Helping You Avoid Life's Financial Mistakes

2 Types Of Home Loans For Todays Home Buyers

If your looking to refinance your home or even buy or build a home in the near future you may want to read this article.  In this article I’m going to be covering 2 types of home loans available to you.  I am also going to give you the good and bad of each of these options as well, and in the end help you make a more intelligent decision.

Fixed Mortgages

Fixed mortgages are called fixed because the interest rate stays fixed for the duration of the loan.  These loans typically range from as little as 15 years to as long as 30 years.

Now their are some up sides and down sides to these loans.  First off these types of home mortgage loans tend to have higher interest rates especially the 30 year home loan types.

However on the up side these loans are great because they stay at one interest rate the entire life of the loan.  This means that the payment and all of the terms will not change and any point and time.

Another down side is the fact that a mortgages like the 30 year fixed will end up costing you a lot more in interest payments.  For example, if you had a 30 year mortgage at 6%, with a loan amount of $150,000 and you paid that loan off month after month you would end up paying around $174,000 in interest when all is said and done.

However, on the up side of this if you made extra payments you could cut down the amount of interest owed dramatically over time.

Finally, this type of mortgage works great for certain situations.  If you’re buying a home and you are planning on living in that home for the next 20 to 30 years these types of home loan solutions would be prefect for you.

On the other had if are buying a home that you don’t plan to live in longer than 5 years this mortgage may not be for you since you will pay higher interest rates.

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM)

Adjustable rate mortgages, also known as ARM loans, have an adjustable interest rate.  For example a 5/1 ARM has a 5 year fixed period and after the five year period is up the loan will be able to adjust once a year their after.

Their are many different types of ARM loans available,  they can range from as little as one year fixed to as high as ten fixed years in length, like the 10/1 ARM.

So you might be wondering what are the upsides and downsides to a loan like this?  First off, with adjustable rate mortgages once the fixed period is up the rate can move as high 2%.  Meaning if you had a 4.5% fixed loan and the time period expired your rate could jump to 6.5%

For example if you had a $150,000 loan at 4.5% on a 5/1 ARM you would be paying right around $760 a month, but if the rate jumped the full 2% to 6.5 % after the fifth year your payment would jump to $950.  This would add another $190 to your monthly payment.

So now you might be wonder why would someone what a mortgage like this, and the reason is because sometimes people don’t plan to stay in a particular place.  For example, if you were in between jobs and possible looking at moving further away, or maybe you just want a starter house cause your just getting married and plan to build some day, or maybe you are buying a home so you fix it up and sell it within a few years.  Whatever the reason if you are planning to stay at that property for a short period of time this may be the loan for you.

Which Mortgage Loan Is For You

Now that you’ve had a chance to hear the facts you need to figure out which mortgage is for you.  If your planning on living in the home for a long time the fixed loans are your best option, however if you plan on moving with in the next 5 years the adjustable mortgages may be for you.

Whatever you do take some time and talk to several lenders to get an idea of what you might get.  The important thing is that you get the loan you want.

Chris

Why You Shouldn’t Get A No Equity Home Loan

home_valueAre you looking to get a loan but have no money to put down for the purchase?  You may have considered a no equity home loan however you may not be aware of the risk that go into getting a loan like this.

In this article I’m going to show you 3 big reasons why you don’t want to get a home loan with no equity in it, and hopefully by the end this article I will give you a couple of other options you try instead of going with the no equity home loans option.

PMI Insurance

First off, home loans with no equity will add some extra fees to your mortgage than if you’d have actual cash down, and one of those fees is PMI insurance.  PMI insurance or also known as private mortgage insurance is an insurance that protects the lender from defaulting on riskier loans.  This fee isn’t tacked onto ever mortgage just the ones that have less than 20% equity in the home.

For example if you would have a $200,000 mortgage with a 6% interest rate, 30 year fixed, you would pay around $180 a month extra on your mortgage.  If you carried this the entire life of the loan you would pay close to $65,000.  That’s a lot of money.

Finally, one other thing I should mention here is if you do plan to get this type of mortgage you should know that lenders won’t cut off the PMI insurance just because you have more than 20% equity in the loan.  You will have to call the lender personally and have them remove the PMI manually.

