MortgagesZ

By: Dr. Drew Henry

By definition, a mortgage is a temporary, conditional pledge of property to a creditor as security for performance of an obligation or repayment of a debt. Simplified, that means you borrow money from a financial institution and they essentially buy your house and you pay it back. How can this happen if you’re just paying interest? More accurately, interest-only mortgages are a temporary reprieve for paying off a traditional mortgage. You may actually be prolonging the inevitable and eventually making it even more costly to pay off your mortgage.

Before you decide to buy now and pay later, that is pay “big time” later, take a moment to enlighten yourself a bit more about these so-called “interest only mortgages.” Think about it for a moment. If you just pay the interest on your home, will you ever start paying on principal and will you ever earn any equity into your property?

In fact, far too many people are in debt way over their heads because of interest-only mortgages. They took advantage of attractive offers to buy now and pay later. With an interest only payment you’re keeping the principal at minimum value while continuing to pay interest at 100%. With a more conventional mortgage you’d be slowly dwindling down the total interest amount. Most interest-only payment schedules are offered on Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs), but they can also be found on a fixed rate mortgage. Interest-only payment periods almost never run for the entire term of the loan which is typically 15 or 30 years. Depending on the terms of your contract, you could be expected to start paying on the principal in five, seven or ten years. Once the interest-only period ends, your monthly payment will go up because then you’ll be paying on both principal and interest.

(more…)

By: Matthew Bourne

During the past five years lenders have seen a boom in the demand for second mortgages as borrowers look to capitalise on the equity in their home. The low cost of borrowing coupled with the spiralling value of homes in the UK has led to a substantial strengthening of the equity position of many a homeowner. The equity position of some homeowners is in fact so strong that they now find themselves in the fortunate position of having more equity in their home than they have debts secured against their home on first mortgages and other loans.

Buoyed by the healthy state of positive property equity confidence is running high when it comes to homeowners committing to further borrowing. Many are taking the opportunity to secure second and even third charge loans against the equity in their property in order to release cash funds. Even the more conservative borrowers are now beginning to see the light, despite experts predicting of an imminent slowdown in the housing market.

If you’re thinking about releasing equity in your home through a second mortgage, here are some things you’ll need to consider before you take the plunge: -

Interest rates on second mortgages

The interest rates charged on second mortgages are often higher than those that are levied on first mortgages. This is because lenders see second mortgages as a higher risk than first mortgages and so compensate for this risk through fixing higher interest rates on second mortgages.

The increased risk factor on a second mortgage is down to the fact that these types of mortgages are a second charge on the property. That is to say that in the event of you defaulting on repayment to the point that your home is repossessed, the first mortgage lender legally gets first bite of the cherry when it comes to recovery of the loan. For second loans secured against the property, the lender has to wait its turn, running the risk that it may recover only part of the loan advanced or in some cases none of the loan advanced.

Lending criteria

Different lenders have different lending criteria for second charge mortgages. Whilst all lenders are likely to assess applicants for a second mortgage on the value of their home, their ability to repay the loan and their current income to debt ratio, not all lenders will give the same weight to these factors in the final analysis. This is why you may be rejected by one lender but accepted by another on an almost identical second mortgage offer.

(more…)

By: Carrie Reeder

Mortgage lenders offer many financing options for people with adverse credit. For those who don’t qualify for an A loan, you can use a B, C, or D loan to finance the purchase of your home.

These home loans offer short-term financing until your credit score improves and you can qualify for an A loan with lower interest rates.

Adverse Credit

Adverse credit is when you have a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or several late payments in your credit history. You can mitigate these marks on your credit report by including a letter explaining the circumstances. A health emergency or temporary job loss may help lenders over look your credit blemishes.

Large down payments can also help reduce your credit risk for lenders, qualifying you for an A loan. The property’s location is also a factor. However, even with poor credit, you can buy your home with a B, C, or D loan.

B, C, and D Loans

B, C, and D loans are based on your credit risk, which includes your credit score, income level, and down payment. So a B loan will have higher rates than an A loan, but lower rates than a C or D loan. While you can’t change your credit number overnight, you can improve your lending factors and qualify for better rates by increasing your down payment and reducing your mortgage amount.

(more…)

By: Marvin Jones

A mortgage is legal agreement or contract that says that a party has agreed to put up a property, a house or a piece of real estate, as security to get a loan. By doing this, the person getting a loan can buy a piece of property that he initially cannot afford. Still, if by any chance, he cannot pay for the loan, the bank will have to foreclose the property and resell it to others.

The lender will hold the title of the property until after the full amount of the loan is paid for plus interest. Depending on the terms of the loan, repayment can last until a couple of years. Two of the most common mortgages in the country are the fixed-rate mortgage and the adjustable-rate mortgage.

As shown by the name, fixed-rate mortgage has an interest rate that stays the same all throughout the life of the loan. If for example the loan is termed for 10 years, then the interest rate will stay fixed regardless of the increase or decrease of the market rates.

