Reverse mortgages are loans against your home that require no repayment for as long as you live there. As opposed to traditional mortgage loans, reverse mortgages does not require proof of income and are based solely on the equity of your home. There are no monthly payments to make as the mortgage will only due when the borrower moved out from the property or in the event of death.
US seniors over the age of sixty two are eligible for reverse mortgages provided they have their own single family dwelling. No health requirement is needed, and you get to keep your Social Security and Medicare benefits if your reverse mortgage is approved. Some benefits, however, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid can be reduced under specific circumstances. Tax liability for monies received through a reverse mortgage are a non-issue, as loan advancements are not taxed, although interest on the loan is consequently not tax deductible.
There are no income requirements to be eligible for a reverse mortgage loan. You may be eligible for a reverse mortgage even if you still owe money on an existing mortgage. The reverse mortgage loan must be substantial enough to pay off the existing loan completely, however.
The benefits of a reverse mortgage include increased cash flow almost immediately while many other options are on a fixed monthly income. This way it will fully utilize the equity value in your home. Several options exist to help seniors to plan for their advances so that they can fit into their budgetary concerns and cash flow needs.
Most may feel that borrowing against their home is a risky action to take, especially when they are in their twilight years.
Since they are not borrowing against future income, reverse mortgage does indeed hold minimal risk and many who choose this type of mortgage are able to enjoy what they have worked all their lives for in their post retirement years.
A red brick house and a white picket fence – long the American dream of many and in recent years more Americans have been buying their own dream in the form of their own home. Yet, for millions of us we don’t have a real good understanding of how our mortgage works completely and as a result don’t proactively manage it. There are numerous ways you can cut tens of thousands of your mortgage by taking a few simple steps during the life of your loan.
Have you ever sat down and thought about how much you could save off your mortgage if you paid a little extra every month? It doesn’t have to be much, maybe an extra $50 here, or an extra $100 there. In the early years of a mortgage most of your payment is going to pay off the interest on the loan. Every extra dollar you can put towards the principal will have a ripple effect through the entire life of the loan by reducing the total amount of interest you pay.
But wait, it gets even better! Suppose you find that you can send in a whole extra payment – you are basically now turning your fixed payment, say $600, into an investment tool. That extra payment is going to go against your loan principle and you are in effect earning whatever interest rate you are paying on your mortgage over the life of the mortgage in reduced interest charges. So if you are paying 6.75% and make an additional $600 payment you are in effect lowering the total amount you will pay on your loan by the compounded amount of that payment. If you have 30 years to go in paying off your mortgage, that extra payment will slash a total of $3,968 off your mortgage! Not a bad investment at all!
However, as good as this sounds – beware of one pitfall: pre-payment penalties. Some mortgage companies specifically charge you for paying ahead of time. Why? Because they aren’t making as much money off you as they had anticipated. When shopping for a mortgage always make sure that they do not try and penalize you for being a smart consumer and paying your loan off early!
Another way to help shave off the amount of interest you pay over time is to consider splitting your monthly mortgage payment up into biweekly payments. This amounts to making an extra payment each year since there are 26 biweekly periods in a year. Again, make sure you won’t get penalized for prepaying!
Refinancing is another great tool to use during periods where the savings will outweigh the costs associated with it. This is an important point because lower interest rates alone do not always mean you will get a better deal. Many times you have to pay fees and closing costs on the mortgage itself which can quickly eat up any savings you realize with lowering your interest – this is especially true if you have some years under your belt repaying your mortgage already.
Do the math before you make the jump to see if it makes financial sense for you to refinance at current rates.
It is easy to take a proactive approach in making sure that your mortgage becomes a tool to owning the home of your dreams instead of a burden. Making a few smart financial choices can go a long way to helping you pay your mortgage down quicker than you ever imagined.
Because of low interest rates, many homeowners are opting to refinance their homes and cash-out at closing. The refinance process is similar to the procedure of obtaining the original mortgage. Homeowners must be approved by a lender and pay fees associated with acquiring a new loan closing cost, title search, settlement fee, etc. Yet, there are benefits to refinancing a home. Homeowners may obtain a lower interest rate, which equals lower monthly payments. Moreover, refinancing a home for a shorter term allows the property to build equity quicker.
