Posts Tagged ‘Closing Costs’

Refinance Mortgage Rate Calculator

mortgageRefinancing is a smart move if you want to lower your monthly payment and overall interest bill. With refinance mortgages, you are also able to change the term of the loan to a shorter one so you can pay off the loan earlier and save more on interest.

There are actually several reasons why people want to take a refinance mortgage. This is also why refinance mortgage rate calculators are important. Refinance mortgage rate calculators help consumers determine the amount of savings they can make on their chosen loan type. Refinance mortgage rate calculators also aid you in finding out how much is your monthly payment for your refinancing loan.

The Internet refinance mortgage rate calculators show you the monthly payments you need to make for your mortgage. Aside from that, these refinance mortgage rate calculators also show you the total interest rate. If you’re more concerned on how much saving you will be able to make with a refinancing loan, refinance mortgage rate calculators will also help you on that.

The refinance mortgage rate calculator will ask you for your current loan information. For instance, on the refinance mortgage rate calculator, a field labeled Principal Balance will be provided along with the Monthly Payment and Annual Interest Rate fields. You need fill these up in order to start using the refinance mortgage rate calculator.

To complete the process, the website’s refinance mortgage rate calculator will also ask for your new loan information. Another three fields will be provided in the refinance mortgage rate calculator. The refinance mortgage rate calculator fields are: Annual Interest Rate, Term, and closing Costs. By checking on the Finance Closing Costs at the bottom part of the refinance mortgage rate calculator and then hitting the Calculate button, you can determine how many months it will take for your loan to break even on the closing costs.

For example, for the Principal Balance field on the refinance mortgage rate calculator, you put in £150,000 (Take note that the amount you place in this refinance mortgage rate calculator field represents the remaining pay-off balance). The Interest Rate of your current loan is 6% and the data you put in the refinance mortgage rate calculator Monthly Payment field is £899.30.

For the New Loan Information portion of the refinance mortgage rate calculator, you place the following data: 5% Annual Interest Rate, 30-year Term, and £0 for Closing Costs. Make sure that you check the box for Finance Closing Costs at the bottom of the refinance mortgage calculator before hitting the Calculate button.

The results of the refinance mortgage rate calculator would show you that your new monthly payment would be £805.23, £93.77 short of your current loan monthly payment.  The refinance mortgage rate calculator would also display the difference in the interest rates of both loans. With the refinance mortgage rate calculator, you will be able to find that the total interest of your current loan would be £173,757.28 while your new interest after refinancing would be £139,883.68. This allows you to save £33,873.61 on interest.

30

09 2009

The Disadvantages Of Reverse Mortgages

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A reverse mortgage can be an attractive option for many home-owning seniors that are having a hard time making ends meet. With a reverse mortgage, a senior homeowner will receive money for their home equity from a lender without having to make repayments for as long as they live in their home. So with the right reverse mortgage a senior homeowner can maintain their standard of living while retaining ownership of their home.

This of course, is the picture that all the reverse mortgage companies try to paint for prospective borrowers. Nonetheless, there are many differences that have to be understood between reverse mortgage’s and conventional loans. If these differences are not understood, they can cause financial problems for reverse mortgage borrowers.

Disadvantages of Reverse Mortgages.

The first disadvantage is the relative cost of a reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgages tend to be very expensive when compared with a conventional mortgage. This is due to the rising-debt nature of reverse mortgages. For example, a typical reverse mortgage may provide a homeowner with a £300 per month payment with a yearly interest rate of 12 percent compounded monthly. Over the course of ten years, the homeowner will receive £36,000 in payments, but will owe almost £70,000-almost    twice as much as received.

The second disadvantage is the complex and confusing contracts of reverse mortgages, that can have a tremendous impact on the overall cost of a reverse mortgage to the borrower. The complexity of the contracts often allow lenders and third parties involved in arranging reverse mortgages to not fully disclose the loan’s terms or fees. These numerous other front-end andor back-end fees can also quickly drive up the cost of a reverse mortgage. These fees can include origination fees, points, mortgage insurance premiums, closing costs, servicing fees, shared equity and shared appreciation fees.

Out of all these fees, the shared equity and shared appreciation fees should be avoided, as they can quickly raise the cost of the mortgage without providing any benefit to the borrowers. As an example, a shared appreciation fee can give a lender an automatic 50% interest in the difference between the current value of the home when the loan is signed and the appreciated value of the home when the loan is terminated. What makes the fees unfair is the fees have no relation to the amount that is borrowed.

The third disadvantage is the reverse mortgage payments can affect eligibility for old age pensions, Medicaid, or supplemental Social Security income. Senior’s may not even realize this problem until after they already have their reverse mortgage, and only then do they find out that this can have the opposite affect on a seniors finances then what they were trying to accomplish in the first place by taking out the reverse mortgage.

Another disadvantage is the fact that reverse mortgages reduce the value of a senior’s assets and estate. This will affect the amount of inheritance received by the borrower’s heirs.

How to avoid these hazards

The best way for a senior to avoid these hazards is to be careful when choosing a lender, by obtaining bids from three separate lenders. They should take these contracts to a reverse mortgage counselor for evaluation. This will allow them to accurately evaluate the three contracts before deciding on best one for their situations.

