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Showing posts with label debt consolidation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debt consolidation. Show all posts

Monday, 6 August 2012

How To Get The Best Mortgage


Getting a mortgage is a very important decision, so you have to make sure that you get the best mortgage for your needs. Despite this, many people simply opt for the first deal that looks attractive without really shopping around. If you really want to find the best mortgage for your needs, then you need to carry out a number of checks at each juncture before you sign for the mortgage.


Check your credit


Before you apply for any type of loan, you should get hold of your credit report and make sure that all the information is accurate. It is your responsibility to make sure that the report is accurate. If the report has mistakes in it, then you could end up paying a lot more for your mortgage.


Know the jargon


Another step you should take before applying for a mortgage is to learn the terms involved in mortgage lending. Learn about the types of mortgage as well as any abbreviations that are commonly used. The more you know, then the less likely you are to sign something that will cost you extra money.


Know your limits


The last step to take before applying for a mortgage is to know exactly how much you can afford to pay back each month, and how much you are looking to borrow. That way you won’t overstretch yourself and will get the amount of money you need to buy your ideal property.


Shop around


After you have done some research and got your credit checked, you should begin shopping around for a mortgage. The more lenders you look at both on and offline, the more likely you are to find the best deal. 


Determine all the costs


Although a low interest rate is important, there are usually other costs involved in getting a mortgage that you might not know about. Make sure that you know exactly how much it will cost you complete the mortgage application, and any other fees that might apply such as late or early payment fees.


Don’t be pushed into something


One of the most important things to remember is not to be pressured into signing anything you are uncomfortable with. Any lender that tries to get you to borrow more than you can afford or is pushy about you signing should be avoided. If you are in any doubts at all, do not sign the agreement and look elsewhere. If you need help understanding clauses then get a lawyer to look over the contract and explain the terms. Also, make sure you do not agree to anything that you don’t need, such as costly credit insurance. 


Check and double-check


Once you have found a lender that you are happy with, make sure that you check the contract thoroughly again, and read all of it through a few times, especially the small print. This is especially true if something was previously agreed and then you have met on another occasion to sign the deal. If anything changes then walk away and don’t sign. If you are careful and know what you are looking for, then you will find the best mortgage for your needs.

Sunday, 20 May 2012

Buy to let mortgages: long term investment on the concrete structure.

Buy to let mortgage market was worth £21.8 billion in 2004 and accounted to 38.2 % of commercial market in the same year. The buy to let market has grown more than any market as a whole – which is remarkable. Such a strong market spells nothing but benefit to mortgage hopeful.  Buy to let mortgage was a constructive effort by The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) to encourage growth in the private rented sector. 
Buy to let mortgage is a specialized product for a special mortgage product. However, there is little difference between this and other mortgage products.  If you understand the various details of buy to let mortgage, there is no way that you won’t be successful in your attempt. Every buy to let mortgage will undergo the usual mortgage guideline. The lender will check your credit worthiness, value of your property, the amount of down payment before he approves your buy to let mortgage.
Buy to let mortgage have emerged as an increasingly popular mortgage in last few years. They are marked lower interest rates and have added to their attraction.  Also rental income is more dependable form of income than other investment forms. The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) operates a buy to let scheme which is supported by a group of lenders. There are other buy to let mortgage lenders who operate outside the scheme and you don’t have to go through any ARLA agent.
A buy to let mortgage lender would ask for your rental details along with your income. There are some mortgage lenders who will allow you to add your rent to the salary, while other will base the buy to let mortgage entirely on the rent. Any previous mortgage will have a say in what you can borrow with buy to let mortgage. Different lenders will have different criteria which apply also for the amount you can borrow. The maximum that you can borrow will be anywhere between £150,000 to £1m per property. Buy to let mortgage can be taken on more than one property with maximum up to 5 properties. But more than one buy to let mortgage would not be possible on the same property. 
Buy to let mortgage lenders usually lend 85% of the property value. Buy to let mortgage entails down payment. The down payment varies from 15%-25%. The larger down payment you can avail the better deals. There is a little variation in the rates of buy to let mortgage and other mortgages. The rental income formula varies but usually rental income should be 130%-150% of total monthly repayments.
The interest rates offered for Buy to let mortgage are fixed, variable, capped, tracker, capped, discounted. According to the inclination of the borrower, any interest rate type can be applied for. Always ask for quotes and compare. This will enable you to sort out buy to let mortgage that corresponds with your expectations. Research is fundamental in every loan process including buy to let mortgage.
Buy to let mortgage is a secured loan which means that it is secured on your property. Late repayment will show in your credit report and inability to repay can lead to loss of property. Think before you apply for buy to let mortgage. First check affordability and then apply for buy to let mortgage. Since it is a long term investment, you have to be careful about making payments on time. Since you have rental income, it will enable you to payments during difficult circumstances. You can take deposit form tenants to make prevent making arrears. We good record with buy to let mortgage will open doors for more investment as buy to let. 
Before Buy to let make sure which property you are buying and whether it is compatible with the area. The neighbourhood should be such where there is considerable scope for letting it out. Plan out how much you are ready to pay for the property, keeping in mind expenses like down payment, stamp duty, evaluation fee, solicitor’s fee and other expenditure like remodeling to enable anticipated usage.     
A few years ago buy to let mortgage was something which would cost you higher interest rate, larger down payment and expect large penalty for changing mortgage. However, the buy to let orientation has changed considerably. Buy to let mortgage has considerably moulded itself to become more consumer friendly. In such a stable mortgage market, there is great scope for expansion.