If The Value Would Drop

The next big problem you will have with getting a mortgage like this is if the value drops on your home.  In 2008 and 2009 home prices dropped dramatically around the country.  In fact many people couldn’t sell their homes as a result.  In places like Dayton, Ohio some people were force to abandon their homes altogether.

For example, if you would get a $200,000 mortgage and the value of the home would drop by 5% your home value would only be worth $190,000.   This means you would now owe $10,000 more on the property than it was worth.

To complicate matters more it would make it much harder to sell.  The reason being one that you are in a soft market where the buyers just are not available and two in order to sell the property you would have to have the extra $10,000 paid back on the loan.  If the value of the property exceeds 100% loan to value lenders won’t finance it.

Higher Interest Rates

Finally, if you decide to go this route you will face higher interest rates with your loan.  In fact people with 20% down and good credit could get a 30 year fixed mortgage for around 4.875%.  However if you got the same mortgage with nothing down you would end up with something around 7%.

For example lets say you had a property with a $200,000 and put 20% down, you would have loan for $160,000 and rate of 4.875%.   With this mortgage you would have a payment around $850.  On the other had if you got a no equity loan and had to finance the full $200,000 with a rate of 7% you would have a payment around $1400.

This would be a $550 difference in loan payments and over the life of the loan you would pay nearly $200,000 more than if you would have equity in the home.  Obviously it makes a big difference if you have equity in you home.

Other Options You Should Consider

Finally, if have read this article you may be starting to realize why having a no equity home loan is such a bad idea.  In this section I’m going to give you a few options you can try if you would still like to proceed.

First, consider staying where your at and saving up some more money before you consider taking such a big step.  You may not be able to put 20% down for a home but their are other loans available that will let you get by with less equity in the home.  In fact some will let you get by with putting only 3% to 5% cash down.

Second, if saving money is hard to do start small and work your way up.  I recently read about a guy who was a minimalist who downsized his home to a smaller home so he could save up enough money to buy the home he wanted.

This might all seem like a bit much to take in all at once so take some time and cover all of your options and do your research before you make a decision.

Chris

3 Refinance Tips That Will Save You A Ton Of Money


People are refinancing like crazy these days, in fact I just refinanced a year ago myself.  Rates have been at their lowest since the early 2000′s.  Refinancing is a big buying decision and should not be taken lightly.

In this post I’ve taken all of my knowledge I’ve learned over the years and combined it all into this post to give you the three best refinance tips to help you save a ton of money.  These are not tips I’ve learned just as a consumer but also as loan officer myself.

It’s Not All About Interest Rates

The first thing I want to point out, of my refinance mortgage tips, is that refinancing your home mortgage is not all about getting a lower interest rate.  There are many other things that contribute to you saving money on a mortgage.

pi_payment_graph1Here’s what I mean.  Look at the mortgage graph to the right, the vertical column is the payment.  The horizontal row is the years the loan will last.  The purple color represents the interest paid out on the life of the loan.  The peach color is the principle you pay over the life of the loan.

According to the graph you are making just over a $1000 payment on your loan.  In the first 5 years how much interest are you paying?  In the graph above nearly 90% of every payment you are making is going to the bank as an interest payment.

The reason I point this out is because if you were to refinance on average every five years just because the interest rate was lower you would be starting the whole cycle over again paying the bank a substantial amount of interest.  This is why I never suggest refinancing just because the interest rate is lower.

Instead of refinancing to a lower rate, refinance to a lower number of years.  You may be able to cut your mortgage down to a 20 0r 15 year term and still keep the same payment.

Always Put 20% Down

You may have heard the expression, “you should put 20% down on your mortgage.”   So why is this?  The reason has to do with private mortgage insurance ( also known as PMI).  So what does this have to do with your mortgage?  To answer that I will define PMI, here is what Wikipedia says.

Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI), also known as Private mortgage insurance (PMI) in the US, is insurance payable to a lender or trustee for a pool of securities that may be required when taking out a mortgage loan. It is insurance to offset losses in the case where a mortgagor is not able to repay the loan and the lender is not able to recover its costs after foreclosure and sale of the mortgaged property.Typical rates are $55/mo. per $100,000 financed, or as high as $1,500/yr. for a typical $200,000 loan.

This is why you need to have 20% equity in your home.  Let me explain; let’s say you have $200,000 home loan and less than 20% in equity.  The total bill for PMI each year would be $1500.  That’s a lot of money that could be save elsewhere, not in the banker’s pocket.

After 30 years of making that payment it adds up to $45,000!  That’s a ton of money you could have saved for retirement, your kid’s college fund, even taken that nice vacation but instead gave it to the bank because you didn’t know any better.

Now, you might be asking, “but Chris once the loan balance drops below 80% LTV ( Loan to Value) the PMI Payments will stop, right?”  This isn’t exactly true.  In fact most lenders won’t drop it unless you notify them about it.  Cutting this out of your mortgage payment will save you a lot in the long run.

Make Improvements Over Time

home_improvementsImproving your curb appeal is an easy refinance tip that will add tons of value over time.  However, there are things you can and cannot control.  Let’s start with the things out of your control.

When you apply for a refinance with a lender they have to do an appraisal of your home to figure out the value.  They do this by first seeing your property and then comparing it to several homes in your area to get an estimated value of your home.

The reason this isn’t in your control is because if you live a bad or not so great area even if you have the best looking home around you will not be able to get more value from your home.  This is why it’s so important to buy your home in a decent neighborhood with a low crime rate and good schools.  This can go a long way to improving value by just picking a good neighborhood.

Now let’s talk about what you can control.  There are many things you can do to spruce up your home to get more value out of it.  The first thing you need to do is find out when the appraiser is coming through to check out your home.  This is the person you want to impress to get more value.

They will be looking at many different aspects of your home but here are a few things you can do to get more value from your home.

  • Mow the lawn clean and nice.
  • Change out dead shrubs or add a shrub bed around your home.
  • Put fresh mulch around your house.
  • Repaint old windows.
  • Caulk around all windows.
  • Replace your old roof.

Here are a few things you could do to improve the inside of your home.

  • Install new windows.
  • Put in new carpet.
  • Repaint walls.
  • Organize closets and add extra space.

It’s amazing what a little paint and mulch will do for your home.  The best thing is most of these ideas don’t cost much at all, since they are all just minor home repair and improvements.  These ideas will also go a long way to increasing your home’s value and help you pay less in the long run.

Do You Have Any Mortgage Refinance Tips

Feel free to share your home refinance tips below in the comments.  All the tips I shared with you are what I’ve learned through my own personally experience, so what have you learned?

This post was recently featured in the Money Hacks Carnival by Need Money Tips.

Top 5 Bad Credit Home Refinancing Tips

declinedIt seems these days they’re a lot of people with bad credit trying to make ends meet.  You may be one of these people, who over time have managed credit badly and are looking for any way you can to rebuild.

It also seems as if many people want to refinance their home from high interest rates to avoid bankruptcy or foreclosure but are uncertain of what they can do to get themselves from falling into the red.  In this article I’m going to cover five things you can do right now that will start helping build you credit and get you back on track.

Of all the tips I’m about to share with you doesn’t mean you’ll be able to solve all your  problems tomorrow but over time you will see some improvement through following what I am about to share with you.