Benefits of Refinancing with Poor Credit
Refinancing a home with good or fair credit is less complicated. Persons with a good credit rating are qualified candidates, thus some lenders are more willing to compete for their business. Some homeowners with bad credit may hesitate to refinance. However, it is possible to refinance a home with poor credit. In fact, refinancing and receiving a lump sum of money at closing may help improve credit. Once funds are received, the homeowners could use money to pay off high interest credit cards and other consumer debt, which will boost credit ratings.
How to Get Approved?
Getting approved for a refinance with poor credit requires work and patience. There are “high risk” lenders willing to loan money. Nonetheless, before applying for a mortgage, homeowners should try and correct any blemishes on their credit report. This may include paying down the balance on credit cards or maintaining a current account standing with creditors.
Mortgage Brokers: Negotiating the Deal
Submitting a loan application to several different lenders is the key. These include local lenders and online lenders. It is recommended that homeowners receive at least three quotes. Mortgage brokers are highly effective because they have access to various lenders that specialize in granting loans to individuals with a poor credit rating. Brokers negotiate with these lenders to help an applicant obtain a loan that meets their needs. After a loan application is submitted to a mortgage broker, within 24 hours homeowners will receive multiple quotes from several different lenders who offer mortgages for poor credit. Multiple offers afford the opportunity to compare rates, and select the best offer.
Home prices have reached record levels, and in many parts of the country, homes have become nearly unaffordable.Real estate has replaced the tech stocks of the late 1990′s as the hot investment, and everyone has sold their stocks and jumped into investment property.Real estate prices have increased at a far greater rate than salaries, and the lending industry has attempted to solve this problem by introducing a tremendous number of mortgage options for borrowers who barely capable of purchasing a home.Most of these loan types feature adjustable interest rates and minimum down payments. One of these, the option ARM, is the most dangerous type of loan ever introduced.Borrowers who are considering an option ARM should be aware that this loan could leave them with a loan that is worth far more than the home it’s used to buy and with a loan that he or she cannot afford to pay.The option ARM is not for the squeamish.
So what, exactly, is an option ARM?An option ARM is a mortgage with an adjustable interest rate that typically gives the borrower four different payment choices each month. The first choice is based on a 30-year amortization table; the second on a 15-year amortization table.These would correspond to payments for adjustable-rate 30 and 15 year mortgages, respectively.The third choice is an interest-only payment, which pays the interest that accrues during the month but pays nothing towards reducing the loan amount.The fourth choice, the one that makes this loan so dangerous, is called the “minimum payment.”The minimum payment is calculated upon the first month’s interest rate, which is usually a very low “teaser” rate that can be as low as 1-2%.Most borrowers with an option ARM opt to pay the minimum payment each month, and that’s where the trouble comes in.
The loan carries and adjustable interest rate, and this rate can adjust as often as every month.If the borrower is paying only the minimum payment, then he or she isn’t even paying enough to cover that month’s interest on the loan.What happens then?The unpaid interest that has accrued is added to the loan principal.The principal can actually grow larger, and as interest due is calculated on the loan principal, the interest due will increase, as well.Interest rates are currently near all-time lows and are sure to increase.A buyer who continues to make minimum payments on an option ARM will find that the principal on the loan is actually increasing over time!This is known as negative amortization.
In a negative amortization situation, only bad things can happen.The lender can require refinancing under certain conditions stated in the loan agreement.The buyer may find himself unable to pay the loan and may have to default.And the lender could find himself holding a note that is worth far more than the house that it represents.
The option ARM is a loan that is best suited to investors and homeowners who only intend to keep the home for a short time.It is not a good choice for anyone who may be using it to buy more home than he or she can afford.Unfortunately, that describes a lot of buyers who are taking out this type of loan.Anyone who is considering a home purchase should be very careful if this type of loan is offered, as it could leave you both bankrupt and homeless.
Need A Mortgage? Better Get One Because They Are Going Fast… The Affordable Ones
Mortgages, probably the cheapest money in town. A mortgage is a type of loan that uses the property in which it is buying as security or collateral against the loan. Basically, a mortgage is the easiest and cheapest type of loan to get because whoever is lending you the money is really the one who is buying the house. It is not until you pay off that loan that the one actually owns his or her house.
There are many types of mortgage loans. The two basic types of amortized loans are the fixed rate mortgage (FRM) and adjustable rate mortgage (ARM)
Fixed rate mortgages are set terms that a loan is to be paid off in and at a set interest rate. This rate never changes, allowing the person taking the loan to have some peace of mind about taking it. They know that even if the mortgage interest rates rise, they will still be paying the rate at which they locked into.
