Archive for June, 2010
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How can I avoid mortgage foreclosure?
Mortgage foreclosure can occur if homeowners, who have taken a VA, conventional loan, or an FHA insured loan, default on the mortgage payments. Foreclosure can lead to the lender gaining possession of a borrowers home. If the value of the home is less than the mortgage amount, the homeowner may have to pay the balance amount to the lender under a deficiency judgment. Foreclosures have a negative impact on the credit score of a home owner.
In order to avoid foreclosure, there are several things that a homeowner can do. These include communicating to the lender ones inability in making payments as soon as possible and requesting assistance. If necessary, homeowners should back their communication with relevant financial figures such as expenses and income from various sources. They should not abandon their premises or they may not qualify for the assistance.
There are several housing counseling agencies approved by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development; they offer up-to-date information on the various programs initiated by government and private organizations that are designed to help homeowners facing the prospects of foreclosure. Housing counseling agencies, which also provide credit counseling services, provide their services at no cost.
In order to avoid forbearance, homeowners can try and apply for Special Forbearance. This may lead to a revision of the repayment schedule and in some cases the payment may either be revised or suspended. A rise in expenditure and a fall in the monthly income may enable homeowners to qualify for a new monthly plan. Similarly, mortgage modification may result in extension of the period of repayment and may open up refinancing options. Homeowners who have undergone a financial crisis stand to benefit from mortgage modification as they can chart out a more manageable repayment plan.
Homeowners can also take recourse to a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. This entails voluntarily handing over the property to the lender. Such a deed does not hurt a homeowners credit rating as much as a foreclosure. A homeowner, who is a defaulter on payments, and does not qualify for other alternatives, has not been able to sell the house, and is not in default with respect to other mortgages, qualifies for a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.
A homeowners qualification for any of the above mentioned alternatives is determined by the lender. However, homeowners should be aware of solutions that are not genuine. It is highly advisable to take the help of housing counseling agencies in such matters. Homeowners in financial difficulties are liable to fall prey to scams such as equity skimming in which a homeowner is tricked into signing the deed of the property to another person. There are several counseling agencies that are not genuine and often charge homeowners for services that can be done for free. It is imperative that homeowners check the background of the counseling agency before deciding to go with a particular firm.
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How a Reverse Mortgage Can Benefit Homeowners 62 or Older
How a Reverse Mortgage Can Benefit Homeowners 62 or Older
Reverse mortgages give eligible homeowners the ability to access the money they have stored up as equity in their homes. They are designed to build seniors’ personal and financial independence by providing funds without the requirement of a monthly payment for as long as they live in the home.
Homeowners age 62 or older may benefit greatly by discussing the possibilities and options a reverse mortgage can afford them with a lender or counselor. These types of loans offer a way to borrow against the equity in your home to create a stable, continuous and tax free source of usable income or a substantial source of supplemental income, all without having to change your current living conditions.
The best part of this type of loan is that you arent required to repay any part of the loan as long as you live in your house and don’t breach any of the terms and conditions of the reverse mortgage. However it is important that you are diligent in researching this unique loan product as it may not be right for every situation. This is why we encourage any potential borrower interested in a reverse mortgage to investigate their options first with a HUD certified counselor or lender.
Other great sources of information include family and friends who have experience dealing with reverse mortgages before, nonprofit organizations offering help to seniors, the AARP, American Society on Aging, and authority sites on the internet that provide helpful articles and resources concerning the reverse mortgage industry.
While simple to understand in theory, it is important to know how reverse mortgages work. The reverse mortgage loan product got its name due to the fact that instead of making mortgage payments, the lender actually pays the borrower creating a kind of inverse relationship compared to the traditional mortgage product. The source of funds for the money received is the equity stored in your home. The unique feature of this loan is that unlike conventional mortgages where the loan balance becomes smaller each moth you make a payment, the loan balance of a reverse mortgage grows larger over time.
The principal on the loan increases with each payment received, this includes interest and other charges accrued each month on the total funds advanced to you. You retain ownership of your home in all reverse mortgages, and many do not require repayment for as long as you occupy your home, pay your property taxes and hazard insurance charges, and continue to maintain the property.
When you leave your home permanently your loan balance becomes due. It is also important to note that your legal obligation to repay the loan cannot be more than the market value of your house at the time you leave the property. This means that your lender can never require repayment of the loan from your heirs or from any asset other than the property itself.
Today the 2 major reverse mortgage loan types provided by the Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) are the HECM and Home Keeper. These loans assure the borrower that he or she will never owe more than the loan balance or the value of the property, whichever is less, and no assets other than the home must be used to repay the debt.
Also unlike conventional mortgages these loan types have neither a fixed maturity date nor a fixed mortgage amount. Many borrowers familiar with the home equity loan are often times skeptical about reverse mortgages and simply see it as a different type of home equity loan and sometimes even think its a scam.
For this reason it is important to understand the difference between home equity loans and reverse mortgages. With a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) you must make regular monthly payments to the lender in order to repay the loan, in fact, your repayments begin as soon as your loan is made. If you fail to make the monthly payments on a traditional home equity loan, a mortgage lender can foreclose on your home, putting you in a position where you either have to sell your home to repay the loan or lose it to the lender.
Another notable difference is the fact that some home equity loans also require you to re-qualify for the loan each year, and if you fail to re-qualify, the lender may require you to pay the loan in full immediately. In addition, in order to qualify for a traditional home equity loan, you must have sufficient funds and debt-to-income ratio in order to be approved on the loan.
Reverse mortgages however, such as the HECM and the Home Keeper Mortgage, do not require monthly repayments, saving you from the need to qualify through the traditional and often times difficult loan process. In fact, repayment of these loans is not required as long as your property remains your primary residence and you stay current in paying your property taxes and hazard insurance charges. Another stipulation that makes the reverse mortgage so special is the fact that your income does not become a factor in qualifying for these loans, nor are you required to re-qualify each year.
