2007-06-23

Top Five Homeowners Insurance Questions and Answers

by Brian Stevens
Got homeowners insurance questions? Here are the top five homeowners insurance questions complete with answers
What does homeowners insurance cover?
Homeowners insurance protects your home and your personal possessions from damage due to fire, lightning, burglary, vandalism, and acts of nature. It also protects you against liability lawsuits if someone is hurt in your home and they sue you.
How much insurance do I need?
You need enough homeowners insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding your home if it's destroyed, to replace your personal possessions if they're damaged, and to protect you from liability lawsuits.
To assess how much home coverage you need, get the square-foot building costs in your area from a builder or a realtor, then multiply that figure by your home's square footage. For coverage for your personal possessions, take an inventory on everything you own and use the total value. And for liability insurance, figure enough coverage to protect your assets in the event you're sued.
What about flood and earthquake insurance?
Most standard homeowners policies do not provide flood or earthquake coverage. If you live in a flood or earthquake zone you'll need to get additional insurance.
Where can I get cheap homeowners insurance?
Insurance premiums can vary by hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year from one company to another, so the best way to get cheap homeowners insurance is to comparison shop.
There are now websites that let you compare rates between various insurance companies. All you do is fill out a simple questionnaire, wait for your insurance quotes, then choose the cheapest one.
The better comparison sites even have a chat feature that let's you talk with an insurance professional online so you can get answers to all your insurance questions. (See link below.)
How do I find a good insurance company?
Most states maintain a department of insurance website that provides a host of consumer information, including claims that have been filed against insurance companies. If your state doesn't list consumer information, you can go to California's website (insurance.ca.gov) to get it.
J.D. Power & Associates rates homeowners insurance companies based on input from customers who own insurance policies with those companies. These ratings give you a good idea of how an insurance company treats its customers and how it pays its claims.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/homeowners-insurance.html or click on the following link to get homeowners insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more answers to your homeowners insurance questions in their Articles section.

2007-06-22

Choosing the Right Home Mortgage Refinance Loan

By Louie Latour
If you are considering a home mortgage refinance loan, it is important to choose the right type of loan for your financial situation. Choosing the wrong home mortgage refinance loan could result in overpaying thousands of dollars or even losing your home. Here are several tips to help you determine which type of home mortgage refinance loan is right for you.
Home Mortgage Refinance Loan: Fixed Interest Rates
Mortgage with fixed interest rates are the traditional mortgage your parents had when they purchased a home. Fixed means the interest rate does not change for the duration of your mortgage. If you need minimal risk and a monthly payment amount you can plan your budget around, a fixed rate home mortgage refinance loan could be right for you.
Home Mortgage Refinance Loan: Adjustable Interest Rates
Adjustable rate mortgages usually come with a low introductory interest rate; however, this interest rate is not fixed. Your lender will periodically adjust the interest rate and your payment amounts to the financial index your loan is tied to. This rate adjustment usually occurs annually; however, the exact timeframe for adjustments can be found in your loan contract. Adjustable Rate Mortgages are best suited for homeowners that know what they are getting into and have a high tolerance for financial risk.
Home Mortgage Refinance Loan: Jumbo Mortgage Loans
The 2007 limit for traditional mortgage loans, also called the “conforming loan limit” is $417,000. If your home mortgage refinance loan needs to be greater than this you will need a jumbo mortgage loan. Because these loans come from non-traditional mortgage lenders you can expect to pay a higher interest rate for the financing. If you currently have a jumbo loan and owe less than $417,000, you should refinance as soon as possible as you will qualify for traditional financing.
You can learn more about your home mortgage refinance loan options, including costly mistakes to avoid by registering for a free mortgage tutorial

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Best Home Refinance Mortgage Rates Online

By FrankW Ellis

Best Home Refinance Mortgage Rates Online Maybe you're thinking of refinancing to free up some needed cash? Maybe you want to refinance to get a lower interest rate? Whatever the reason, some of the best home mortgage refinance rates can be found online.
Home mortgage refinancing is a great way of pulling money out of your home when you need it. You may even be able to do a refinance mortgage without raising your monthly payment. If you've been paying down your mortgage, then you may be able to get extra cash out of your home!
Or maybe you have an adjustable rate mortgage that is due to reset to a higher rate. Or maybe today's interest rates are lower than when you first took out your mortgage

