Getting a Home Inspection

If you are in the process of purchasing a new home, it will definitely be in your best interest to have a home inspection done.
Not only will you want to have a home inspection done for your own sake, and peace of mind. But most lenders will require that you have a home inspection before they will proceed with the loan. The lending institution has just as much interest in the home as you do, so that is why they require a home inspection.
Getting a home inspection requires hiring a company to send out a home inspector to go through the home you are going to purchase. With you present, the home inspector goes through the home, and thoroughly inspects to make sure nothing in is need of major repair that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Basically, a home inspector goes through a home and checks wiring, fixtures, plumbing, and the foundation of the home to make sure it is structurally sound. He will also inspect the outside of the home along with the roof to make sure there isn’t any exterior damage.
Along with the home inspection, it would also be in your best interest to inspect for wood boring insects, such as termites and beetles.
A pest inspection is also required by the lender before they proceed with a loan.
A pest inspection is done separately from the home inspection and is done through a different company that specializes in pest inspections.
Not only are home and pest inspections required by the lending institutions, but it would be in your best interest even if they were not. They cost anywhere from $300.00 to $400.00 depending on the size of the home, and you are aloud to be present and ask questions through the entire inspection.
Imagine if you found your dream home and loved it so much that you purchased it without having the home inspection done. On the day that you and your family move in, it is the happiest day of your lives. Than, three days after you move in, you get your first rain fall while in your new house. Than, the next thing you know, you have rain coming through the ceilings up stairs.
After something like this, you’ll be wishing you had the home inspected. Trust me.
Believe me, this stuff happens. So be smart, and get a home inspection. It beats paying $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 for a new roof.
In addition, once you have a home inspection done, you will have peace of mind that the house is sound and in good living condition. However, should anything happen to go wrong after you move in that was covered under your home inspection, you will have the home inspection company to hold accountable for the damage, and not have to pay it out of your own pocket.
To summarize, the home inspection is very important to both you and the lending institution. You both have an interest in the property, so have the home inspection done, you will sleep a lot easier.

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Online mortgage quote: Why You May Not Be Getting The Best Rate

While shopping online for online mortgage quote can be great in terms of saving time and convenience, it won’t necessarily get you the best deals available. What you save depends to a great extent on the way you negotiate with lenders for the online mortgage quote. Like with any negotiation, you get the upper hand when you are knowledgeable about how the industry works.
One of the main precautions to take on when looking for online mortgage quotes is to ensure that the brokers you deal with represent several different lending institutes and therefore can offer you a good variety of options. Beware of brokers who are merely lender agents in disguise. If a broker represents only one bank or lender, there is a great likelihood that you will not be offered the online mortgage quote that is most suitable for your needs.
In devising consumer protection laws for online mortgage quotes and increasing convenience, states have ultimately ended up having an adverse impact on competition, apart from making online mortgage costs higher than necessary.
Explaining The Costs
Most states do not require online mortgage businesses to have a brick and mortar presence. However about one third of all states make this a mandatory requirement. Due to this, the expenses increase. Laws of this nature have prevented mortgage brokers from being exclusively online and offering much lower rates.
It is mostly the existing brick and mortar mortgage brokers who are the blame for the laws in a bid to minimize competition. The laws have also led to a multi-state licensing system due to which national mortgage firms with a presence in all states get an unfair online advantage over the competition. These companies don’t have to put in money into costly infrastructure apart from enjoying lower transaction costs and can therefore offer lower rates to consumers.
The Bottom Line
The reality is that the online companies who face compulsion to bear the costs of renting offices, employing a workforce and infrastructure and equipment which they would otherwise not require, choose to avoid doing business in that particular state altogether.
The end result is that it is the consumer who is eventually at a disadvantage. Their options are limited further for sources of capital and the competition among lenders is also less intense.