With adjustable-rate-mortgage, the interest rate can change at the end of the pre-determined intervals. For instance, if the agreement says interest change in periods of six months, then the rate will assume the market rates after the six months period. With this kind of mortgage, the borrower is left at the mercy of the market rates. Neither the lender nor the borrower can dictate the interest rates that will be given. Still, to protect both the lender and the borrower, most adjustable-rate mortgages have interest rate cap that protects them from too much increase or decrease of interest rates.

The balloon mortgage is another kind of mortgage, though not quite as popular as the first two. In the balloon mortgage, borrowers are allowed to make fixed amount payments for a certain period of time and then make one large payment referred to as a balloon payment towards the end of the loan. This is actually a great deal especially if you are planning to eventually sell off the property or to refinance it to buy another.

The graduated payment mortgage is also similar to the balloon mortgage except that the borrower is not required to make a large payment at the end of the payment period. What is often done with graduated payment mortgage is to start off the payments with really small amounts. The payments will then gradually increase until they reach a point of stabilization.

(more…)

By: Jed Baguio

If you’re planning to refinance you’re home or apply for a home mortgage. This could be one of the most the best tips you’ll ever recieve. If you’re like majority of the population which applies for home mortgage and chooses to put a large down payment, with the shortest term attainable and paying if off as soon as possible and thinking that their doing it smart. Well, I’m sorry to burst the bubble, but frankly its not smart from a financial standpoint and such idea could lead you to a big mistake.

Now I know that could be a shock to you, or make you feel uncomfortable and you should. This goes against the grain of what the majority of the population’s concept of smart handling of home mortgages. Nevertheless, read on. I’ll share to you the smart way of doing it.

The answer of how to do it smartly is exactly the opposite what the majority’s idea of smart. Yep, you heard that right! This means the smart way is applying little amount of cash as down payment (But just be sure that monthly home mortgage payments only consist 30% of you’re total debt just to be safe), taking the longest term available and never pay off you’re home mortgage! Now this strategy may not be applicable at all times. It depends, like most financial strategy, on economic climate. Specifically factors such as home mortgage rates and you’re ability to find a profitable investment vehicle. Yes, you need to start investing, we’re talking about being financially smart and you cant achieve that if you don’t or cant invest.

Lets start to elaborate why our strategy is more financially smart than the majority’s “smart”. To better illustrate I’ll share to you a technique that’s one of the pillars of wealth building. The technique I’m talking about is you borrow money, lets say $10,000 with an interest rate of 5% per year and you invest that money with an investment vehicle, lets say a mutual fund, with a 10% growth per year. Now let’s do the math.
Borrowed Money 10,000

Total Earned 1,000 (10% of 10,000)
Total Interest Paid 500 (5% of 10,000)
—————————–
Total Earned $ 500

You could be sitting on a 500$ net profit! This may not be large amount of money, but remember you invested nothing of you’re money giving you a Return On Investment of infinity.

How does this relate to applying home mortgage? It’s the same thing concept.

* You pay as little amount of cash possible.

- This will increase you’re good debt

- Put you’re “down payment to be” cash to an investment vehicle. Earning you 10% or whatever then paying the home mortgage with their 5% or whatever. Giving you a profit. Important! The numbers may not be the same for you, but just be sure you’re earning percentage is higher than home mortgage percentage.

(more…)

By: Michael Challiner

Offset mortgages represent one of the biggest mortgage innovations seen in recent years. Six years ago there was hardly an offset mortgage to be seen. Now they and the current account mortgage, to which they are closely related, account for £10 out of every £100 of new lending.

What’s more, one of the UK’s large lenders believes that 25% of existing mortgage holders would be better off with an offset mortgage. So if you’re in the market for a mortgage you need to know what they’re all about. Otherwise you could be missing out.

Firstly, how does an offset mortgage work?

The basic idea is that besides borrowing money from the mortgage lender, you also run savings or deposit accounts with them. Then you are charged interest not simply on what you have borrowed but on what you have borrowed less the balance in your savings and deposit accounts. So, if you had an offset mortgage of £100,000 and had £20,000 in their savings account you would only be charged interest on the difference, £80,000. In these circumstances, no interest is paid on your savings – the interest is offset.

It doesn’t sound like a ground breaking idea – where’s the benefit?

Quite simple. Whilst the full benefit of your savings is reflected in a lower interest charge on your mortgage account, legally you have not received any interest. If you have not received interest you can’t be charged tax on the interest. Step away Mr Taxman!

This means that offset mortgages are especially attractive for higher rate taxpayers who would otherwise pay-away 40% of the interest they receive in tax.

Consider some figures. If you had a £100,000 mortgage paying a competitive rate of 4.69% plus £20,000 on deposit, how would the figures work out? Well over a typical 25 year mortgage, without offset you would pay £85,351 in interest but with offset you would pay just £41,998 – that’s a saving of £43,353. What’s more you would repay the mortgage five years and eight months early. That’s because the monthly repayments are based on the full mortgage debt before offsetting is taken into account so borrowers are effectively overpaying their debt each month.