How To Use A Flexible Mortgage

In today’s ever-changing world, people need more and more flexibility when it comes to borrowing and mortgages. With this in mind, more and more lenders are offering what they term as ‘flexible’ mortgages. However, the term ‘flexible’ can mean a lot of different things. If you are unsure about which mortgages are flexible and what the benefits of a flexible mortgage are, then this article might be helpful to you.
What does flexible mean?
Although there are a lot of mortgages that claim to be flexible, there are some things that define a truly flexible mortgage. There are four main characteristics you should look for when determining if a mortgage is flexible. These are:
· Being allowed to overpay
· Being allowed to underpay
· Being able to take payment holidays
· Interest is calculated daily

Overpayments
One of the best features of flexible mortgages is the ability to overpay. With traditional fixed repayment mortgages, there is no easy way for you to pay more than your fixed repayment each month. If you have a flexible mortgage, then you will have the ability to pay as much as you can each month. This means that during the good months you can speed up the process of paying your mortgage back. If you regularly overpay then you can save yourself thousands of pounds in interest payments.
Underpayments
Underpayments are another useful feature of flexible mortgages, but they should be used sparingly. If you are unable to make the repayment in a given month, then you can just pay as much as you can, effectively underpaying on your mortgage. Although this is good as it stops you from defaulting, there are penalties involved. The more you underpay, the longer the mortgage will last or the higher your repayments afterwards will be.
Payment holidays
Payment holidays are similar to underpayments, but they let you completely halt payment for a period of time. Although this might sound appealing, there are usually restrictions. Lenders will not let you take a payment holiday unless you have overpaid in the past, and after your holiday you will have to overpay again to get the repayments back on schedule. However, payment holidays are useful for people who are self employed or who want to take a break from work for personal reasons.
Other benefits
Another benefit of flexible mortgages is the ability to borrow back money from your mortgage. If you have overpaid in the past but are now in need of extra cash to fund home improvements or some other purchase, then you can borrow the money back that you have overpaid. Although you will be changing your mortgage terms again, getting a loan at the rate of your mortgage is the lowest personal loan rate you can possibly get.
If having flexibility and the chance to overpay and underpay is important to you, then you should definitely opt for a flexible mortgage.