Adjustable rate mortgages are still set in for a term of years but the interest fluctuates yearly based on the economy. This can be excellent if there is a period of years where the economy is prospering and the interest rates are low, than you save money. However it could go the other way as well, the choice is up to you.
The term “second mortgage” refers to taking out a loan against your house. Let’s say you owned a house for a few years and you paid 25,000 of your mortgage. You could take a second mortgage out for 25,000 meaning now you no longer own a penny of your house, but you do have 25 grand to play with. Once again, this type of loan is the cheapest loan you will ever find.
Now you may be thinking, why on earth are mortgages so cheap? There are two main reasons that can explain this; 1. Houses almost always appreciate in value, meaning every year they gain more value. Every other type of assets that one might get a loan for will depreciate in value. 2. Banks own your house till you pay back the loan, so if you cant pay back the loan they foreclose your house – kick you out – sell it for more money (appreciation value) and go about their business like nothing ever happened. Its safe, thats all there is to it.
As a loan officer, it is important to keep your pipeline full at all times. For this reason, it goes without saying, that you should be taking as many applications as you can throughout the week.
Obtaining leads to be turned into applications can be obtained in a variety of ways. Such as, networking, customer referrals, family, friends, mortgage lead providers, etc.
Another method, probably the most dreaded in every sales force, but also very necessary to keep apps coming in is cold calling.
We all know the feeling of rejection over the telephone, but it is very important to maintain your persistence and overcome these obstacles.
I completely understand that there is no way to overcome the objection of a customer hanging up on you. My only advice would be to not dwell on it, or take it personally, just move onto the next call.
Keep in mind, for a lot of people, purchasing or refinancing a home is a huge financial undertaking in a persons life. Perhaps the biggest, so be understanding if they seem defensive or get cold feet.
Im sure you are familiar with hearing Im no longer interested, or I just closed on my loan last week.
For starters, dont even give the customer the opportunity to give you an objection.
Remember, you are the expert, so you do the talking.
Your opening line should be something like this:
Hello Mrs. Jones, my name is Susie Smith and I understand that you are interested in a mortgage. I have some great products that I believe would fit your needs and budget. If you dont mind, I would like to take just a few moments to go over them with you.
This approach immediately takes the pressure off of the customer, and nine times out of ten they will be willing to listen.
Remember, it is all in the approach and the tone of your voice, smile when you talk, it will reflect in your voice. And be nice, relax your customer, make them comfortable, and you are half way there.
When you’ve taken out a mortgage you’ve make a long-term commitment to maintain the monthly repayments for the full duration of the mortgage. That’s going to be over many years but you’re making that commitment without the benefit of a crystal ball no one knows how your circumstances are going to change, for good or bad. So that must represent a big risk. Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI) is one of a range of insurances that includes life insurance and critical illness insurance, which you can reduce that risk and protect your family’s finances.
The purpose of MPPI is to ensure that your mortgage repayments will continue to be paid if you’re off work for an extended period due to accident, sickness or unemployment. Just consider the risks that this type of insurance is designed to alleviate:
Home repossessions run at about 90 per day. Most of these are due to financial problems associated with unemployment.
One third of all people aged between 25 and 34 have experienced unemployment for more than a month.
During the term of their mortgage most people experience at least one period of illness, or the repercussions of an accident, which will keep them off work for more than 3 months.
If you have a standard repayment mortgage, you’re well advised to set the value of monthly MPPI cover to equal the value of your monthly repayment plus your life insurance and home & contents insurance premiums. However, if you have an interest only mortgage, then your cover also needs to include the monthly cost of the investment plan you’re using to repay the mortgage at the end of its term. Also remember that if your mortgage repayments subsequently change due to interest rate movement, then you need to contact your insurer and get the policy similarly modified. Oh yes, the nice bit if you claim then the income payout is totally tax-free!
11 Top Tips for buying
Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance
Don’t think that you can only take out MPPI when you arrange the mortgage. You can take out MPPI at any time.
Be aware that some mortgage lenders will try to pressurise you into taking out MPPI along with your mortgage. If this happens, make sure you find out how much extra the cover will cost each month and then get on the Internet and get a few competitive quotes. Most people will find savings of up to 60%!