Finding a lower interest rate could lower your monthly payment or shorten the length of your loan. Getting a refinance mortgage loan with a fixed rate would also protect you against rising interest rates in a changing mortgage market. This is really important if you plan to keep your home for a long time.
Whatever your reasons for refinancing, you can find some of the best home refinance mortgage rates when you search online
When you apply for a loan online, you can expect to find lenders eager to compete to give you their best loan deal possible. With just one easy online application you can have several refinance loan offers to choose from. Yes, searching online for the best home refinance rates can be a very smart choice!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

2007-06-20

Home loans for improvement

by Anirban Bhattacharya
Home improvement loans can allow you make improvement in your existing home. Today, home loans for improvement are widely well-known in the US, especially in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, where increasing facilities offered by the state governments are luring more and more people opt for these states for long term living. If you have an existing home, now is the right time to go for a home loan in Florida, Georgia, or Alabama. A brief search over the Internet for Florida home loan, Georgia Home loan or Alabama home loan will return you plenty of lenders offering home loans in Florida, Alabama and Georgia.
Your home improvement plan may vary largely, and so may your loan requirement. Following are the types of home loans are available for home improvement:
Second mortgage loan- second mortgage loan is offered against equity of the home. Basically an additional mortgage to your home, you can get up to 80 percent of the appraised value of your home in case of a second mortgage home loan for improvement. However, be prepared to pay the fees that are normally associated with a mortgage, i.e., closing costs, title insurance and processing fees.
Refinancing loan - You can take a new mortgage (refinancing) on your existing home to pay off the old existing debts. For this, you need to have equity in your home, a solid credit rating, and an overall steady income. Moreover, you will have to incur all the closing costs that go along with getting a new mortgage.
Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) - HELOC is like a second mortgage because it will allow you to get up to about 80 percent of the appraised value of your home.
Unsecured Loans- this is a simpler version than other home loans for improvement as you can often get an unsecured home loan for improvement with lesser mortgage. However, interest rates charged on unsecured loans are higher and as a borrower, you cannot get tax deduction for interest paid on unsecured loans.
An appreciable aspect of home loan for improvement is that by opting for it, you can significantly increase the equity in your home not only by improving the quality or size of your existing home but also by increasing its value...a reason why a lot of individuals are opting for this type of home loan.
http://www.goarticles.com

Home loans for improvement

by Anirban Bhattacharya
Home improvement loans can allow you make improvement in your existing home. Today, home loans for improvement are widely well-known in the US, especially in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, where increasing facilities offered by the state governments are luring more and more people opt for these states for long term living. If you have an existing home, now is the right time to go for a home loan in Florida, Georgia, or Alabama. A brief search over the Internet for Florida home loan, Georgia Home loan or Alabama home loan will return you plenty of lenders offering home loans in Florida, Alabama and Georgia.
Your home improvement plan may vary largely, and so may your loan requirement. Following are the types of home loans are available for home improvement:
Second mortgage loan- second mortgage loan is offered against equity of the home. Basically an additional mortgage to your home, you can get up to 80 percent of the appraised value of your home in case of a second mortgage home loan for improvement. However, be prepared to pay the fees that are normally associated with a mortgage, i.e., closing costs, title insurance and processing fees.
Refinancing loan - You can take a new mortgage (refinancing) on your existing home to pay off the old existing debts. For this, you need to have equity in your home, a solid credit rating, and an overall steady income. Moreover, you will have to incur all the closing costs that go along with getting a new mortgage.
Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) - HELOC is like a second mortgage because it will allow you to get up to about 80 percent of the appraised value of your home.
Unsecured Loans- this is a simpler version than other home loans for improvement as you can often get an unsecured home loan for improvement with lesser mortgage. However, interest rates charged on unsecured loans are higher and as a borrower, you cannot get tax deduction for interest paid on unsecured loans.
An appreciable aspect of home loan for improvement is that by opting for it, you can significantly increase the equity in your home not only by improving the quality or size of your existing home but also by increasing its value...a reason why a lot of individuals are opting for this type of home loan.
http://www.goarticles.com

