2007-09-23

Real Estate Financing - Tips For New Or Not-So-New Home Buyers

by Helen Hecker
This year alone, Americans are expected to borrow about $1.33 trillion in acquiring 7.4 million houses, condominiums and co-ops. Real estate financing has its secrets and you'll gradually learn them by continuing to research everything you can find online and offline about home mortgages, mortgage loans, commercial mortgages or investment mortgages, current interest rates and get quotes when you can too. Before you apply for any real estate financing, if you have a lot of bad credit because of consumer debt for credit cards or personal loans, you'll want to try to eliminate or reduce this debt. It may affect your ability to qualify for a home mortgage and make the estimated monthly payment.

An adjustable rate mortgage may be a good choice if the market is good or appears to be good for a few years, because on the average, most people move or refinance within seven years. But interest rates can go up if a rosy picture is painted that the economy is flourishing - like more jobs being available. This can lead to inflation, which will send the interest rates up. Finding the best loan program for your needs depends on a number of factors, including: how long you think you'll stay in the home, how much money you have to put down, how you'll finance the closing costs.

When financing real estate it's important to know that a low FICO credit score does not always mean you won't qualify for a home loan or home mortgage. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages offer consistent monthly payments for all of the 30 years you have the mortgage and if the market is good, you can benefit from locking in a lower rate for the full term of the loan. If you're having a problem getting a home mortgage and the seller still owes money on the home, you can check with your lender and see if you can get a wraparound mortgage. Although it's not legal in all states, it will allow you to pay the monthly payment on the existing mortgage and an additional payment to pay the difference, but make sure that a wraparound mortgage will not trigger a due-on-sale clause.

An adjustable-rate mortgage (called ARM) means that the interest rate changes over the life of the loan, according to terms that are specified ahead of time. If you're having a problem getting a loan or home mortgage why not consider a lease-option on a property. A lease-option on the real property will allow you to set a good purchase price now, and then apply a portion of the rent each month toward your down payment, building up equity in the process.

Borrowers can submit information to the lender about income, assets and equity to determine how much a down payment should be, which is usually processed through an automated underwriting system.

And keep in mind that adjustable rate mortgages are best for homeowners who aren't planning on staying with a property for a long time. A fixed-rate mortgage means the interest rate and principal payments remain the same for the life of the loan but the taxes will probably change. People usually are not aware that they may be able to customize their loans. Just ask the mortgage broker or lender if this is possible. Although lenders advertise 15-year loans and 30-year fixed rate mortgages, applicants can ask for 20 years, 25 years or any other number of years that may be more suitable. This may allow borrowers to build up equity faster but keep their monthly payments affordable.

The 30-year loan could be your best choice if you're looking for a long-term stable loan, for instance, if you're planning to stay in your house for a long time. Some lenders may impose limits on how much of your down payment can come from money borrowed from other sources. The disadvantages of a fixed-rate mortgage compared to an adjustable rate mortgage include a possibly higher cost. These loans are almost always priced higher than an adjustable-rate mortgage.

A range of mortgage options are available. Some home loans require little money down. And if you're on a fixed income, an adjustable rate mortgage, especially a short-term ARM, may not be your best choice.

Also keep in mind that low credit scores do not mean you cannot buy a home or other real property. Continue to explore the options and you'll come up with the best real estate financing. And thinking positive about real estate financing is important but so is being realistic. Make sure you can make the mortgage payments for a reasonable length of time to build up plenty of equity, so if you do get sick or lose your job you can easily sell your house or any other real property before you get into a foreclosure situation; try to plan ahead.
http://www.Real-Estate-Financing-Tips.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this article. This could really help the newbies in Home Loans. I'll share with you an article, "What Comprises Your Credit Score", basically it's related to your post, since you mentioned credit score. Feel free to check it out. Anyways, great post! :)