Remortgage to Restart the Mortgage Cycle on Fresh Terms

Remortgage or refinance is a right that lenders of the yesteryear were afraid to offer to borrowers. In fact, remortgage was severely prohibited through clauses such as early repayment penalty. The logic was that by refinancing the borrowers were actually paying off the mortgage earlier. In this manner, the lenders lost a large amount in the form of interest.
Borrowers flinched at the early repayment penalty, but they continued with their demand to exercise the right to refinance. Loan providers accepted the fact that it will not be an easy task to continue binding the borrowers. Now the right is easily exercisable, except for a few loan providers who continue to include such outdated clauses in the mortgage contract.
Remortgage or refinance takes place when a borrower approaches a mortgage lender with a bargain to repay the existing mortgage. In exchange, the borrower takes up a new mortgage on fresh terms. The new mortgage may not necessarily benefit the borrower with cash. Different people will use remortgage option for different ends.
Cash will result particularly when the borrower has remortgaged to draw extra cash. In this form of remortgage, the borrower requests the loan provider to draw a new mortgage with the unpaid value of the existing mortgage and certain amount of cash. Since this method allows access to cash at a very low rate of interest, many people use this option, especially those who are cash short.
What others do is use remortgage as a debt consolidation option. Instead of drawing a part of the new mortgage as cash, people will include their debts into the existing mortgage. The new mortgage lender repays the debts along with the existing mortgage. Resources at the rate of mortgage when used for debt consolidation save several pounds of the borrower in terms of interest.
For people who are not lured by features like extra cash and debt consolidation, will find improvement in interest rate a good enough feature to take the dip, or go for remortgage. Taking a new mortgage on fresh terms means that a new interest rate regime will become functional. Mortgages taken years back will find the present interest rates very cheap. Remortgage will be viewed as a step to incorporate the present interest rates in the monthly repayments. Switching over to the new interest rates can bring down monthly repayments.
Search for alternative methods of repayment and other features that are missing in a traditional mortgage leads people to take up mortgages like interest only mortgage, pension mortgage, endowment mortgage, etc. The only drawback of an interest only mortgage is that a very large sum is required to be repaid at the end of the term. Instead of creating a repayment vehicle to repay the mortgage, it will be more beneficial to remortgage the existing mortgage, to give it a character similar to the traditional mortgages.
Mortgage refinancing or remortgage must be distinguished from a second mortgage. While there is a change of mortgage lender and mortgage terms in the case of refinance; second mortgage simply requires an inclusion of an extra debt in the existing mortgage. The mortgagor requests the existing mortgage holder to either offer cash or repay some debts. This sum is included in the existing mortgage and repaid through increased monthly instalments. Therefore, there is no change of mortgage lender and mortgage terms in case of second mortgage.
Remortgage helps to take advantage of the increase in equity in home. Loan providers welcome the boost in equity by offering a greater value of mortgage. Remortgage is also beneficial to people who have improved their credit status after taking the existing mortgage. As we all know, credit status has enough bearing on the terms at which mortgage is lent. A bad credit score at the time of taking mortgage will result in the borrower getting mortgage at expensive terms. Now, with an improvement in credit status, the borrower can demand a better term mortgage from another mortgage lender.
Remortgage is not without drawbacks. The most visible drawback is that repayment extends for another long period. The borrower needs to again spend on several fees like property valuation fees, legal fees, and administration and arrangement fees. This is excluding the early repayment penalty that some lenders will include for premature settlement of accounts.
The remortgage decision must be taken with sufficient prudence. There have been instances when borrowers have fallen trap to bad deal mortgages in order to escape an existing taxing mortgage. The key to a best deal mortgage is being informed. Independent financial advisors need to be consulted before taking the remortgage decision.

Saturday, 5 May 2012

Avoiding Mortgage Mistakes That Can Cost You Money

If you are planning to get a mortgage, then you should make sure that you avoid a number of common mistakes that will leave you paying too much money or getting into financial difficulties. If you are aware of potential mistakes you can make then you will be better equipped to get the best deal for your needs. Here are the most common mortgage mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not sorting out your finances

If you try and get a mortgage before you have sorted your finances out, you could find yourself getting a rough deal or even being rejected for a mortgage. If you are rejected for a mortgage it can harm your chances of getting one from elsewhere. Before looking at mortgages, get all of your finances in order and have all your paperwork ready to submit to mortgage lenders. Also, get hold of your credit report and make sure that all the information on it is correct. If there are mistakes on your credit report it could harm your chances of getting a good mortgage.