2007-06-19

Bad Credit Home Financing - Buy a House Even With Poor Credit

By Carrie Reeder
Sub prime lenders come in two groups: reasonable and unreasonable. Reasonable sub prime lenders offer mortgage financing to high risk borrowers with slightly increased rates and fees. Unreasonable sub prime lenders charge several extra points and excessively high fees. Only through comparative shopping can you know if a particular lender is offering reasonable or unreasonable rates.
Compare Rates
Comparing rates is easy through online lender websites. By entering basic information, you can quickly receive quotes from several mortgage lenders. These quotes will give you a rough idea of who offers the most competitive packages. Be sure to add in fees and extra points when you are considering the cost of the loan.
Real Quotes
Real mortgage quotes require more information than just the loan amount and your income level. You will also need to provide information about your home’s location, your down payment, and other personal information.
After you have compared general quotes, you can request specific quotes from a handful of mortgage lenders. Online mortgage applications allow you to do this from the convenience of your home where you can easily find your financial and personal records.
Applying Online
Once you have received a quote from a mortgage lender, you can quickly finish the application process. Some lenders will require additional information online, but most lenders will simply mail out the final paperwork for your approval. After the forms are signed and notarized, you send it back to the lender for final processing.
Refinance Later
A subprime loan does not have to be permanent. Mortgage lenders look at the last three years of your credit history when considering your application. So after making regular payments on your mortgage and all your other bills, you can consider refinancing for a lower interest rate. Other ways to improve your credit rating include paying off credit cards and increasing your cash reserves.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carrie_Reeder

2007-06-15

A New Choice for Home Financing: Correspondent Lenders

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

When you begin your search for a new home loan, one of the first things to consider is where you'll get the money. Your basic choices will be mortgage brokers and banks.
Your first instinct may be to go with your local bank, who you know from doing business with them for other things, such as your checking and saving accounts. But you've probably also heard that mortgage brokers can get you a better interest rate, since they deal with hundreds of lending sources. It can be confusing, but there’s a third source of funding that combines the best of both--the correspondent lender.
In order to understand the differences, let’s look at how the lending process works in each case. Mortgage bankers are given rate sheets by their institutions, telling them what interest rates they can quote to their clients on any given day. There’s only so much a bank can do, with regard to interest rates, because it needs to remain profitable in order to stay in business.
Mortgage brokers have an advantage in that regard. They're not loaning their own money, and are free to "shop your loan around," looking for the best terms from various lending sources. They make their money by getting loans at discount prices and then marking them up, making money on the difference. Since they have many sources to choose from, they can often find loans at lower rates than most banks.
The third alternative, correspondent lenders, combines the best features from both groups. Correspondent lenders are similar to mortgage bankers in that they make the lending decision and fund the loan with their own money or credit line. However, as soon as a loan has closed, it’s sold to another lender at a previously negotiated price. It’s the best of both worlds for you as a borrower. You'll be dealing with the banker who is funding your loan, yet that banker is able to shop your mortgage around, which can obtain you a lower interest rate.
Correspondent lenders can sometimes be difficult to find, since they're generally smaller institutions, operating on a regional basis, and it can be hard to tell whether a lender is a broker or a banker, based solely on the company’s name. One way to find out is by visiting the lender’s website, if they have one. You'll normally find a button you can click that will bring up a page containing a detailed description of the company. If the lender doesn't have a website, you may find their phone number in the Yellow Pages.
Although they may not always be easy to locate, with a little digging, you may find that a correspondent lender offers an attractive alternative to a banker or mortgage broker when it comes to shopping for your next home loan.
Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher All rights reserved