5 Bad Credit Home Loan Refinancing Tips

  • Pay all bills on time. Missing a payment is like the kiss of death when it comes to refinancing your home with bad credit.  If you neglect to pay your bills on time you will have a tough time  home refinancing with bad credit.  So how do you solve this problem, set up a budget and stick to it.  The only way you’re going to stick to paying off your bills is by watching them like a hawk.  On top of that this is one of the first things lenders will look at and if they learn that you can’t keep your promise you aren’t going to get any help.
  • Minimize your debt. When it comes to debt, lenders don’t want you to have more than 36% of income going towards debt payments.  In fact the lower you can get this number the better.  Just simply add up the income you bring in every month and divide it by the amount of money you spend on debt.  Don’t count things like your electric and gas bills, just your debts like credit cards, car loans, and your mortgage payment.  If this number is more than 36% look for ways to cut down this debt by setting up a debt snowball plan.  To learn more about this plan click here.
  • Save extra money. Lenders love it when you save extra money.  It shows them that you have extra money at the end of the month and that if you did get in a pinch you wouldn’t be just one paycheck away from foreclosure.    Having money in places like saving accounts, CD’s, IRAs, and even your 401k can go a long way to proving you will do what you say.  So what should you do, save an extra 15% to 20% of your income for retirement and a rainy day fund and lenders won’t turn you down.
  • Get the proper financial documents. In order to even get a loan you need the proper financial documents like pay stubs, bank statements, retirement account statements, W-2′s and even your life insurance policy.  These are all things you will want to have.  First off, pay stubs are there to prove you have a job.  Lenders will only count the first 40 hours of your work weeks pay unless you have been working overtime for the last couple of years consistently.  Bank statements will show them what you save and pay debt on, they will usually require the latest last three months worth.  Retirement account statements like I said before go a long way to impress the lender.  Lenders also like to know how much you make as well, that’s why they need to see your W-2 statements from the last 2 previous years.  Finally, show them you have life insurance.  In most cases if you have bad credit, poor health, a lender may suggest you have life insurance just in case you pass on.
  • Earn extra income. If your still cutting it close you may want to look at finding a second job and earning a second income.  Showing a lender that you’re willing to do what it takes can go a long way.  When lenders are evaluating you, they aren’t just looking at your financial documents they’re trying get a feel for what kind of person you are.  Remember a lender can turn you down for any reason they want to so show them you are a good person.  So what should you do, get a second job, start dressing better, be more inviting.  These things all go a long way to giving them a good impression and helping you get the loan.

Are You Ready

It’s time to show the lenders what you’re made of, start by listing some of your weaker points financially.  For example maybe you have too much debt, don’t save enough, and have too much month left at the end of your money.

List them out and pick one to start with.  Then take that one issue and break it down to smaller steps you can complete.  For example, let’s say you have too much debt.  The first step would be to list all of your debts, and put a snowball plan together.  Each step should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.  This way it stops you from focusing on the bigger problem and helps you chunk things down to a more bit size approach.

Refinancing a home with bad credit can be a lot of work but with the proper strategy anyone can do it including you.

What Are The Typical Refinance Cost For A Home Owner

refi_costThere may come a time when a homeowner needs to refinance their mortgage, but they may not know exactly how much the fees will run them in the end.  Cost to refinance a mortgage will depend on certain different factors, such as interest rate, lender, loan amount and credit score. The costs will most likely include fees on credit, appraisal, insurance and taxes, points – which is optional – escrow and title, as well as on the lender.

When there is a certain amount of equity on a property, a homeowner may have the option to finance these closing fees by way of including them along with the current mortgage balance. Those with a no refinance closing cost mortgage may avoid certain additional fees by taking on a higher interest rate.

Escrow and Title Fees

These fees includes not only the escrow fee itself, but also includes the owner’s and lender’s policy on the title insurance. This title insurance not only will protect the owner but will also protect the lender. Sometimes, it will also protect against instances of fraud or forgery.

The majority of homeowners who are refinancing have already previously paid for title insurance when they initially purchased the property and, as such, do not wish to pay for it again. The new mortgage that comes about while refinancing brings up the need for a new policy.

Escrow fees are charged by the title company and insures those involved within the transaction. Other title costs may also include express mail, miscellaneous drawing, courier fees, the county recorder office’s fee, recording fee, as well as the notary’s fee.

Credit Fees

There are fees that may run anywhere between $25 and $65 per married couple or per person. These fees are to review a homeowner’s credit. Should any reports be inaccurate, additional fees will likely generated in order to correct them.

Taxes

The majority of countries will request property tax payments either semiannually or annually. The lender will require outstanding taxes be paid at the closing of the mortgage. It is important for homeowners to keep in mine that if they fall within a certain time frame, during which property taxes are due but not yet delinquent, it should not be attempted to pay these taxes outside of escrow. This may delay listing the property payment as received, resulting in the homeowner being forced to pay this twice in escrow.