Looking for a house without pre-approval

Many people make the mistake of looking at property without having any idea whether they can secure a mortgage to pay for it. The most common mistake people mistake is confusing ‘pre-qualified’ with ‘pre-approved’. Pre-qualification is a very initial estimation of how much you can borrow, and there is no guarantees you will get this amount at the rate you want. Pre-approval means that you go through the credit checking process and the lender agrees in writing to give you a certain amount of money. Getting pre-approval gives you a budget and makes you much more attractive to sellers because you have the finance already in place.

Borrowing too much

Perhaps the biggest mistake people make is to borrow too much money. This can come about through a combination of not being honest with yourself and pressure from lenders. If you are not honest with yourself about how much you can afford then you will end up in financial difficulty. You shouldn’t be tempted by lenders who offer you overly generous mortgages because it is you who will pay the price if you cannot keep up with the repayments. Work out how much you can comfortably afford to pay each month and stick to this budget.

Not shopping around

It is quite easy to get hold of a mortgage, but if you want a good deal you have to shop around. If you find a good deal, you shouldn’t automatically think it is the best deal you can get. Many companies offer amazing deals that turn out to be a lot more expensive than initially advertised. Do your research and find out what someone with your credit rating should be paying on average for a mortgage. If you do this then you will end up with a much better price.

Paying for things you don’t need

With a lot of mortgages you will be offered extra items and pay extra fees that are simply unnecessary. Although they might seem a small amount here and there, they can soon add up and you could end up paying a lot more than you need to. Make sure that your mortgage agreement only includes the items that you need, and query the price of any fees you think are too expensive. If a company tries to charge you too much then walk away. Remember, there are always other providers for you. If you are careful and avoid common mortgage mistakes then you will get a great deal and remain financially stable.

Option ARM - The World's Most Dangerous Mortgage

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.

Monday, 30 April 2012

Has Your Adjustable Rate Mortgage Become a Gamble?

Three or four years ago, interest rates on home loans dropped to levels not seen since the 1960's.  Millions of Americans took advantage of the favorable rates, which bottomed out near 5% for fixed rate, 30-year loans.  For adjustable rate mortgages, they rates were even lower.  Many buyers passed on the opportunity to lock in at fixed rates and gambled on the lower payments afforded by adjustable rate loans in order to buy either larger or more expensive homes.  That worked out fine at the time, as the rates kept the monthly payments affordable.  Unfortunately, the sixteen increases in the Federal interest rates since 2004 are about to have a dramatic effect on those buyers, many of whom many find out that they can no longer afford to pay for the homes in which they live.

Many adjustable rate loans are set up in such a way that the interest rate is fixed for the first three years of the loan's repayment schedule.  After that, the interest rate adjusts regularly, based upon prevailing market rates.  For the millions of homeowners who gambled and took out these loans in 2003, the Big Adjustment is going to come soon, and it isn't going to be pretty.  As the rates adjust to current rates from the low rates of 2003, many homeowners are going to be shocked to see that their monthly payments rise by as much as 50%.  Some will be fine with that, having anticipated this increase for some time.  Others will suddenly find themselves unable to pay for a house that they have long thought they could afford.  This will undoubtedly lead to an increase in the foreclosure rate, which is already some 60% above the rate of last year.  In Michigan, the rate is up by 90% over last year, as hundreds of owners have walked away from their home loans.

What can you do if you have an adjustable rate loan that is about to become unaffordable and may yet become even more so?  Your best bet may be to refinance and take out a 15 or 30-year, fixed-rate loan.  The benefit of doing so is the security that comes with knowing that your payment will remain stable over a long period of time, no matter what happens to the interest rates in the marketplace.  If you cannot afford your loan now and refinancing with a fixed-rate loan will still leave the payments unaffordable, you may have no choice but to sell the property and move to something smaller and/or less expensive.  You will not be alone.