And doesn’t Mr Taxman look sorry! In theory, a standard tax payer saved £9,538 in tax and a higher rate taxpayer a whopping £17,341 in tax.

Flexibility can also be a major advantage. You can typically pay off capital without penalty, underpay and take payment holidays so long as you’ve made sufficient overpayments throughout the years.

Too good to be true – where’s the catch?

Historically borrowers have had to pay a higher interest rate for the benefit of an offset mortgage. But the good news is that with banks and building societies fighting for a bigger share of the offset market, offset interest rates are falling.

This means that you need to look carefully to ensure that the apparent tax savings you could make are not eliminated by the slightly higher interest charge. Quite honestly this is not an easy calculation so it’s best left to your professional mortgage adviser.

But as a guide, a standard taxpayer needs around £20,000 in savings behind a £100,000 mortgage to make the offset deal better value than a traditional mortgage. For a higher rate taxpayer the savings requirement drops to around £10,000. (These figures are based on a typical 4.69% fixed offset rate, compared with a typical 4.49% rate for a tracker.) These figures will change as interest rates vary and, in all probability, as the cost differential between an offset and a traditional mortgage closes.

Not all Offset Mortgages are the same!

As you would expect, with the offset lenders fighting for your business lots have added bell and whistles to the basic concept. Free property valuations and free legal work are relatively common. Then some banks will include your current account in the offset calculation, some lenders enable two nominated savings accounts to be offset, some will even agree an additional borrowing facility with a cheque book that can be used at any time.

(more…)

By: Charles Essmeier

The real estate market has been booming in the U.S. for some five years now and a record number of Americans now own their homes. The mortgage industry has recognized the fact that people have all kinds of needs and incomes and has provided an impressive array of different types of loans. In short, there is a loan for most everyone. If you’re looking to buy a home, it’s comforting to know that there is probably a mortgage that will suit your needs. Before you run right out and sign a mortgage document, be aware that rates and fees can vary dramatically from lender to lender. It pays to shop around before you buy.

Money, in the form of a loan, is a commodity, just like anything else you would buy. There are a number of different people who can offer you this money, and the terms and prices can, and will, vary dramatically. The smartest thing you can do prior to buying a home is to spend a few days talking to different types of lenders to see if you can find the best deal.

Here are a few things you should consider:

# Lenders come in different types - You can borrow from a bank, a mortgage company, or a savings and loan. Some insurance companies offer mortgages through affiliated lending institutions. Each institution will have different types of loans and terms, so it pays to talk to all of them.

# Interest rates can vary - The interest rate charged by each lender will vary from day to day, but one lender may offer more competitive rates than another, so be sure to ask about rates.

# Points and fees – A lot of the profits an institution earns from a loan comes in the form of points and fees added to the loan. A “point” is one percent of the loan amount, and these often amount to extra profit for the lender. Compare interest rates and points when shopping around. Lower is better. And watch out for fees. A common fee added to loans these days is an early payment penalty. Watch out for that one, or you could pay a lot of extra money should you decide to refinance later.

(more…)

By: C Raymond Merrick

For years, mainstream banks and financial advisors have been recommending that you pay extra cash into your mortgage account in order to cut down the huge interest amount and reduce the period over which you pay back the loan.

For example, if you borrow $200,000 over 30 years at a rate of 5%, your monthly repayments would be around $1074. Over 30 years, you would actually pay $1074 x 360 (months), which is $386,640. That’s a of $186,640 in interest!

Now if you could find an extra $246 a month, and pay $1320 a month into your mortgage account, you would cut 10 years off the repayment period - the loan would be fully paid in only 20 years instead of 30 years. Moreover, your total payments would be $316,664 -saving you $69,756! Looks like BIG savings for you right? Not so fast though…keep reading.

You see, the flaw in this technique is that it ignores the time value of money.

The banks, mortgage lenders and other financial types know that money is worth less now than it was when they were younger. Take that $1074 mortgage repayment for instance, in 30 years time, when the last payment is due, it would only be worth $437 in today’s money (based on current inflation growth).

A dollar now is always better than a dollar in a year’s time or in 10 years from now.

How does the time value of money affect our example?

You cannot simply subtract the mortgage interest amount for a 20 year mortgage from the interest on a 30 year mortgage. What you need to do is calculate the Present Value of each mortgage.

The Present Value of a 30 year mortgage with repayments of $1074 at a 5% interest rate is $200,066.

The Present Value of a 20 year mortgage with repayments of $1320 at a 5% interest rate is $200,066.

Thus, the two repayment plans are exactly equal over time.

Much of this $69,756 ’saving’ on the interest rate is really no more than the result of you paying the extra $246 a month. That $246 a month for 20 years totals $59,040.

What if you took that $246 a month and invested it in, for example, mutual funds?

If you could get a return of 10% each year, after 20 years you would have $186,804. With inflation at 3%, that would be worth $102,597 in today’s money.

(more…)