http://www.recredithelp.com

Second Mortgage / Home Equity vs. Refinance

By Benjamin Ehinger

Why should you take out a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit instead of refinancing?
Well,………You Shouldn’t!!
Why Not?
1. Second Mortgages usually have an interest rant that is twice or even three times as high as your first mortgage rate. You can refinance instead and keep a very low rate. In the long run a second mortgage will just cost you money in interest charges.2. Home equity lines of credit are designed for mortgage account executives (salespeople) to sell you on using it like a credit card attached to your home. They will try to convince you to use it over and over again.3. A refinance loan is better for the equity in your home. Very few companies will refinance your home at 100% of it’s value without forcing you to take out a second mortgage. You don’t want to use 100% of your equity because that means you no longer have that equity to fall back on in emergency situations.4. Second Mortgages and Home Equity lines of credit are designed to provide account executives (salespeople) with another tool to sway you into putting another commission in their pocket.5. Your equity is a precious thing and should not be used for unnecessary add ons or impulse buys. If you don’t need it and there is even a slight chance you can’t afford it, then don’t get a second mortgage to buy it.
The only reason that I would ever recommend a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit is in an emergency situation. Only when there is no other option and you must take out a loan would I recommend either one of these options.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Refinance Home Debts

By Dave Faulkner
It can be difficult for anybody to get out of debt, debt can be a vicious circle and near impossible to get out of! Many home owners simply pay the minimum amount of their monthly repayments, which make it very difficult to actually rid yourself from debt.
The minimum payments don’t contribute much at all to your original loan, all they really do is cover any interest payments that you have to cover. Making only minimum payments will not help you to pay off your debts.
If you consolidate your debts into one package which is included in your mortgage, this will help you to take much more control over your debts. There are too many tips that are concerned with refining loans to mention here, however we will look at some of the most popular ones.
Refinancing your mortgage is a simple idea, all you are doing is taking out a new loan which should pay off your existing loan. If you are interested in refinancing your loan in order to consolidate your other debts all you need to do is borrow more money than you owe at the moment, and then using this money to pay off your other debts. This basically combines all of your debts into one nice and easy to handle package. This hopefully helps you to reduce interest payments on your debts.
There are downsides to mortgaging more of the property than you currently owe. When you take the cash out of your mortgage you are actually borrowing against your home, the loan is actually secured against your home. If the prices of houses in your area actually start to fall, then you could end up owing more money than your home is actually worth which is known as negative equity.
There are also other costs that you must bear in mind when you are considering taking out a mortgage refinance loan. These extra costs include things like application fees, lender fees, and any closing costs. If you are a high risk then you will be unable to get a lower interest rate, and so you will pay more in charges. Ideally you want to do this if you can get a lower interest rate for all of your debts.
If you are confused about refinancing your home mortgage, then you should defiantly look on the internet. There are plenty of sites on the internet that will offer you plenty of advice.
Mortgage refinance doesn’t have to be difficult or confusing, the most important tip is to take your time when refinancing your mortgage. Make sure you try to learn as much as you can about mortgage refinance before actually deciding which one to go for
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Your Guide To UK Home Insurance

By David Faulkner

Home owner insurance is and essential form of protection for every homeowner around the world, regardless of where they happen to live. Some countries’ insurance provisions are far stronger than others though. The UK home insurance standard is higher than most and provides individuals with great property protection from the moment the home building and contents insurance UK policies come into force. There are some key pieces of information that you need to know before you take out a UK home insurance policy though.
In this day and age, high street lenders and banks have to diversify in order to keep profit margins high and ensure that they retain customers year after year. As a result, both banks and specialist insurance companies routinely provide UK home insurance. Banks that provide UK home insurance actually sell it as their own product but have specialist insurance companies behind the cover so that your bank based home owner insurance policy is just as good as those offered by said companies.
Unlike some other countries that require you to undergo a credit check before they approve your home owner insurance application, UK home insurance and finance regulations state that this is not necessary to obtain a basic home insurance policy in the UK. The Financial Services Authority, the regulating body of UK home insurance, has stated that treating customers fairly is a must for all financial institutions and that discriminating on the basis of credit history is unfair. Everyone should have the right to basic protection and therefore home building and contents insurance UK companies only take the actual address into consideration.
An address can reveal so much about the house. It is actually run through a database packed full of information about every location in the UK. The database can reveal the housing band, type of area, surrounding environmental elements and so on. Your quote is then based on that information as well as any other questions that you may be asked.
UK home insurance providers do not usually insure properties outside of the UK as a matter of principle. They cannot control factors outside of their own company and would have no way of monitoring and verifying claims. If you are purchasing property in the UK but currently reside abroad then it is possible to set up home owner insurance to commence on your arrival in your new home though. However, this does require special provisions that an insurance company can discuss further with you.
UK home insurance is a lot more comprehensive and simpler in nature than a lot of other countries’ insurance. The system and its regulating body have been designed specifically to benefit the consumer as well as make a profit. The claims process is generally simpler too so there can be no excuse for not protecting your property there!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Refinancing My Home For Free

