Jun 4, 2012

Mortgage

Buying your first new home can be one of the most exciting things that you do in your adult life. The idea of putting down roots and establishing yourself somewhere gives us a sense of security and accomplishment. There is only one thing standing between you and your dream home. A mortgage. If you do not completely understand what a mortgage is, and how you go about getting one, you are not alone. But taking some time to research and get the facts about mortgages will help you to make a better financial decision for you and your family.

Basically, a mortgage is an agreement between you and the entity that is loaning you money. They agree to give you a large amount of money, in return for a stake in a substantial asset (usually real estate) that you own. You can take out a mortgage, even if you are not buying a house. For example, people may use their house as collateral if they want to borrow a significant amount of money to invest in a company. For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on first time mortgages, usually those involving the purchase of a home or property.

There are a few different kinds of mortgage loans. The traditional mortgage loans that about 50% of borrowers take out, are the fixed rate loan and the adjustable rate loan. As the name suggests, the fixed rate mortgage loan is a loan in which an interest rate is decided upon, based on market conditions at the time the loan is made. These interest rates tend to be slightly higher, but afford the purchaser with the security of knowing that their loan payments will stay roughly the same from month to month. Conversely, the adjustable rate mortgage (or ARM) allows buyers to have a fixed rate for a short amount of time (like 2 years), and then the rate is subject to monthly change according to future market conditions. The adjustable rate mortgage may involve less interest payments over the course of the loan, but the borrower must plan for sharp increases in his or her loan payments each month.

The other types of mortgage loans are a little more risky, but may be better than the traditional options for younger, first time home-buyers. The first of these is called an interest-only or balloon mortgage loan. In these cases, the borrower may pay a significantly smaller amount during the first few years of the life of the loan. Interest only loans are just as they sound. The borrower is only responsible to pay back the interest that accrues on the borrowed sum during the initial period. The same sort of set up goes for a balloon mortgage, but the amount may be a set number each month, rather than varying with interest rates. After the initial period with both of these loans, the whole balance of the loan is due in one lump payment. The other kind of non-traditional mortgage loan is called a graduated payment loan. This allows the borrower to pay smaller monthly payments initially, and then slightly more after a few years, and more still after a few years. The idea is that as your career progresses, you will be able to afford a higher monthly payment.

Whichever loan style you choose, be sure that you are aware of all of the additional expenditures. Mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders get paid more when you borrow more, so they will approve you for the maximum amount they can. Be sure that the monthly payments are within your ability to make, while leaving some wiggle room for unexpected expenses.


May 30, 2012

House Mortgage, it pays to compare Rates

Let’s have a look at the various types of interest rates that are applicable on house mortgage loans before moving on to their comparison.

To repay the loans, there are plenty of options. but you have to decide what sort of interest would be beneficial for you in the long term. There are two options available to repay the loan. The first one is Adjustable Rate Mortgage or ARM. In this, the interest rates are not fixed but it keeps on adjusting periodically. However, a pre-decided index is used for the frequency of variation of the interest rates. These types of home mortgage loans are particularly suitable for individuals who are sure of their future salaries and know how it will impact their home mortgage loan repayments.

An option for repayment of your loans is FRM (Fixed Rate Mortgage). In this, the lending institute or the bank is the deciding authority for selecting the interest rate for home mortgage loans. These banks and other lending institutions have so many things to consider that includes inflation and other economic changes that the FRM interest rates often prove to be higher in the long run.

These types of home mortgage loans are especially beneficial for those, who have fixed salaries and the agreed amount of installments with interest would be taken out from their bank accounts.

The best way to compare rates for home loans is to contact these brokers. A mortgage broker has access to many home mortgage loan lending banks and companies, and they can provide you the details about the interest rates of all of them in one single shot. Once you selected the best companies and banks, start calling them, one at a time and get their quotes. This would not only helps you to save money in the long run, but it also helps you to chose the best home mortgage loan company, in order to avoid any disappointment in the future.

Home Mortgage and Interest Rate


A home mortgage and interest rates are two of the most important things that every homeowner (or potential homeowner) should have a firm knowledge about. The reason for this is because unless you’re paying the full amount in cash, then coming across mortgages and interest rates is inevitable. Both can be hard to understand at first, but once the overall concept of a home mortgage or interest rates is understood, then learning will be much quicker and easier, and you will be able to talk about them like a pro.

So, for starters, what exactly is a home mortgage? A home mortgage is, in essence, a loan provided by banks for people to be able to afford to buy property (such as a house, or an apartment). It is, perhaps, one of the biggest loans many people will take back, and the repayment time on a mortgage can vary depending on how much you borrow. Basically, when applying for a mortgage, you will need a cash deposit for the bank to take, and then the bank will verify how much you can pay back with your current wages. For example, if you earn $40,000 a year, then banks will often lend you about 5x your currently yearly wage. You will then use about half of your paycheck (or however much is decided upon) to pay this mortgage off, and you will continue to do so until the whole thing is paid off. Often, this can take anywhere from 5-30 years, and is one of the longest lasting loans available today. So, the bank loans you the money you need to buy a home, and then you will pay it off each month depending on how much you can afford. In some cases you can make overpayments, and what this means is that you will be able to pay it off much quicker. For example, if your monthly payment is $1000 and you pay $2000 dollars one month, then you will have a month less on your mortgage. This comes in very handy after a promotion or unexpected cash gifts. A mortgage is also affected by interest rates, which are explained below.

Interest rate affects the whole world. In relation to mortgages, interest rates mean how much you will pay to the bank for loaning you the money (how much interest you will pay them for helping you out). For example, if you borrow $200,000, the bank may charge you 10% interest, so you will eventually be paying the bank back $220,000. Banks do this to make money from lending you the mortgage, like any other money lenders. The potential problems with interest rates are that they depend on the world’s economy, so while one year you could be paying back 2% interest, the next year you could be paying back 15%, which would obviously affect how much money you had each month.

Both a home mortgage and interest rates can be quite complicated, but I hope I have given you an overview of what they both mean. Be sure to learn further about each of them, as it could save you a lot of time and trouble in the future!