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Locating a Down Payment

Locating a Down Payment
If you are a saver, and many of you are, than the need to locate a down payment will not be an issue for you.
But there are also many of us out there that have not had the luxury to save as much as we would have liked for various reasons. With this challenge at hand, we will need to track down a source for a down payment.
If you have excellent credit, and when I say excellent, I mean your credit history is perfect without a blemish on it, you will most likely be able to apply for a mortgage with 100% financing, if you choose to go that route.
A lot of lenders offer this product, and if you can swing it, than you won’t need to come up with any cash for a down payment, and you will only be responsible for closing costs.
If you are unable to go with 100% financing, here are a few ideas you might look into to come up with a down payment.
Retirement Plans
If your employer offers a retirement plan such as a 401k, you might want to consider borrowing from it to help out with your down payment. Most 401k plans offer this option for home purchasing reasons. You do however have to pay this money back on a monthly basis.
The down side to using a 401k plan is that when you pay the loan back, you are doing it with after tax dollars.
With that being said, it is still worth looking into, and a lot of people consider this option.
Family
When all else fails, ask family members to give you a helping hand. This is not an uncommon practice among newlyweds who often approach their parents for assistance with their down payment.
If this is not for you, I understand. It can be tough to swallow your pride and approach family members to help you out.
Save
If you are at the end of your rope, and there doesn’t seem to be any down payment money in sight. You just might have to bight the bullet, start saving, and wait it out.
A great way to jump start your savings is with your tax return money. Depending on what your return is and what percentage the lender requires you to put down, your tax return could have you in the door sooner than you think.

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Reasons Why County Court Judgments Affect Mortgage Acquisition

Those individuals living in the UK may be familiar with the term county court judgments, or ccjs. A ccj is a court judgment which is registered against an individual for any number of reasons. The ccj is basically the court stating that an individual failed to pay a debt and has received a monetary judgment against them. Many lenders and business entities will research the ccj registry to see if an individual is on it prior to lending them money or credit. There are many reasons why UK ccjs affect an individual who is trying to obtain a mortgage or remortgage.

Alludes to Credit Worthiness

One reason why companies consider mortgages with ccjs of an individual or loans with ccjs of an individual is that the ccj is a judgment that relates to credit worthiness. If an individual has a ccj, this means that they were unable to repay a debt in the past and it even went to such lengths as to have a ccj issued against the debtor. This is why companies perform a ccj check, so that they may check on the individual’s credit worthiness. If that particular person has a ccj under their name, the lender may hesitate when issuing a mortgage or remortage to the debtor.

Relates to Future Debt Patterns

Some lenders check the ccj registry not only to ascertain current and past credit worthiness but future debt patterns as well. A ccj check may help the company to decide whether the individual who receives a mortgage or remortgage will be more likely to repay the debt in the future. Those individuals who have multiple ccjs issued against their name may be less likely to obtain a ccjs mortgage or remortgage ccj than those who only have one ccj issued against them on the registry.

Provides a 6 Year Credit Span for the Company to Review

Companies and mortgage lenders also like to review the ccj registry as it gives them some insight into the past six years of the applicant’s life. Since ccjs remain on an individual’s record for six years past the repayment of the debt, reviewing such a registry will provide additional information to the company as ccj removal is not an instantaneous occurrence post-repayment.

Allows Companies to Review the Overall Lending Risk

Lastly, those companies who review the ccj registry to determine whether they should lend to an individual or not allows them to review the overall lending risk which they might encounter should they lend to a particular individual. Again, those individuals who have multiple ccjs may be less likely to see a loan come their way. Lenders can use the ccj registry to aid them in their lending decisions.

Summary

The ccj registry is something that lenders consult quite frequently in the UK. It provides companies with some insight with regard to lender habits and past nonrepayment of debts. It is important to keep in mind however that even though an individual may have a ccj against them, this does not obliterate all chances of obtaining a mortgage as some lenders offer mortgages and remortgages to those with ccjs.

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Do You Know How To Find The Best Mortgage Deal?

People will spend months or even years planning to buy their own home. They will work hard to build good credit. They will save a sizable down payment. They will search for the perfect house. Then they will settle for the first mortgage they see.

What is wrong with this picture?

It is important to remember that if you have good credit and a down payment then you are in the driver's seat when it comes to negotiating a mortgage. You are the dream customer that lenders want on their books. Even if your credit is not perfect and your down payment is nonexistent you are still an attractive client for many lenders.

Repeat this mantra whenever a lender acts as if they are doing you a favor by lending you money: I am going to give them a lot of money. Yes, you are. Over the next five to 30 years you are going to pay a lot of interest to this lender as well as repay the principal they originally put up. They are not giving you anything. This is a business deal and the lender stands to make a lot of money so you need to protect yourself to get the best deal you can.

