Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Quick Guide To Bad Credit Mortgages

Trying to buy your own home but can’t get a mortgage because of your bad credit rating? Stop applying for regular mortgages now and start looking at the bad credit mortgage market.

Traditional mortgage providers rarely offer their mortgage products to people with bad credit. Why? Because if you’ve had trouble paying your bills, credit cards or loans in the past, you’re a bad risk. Lending you tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds could be a bad idea.

The recent increase in the number of people in this situation, however, has meant that demand has risen for suitable mortgage products. The larger lenders are still wary of bad credit risks, so it has fallen to more specialist lenders to fill the gap in the market. Consequently, the bad credit mortgage market is growing, and is competitive, which means that customers suffering from poor credit can find a range of mortgage products that suit their needs and that help them get their finances back on track.

So, what is a bad credit mortgage?

A bad credit mortgage is a financial product that’s specifically designed to let you buy your own home even if you have a bad credit rating.

• Interest rates on these mortgages are typically marginally higher than for traditional mortgages. This is because the risk to the lender is higher.

• There may be some additional conditions on your mortgage, which are placed there to give security to the lender. These might include a larger arrangement fee at the start of the mortgage, or stricter redemption penalties.

• These mortgages are usually only made available through specialist mortgage advisors, who, in the UK, must be authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

• A bad credit mortgage can help you to address your financial difficulties and even to improve your credit rating over the long term.

Getting rejected by lenders for traditional mortgage products is something that gets added to your credit history. Avoid this by speaking to an independent, experienced mortgage advisor who can help you buy your house with a mortgage that’s designed for people in your circumstances.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Good Understanding of Mortgage Backed Securities

Mortgage backed securities are one of the important reasons for the fast pace growth of real estate industry. Hence it is very important to have a good understanding of mortgage-backed securities

Mortgage backed securities are very important bonds. Investors buy the interests of the mortgage security and the monthly payment of the mortgage acts as a revenue earned from it. The value of the mortgage varies due to the fact that it can be paid off before the term and hence it is not like a bond. The mortgage may be repaid any time through outright cash payment or with refinance. Actually, the mortgage-backed security is issued by a retail lender who extends the mortgage loan. The reasons for issuing mortgage-backed securities are many.

The main reason is for creating liquidity that can be used by them for many purposes. It is not possible for a lender to wait for thirty years to recover his money and make profit out of it. To solve this problem, the lender sells the securities in the secondary market by keeping the property of the borrower as collateral for security. The creditors also use these securities to clean their balance sheet. Although they might seem to be a little speculative and fishy, the fact is that they drive the market. Understanding mortgage backed securities helps to clear all kinds of doubts about it.

A good understanding of various mortgage points:

Mortgage points are those, which are asked by the mortgage broker to be paid by the borrower. It is actually a lending fee expressed in terms of percentage on the quantum of the loan amount. Sometimes a creditor may ask the borrower to pay origination points on the mortgage. This fee enables the lender to get many of their costs earlier in the deal instead of waiting to recover them as part of interest payments. Understanding origination points is very important as the margin of interest may be low but the lenders get their inflow of cash by making the borrower to pay front end fees of the loan. Discounts points too can be offered by the lender for making one or two points of payments when the borrower makes on the mortgage loan amount. The borrower enjoys a slashed down interest rate from the lenders for doing so.

People who are purchasing homes for the first time are shocked by jargons like PMI and piggy bank loans. Hence, a good understanding of mortgage is the best method to start with. When applying for mortgage loans, the lenders first look at the borrowers credit score to find out how the commitments can be met by him. They check for the amount of money the borrower posses, how prompt he had been in paying the dues, how often he had played the balance transfer game, etc. The credit score makes a great impact on the down payment made by the borrower in turn it affects the interest rates on the mortgage offered to him. Understanding various mortgage programs will help in the selection of the most suitable one for the borrower.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

100% Financing Or No Down Payment & Bad Credit Mortgage Loans

Sub-prime lenders now offer financing packages with zero down. Interest rates are higher on these types of loans, but they make purchasing a house easier. And unlike a conventional loan, there is no private mortgage insurance required. There are two types of zero-down mortgage packages, each with their own requirements.

Types Of Zero-Down Loans

100% financing, as it names implies, offers complete financing of your property. The other option, 80/20, finances your mortgage with two loans. Both loans may be carried by your lender, but sometimes the seller or a second lender is required to carry the 20% mortgage.

100% financing is easier to deal with, but not all lenders will offer this type of home loan. 80/20 financing is more common, but takes some negotiation if the seller is involved.



Qualifications For Zero-Down

Each lender has their own criteria for determining who will qualify for a zero-down loan. Most sub-prime lenders require any bankruptcies or foreclosures to have been at least twelve months ago. A conventional loan requires these to be discharged two to four years ago.

