Locating a good mortgage broker who is resourceful enough to shop your loan to several competitive and reputable lenders is often the best way to go when buying a home or doing a refinance. A mortgage broker may be able to negotiate for a better loan, advise you of options you would not otherwise know about, or help you locate an attractive mortgage from a lender you might not have discovered while doing your own search. (more…)
Just as homebuyers scurried to buy homes before the end of the year in order to qualify for a special $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, Congress decided to extend it a little bit longer. The program has been very successful at encouraging sales, and many housing industry observers credit it with helping the housing market rebound. Now first-time buyers have until the last day of April, 2010 to get purchases under signed contract in order to enjoy the big tax perk. (more…)
Loan modification is a term used to describe reworking the original terms of a mortgage loan to make it easier for the homeowner to make monthly payments. These days loan many Americans are turning to loan modification as last resort to help avoid foreclosure, and President Obama has asked lenders to do loan modifications for desperate homeowners whenever it is feasible.
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The Obama Administration has been working nonstop – along with agencies like HUD and the FHA – to come up with proactive ways to address the nation’s foreclosure crisis and help homeowners keep their homes. One of the most promising initiatives to emerge is the new Making Home Affordable program, which allows eligible homeowners to get new mortgage terms through a process known as loan modification.
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The federal government recently unveiled new rules and regulations that are meant to strengthen oversight of the mortgage lending industry, protect consumers from fraud and predatory lending practices, and ensure that the catastrophic subprime mortgage crisis is never repeated.
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Loan to Value or “LTV” is a term used by mortgage lenders to refer to the amount of money they are willing to loan to customers who put up real estate or other assets as collateral. LTV is a ratio or a percentage; in other words, of what a bank will loan compared with what a borrower’s property is worth.
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Here are five expert tips on how to navigate the current credit crisis to ensure success when applying for a mortgage.
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A HELOC or home equity line of credit is a kind of second mortgage that behaves much like a credit card. The line of credit is established based upon the value of your home, so the more equity you have in the property the more money you can borrow. You borrow what you want, when you want it, and pay interest on your outstanding balance. After repaying the balance your line of credit is reinstated so you can borrow it again in the same way. Usually HELOC loans carry not extra fees and they offer rates that are cheaper than those associated with credit cards.
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There are two types of credit that you can apply for: Installment credit and Revolving Credit. In an installment credit you get a loan for pre-determined period of time at a pre-determined interest rate with pre-determined payments. A good example of an installment credit would be your home mortgage. (more…)
Full Doc, No Doc, Stated/Verified… Sometimes the documentation requirements for a loan can be very confusing. What these basically mean is the type of documents required by the lender to apply for a loan.
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