While most lenders tend to make you think you should be grateful to them for taking this huge risk on you, it really is the other way around. A mortgage lender can't lose. If you honor the deal they will make a lot of money and if you don't honor the deal then they simply take your house back and keep the interest you paid in the meantime!

However there is an even bigger fallacy that lenders like to perpetuate. They don't want you to know how desperate they are for your business.  Look around and you will realize the truth of this. Check out the television, radio, and print ads that abound and you will see the mortgage lenders are getting pretty competitive.

That is why you simply must shop around to find the best mortgage deal available for you. In the end you could save yourself thousands of dollars. Here are five ways to help you find the best deal:

   ~ Shop around - Get quotes from various lenders. Look at local and national lenders and don't overlook the internet.
   ~ Compare terms - Interest rates vary from lender to lender but lenders offer different interest rates depending on the terms of the mortgage. How long will it be (15, 20 or 30 years)? Will it be variable or fixed?
   ~ Tweak some of the optional items that you control, such as the type of insurance you will carry and whether or not you will use escrow for taxes etc.
   ~ Adjust your down payment - Sometimes being able to increase the percentage of what you are putting down can make a difference in the lenders terms (similarly buying a less expensive house will work the same)
   ~ Haggle - Yes! Lenders often act as if their rates are written in stone but this is not the case. This is where shopping around can really come in handy. If you can show that you've got a slightly better deal with another lender then sometimes another lender will lower their rate to beat the competitor. Hey it's worth a try!

Just remember that you are in control of your future. You can choose whether or not to accept a mortgage lenders terms. There are a lot of lenders out there so you do not need to sign with the first offer you receive.

One last hint: It might be best to go through this process before you've found the home of your dreams! You can get preapproved for a mortgage with most lenders and that removes the pressure and worry of losing the home of your dreams while you negotiate with a lender. It also puts you in the driver's seat when you are negotiating to buy that dream home when you finally find it if you already have a mortgage ready to go.

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Getting the right mortgage

Selecting a mortgage can be a difficult task. First of all, you need to decide which mortgage would suit your needs best.

For those who want to know what their monthly outgoings are going to be, should look at a fixed rate mortgage, as these are mortgages that are set at a fixed price for a certain period, which can be anything from 1 year to 5 years.

A variable mortgage is just that, it’s a mortgage rate that changes (or varies) with the base rate. So if the base lending rate increases so does your mortgage rate, however the positive aspect of this type of mortgage is that if the lending rate lowers so does your mortgage repayment. This is not for all – as there is an element of risk involved (this was true back in the late 1980’s, when unfortunately rates rocketed as house prices tumbled)

You may also need to think about a repayment mortgage or an interest only mortgage.

The difference is that the latter does just that, it only pays the interests, so whilst your monthly payments will be less, you will still have the capital to settle at the end of the mortgage duration. However a repayment mortgage will be a little more expensive, but at least you will be paying off both the capital and the interest, which means ultimately your mortgage is reducing.

When you have agreed which type of mortgage suits your lifestyle then don’t be afraid to shop around whilst you are  still tied to a contract – as there is usually a set time when you have the ability to negotiate another rate and/or go to another lender who is offering you something cheaper.

I would always suggest that in today’s competitive market that you shop around, as there are lots of different lenders with differing rates, and you need to find the right one to suit your budget and lifestyle.

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Don’t Let Bad Credit Stop You

When I worked as a loan officer, it wasn’t unusual for me to come across people who thought they were out of luck because they had bad credit.

This is really not the case, although it is fair to say that you would not be able to walk down to your local bank, have a seat in the branch manager’s office and walk out with a mortgage.

However, there are alternatives, and you do have choices.

If you contact a broker, tell them your situation, be completely honest and up front with them, otherwise you are just wasting their time as well as your own, and believe me, whatever your situation may be, they have heard worse. Nine times out of ten they will be able to help you.

Conventional banks are not the only ones that lend money. Brokers have access too literally hundreds of banks with a wide variety of programs for people in unique situations from foreclosure buy outs, to 100% financing with poor credit scores.

I speak from experience, because when I was a loan officer I did mortgages for people in unique situations.

Foreclosure buy outs, bankruptcy, late payments on prior mortgages, the list goes on.

I would sit down with my customer, take down as much information as possible, than present their information to many different lenders for them to review. Most times I would find one with a program to help my customer.