Flexible Mortgage Guide

In today’s ever-changing world, people need more and more flexibility when it comes to borrowing and mortgages. With this in mind, more and more lenders are offering what they term as ‘flexible’ mortgages. However, the term ‘flexible’ can mean a lot of different things. If you are unsure about which mortgages are flexible and what the benefits of a flexible mortgage are, then this article might be helpful to you.

What does flexible mean?

Although there are a lot of mortgages that claim to be flexible, there are some things that define a truly flexible mortgage. There are four main characteristics you should look for when determining if a mortgage is flexible. These are:

·    Being allowed to overpay
·    Being allowed to underpay
·    Being able to take payment holidays
·    Interest is calculated daily

Overpayments

One of the best features of flexible mortgages is the ability to overpay. With traditional fixed repayment mortgages, there is no easy way for you to pay more than your fixed repayment each month. If you have a flexible mortgage, then you will have the ability to pay as much as you can each month. This means that during the good months you can speed up the process of paying your mortgage back. If you regularly overpay then you can save yourself thousands of pounds in interest payments.

Underpayments

Underpayments are another useful feature of flexible mortgages, but they should be used sparingly. If you are unable to make the repayment in a given month, then you can just pay as much as you can, effectively underpaying on your mortgage. Although this is good as it stops you from defaulting, there are penalties involved. The more you underpay, the longer the mortgage will last or the higher your repayments afterwards will be.

Payment holidays

Payment holidays are similar to underpayments, but they let you completely halt payment for a period of time. Although this might sound appealing, there are usually restrictions. Lenders will not let you take a payment holiday unless you have overpaid in the past, and after your holiday you will have to overpay again to get the repayments back on schedule. However, payment holidays are useful for people who are self employed or who want to take a break from work for personal reasons.

Other benefits

Another benefit of flexible mortgages is the ability to borrow back money from your mortgage. If you have overpaid in the past but are now in need of extra cash to fund home improvements or some other purchase, then you can borrow the money back that you have overpaid. Although you will be changing your mortgage terms again, getting a loan at the rate of your mortgage is the lowest personal loan rate you can possibly get.

If having flexibility and the chance to overpay and underpay is important to you, then you should definitely opt for a flexible mortgage.

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Using A Comercial Mortgage For Your Business

Many people who invest in property or who own a business overlook the advantages of buying commercial premises. Although it is often cheaper in the short-term to rent property for business, there are a number of benefits to buying. If you are interested in commercial property, then this guide will tell you the best way to go about getting a commercial property mortgage.

What are the advantages of a commercial mortgage?

There are many benefits to buying commercial property using a commercial mortgage. Firstly, the commercial mortgage payment is likely to be the same as the cost of renting the property, and you have the added financial bonus that you will eventually own the property. Also, if you rent a property then you are subject to rent increases which can harm your business.

Commercial mortgages stop you from having your rent payments drastically increased and so give you peace of mind and stability. Also, the interest payments on a commercial mortgage are tax deductible, which may help you to reduce your overall tax burden each year. If you have a large amount of commercial property then any unused areas could be sub-let to other companies, although this usually requires the permission of the lender.

What are the disadvantages?

As with any type of loan there are also disadvantages to getting a commercial mortgage. Firstly, you will need to pay a large deposit as down payment on the property, which you may not be able to afford or is allocated for more important business items. If you are a business that anticipates rapid growth or the need for a change in location fairly frequently, then getting a commercial mortgage may not be right for you. It is much harder to relocate if you have to sell your property first, and if your business relies on quick relocation you could lose out. However, perhaps the biggest problem with owning commercial property is the responsibility involved. Unlike rental property you are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the building, which may end up costing you a lot of money should something go wrong.

What are the costs?

Commercial mortgages have higher rates of interest to residential mortgages, because the properties are usually of a higher value and the risk is greater. Although business success can be predicted, there is no guarantee a business will do well, and so the lender has to charge higher rates to account for this. Apart from this, the repayment methods and loan terms and fairly similar to residential mortgages. Most banks and mortgage lenders can offer commercial mortgages, but as with any loan it pays to shop around to find the best prices.