Mortgage lenders will only quote you for the cover needed to meet your monthly mortgage repayments. Remember our advice to include cover for the cost of your mortgage life insurance, your home & contents insurance and the cost of any investment plan you have allocated to repay your mortgage (the latter item applies only to interest only mortgages).
If your employment is seasonal or casual you won’t be able to claim on an MPPI policy. Every policy has what are called exclusions and seasonal and casual work is just a typical one. Exclusions are the circumstances under which you cannot make a claim. Always read these exclusions before you take out the policy and if you can see that your circumstances mean that you’re unlikely to be able to make a valid claim, don’t buy the policy. In some cases, the policy exclusions will eliminate 50% of potential claims.
Don’t automatically opt for the cheapest MPPI policy. The conditions under which policies pay out do vary so check them out carefully. Premiums are always a reflection of the extent of the exclusions in the policy, the level of cover provided and the insurers general marketing strategy.
Don’t get confused by the different names given to MPPI. It can also be described as Accident Sickness and Unemployment Insurance, Payment Cover and Payment Care. Basically, they all do the same but remember to check out the exclusions!
Most policies state that you have to be off work for a minimum period of time before you can make a claim. The maximum period you’ll find is 60 days but many policies reduce this to 30 days – and some will then backdate the payment to the first day you were off work. You’ll find full details about these aspects in the policy’s Terms and Conditions. Always check these out before you buy and remember when you’re comparing prices, to compare like with like.
Don’t confuse MPPI with Mortgage Indemnity Insurance (MIG). Mortgage Indemnity Insurance p rovides cover for a mortgage lender for any losses the lender might suffer as a result of a property on which they provided a loan being sold for less than the amount of the loan. Any payout under a MIG policy goes to the lender, not you!
If you already have Permanent Health Insurance your may not need MPPI. Check out the terms of you PHI policy.
Be aware that there is a level of duplication between Critical Illness Insurance and MPPI. MPPI will pay you an income during the insured period for any illness that prevents you from working. Critical illness Insurance will payout a lump sum if you are diagnosed with any of the chronic illnesses listed on the critical illness policy. So if you have a critical illness claim, then you will almost certainly also have a claim on your MPPI policy. However, if the illness that’s keeping you off work is not listed on the chronic list, and all ordinary illness aren’t, then only your MPPI policy will payout.
Shop around. As with most types of insurance, the Internet is the cheapest place to shop and many sites will enable you to arrange cover immediately online. Try searching under mortgage payment protection insurance rather than just mortgage protection. That search term is totally specific and you’re bound to find what you want.
Finding your dream home is usually the simplest part of the house buying process! Once you see somewhere you want to put in an offer for, youll want to move fast. It helps, therefore, to have your mortgage sorted before you find somewhere you want to buy.
You can choose a lender and mortgage, apply for the loan and get your mortgage approved on principle before you even start looking for a house. This means that you know what your budget will be and can be fairly certain that your mortgage will be accepted. The lender will still want to see the valuation survey, however, and there may be other checks that have to be completed before the deal is closed.
While most people used to take out their mortgage with a building society or bank, these days there are a number of other options to consider. Smaller, specialist mortgage providers can offer good deals and are sometimes more flexible about terms.
Banks and Building Societies
Since the market has become much more competitive, the larger finance houses have adapted their practice to become much more flexible with their mortgage deals. You will have the advantage of knowing that a reputable lender provides your mortgage, and local branches can make your day-to-day banking more convenient.
Insurance Companies
Some companies now offer their own range of mortgage products, which can give good terms, along with insurance products and investments. Legal and General are a well-known example. Check that you are not committed to taking out insurance policies with the lender along with your mortgage.
Specialist and Centralised Lenders
Generally this type of lender operates from one location you wont be able to visit a local branch, but they may offer lower rates as a result of having fewer overheads to cover. Virgin Direct and Mortgage Trust are two lenders who can offer particularly flexible mortgages. Telephone and internet banking make this kind of borrowing more convenient.
Local authorities
Council house residents may wish to apply to their local authority for a mortgage. There are also some mortgages available from some authorities for people who wish to renovate derelict houses contact your local council for more information.
Its good practise for a lender to subscribe to the Mortgage Code this is a voluntary scheme that means the lender has promised to uphold commitments to good service.