Keep in mind, with unique situations, there is risk involved on the part of the bank, so you can’t expect to get the best rate in the world.  But if it is reasonable, and can put you into the situation you want to be in, than it is well worth it.

So if you think your credit, or a bad situation is preventing you from getting a loan, think again, there is probably a program out there for you, you have nothing too loose.

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No Cost Mortgages

When you are dealing with mortgages, it is important to check twice the calculation as well as the English when the lenders specify the word “No cost Mortgages”.

The fact is that no cost mortgage means it will cost something, now the question arises in your mind how much it cost the answer is the cost depends on what kind of mortgage you plan to go. There are two types of basic cost involved while getting mortgage, In one type of cost the lender cannot control that includes the appraisal cost, filing fees, title search, attorney fees etc, and the next type of cost is the lenders cost that is loan application fees, credit check, admin fees and processing fees etc, with out which nothing is possible.

To few lenders no cost means they do not want any cost from their pockets, all the cost will be added in the loam amount, for instance the loan cost is $5,000 and you plan to borrow $150,000 in this case the $3,000 gets added up with the loan, and ultimately you will be borrowing $1,53,000 that is with interest for the entire amount. In this case when you take 30 years loan at 6.25% rate interest the monthly interest with principal is $942.05 and the interest is $18.47, which is $18.47 per month more than $923.58 you would make on $153,000. You may not realize you are paying interest for $3,000 every month until you clear the entire amount, in addition to that this $3,000 wont be paid off till the 20th month of mortgage well into the subsequent year its only after 19th payment that the principal you owe will reduce below $150,000 to be exact $149,948.25.

How does this sounds to you, this is the way no cost mortgage works, you pay accumulated interest on unpaid balance of the loan every month and to pay off the $3,000
You would be paying $18.47 besides the interest you pay for $1,50,000. So if you have paid that $3,000 from your pocket you would be paying the interest with principal for the actual amount you are borrowing, just by the word no cost mortgage you don’t start paying the loan until your loan reached 20 months.

In some cases you may not pay any cost in the beginning but you will end up paying with closing cost and sometimes the lender will take in charge of paying all the cost like application fees, commission, attorney fees and then in turn charge the borrower with high interest rate.

By this time you could get a clear idea how much it will cost you for no cost mortgage
No cost loans are very expensive, just because its convenient that you don’t spend a penny from your pocket it is better, in a long run it cost you more than to spend from your pocket, so it is important to remember that you are not really saving money by opting for no cost mortgage.

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How the Mortgage Landscape Has Changed

There used to be an almost dizzying variety of mortgage options out there. But that was then. This is now. And anyone who wants to buy a home these days needs to be prepared for a shrinking number of choices. Lenders are pulling back-to the basics. But it's not all bad news. A homebuyer who has proof of income, cash reserves, or good credit should sill be able to find a home mortgage loan. But you have to be ready and willing to do some shopping around first-comparing and negotiating-just like you would if you were looking for a new car. Speak to several lenders. And it's also a good idea to contact several mortgage brokers, too. They act as liaisons between lenders and consumers.

It's never been more important to be an informed homebuyer. Learn the basics of what it takes to get a mortgage. Start by finding out if the lender requires a down payment, how much it is, and if you can afford it. Because of the current economics of housing, most house hunters must have the money for a down payment. That's because the no-down-payment loans that were available during the boom years are now almost non-existent. Many lenders now insist on a minimum of five percent down-more is even better.

You'll also want to check to see if you'll be required to buy Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)-which will be added on to your monthly mortgage payment. Many lenders insist on this, because if protects them against loss by borrowers who fail to pay. As a rule of thumb, expect PMI if a loan exceeds eighty percent of a home's value. To avoid the added expense of PMI, some borrowers get a "piggy-back" mortgage-which is essentially taking out two loans. The first loan covers eighty percent of the cost of the home. The second is a home-equity line of credit that covers most-if not all-of the balance. However, be aware that these piggy-back loans are few and far between these days; many lenders see them as a risk they'd rather not take. That's because if a homeowner loses the house, the proceeds from the sale would go to paying off the first mortgage-and there's usually very little left from that to cover the second mortgage.