Who should get a commercial mortgage?

If you have a business and believe that you will remain in a location for a long period of time, then getting a commercial mortgage could be right for you. Leisure businesses such as restaurants and pubs are a good candidate for commercial property mortgages, as expansion usually requires additional units rather than moving premises. Also, you have the benefit of owning the property and perhaps benefiting from an increase in property prices.

Remortgage to Restart the Mortgage Cycle on Fresh Terms

Remortgage or refinance is a right that lenders of the yesteryear were afraid to offer to borrowers. In fact, remortgage was severely prohibited through clauses such as early repayment penalty. The logic was that by refinancing the borrowers were actually paying off the mortgage earlier. In this manner, the lenders lost a large amount in the form of interest.

Borrowers flinched at the early repayment penalty, but they continued with their demand to exercise the right to refinance. Loan providers accepted the fact that it will not be an easy task to continue binding the borrowers. Now the right is easily exercisable, except for a few loan providers who continue to include such outdated clauses in the mortgage contract.

Remortgage or refinance takes place when a borrower approaches a mortgage lender with a bargain to repay the existing mortgage. In exchange, the borrower takes up a new mortgage on fresh terms. The new mortgage may not necessarily benefit the borrower with cash. Different people will use remortgage option for different ends.

Cash will result particularly when the borrower has remortgaged to draw extra cash. In this form of remortgage, the borrower requests the loan provider to draw a new mortgage with the unpaid value of the existing mortgage and certain amount of cash. Since this method allows access to cash at a very low rate of interest, many people use this option, especially those who are cash short.

What others do is use remortgage as a debt consolidation option. Instead of drawing a part of the new mortgage as cash, people will include their debts into the existing mortgage. The new mortgage lender repays the debts along with the existing mortgage. Resources at the rate of mortgage when used for debt consolidation save several pounds of the borrower in terms of interest.

For people who are not lured by features like extra cash and debt consolidation, will find improvement in interest rate a good enough feature to take the dip, or go for remortgage. Taking a new mortgage on fresh terms means that a new interest rate regime will become functional. Mortgages taken years back will find the present interest rates very cheap. Remortgage will be viewed as a step to incorporate the present interest rates in the monthly repayments. Switching over to the new interest rates can bring down monthly repayments.

Search for alternative methods of repayment and other features that are missing in a traditional mortgage leads people to take up mortgages like interest only mortgage, pension mortgage, endowment mortgage, etc. The only drawback of an interest only mortgage is that a very large sum is required to be repaid at the end of the term. Instead of creating a repayment vehicle to repay the mortgage, it will be more beneficial to remortgage the existing mortgage, to give it a character similar to the traditional mortgages.

Mortgage refinancing or remortgage must be distinguished from a second mortgage. While there is a change of mortgage lender and mortgage terms in the case of refinance; second mortgage simply requires an inclusion of an extra debt in the existing mortgage. The mortgagor requests the existing mortgage holder to either offer cash or repay some debts. This sum is included in the existing mortgage and repaid through increased monthly instalments. Therefore, there is no change of mortgage lender and mortgage terms in case of second mortgage.

Remortgage helps to take advantage of the increase in equity in home. Loan providers welcome the boost in equity by offering a greater value of mortgage. Remortgage is also beneficial to people who have improved their credit status after taking the existing mortgage. As we all know, credit status has enough bearing on the terms at which mortgage is lent. A bad credit score at the time of taking mortgage will result in the borrower getting mortgage at expensive terms. Now, with an improvement in credit status, the borrower can demand a better term mortgage from another mortgage lender.

Remortgage is not without drawbacks. The most visible drawback is that repayment extends for another long period. The borrower needs to again spend on several fees like property valuation fees, legal fees, and administration and arrangement fees. This is excluding the early repayment penalty that some lenders will include for premature settlement of accounts.

The remortgage decision must be taken with sufficient prudence. There have been instances when borrowers have fallen trap to bad deal mortgages in order to escape an existing taxing mortgage. The key to a best deal mortgage is being informed. Independent financial advisors need to be consulted before taking the remortgage decision.