Archive for February, 2010

Interest Only Mortgage Can It Save Me Money ?

Interest Only Mortgages is a risky product and does have its disadvantages it a tricky form of mortgage because it can be misleading as the payment is very small for the first 1,2,5,7 or even 10 years. The Interest Only Mortgage will have a balloon payment for the entire principal balance at the end of the loan term. Interest only mortgages might be beneficial for people in markets where houses appreciate rapidly and the plan is to remain in the house for only a couple of years. Interest only mortgages are available in both fixed rate and adjustable rate varieties, but most interest only mortgages are of the adjustable rate variety. Since only an interest payment is due, interest only mortgages usually have a lower monthly mortgage payment than mortgages that require principal and interest payments. For example, if you have taken an interest only mortgage loan for 5 years you only pay the interest on your mortgage for 5 years. The interest only mortgage rate is an adjustable rate determined by the current interest rate. This preset margin will stay fixed throughout the remaining term of the loan while the interest only mortgage rate added to it will change (generally on an annual basis) with the fluctuation of the current index rate. So after the interest only mortgage payment period is over you will be paying the adjusted interest only mortgage rate and the principal, which will increase your interest only mortgage payments. Interest only mortgages usually have an interest only payment option during the first 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 years of the mortgage. Interest only mortgage payment does not mean negative amortization on your loan it does mean however that the Interest only mortgage payment are only for a short term. Interest-only loans are the latest tool aimed at offsetting high home prices and it does represent a somewhat higher risk for lenders, and
therefore are subject to a slightly higher interest rate. It is however a popular ways of borrowing money to buy an asset that is unlikely to
depreciate much and which can be sold at the end of the loan to repay the
capital. It helped homeowners afford more home and earn more appreciation during this time period. Interest-only loans may turn out to be
bad financial decisions if housing prices drop, causing those borrowers to
carry a mortgage larger than the value of the house, which in turn will make it impossible to refinance the house into a fixed-rate mortgage.

It is important to keep in mind the nature of interest only mortgages.
Although interest only mortgages play a vital part in the mortgage industry,
often providing the only means for first time buyers to hold the key to their
own front door, misusing this type of loan is counter-productive. A sample of
the 3 payment options on a loan amount of 250,000 would be:Minimum Amount Due 804, Interest Only Mortgage 989, 30 year payment 1304, 15 year payment. In summary, an Interest Only Mortgage Loan can save you thousands of pounds and possibly earn you thousands more with the right diversified investments over time. An interest only mortgage loan gives people the tools necessary to manage their debts as carefully as they manage their assets. 30 year interest only mortgages typically come with a ten year (often referred to as a 3010year interest only loan) or fifteen year fixed (3015) interest only period. Best for people who: Are very focused on money management Want to reduce their monthly mortgage payment and do not intend to be in their homes more than a few years Interest only mortgages and loans as the name suggests, means you pay interest only for the first three, five, seven, ten years of the loan, thereby lowering your monthly mortgage payment by quite a lot. But it is important to also look at the other side of the interest only mortgage if the base interest start to rise your payments can start to rise with it. So have a close look at the relationship between the interest rate and your mortgage payment today before you jumb into an interest only loan.

25

02 2010

How to Save Thousands of pounds on Your Mortgage!

The dream of owning a home is becoming very allusive these days. Although everyone would like to have a home that is paid for free and clear, many people are forced to assume mortgages that will be paid over 25 or 30 years into the future.

Everyone is constrained to a certain degree by their budget. Yet there is a way to pay off the existing mortgage on your home quicker and save money in the process.

Almost all mortgages have built into them an Accelerated Payment Clause. This allows the borrower to pay more than the minimum amount of the monthly mortgage payment.

To do this you simply remit more to the lender than the usual mortgage payment every month. The benefit to this is that every extra pound paid against the mortgage will lower the outstanding balance of the mortgage. This increases the equity in your home faster over time. Also, by lowering your outstanding balance, you will save on interest charges.

Here is a good example based on the scenario of an average family.

If you are an average family of four making 50,000 a year, let us assume that you are saving annually at the same rate as most Americans. This rate of savings as reported by our government is about 4% of your income every year. This would mean that you are putting 2000.00 in the bank every year for future purposes. This comes out to around 167.00 a month.

Right now you are probably receiving less than 1% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on your passbook savings.

Why not take 100.00 of this money that you would normally save and pay down the mortgage on your home ahead of time? The following example shows why this is in your best interest.

If you take out a mortgage on a house for 200,000 at a 6% fixed rate, and the contract calls for repayment in monthly installments over 30 years, your monthly mortgage payment would be 1,210.56.

If you paid an extra 100.00 pounds per month toward the amortization of your mortgage, you would add 1,200.00 to the equity in your home every year.

In this scenario, the total amount paid to buy your home over the life of the mortgage would be 435,798.89. When you add 100.00 to your mortgage payment every month you would save 46,360.13 in interest charges over the life of the mortgage. You would also be able to retire your mortgage earlier.

You would be able to trim 38 monthly payments off your repayment of the mortgage. So the mortgage would be paid off 3 years and 2 months sooner if you use this repayment method.

In short, what this strategy does is shift your money from passbook savings only (2,000.00 per year), to paying 1,200.00 on your mortgage, and saving 800.00 directly into your bank account each year.