By David Faulkner

A zero cost refinance mortgage is actually a loan where the loan broker, or company organizing the loan will pay all of the closing costs on the borrowers behalf. This type of loan is brilliant for anybody that needs to refinance their home loan without having to pay lots of money upfront.
The zero mortgage cost loans can vary quite a lot depending upon the person that is offering the loan. Almost every home loan has physical fees that must be paid, who pays these fees is decided in the agreement under the particulars.
A few mortgage lenders aren’t prepared to pay for the closing costs, and expect you the borrower to pay for them. Even if this is the case, homeowners can still benefit from a no cost refinance. The fees for arranging the refinance can be incorporated in the loan. Although you will have to pay the fees eventually you will be required it does mean you don’t have to pay as much up front.
Including the refinancing fees within the mortgage means that you have to pay little, or nothing up front. You must realize that you will be paying interest for this, so it’s not free.
Benefits of using a zero closing cost refinance home mortgage loan. These types of loan are preferred by people that have little cash flow, these will help people to maintain the most cash flow.
The normal closing costs are around 3-5% of the loan amount, which can be very expensive. You really can save a fortune by looking for no cost refinance home loans. If the mortgage broker or lender is willing to pay the arrangement fees, the borrower still has to pay other fees that may be incurred. These include things like escrow fees, and fees to pay for the appraisal of your home.
Anybody looking to take out a refinance loan should work out these costs in advance, this makes it possible to put enough money aside to meet the expense. It’s only a problem if it’s an unexpected expense.
So far it looks as if a no cost refinance home loan is perfect, however it’s not. There are a number of things that could be seen as disadvantages of a no cost refinance home loan.
Loans
that have zero closing costs cost a lot more in the long run than conventional home refinance loans. This is because the lender has to make up the extra money that they are giving you somewhere. Nothing is free! You have to realize that the only reason someone would want such a loan is to improve their cash flow.
Borrowers using no closing cost loans will have a higher monthly payment as a result of higher interest rates.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Refinance Home Loans

By Dave Faulkner
Before you look at refinancing your home loan you should ask yourself a few questions, we have looked at a few of these below:
1. Work out exactly how much it will cost you to refinance your loan. Remember these aren’t just the direct costs associated with refinancing your loans, you will also have to pay for the insurance. There are many different refinance calculators on the internet that you can use to work out exactly how much your refinancing will cost you, you can then decide whether or not it’s worth it.
2. There are a number of reasons to refinance your loan, one of the most popular is to get better loan terms. You should be able to get a shorter term for example, you may be able to pay your mortgage off within 15 years, as opposed to your current 30 year loan for example. Refinancing doesn’t always save you that much money, however if you are doing it to get better terms it can defiantly be worth doing.
3. You should include all of the loans closing costs in your figures when working out the costs of the loan. You should remember that if you do not pay the closing costs upfront you will have to pay the interest on the value of these closing costs over time. Make sure you remember to include this interest in your loan calculations.
4. You should find out whether you will need your home equity line of credit to use in the future. There are great benefits of having an available home equity line of credit which is available for you to use in the future. If you don’t have any savings, then it is quite important to keep as much money available in your home equity for emergencies. If you refinance 100% of your home, and need money for anything else, then there’s nothing else you can do.
When you look into refinancing your home it’s important to ask these questions, otherwise you can run into many problems. It’s important to understand that you should keep enough money in your home in case you ever needed it in the future. If you maximize the amount of money that you borrow against your home, then it means you may be unable to borrow more.
Ideally, you should only borrow as much money as you need. Hopefully by refinancing your home loan, you will be able to get yourself out of numerous debt problems that you may be suffering from.
Remember to look hard for any of the hidden costs as well, don’t forget that if you do not pay the closing costs up front then you will be required to borrow the extra money and so you’ll have to pay the insurance on this amount

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/