had a program that would eliminate your mortgage in under a year. Wow! A 30-year home loan eliminated in one year. Sounds great; you’re in, right? Not so fast. When I subscribed to a mailer to get more information, I received a very cryptic message that said the program was currently put on hold because the US patriot act makes it impossible to proceed with the necessary offshore banking transactions, which were necessary to make the process a success. Now, I’m not sure what all this means, but I do know I don’t want someone sending my mortgage payments to some offshore bank account. This sounds like something straight from a John Grisham novel.
Dos and Donts: Student loans
May 26, 2008
Parents should begin saving money early for their children’s college education because of the high costs and expectations that parents will pay part of the costs associated with the education. Several stock mutual funds are recommended.
Here’s a question that’s as pleasant to consider as a fraternity hazing: How will you come up with the money to send your child to the campus of his or her choice? If you’re like most Americans, your answer is probably loans–unless you start saving and investing more effectively. According to a recent MONEY poll, fully 87% of U.S. moms and dads expect their kids to go to college. But nearly half of them, 47%, have not yet stashed away any money to cover the costs, which currently run an average of $7,118 a year for tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public schools and $18,184 at private universities, according to the College Board. And at the current growth rate of 5% a year, the cost of a four-year degree is projected to rise to $73,834 (public) and $188,620 (private) for a child born in 1997.
Home Equity Loan ? Beware of the lingering lien!
May 25, 2008
A problem that often arises when people try to refinance their home is the discovery of a pre-existing lien from a previous loan that was not removed by the lending company. The cost of removing a lien and returning the title to the homeowner, a process known as reconveyance, is usually included in fees associated with a home equity loan. When the loan is paid off, the lender is generally responsible for removing the lien, so that public records show the property to be unencumbered. There are various reasons for why the lien isn’t always removed ? oversight on the part of the lender, especially during heavy periods of refinancing, is often the problem. Occasionally, the problem can arise when a lender is sold to another company or when that lender goes out of business. No matter what the cause, a lien that hasn’t been removed can come back to haunt a homeowner. If a homeowner is in the process of refinancing a home and discovers an old lien that hasn’t been removed, the entire refinancing process can be held up for weeks. This can be critical if the owner is trying to lock in an interest rate prior to closing. The problem can also arise when a homeowner is trying to take out another home equity loan, perhaps to facilitate debt consolidation or home improvements. Here are a few things you can do to avoid this problem:
Save Money and Lower your Payments by Improving or Repairing Your Credit
May 24, 2008
Having a better credit score not only represents easier access to money from lending institutions, but more importantly represents instant money in your pocket.
This probably sounds like something obvious for most of people, but it isn’t until you start thinking in terms of real examples and real dollars that most of us start to understand the magnitude of the benefits associated with a good credit score.
For example, let’s say that John, with a credit score of 640 wants to buy a house with a 20% down payment. At the same time, Terri who has a credit score of 720 wants to buy the same house with 20% down also.
Did you know that John, will be paying $108,600 more than Terri for the same exactly house? (assuming a $200,000 sale price with a 30 year mortgage).
People with credit scores of 720 and higher are more likely to retire younger and wealthier, because they will have to pay less money to acquire goods like their home, cars, etc; than someone with lower credit score.
Getting a credit score of 720 is not as difficult as credit institutions make it sound. There are proven techniques and guides that can help you achieve that goal.
Saving Money - The Magic 20 Percent
May 24, 2008
Saving money is not easy and is made more difficult if you have a short-term outlook regarding your personal finances. If, like many people, you are living from one pay cheque to the next, it is difficult to put some money aside for a rainy day or for a summer holiday. But what if you were to change your financial outlook into a medium to long-term one? You might believe that you cannot afford to think ahead and make plans, but in most cases you would be wrong. Most people should be able to save some money and with some effort, maybe even as much as 20 percent of their salary each month. Income Analysis First of all it is important to have a handle on where your income is going. Unless, we are on an extremely tight budget or are very money conscious for other reasons, many of us have never really sat down and considered what our money is being spent on ? we just know that by the end of the month, it has all gone! You will know if you are consistently spending your money on unnecessary purchases, for example. Having this knowledge equips you with the control to change things a little or a lot. Saving Money Mentality Many people have never been taught to save and as children, immediately spent the money they received without any forethought. You often hear people say, "Life is short, if you want something buy it now", but thankfully for most of us life is not really so short and along the way we will have to deal with both opportunities and challenges. Having some money saved will help you make the most of the opportunities and ride the challenges. Savings ? Seeing the Big Picture If you could save 20 percent of your salary each month, imagine what that would mean in real financial terms. For example, if you earn 2000 dollars per month and you saved 20 percent or 400 dollars out of every pay cheque, after 12 months you will have saved 4800 dollars! Regularly saving this amount of money would give you the financial freedom to take advantage of more of life’s opportunities. You could plan the special holiday you have always wanted to go on, buy the car that you have been dreaming about for years, or help put a child through college. When it comes to life’s challenges, having a lump sum put away could help you pay for private medical care or deal with an expensive plumbing problem in the home, all without having to turn to the bank for a loan and getting into debt. How Can it Be Done? As we have already seen, knowing exactly where your money is going is the starting point. Next, start thinking about the big things you could achieve with some money in the bank. Some people compensate themselves for not having what they really want, by making many frequent small purchases and getting a temporary "feel good" sensation afterwards. Rather than satisfying yourself with small purchases, such as new clothes and CDs every week or always buying the latest mobile phone, think about how much more satisfying it would be to save up and buy or do something special, which you previously thought was out of your reach, but is achievable with a little effort.