While a credit score of 600 or higher is best, large cash reserves can also qualify you. Six to twelve month’s worth of cash reserves in the form of savings, money market, or other liquid assets are considered ideal.

If you choose 80/20 financing with the seller carrying the second mortgage, you can qualify with sub-prime lenders with a score of 560.

Zero-Down Sub-prime Lenders

You can find zero-down sub-prime mortgages with both conventional and niche sub-prime lenders. Make sure that you request quotes from as many mortgage lenders has possible to be sure you find the lowest rate and best terms.

You will also want to decide what type of mortgage you want. An ARM is easier to qualify for and has lower rates. A fixed rate mortgage offers the security of a constant interest rate over the life of your loan.

Typically an ARM will be a better deal if you plan to refinance within a couple of years. After you have improved your credit history, you can refinance for a conventional mortgage with low interest rates.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

9 Baby Tips You Can Use To Apply For A Second Mortgage

People usually apply for a second mortgage or home equity loan when they need money for debt consolidation, to pay large expenses or for home remodeling and home improvement. Second mortgages are generally categorized as fixed interest rate home equity installment loans (HELOANS) and adjustable mortgage rate home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). Which you choose depends on your needs, but the application and approval process is similar for both. These nine tips will help your loan process be as hitch-free as possible:

1. Compare options like mortgage refinancing and other loan options to determine if a second mortgage is the best choice.

2. Make sure you can tell lender what the purpose of the loan is. Your answer will help determine whether or not you are approved.

3. Check your credit report for errors and get your FICO scores (myfico.com/12) because lenders will review your FICO score to determine your loan rates. Check "How to Improve Your Credit Score" for more information on cleaning up your credit.

4. Compare several home equity loan options.  Discuss the loan programs with your broker or lender and find the best loan for your situation. Getting a good interest rates isn't a bad idea either.

5. When applying for a loan, you will get a mortgage checklist from your lender containing the list of paperwork you need to close the loan, including:
• Copy of deed to property.
• Recent tax appraisal.
• Last two years' W-2's, tax returns and current pay stub, or two years' tax returns if self-employed. Be sure to include all schedules.
• Proof of income from alimony, child support, disability payments, lawsuit settlement, inheritance or other income source.
• Copies of your last 3-6 bank statements.
• List of all open credit accounts (account numbers, payment amounts, and balances).
• Your current mortgage statement.
• Homeowners insurance information (name, account number and phone number of agent).

6. Faxing documentation from the checklist will expedite the loan process more than mailing it.

7. Fill out your loan application thoroughly, or it may delay approval and loan closing.

8. Beware of bad loans. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that you may be signing into trouble if the lender encourages you to falsify your application to get the loan, urges you to borrow more than you need, pushes you into unrealistic payment terms, shows up at closing with a different loan product than you agreed to, asks you to sign blank forms, or denies you copies of documents you signed.

9. Has your mortgage application been rejected by a lender? Ask why it was rejected to find out what you need to do to secure mortgage loan approval in the future.  Sometimes paying down some credit cards can increase your credit score just enough to qualify.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Advice To Help You Decide If Mortgage Refinancing Is For You

Mortgage refinancing has advantages and disadvantages for every homeowner. If you are considering refinancing your mortgage you will need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to decide if refinancing is right for your situation. Here is what you need to know in order to get started.

There are many reasons for refinancing your mortgage. These reasons include lowering your monthly mortgage payment, paying off your mortgage faster, or cashing out equity in your home. You can lower your monthly payment by qualifying for a better interest rate and/or choosing a mortgage with a longer term length. If your goal is to pay off your home faster, choosing a mortgage with a shorter term length will build equity in your home at a faster rate. Finally, if your goal is to cash out equity in your home for a variety of reasons, refinancing with cash back is your answer.

There are problems you could encounter when refinancing your mortgage that lead to overpaying for your new loan. Credit is a common problem that causes many homeowners to overpay for their financing. If you have errors in your credit reports, your credit score will suffer and you will pay a higher interest rate than you need to. Taking the time to review your credit reports and dispute any errors prior to refinancing your mortgage could save you thousands of dollars.

There are a number of different loan packages that offer lower interest rates than traditional fixed interest rate loans. Choosing an interest only or option Adjustable Rate Mortgage, provided you know what you're getting into, could lower your monthly payment enough for you to take back control over your monthly budget. You can also choose mortgage refinancing with a longer term length. Extending the term with a forty or fifty year loan will significantly lower your payments.

By mortgage refinancing you can save thousands of dollars in terms of the total interest you pay over the term of loan. So mortgage refinancing is surely a good option but must be exercised only after proper evaluation of the situation and of your own needs.









by http://mortgage-refinancing-tips.biz