To sum up the benefits of using this method, the borrower in the example above saved 46,360.13 in interest on their loan, and accumulated 21,923.85 in passbook savings ( 67.00 per month X 1% APR X 322 months ). This equals 68,283.98 in accumulated savings over 26 years and 10 months (This is the actual time it would take to pay off the original 30 year mortgage).

If the family would have put all of their money (167.00 per month) in a passbook savings account only, they would have accumulated 54,646.35 over the same period of time.

So this family would have actually saved 13,637.63 more by using this accelerated payment method. And they would have also paid off their mortgage 3 years and 2 months earlier than normal.

This method can be used in any situation where the mortgage has an Accelerated Payment Clause built into it. It will work best if you are consistent with the amount that you pay on your mortgage every month. Any change in the amount of monthly repayment of the mortgage will affect the amount that you will actually save.

Check with your banker to find out if your mortgage allows for Accelerated Payments. Then you can use this strategy to save a lot of money on your mortgage and own your home sooner.

You may copy this article and place it on your own website, as long as you do not change it and include this resource box including the live link to the Credit Repair Advice site.

18

02 2010

How To Save Money On Your Mortgage

Understandably, when most home buyers look for a mortgage, their top priority is to get the lowest monthly payment. But its a better idea to look at how much its going to cost you over the long term, in both interest payments and fees. By looking at these costs, you can save a significant amount over the years.

Even if you already have a mortgage, there are still a number of strategies you can use to reduce the total amount of interest youll pay. Most of these accelerate the speed with which you repay the loan, and that reduces your long-term interest costs.

Here are some ways to reduce the long-term cost of your mortgage:

Compare offers
It always pays to get offers from several lenders when youre shopping for a mortgage. Offers can vary substantially. Especially if your credit is considered sub-prime, you shouldnt accept a high-interest rate mortgage without looking for a better offer.

Consider fees
One factor that increases the cost of your mortgage is the fees or points lenders add onto the deal. Look at these carefully, and dont be reluctant to challenge fees that seem too high. Compare offers using the annual percentage rate (APR), which includes both the interest rate and the fees.

Shorten the term
If you intend to be in the house for some time, you can lower your interest costs substantially by choosing a shorter mortgage term. This will increase your monthly payment but enable you to save significantly over the life of the loan. It may also enable you to get a reduced rate on the mortgage. For example, you can save 66,364 over the life of a 100,000 mortgage by choosing a 15-year term at 5.75 percent versus a 30-year term at 6 percent.

Pay bi-weekly
Consider paying your mortgage every two weeks instead of monthly. The difference is hardly noticeable, but this can cut the amount of interest you pay since your principal decreases more steadily. And, since there are 26 two-week periods in the year, you actually make an extra monthly payment each year, further shrinking the principal.

Cut the PMI
If your down payment is less than 20 percent of the house price, you may be required to take out private mortgage insurance (PMI). However, once your mortgage principal decreases to 80 percent of the homes value, you can petition your lender to cancel the insurance. This may happen after youve repaid some of the principal, or if the homes value rises quickly. You may have to have the house reappraised, but the savings should make the expense worthwhile.

For more ways to save money on your mortgage, visit http:www.lendingtree.comcecyourhomeyourmortgagehow-to-save-money-on-your-mortgage.asp

11

02 2010

How To Get A Home Mortgage

Securing the right home mortgage is the most important thing for you to do when considering this large purchase. You should carefully find the right choice for you after comparing all of your options. Yet, when it comes down to it, it can seem like a very difficult thing to actually do. The fact is that many individuals do not know what the right way to get their loan is. Often, they think that their local banker is the only choice, when in fact this is likely to be the most expensive and non-forgiving of all financial lenders for loans on a house. Instead, turn your attention to the web.

Online, you will find a wider range of financial options to carefully consider. For one, you are likely to get a better amount of options in financing such as lower interest rates, better terms and even low cost or no cost on loan fees. These things really can add up to save you money. There is enough competition online that lenders are looking for you, trying to lure you in with these things. But, you are a smart buyer and you know that there is a lot to think about in the home mortgage .

For one, you will want to use a tool called the loan calculator to help you to compare the loans that are available. This tool will allow you to easily look at how much one loan will cost as compared to another one. It will tell you the total cost of the loan as well as the monthly payment. Compare various rates, terms, loan types, virtually anything that is being offered to you. These are free tools, offered on many of the financial experts websites and they are easy to use. They come with no obligation to work with that lender either. In fact, you will not supply it with any information about you specifically. This can help you to find the best home mortgage out there fast.

You can even get a free, no obligation online loan quote. By simply putting in your information, it will produce for you a quote. This is usually more accurate as it will figure in the cost of your credit as well as the cost of your specific loan needs. Then, you can take this quote and compare it to other quotes that are available to find the best rate for your needs. A home mortgage quote like this should never cost you a thing and it should come with no obligation either.

Securing the loan that is ideal for your specific needs can be done much easier on the web. There are just that many more options out there for you to consider and to take in. In the long run, financing your purchase can be much more financially sound when you use the tools that are available to you on the web. Instead of dealing with face to face rejection and disappointment from your banker, just head onto the web to get the answers that you need about your home mortgage purchase.

04

02 2010