Now, what about those low-or-no-documentation loans that were so popular awhile back? Well, they're basically extinct. Why? Because the single-most important thing to lenders these days is a borrower's credit score. The lenders are relying more heavily than ever on that score to assess a borrower's ability to repay a mortgage on time. Borrowers that look risky will not get those lower-interest loans with good terms. In fact, they're not likely to get a mortgage at all. Loans available to people with credit scores of, say, 660 just a few months ago are no longer out there.

But even if you have a good credit score, you need to be aware that you need to use it wisely. For instance, weigh your choices carefully if you're thinking about taking out a loan for more than $417,000. This is known as a "jumbo loan"-and mortgages that exceed this make lenders very wary; they are perceived to be much riskier than "conforming" loans.

So what's a potential homebuyer supposed to do? If you credit score is on the low side, get serious about improving it before you start looking for a mortgage. It will definitely increase the number and types of mortgage options available, as well as the rates and terms of those mortgages. If your credit score is high, then keep it that way-don't push for the maximum mortgage you can get. Be conservative.

With careful tending, the mortgage landscape in your little corner of the world will start looking considerably more lush, healthy, and beautiful.

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Finding a Mortgage Refinance Advisor

Finding a Mortgage Refinance Advisor

If you are looking to refinance your home for a lower rate, or you are interested in a refinance with cash out to do some home repairs, buy a new car, etc., you may want to consider finding a mortgage refinance advisor.

There are actually two ways you can go about refinancing your home. The first would be to do the shopping around for a refinance on your own. The second way would be to locate a mortgage refinance advisor.

A mortgage refinance advisor. Otherwise, known as a mortgage loan officer or mortgage broker are not at all hard to find.

The internet is perhaps the best resource for tracking down a mortgage refinance advisor. There are literally hundreds of them right in your own back yard, and the internet would be by far the best way to begin your search.

Once you have found a mortgage refinance advisor, don’t stop there, shop around. By shopping around with a few different loan officers and brokers, you will give yourself the ability to compare rates and prices.

Think of it the same way you would go about purchasing a new car. Shop around, test drive a few by going to different dealerships. Once you have test driven a few cars and compared pricing, base your decision on the best and most reasonable deal.

By shopping around as opposed to committing to the first mortgage refinance advisor you come across could mean the difference of thousands of dollars in closing costs and interest fees’ over the life of the loan.

By allowing no more than four loan officers or mortgage brokers to assess your situation, you are putting yourself in a much more ideal situation. Especially if your credit is challenged or your situation is unique, not only will the mortgage refinance advisors’ expertise come into play, you will be in a position to compare rates and pricing.

Remember, the majority of mortgage refinance advisors are paid on commission, so it is just as important to them as it is to you to get to the closing table. Good luck.

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What’s A Mortgage?

Buying a home is an exciting prospect. Choosing the location, the floor plan and finally sealing the deal. There is an important element that exists in most home sales and that is the mortgage.

Whenever you purchase a home and you don’t pay the full price in cash, you have to obtain financing. This type of financing is a mortgage. When you take out a mortgage you are using the property as collateral. If you fail to repay the mortgage on the terms you agreed to, the bank or lending company has the right to take over possession of your property. Therefore it’s very important to choose a mortgage that will fit into your budget.

There are several types of mortgages available today. One of these is the fixed rate mortgage. When you take out a fixed rate mortgage it means that you are taking out a mortgage for a specific amount of time, usually 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. When you apply for the mortgage loan, you agree to an interest rate. This interest rate will be in effect for the life of your mortgage. Your monthly payments will be set and you will repay the lending company for the agreed to term.

Another type of mortgage is the adjustable rate mortgage. With this type of mortgage the interest rate applies for a shorter period of time. Once that time has passed, usually a year, the interest rate in effect at that time is applied to the mortgage.

If interest rates are fluctuating when you are considering purchasing a home, it is advisable to consider an adjustable rate mortgage. The reason is that if you lock yourself into a fixed rate mortgage and then interest rates plummet, you’ll be paying much more than you would have otherwise.

When you go to apply for a mortgage the loan officer will explain in detail the differences between the two kinds of mortgage. They will also advise you as to which one is better for you in terms of your financial goals.

If you are already a homeowner and are older there is another type of mortgage that applies to you. It’s called a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is when the homeowner wants to enjoy some of the equity they have already acquired in their home. Each month the homeowner is paid any amount of money. This money is charged interest. Once the homeowner passes away or sells the property, the bank takes the total of the reverse mortgage payments and any additional interest out of the proceeds of the home’s sale.