21

09 2009

How To Choose The Best Mortgage

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A mortgage is a financial investment which involves a large amount of money, and it is important for you to do your research before deciding which company you want to go with. While many mortgage professionals are honest, they are looking for a large commission in helping you obtain a loan, and will often look out for the best interests of their job rather than you. Because of this it is important to take the steps necessary to insure you get the best possible deal.

How Is Your Credit?

The first thing you should do before applying for a mortgage loan is to review your credit report. Errors on your credit history can lead to an increase on the interest rate and cost of the mortgage. This is something you want to avoid. It is also important to understand the terms used in the agreement.

Which Type Of Mortgage?

You should know what type of mortgage you are applying for and how it fits in with your financial goals. Do you want a mortgage with an interest rate which fluctuates, or would you rather have one that is fixed?

Which Mortgage Company?

This is one of the questions you will need to answer when choosing which mortgage company you want to use. You should also know how much money you need to borrow and how much you can afford to pay each month. If there are certain things you don’t understand, you should consult a professional. There are many counseling services which are available to assist you. Like any financial expense which involves large amounts of money, you should shop around to find the best service.

Adding Up All The Costs

Many different companies will have a variety of different closing costs and interest rates. Your goal should be to find the company which offers the best service for the lowest price. Some lenders will try to estimate the cost of the closing, and this is something you don’t want. You want the exact prices, not estimates. If the company can’t give you the exact cost of all the fees up front, it would probably best for you to take your business some place else.

You Can Always Walk Away

It is also important to make sure you aren’t pressured into signing any agreements. Be wary of any lenders who try to get you to borrow more money than you need. If they try to pressure into getting the loan, this generally means they are more concerned with making money than helping you get the best mortgage. Companies like this should be avoided. If you don’t understand certain terms of the agreement, ask that a copy be made of it so that it can be reviewed with a lawyer before choosing to sign it.

Honesty Is The Only Way

Never put false information on your loan application, even if the loan officer urges you to do so. Loan officers who do this should be reported to the FTC. It is also a good idea to avoid purchasing credit insurance which is not necessary. If you feel that you need insurance, contact other companies other than your lender to see what deals they offer. At the closing you should make sure you carefully read the document before signing it. Don’t let anyone rush you into signing it without reading.

If you find that the terms of the agreement have changed, you should have not problem terminating the deal. You don’t want to sign a document which will put you in a financial strain later on. A mortgage is one of the most important parts of your personal finance, and you can’t afford to deal with a unethical lender. Making a mistake when choosing a mortgage can lead to years of financial headaches if you work with a lender who doesn’t have your best interests in mind.

11

09 2009

Why online mortgage quotes don’t always give the best rate

calculatorThere were days when getting something mortgaged or financed was a big hassle. People had to survey the entire market in order to know about the existing rates and other details. But now things have drastically changed. Now you can familiarize yourself with what’s prevalent in the market by the way of internet. Getting mortgage quotes online is an excellent way to save the labor of wandering day and night in the market. For it fetches you the entire requisite details while you are relaxing at home. But along with these and many other merits there are few drawbacks too.

Pros and Cons of Online Mortgage Quotes

•    The best part about online mortgage quotes, as I mentioned before is the convenience with which information reaches our doorstep.

•    Online mortgage quotes are immensely time saving in comparison to getting the quotes through other sources. Applying for a mortgage online serves you with a spontaneous reply. Moreover when you apply online for a loan in person, the lenders aren’t supposed to impart a “good faith estimate” until 3 days after receiving the loan application. This is how you get to save a good amount of time and money by not contacting lenders via phone calls or email. This makes online mortgage loan all the more lucrative and fascinating to the aspiring individuals.

•    Online mortgage loan is not just about saving time but also money. Sending an online application and completing the entire process is significantly less expensive for the lender. There is no issue of the customer going to the lender’s office to sign up forms etc., you can even negotiate for the interest rates online which most often ends in a discount to the applicant. The discount comes in the form of a reduction in the interest rates, loan origination fees and closing costs.  This is also an outcome of the huge competition among the online lenders.

•    Online mortgage provides you with the opportunity to compare, scrutinize and analyze the rates offered by various lenders.

•    Those who opt for online mortgage biz receive estimates on closing or settlement costs contemporaneous to applying for the loan rates.

•    By and large the people who apply online have a great knowledge of the loan process and have a good credit history. The applicants who appeal reliable and not undependable to the lender are only chosen and approved for the loan.

•    The security of applying online is always a matter of debate. But the fact is that applying online is as precarious as applying through loan in person. In order to avert the chances of theft most of the online lenders use an encrypted transmission to send your loan information. Once the application is complete, the text is translated to a secure code which suffers from least chances of information being stolen.

•    However lack of trust, no face-to-face negotiation etc. invoke odds of cheating or fraud. Most often lenders are the victims of online mortgage deceits. Also it is always possible for the hackers to decipher the codes, steal and misuse the details.

But the fact is that these demerits are not capable of surpassing the hefty benefits of online mortgage loans. Thus mortgage loans online are a good idea

12

07 2009