In the very beginning of the month of August the mortgage interest rates remained quite stable. Except a few mortgage program interest rates most of then remained unchanged to what it was in the last week of July. Interest rates of mortgage programs like 10-Year Treasury and 30-Year Treasury were down by 0.06% and 0.04% respectively. And the interest rate of programs like USD LIBOR 6-month and USD LIBOR 1 Year were up by very nominal 0.015% and 0.022%. Other than these, the interest rates of 30 year fixed average, 15 year fixed average, 5/1 ARM average, 3/1 ARM average and some other programs remained unchanged.
On the third day of the month most of the mortgage interest rates fell down by units in decimal due to change in market conditions. But the interest of short-term mortgage loans like USD LIBOR 6-month and 1-year were raised up to 5.318% and 5.230%.
During the first 15 days of the month the mortgage interest rate fluctuated a lot. Though the average fluctuation rate was very low but it kept on fluctuating up and down. On most of the occasions the short-term loan interests got affected and kept changing everyday.
Analysts believe that the decline in the mortgage industry is due to the higher unemployment in the recent times. Some believe that the recent drastic drop in mortgage market is due to the tighter lending standards and cooling home prices. This fall in the mortgage interest rate has in fact started to affect the sub-prime lending too.
Due to the fall in mortgage interest rates the U.S. mortgage applications rose for the second straight week. Experts believe that the recent disturbance in the mortgage market is the reason behind the rising applications. The housing sector and the homebuilders market are down and so are the financial companies including mortgage companies. Last week, the fall in the mortgage market spread to the financial markets with a rapid speed and provoked the fear that tighter credit will have a bigger impact on consumers, markets and the economy.
It has been forecasted that the interest rates for the 80% of homeowners and buyers that qualify for A-paper mortgages will probably remain stable or slightly increase in the near future. Those who are with sub-prime credit or don’t have proper documents to prove income, may face difficulty in getting the loans or they might be charged with higher interest rates or huge down payment.
When youre in the market for a loan, it might do you good if you do a little mortgage rate comparison. With mortgage rate comparisons, you are sure to make the right decision and choose the right mortgage.
FSA Key Facts Mortgage Rate Comparison Tables
FSA or Financial Services Authority is a mortgage and insurance regulation board based in the United Kingdom. Their website offers British consumers who are in the money market information on the goings-on and happenings in the financial world. From what type of services a loan firm offers to the cost and features of a product, FSA Mortgage Rate Comparison helps make sure that the consumer gets what is due him.
The FSA website also includes mortgage rate comparison tables to help consumers match up products one firm to various products from other firms which are more or less similar. These mortgage rate comparison tables include some interest rate data, plus information on withdrawals. Other features of these mortgage rate comparison tables are cash ISAs, deposit accounts, and fixed rate savings bonds.
In addition, the mortgage rate comparison tables on the FSA website contain information on income bonds, capital bonds, childrens bonus bonds, and National Savings & Investments accounts and certificates. With all these information provided to you through FSA mortgage rate comparison tables, savers will surely find the best place to invest their funds.
FSA also has mortgage rate comparison tables for mortgages, annuities, endowments, and ISAs (unit trust and OEICs). Other mortgage rate comparison tables are those for stakeholder pensions, mortgage endowments, and investment bonds.
Mortgage Rate Comparisons and Shopping
Shopping is the best way to do a mortgage rate comparison. Not only does shopping allow you to get the all the information you need to do a complete mortgage rate comparison but also, it lets you have an idea on what services other firms are offering.
When you shop around to do a mortgage rate comparison, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, to get accurate information for your mortgage rate comparisons, see that any investment firm you are dealing is authorized.
Second, do make sure that you know what you are looking for. Mortgage rate comparisons are a serious activity to be undertaken and should not be taken lightly. Mortgage rate comparisons will help you make your informed decision on loans. Knowing what to look for in a mortgage is therefore important for a successful mortgage rate comparison.
When you find a product you like, read the product details before making a commitment. And also, a successful mortgage rate comparison means looking through the literature you get from investment firms. Find the key features included in the documents and do a mortgage rate comparison of these with more or less similar products from various other firms.
If there is anything at all that confuses you a bit or something that you do not understand while youre doing your mortgage rate comparison, do not hesitate to ask for advice. A mortgage rate comparison is actually an effort on your part to get everything straight. This includes checking all paperwork and then contacting the firm immediately should you find any errors.
Before signing anything, make sure that you check other deals from other firms. After all, this is the real reason why youre doing a mortgage rate comparison.