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Home Mortgage Loans
Getting rid of the mortgage early is something that many home owners in the UK aspire to achieve. Being free of the principal financial debt in most people’s lives at the earliest stage possible offers financial security and peace of mind for later on in life. Paying off the mortgage early is no pipe dream though. In 2003, the average age of outright home ownership was 56, by 2004 the average age had fallen dramatically to just 48!
How home owners pay off their mortgages early
The secret to paying your mortgage off early lies in choosing the right type of home loan, and this is where flexible mortgage loans and offset mortgage loans step in.
Flexible mortgage loans, as their name suggests, offer flexible mortgage repayment terms where overpayment of mortgage is allowed by the home owner without incurring a penalty. Some flexible mortgage loans allow overpayment of a limited amount, such as 10% of the mortgage value, while other flexible home mortgage loans cater for unlimited overpayment by the home owner.
The advantage of flexible home mortgage loans is that as well as allowing you to overpay, you can also underpay, so taking a ‘payment holiday’ if finances become a little thin. Underpayment is of course subject to the terms of the mortgage, and will normally only be allowed if it amounts to less than the funds that have been overpaid.
Overpayment via flexible home mortgage loans means that you get to reduce your mortgage capital as well as pay off interest accrued on the capital each month. For each successive month that you make an overpayment the amount of interest paid on the overall mortgage is therefore reduced. An overpayment of just 65 on an 80,000 mortgage with the interest rate at 6.0%, will see mortgage loans paid off 5 years early, amounting to a total saving of some 15,000.
Offset home mortgage loans
Offset home mortgage loans were unveiled to the home owner in 1998, and have gained a great deal of respect from home owners since that time. Offset mortgage loans help to pay off a mortgage early by using what is known as a ’sweeper’ system. Providing that the home owner has their current andor savings account with the mortgage loans provider, their available balance is ’swept’ across to their mortgage account each day to offsetreduce the amount of mortgage capital subjected to interest.
To illustrate the advantages of offset mortgage loans, take a mortgage of 100,000 and a balance of 10,000 in your current account andor savings account. Instead of the interest rate being applied to the 100,000 every day or every month, the interest rate would be applied to your mortgage balance less the balance in your current account savings account. This means that interest would only be applied to 90,000 of your mortgage, effectively making 10% of your mortgage interest-free!
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Home Mortgage Loan Mistakes Most Homebuyers Make
MISTAKE #1: Over shopping your loan
Your credit score is based on the perceived risk associated with extending you credit. Over the years, the credit reporting agencies have determined that a borrower who seeks credit from many different lenders is riskier than others. Therefore, they decrease your credit score each time a lender pulls your credit report.
Each time you call a lender seeking the best possible rate and terms for your home mortgage, he has to pull your credit report. This is factored into your credit score, and a lower score decreases your likelihood of getting the best rate and terms.
While some consumers are ONLY focused on rates, you should seek the guidance of a National Association of Responsible Loan Officers member that is willing to speak with you about your loan options. There are literally hundreds of loan products available and every borrower has a different financial situation and financial goal. We highly recommend having a consultation with your loan officer so they can tailor a program to meet your individual needs instead of focusing exclusively on rates and points. You may likely find a better product than the one you were shopping for.
MISTAKE #2: Trying to hide past financial difficulties
One of the important services a responsible loan officer offers is helping you overcome past financial difficulties that may hinder your ability to have your loan approved. Your loan officer is on your side.
Supply the information that will help your loan officer provide you with the best possible rate and terms and minimize the impact of your past credit history. The fact that you have recovered from past financial problems makes you a better risk than others who havent yet faced challenges. Overcoming past financial difficulty proves that you honor your commitments and dont give up.
MISTAKE #3: Allowing a loan officer to put misleading or untruthful information about your income, expense or cash available for down payments on a loan application in order to get a loan
Providing untruthful information on a loan application is fraud. Mortgage fraud is prosecuted by federal authorities, and they will find out about the fraudulent information. Do not allow yourself to become an accomplice of a loan officers fraudulent loan application.
Even if a loan officer fills in the information for you, if you do not believe the loan application is 100% truthful, you should refuse to sign it until the loan officer corrects the application. While many loan officers try to help borrowers by misstating the facts, the truth is that they are simply getting themselves and their borrowers into a lot of trouble.
MISTAKE #4: Borrowing more than you can repay
All of us understand that we may have to stretch our monthly budgets a bit to afford the homes we want. However, you will put your entire financial health in jeopardy by buying a home you simply cannot afford.
If you buy an expensive home and find you cannot make the monthly payments, you could face a huge loss when you have to sell that home quickly to get out from under your mortgage. Or worse, you could be forced into foreclosure or bankruptcy.
It is much better to be patient, buy a home you can comfortably afford, make payments, build equity and then transition into a larger home after a couple of years. Yes, the larger home will cost more then, but the home you purchased will also have appreciated during that time. Most importantly, you will have built a successful financial foundation that allows you to experience all of your dreams, including that dream home.
MISTAKE #5: Relying on interest rate advertising
Some loan officers use interest rates to get your attention; however, they may actually end up costing you more. Such rates are often derived by using a 30-year mortgage coupled with an accelerated payment plan.
You may decide you like that option, but you cannot directly compare the interest rate on that mortgage to other opportunities. This loan could cost more than other mortgages with seemingly higher interest rates.
It is critical to find a loan officer you can trust to review the options available to you and the best possible rates for your financial situation. Only a responsible loan officer can give you all of your options in an understandable way.
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