Chris

What Is A Tenant Loan For The Unemployed?

In times of depression and recession it could happen to a lot of people that they lose their job because their company goes bankrupt. Many people will not have too much problem finding a job again but at least this will take some time. But losing your job will not stop the bills from coming in. In order to pay for the rent and live your normal life as you are used to it sometimes your only option is borrowing money. But what are your options when you are unemployed and you need a loan?

Most companies will not offer you a loan when you don’t have a job but luckily there are a few exceptions. Unemployed tenant loans are especially intended for people that just lost their job and are looking for a new one. This type of loan is not intended for people who haven’t had a job for quite some time because you need some kind of proof that you will find a new job soon.

The biggest advantage of a tenant loan for the unemployed is the fact that you don’t have to pay anything back until you found a new job. Because you are not making any money, repaying monthly installments will be tough and that is why you only have to do this until you find a new job. But the disadvantage is that the longer it will take you to find a new job the higher the monthly interest rate will be. You will get a few months to find a job and every next month you did not find a job the interest rate will increase.

The loan companies came up with this structure plan because they don’t want people to stop looking for a job or take years for it, they have an investment to protect. Although unemployed tenant loans come with some advantages and disadvantages, it could be a great solution if you need money but you don’t have a job. But don’t forget that borrowing money will cost you a lot of money.

Bad Credit Home Loan Refinance Quiz

If you are like most people you have been affected by this recession. It is amazing how things can change so drastically in such a short period of time. You may be experiencing high levels of debt at this time. You are also probably in desperate need of extra cash. The good news is that a bad credit home loan refinance can help you accomplish this goal. Below is a quiz that will test your refinancing knowledge.

What type of loan do I need?

a)      15 year fixed

b)      30 year fixed

c)       Adjustable rate mortgage

The answer to this question depends on your situation. If you are planning on staying in your home a long time then going with a fixed rate loan is a good idea. However, if you are only going to be in your home for 5 years then going with an adjustable rate mortgage is a better plan because of the great interest rate.

What is a break-even calculation?

a)      Something that tells you your monthly mortgage payment

b)      Something that tells you the time it will take to pay off your refinancing fees

The correct answer is b. A break-even calculation will tell you how many months it will take to recover the refinancing fees. This calculation is important because it will tell you if it is worth your time and money to refinance your loan.

Are all lenders safe?

a)      Yes

b)      No

The correct answer is b. Not all lenders are reputable. You will need to check with the BBB before signing a contract with a lender. Since bad credit home loan refinance is such a hot market, you will see many companies try to exploit honest consumers. If you use a little bit of common sense coupled with some research skills then you should be perfectly fine.

Instant Approval Payday Loans Help In An Emergency

It always happens that when an emergency strikes you’re broke.  It happens to me and millions of other people around the globe every year.  This is where instant approval payday loans come into play, they are fast, easy, and can help take a lot of the stress away that you’re currently dealing with.  There are only a few requirements that are needed (which we’ll cover below) and there is no credit check so you can get fast cash with bad credit.  In this post I’ll show you what it takes to get approved, as well as where to get these loans from.

To be approved for an instant approval payday loan you obviously need a job, but you also need to have been there for a little while (at least six months), a few paycheck stubs, a checking account, a few references, and your ID.  If you can cover all of those things you’re almost guaranteed to get approved for a loan.  Your credit score is irrelevant to the loan, but many lenders will do a check through a company called Teletrack to see if you have any outstanding payday loans, frequently overdraft your checking account, or have had multiple bankruptcies.  If you’re clear of those things you don’t have much to worry about.

You can find payday loans that approve instantly online and in your town.  Both loans are about the same price, but their speed can vary quite a bit.  Online loans are going to be faster since you’re dealing with the speed of computers to process everything, instead of Chatty Cathy payday loan teller that is yapping about her kids instead of getting you your cash.  Online loans will deposit the money directly into your account and local lenders will usually give you a check.

Payday loans are a great way to get money when an emergency arises.  Relying on them is extremely risky, but for covering your butt when you need it there aren’t many better options.