This works very well for retired people who want to enjoy the rest of their live without having to worry about money. They are still able to live in their homes and at the same time, the reverse mortgage allows them to have the extra cash they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Mortgages are essential to anyone buying a home and with some careful thought and consideration you can choose a mortgage that saves you money and allows you to own your own home that much sooner. Consult with a mortgage professional and with their advice and knowledge, you’ll have the mortgage you need.

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Refinancing with Home Equity Loans

If you have lived in your home for a reasonable amount of time, you may be considering refinancing.

Refinancing can be done in a few different ways. One of the most popular recently has been the home equity loan.

A home equity loan is a loan used to pay off your existing mortgage at a lower rate.

Also, when refinancing with a home equity loan, you have the option of liquidating some of the equity you have established in your home through monthly mortgage payments and appreciation.

Lets suppose you owe $125,000.00 on the mortgage to your home, but your home is worth $200,000.00. This means you have $75,000.00 worth of equity that you can liquidate.

Realistically, you could get a home equity loan for $150,000.00, pay off your existing mortgage, and have $25,000.00 left for home improvement, a new car, college tuition, etc.

Home equity loans also come in the form of a line of credit, better known as a home equity line of credit.

The difference between a home equity loan and line is that the line comes with a variable rate, which means it will adjust with the prime rate, so be careful when deciding.

The home equity credit line can also be re-tapped once it has been partially paid off, or paid off in full, which makes for much convenience.

Before deciding on how you want to go about doing your refinancing, be sure to educate yourself as much as possible about the mortgage industry.

Also, shop around for the best rate and program that fits your needs and budget. The mortgage industry is a competitive one, so let them fight for your business. Good luck.

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Online mortgage quote: Why You May Not Be Getting The Best Rate

While shopping online for online mortgage quote can be great in terms of saving time and convenience, it won’t necessarily get you the best deals available. What you save depends to a great extent on the way you negotiate with lenders for the online mortgage quote. Like with any negotiation, you get the upper hand when you are knowledgeable about how the industry works.

One of the main precautions to take on when looking for online mortgage quotes is to ensure that the brokers you deal with represent several different lending institutes and therefore can offer you a good variety of options. Beware of brokers who are merely lender agents in disguise. If a broker represents only one bank or lender, there is a great likelihood that you will not be offered the online mortgage quote that is most suitable for your needs.

In devising consumer protection laws for online mortgage quotes and increasing convenience, states have ultimately ended up having an adverse impact on competition, apart from making online mortgage costs higher than necessary.

Explaining The Costs
Most states do not require online mortgage businesses to have a brick and mortar presence. However about one third of all states make this a mandatory requirement. Due to this, the expenses increase. Laws of this nature have prevented mortgage brokers from being exclusively online and offering much lower rates.

It is mostly the existing brick and mortar mortgage brokers who are the blame for the laws in a bid to minimize competition. The laws have also led to a multi-state licensing system due to which national mortgage firms with a presence in all states get an unfair online advantage over the competition. These companies don’t have to put in money into costly infrastructure apart from enjoying lower transaction costs and can therefore offer lower rates to consumers.

The Bottom Line
The reality is that the online companies who face compulsion to bear the costs of renting offices, employing a workforce and infrastructure and equipment which they would otherwise not require, choose to avoid doing business in that particular state altogether.

The end result is that it is the consumer who is eventually at a disadvantage. Their options are limited further for sources of capital and the competition among lenders is also less intense.

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Young, Self Employed, No Accounts And No Savings. How Did I Get A Mortgage?

I was having considerable problems getting a mortgage to buy my first home about four years ago. If I was to believe everything I had heard, I was the ideal candidate for a mortgage - young, a first-time buyer and with an annual income of about £30k. Easy!

No, not easy, actually. Being young with a leaning towards enjoying myself, I had no savings - nothing to use as a deposit. But what about these 100% mortgages I had been hearing about? Surely I qualified? Oh, there was something else - I was also self employed with no accounts.

Self employed with no accounts and no savings.

Could I get a mortgage? It was virtually impossible. Not a single High Street lender would give me a mortgage. Even my bank who have had my services for ten years turned me down; even though my bank knew exactly how much I earned each year and how much I spent each week; even though my bank knew that making the monthly payments on a repayment mortgage would not be an big problem for me.

Then I heard about Self Certification Mortgages.

What is a Self Certification Mortgage? It's essentially a mortgage whereby you decide whether or not you are capable of making the repayments. And that is when the penny dropped, because you see the entire process of applying for a mortgage is premised upon an institution (such as your bank) deciding whether or not you are able to make the monthly repayments.

And what is the formula for working this out? Well, if you are employed it is your salary - a bank will lend you, say, 3 or 4 times your annual salary. Normally they will ask you for a small deposit, say 5%, to demonstrate that your intentions are serious.

Obviously, if you are self employed, and particularly with no accounts, you often do not have an annual salary and you are unable to demonstrate regular monthly income. Many self employed people - notably me - live hand-to-mouth, regularly waiting for reluctant clients to settle outstanding invoices. So how can your ability to repay a mortgage be judged? I discovered that self certification was the answer - i.e. YOU. You make a judgement as to whether or not you are borrowing too much money and whether or not you will be able to afford the monthly repayments. After all, if you are bright enough to run your own business, manage your own tax affairs, handle purchasing and invoicing, surely you are bright enough to work out whether you can repay your mortgage!

Think about it - conventional, salary-based mortgages are judged on the basis of what a person has earned in the past, but a person could be made unemployed within hours of securing a mortgage. On the other hand, Self Certification puts the onus on you predicting what you will earn in the future. Sure, you could go out of business, but a salaried person could also lose their job.

So I thought, well this is good, but I bet that a Self Certification Mortgage is the stuff of loan sharks, with huge interest rates, crushing monthly repayments and Guantanemo-style penalties.

But there was something else I discovered about mortgages. Although the High Street is swamped by lenders, there are only actually a very small number of 'actual' lenders: the majority are intermediaries acting on their behalf, because the number of mortgage applications is so great that intermediaries are required to perform the process of judging each applicant and assessing risk.

So I discovered that whereas a High Street lender would turn me down, a smaller lender might accept me. But get this: the mortgage that I actually received from the small lender at the end of the day was exactly the same as the mortgage which had been refused me by the High Street lender! Only the forumla for judging my ability to repay the mortgage was different, not the mortgage itself!

So what's the catch with Self Cerftification? There is always a catch in my experience, and in this instance it was a very big catch. Whereas a regular mortgage requires the borrower to contribute a deposit of, say, 5%, my Self Certification Mortgage required a deposit of 15%. Fifteen percent!! Of course I can see why they ask for this, why if you are not being judged using the conventional formula you are expected to show some serious committment. But I didn't have any savings. I was young and self employed for crying out loud.

So what did I do? Okay, I would not recommend this to everybody, but I was desperate for my own home and I knew that I could afford the repayments. I took out a Personal Loan shortly before my mortgage application and, supplemented with a timely invoice payment, I was able to pay the deposit and afford the key refurbishment costs on the property (roof, re-wiring, plumbing etc).

On the High Street this would be called a Home Improvement Loan and acquired AFTER you have obtained a mortgage and purchased the property. I simply borrowed a little more in the form of a Personal Loan before I had acquired a mortgage. I was fortunate in that I could afford to carry the costs of these repayments for the forseeable future and I had bought on a rising market - the value of my property was already more than the mortgage and personal loan combined before I had even finished the refurbishment (ie. 4 months after buying the property). I would not recommend this to everyone, and you have to be very, very clear about how much you are borrowing and what the total repayments will be.

However, getting on the property ladder and having my own home was the most important thing to me, and it just goes to show that if you look beyond the High Street you can actually find the same or similar financial products but with less of the hassle. The High Street had always made me feel inadequate, a financial failure

You might be interested to know that, because I was still looking for the catch in my Self Certification Mortgage, I went to a respected, independent financial advisor recently (on the High Street as it happens) and asked if I should change my mortgage to something better. His advice was that I had got a very good mortgage deal and that I should stick with it for the forseeable future. So I have.

Richard

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What is a Reverse Mortgage

Reverse mortgage is a new kind of loan against your home that you need not pay back as long as you live in that house. With reverse mortgage you can mortgage the value of your home in cash without repaying the loan every month and as well as without moving out of the house, and this cash can be repaid in several ways like you can pay at one stretch in single lump sum of amount, or in regular cash advance monthly, or in credit line account that is you can decide how much available cash can be paid or combinations of any of these methods.