Use A Logbook Loan For Fast Credit

We all need access to money in order to live our lives the way we want and often times this means we need a quick loan to hold us over until our financial situation improves. One type of loan available today with which lenders ask few questions is the logbook loan. Even people with bad credit or no credit may qualify to get a logbook loan.

There are a few criteria that you have to meet in order to get a logbook loan. The first thing that the lender will be looking for is ownership of a car. If you own your car and have the logbook, the book that tells what types of maintenance that your car needs, you may be able to get a logbook loan. Both the car and the logbook need to be in your name and the car should be under eight years old if you want to be approved by most lenders. You must also have the appropriate documentation to show that all taxes have been paid, that it is insured, and that it has been MOT’d. You need to own your vehicle free and clear or at least owe very little on it. Lenders do not want to lend money on a vehicle that already has a lien on it and you need to have a full time job so that you have the means to repay.

Lenders like logbook loans because they have the car as collateral, thus ensuring that they will get their money back. Borrowers like logbook loans because it is very easy to get them with very little paperwork and the money is available in only a few hours. Before going down to the lender’s office, you can check online to see if you are likely to qualify for a logbook loan. Once you determine that you should be able to get one, you can make an appointment at your lender’s office. Be sure to take your car, your ID, your owner’s documents, proof of insurance, proof of taxes, and proof of MOT.

Use Secured Business Loans For Essential Cash Needs

A secured business loan is one in which you put up a piece of you property in order to keep the creditors satisfied in the event that a loan cannot be paid off in full. Certain assets and items of value are used to secure this type of loan whether its a property or equipment that is used in the business. Many individuals who are starting out on a brand new business venture don’t have a way of proving their business acumen and need to provide a detailed business plan to show where the money will come from to repay the accrued debts. Certain financial institutions have been formed in order to better help small businesses with their finances so that they can take out loans while the creditors are safe from being financially harmed in case they default. Small business finance goes far beyond loans, with investment being another common practice to establish equity and a proper place in the business world.

Secured business loans are one way to help stimulate economic growth in a company establishing fair price for credit between borrowers and lenders. They help to provide a steady flow of cash to fledgling businesses when they need a helping hand to function at full efficiency.

The ultimate goal of any small business or company of any size is the gain funds through the selling of products or from providing services. Regardless of the industry, secured business loans help these businesses to achieve their goals. In the event that loans cannot be paid back in time or in full the small businesses will be forced to give up the assets put down as collateral. This process allows those that are lending money to have the power to continue to lend to other small businesses to ensure growth in the market place.

Small business finance is an extremely important part of a fully functioning economy and should be properly regulated so that both those gaining financial capital through a loan are not running away with money, and so that those lending money or assets in the first place are not left shorthanded and without funds that could have been loaned to a more reliable source.

Where To Find A Same Day Cash Loan

There may be times in your life that you are absolutely strapped for cash. It seems like during these times the unexpected happens. Your car may have broken down, unforeseen medical bill or just need a few dollars to make it until next payday. There are companies that will offer same day cash online to help you out.

Where can you find these same day cash loans? Many cities have companies that offer these types of loans. You can also find many companies on the Internet that will offer same day cash loans. Pawn shops may also offer same day cash loans. You merely need to search online for same day cash loans to see a list of companies that offer this service. Check your local telephone book for businesses that offer it as well.

Same day cash loans are usually based on paydays and are also know as payday loans. To apply you must have some form of proof of income and be employed. Most of these companies will base the repayment on when your payday is and withdraw the payment directly from your banking account. These are usually short-term loans for fewer than one thousand dollars. The length of the loan is normally fifteen to thirty days.

To apply you just need to provide pay stubs and verify your banking information. Once you have filled out the application, either in person or online, the approval process is very quick, often within a few minutes. Upon approval, the cash is either transferred to your checking account or if being done in person, the monies will be given to you.

Same day cash loans are a great resource for those unexpected events. There are fees and interest rates associated with these loans. Each company is different and you need to find the best rates available. As you are searching where to find same day cash loans, check out each company for their terms and choose the best one for you.