No matter how you pay back this loan, as you do not need to pay back anything until your death or sell your home or move out of your house permanently. For the eligibility of reverse mortgage you should have own your home and your age should be 62 years or older.

For other kind of loans the lender check your income documents for the verification of your repayment status monthly, but in reverse mortgage there is no need of repayment of loan monthly, so you need not require any income proof, even if you have no source of income but still you are eligible of reverse mortgage.

With other kind of mortgages you may lose you home incase if you do not make your repayment monthly, but in reverse mortgage you may not lose your home by not making the repayment, mostly reverse mortgages does not require any repayment as long as you live and that is the reason reverse mortgage differs from other loans

With reverse mortgage your debt gets increased and the equity of your home decreases, as the lender lends you the cash and you don’t make the repayment, and the debt amount get increased as the interest is being added up with your balance loan amount and ultimately your debts increase and your equity decreases, unless the value of your home is getting increased. Incase if the value of your home decreased there will not be any equity left out except your loan amount so it is nothing but spending down your home equity while you live in your home with out the need of making repayments.

Exception in reverse mortgages are when you get the loan advance without interest charged on it your debt would remain the same and your equity would grow with the increase in home value. But normally home value does not grow at high rates and also the interest rate is also charged so finally the majority of the reverse mortgages ended up with “falling equity and rising debt” loans.

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Thinking Of an Endowment Mortgage?

Endowment mortgage is a type of mortgage where you need not pay the principal amount you have borrowed from the lender, during the term of the loan, you would be paying only the interest and as well as the premium for the endowment policy you have taken. The endowment policy grows large enough at the end of the mortgage period normally 25 years for the repayment of the mortgage loan. Within this package you would also be paying the life insurance that will repay the loan incase if you die as there is no guarantee for your endowment policy to pay off your mortgage.

The endowment policy has two parts in it, a life cover part and an investment part,  in life cover part it would pay off your mortgage debt incase if  you die during policy, and in investment part it will repay your mortgage when the policy get ended up if you live till the policy ends up. But this part is not guaranteed as people find the endowment policy is not in track and not sufficient enough to pay the mortgage debt at the end of the policy or mortgage , and this leads to think about the other laternatives to make up the amount, due to this endowment mortgages are not so popular as the other mortgages.

With endowment mortgage you pay only the interest and the principal will remain the same, if the endowment policy would perform well it will pay off  the mortgage debt at the end, incase if the endowment policy does not perform good it will leave you with the huge amount of debt to settle.

You may receive a letter from the endowment company that would tell you that you policy is not in track and so there is not sufficient fund for the repayment of the mortgage at the end of the policy, by seeing this letter you should not delay taking further action, you should not get worried and make any hasty decision, first you should check the facts, don’t cash in your policy, don’t ignore it at the same time as things would go worst if you don’t act immediately, you should think about the other options to make up the shortfall by switching the amount of shortfall for the repayment of mortgage, or asking the lender to convert the endowment loan to other type of loan where you can repay the principal with interest, or starting an additional saving to make it up the shortage, or you can plan to extend the endowment mortgage term or you can opt for top up of the endowment plan.

On top of everything you take up the advice of your financial advisor, or discuss the status with your lender

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Purchasing a Home with Bad Credit

If you would like to purchase a home but believe you are unable to because your credit has gone through some challenges, think again, there just may be some hope for you.

The mortgage industry is a very diverse one. And these days it is no longer a requirement to have perfect credit in order to purchase a home.

And no longer is it necessary to go down the street to your local bank in order to apply for a mortgage.

There are many lenders out there across the country known as wholesale lenders who specialize in different niches with specialty programs for people in all types of situations such as yourself.

The most important thing for you to do is to educate and familiarize yourself with the mortgage industry. This way you will have somewhat of an idea of what you are getting into, and a better understanding of what the people in the industry are talking about once you start to deal with them on a daily basis.

One thing you may want to consider is speaking with a broker if you are not comfortable finding a program for your needs on your own.

A broker is not a lender. They work as a liaison between the lender and the consumer. It is their job to find you a program to fit your needs and budget. They also will council and educate you through the entire mortgage process.

Remember, just because your credit is poor, it does not mean that you are at the mercy of the broker or the lender. Allow for a few of them to compete for your business, than base your decision on the one that best fits your needs and budget.

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