Friday, June 27, 2008

Home Equity Credit

Home equity credit is a method of borrowing money for the purpose of getting another loan or mortgage. A home equity is the difference of the market value of your property minus your outstanding mortgage balance. The method of borrowing money using your home is termed as home equity credit. Typically, this mortgage is being paid off over a number of years, often 15 or 30 years.

Home equity credit is considered as home equity loan as well, wherein one party will grant second party a money or loan. Second party will not reimburse the first party immediately, thereby, generating a debt, but dealing on an arrangement either to pay or return the said amount in a given time. Home equity credit or loans offer important tax savings due to the fact that the interest paid on an equity loan is tax deductible.

There are two types of home equity loan or credit. First type is what we know, the traditional loan or mortgage. In this loan, lenders lends out a lump sum amount of money that needs to be paid over a certain period that you agreed of. The second type is what we know as HELOC. Borrower will be provided by lender a credit card or checks that he/she will use to consume his/her line of credit. Interest for traditional credit will start accruing immediately after the lump sum was released, but for the HELOC, interest do not begin accruing until a purchase is made against the equity.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Free Money Saving Auto and Home Loan Tips

Free Auto Loan Tips

The following tips should help increase your chances of getting a car loan at a better rate.

Tip #1 - If you just started a job (recently graduated from college) then wait 6 months to apply for your car loan.

Tip #2 - If you have currently have bad credit then repair it before applying for an auto loan.

Tip #3 - If you've recently moved then wait until you have lived at your new address for 6 months before applying for a loan.

Tips #4 - If you have had a previous auto loan or home mortgage on your credit report then your chances for a new loan improve greatly.

Tip #5 - Try and pay off all of your credit card balances or at least lower them. You may want to consider finding the best debt consolidation loans to erase all of your credit card bills. The bottom line is don't keep a high debt load or credit card balances.

Tip #6 - You must have a stable job or occupation.

Tip #7 - Other examples of credit extended to you should appear on your credit report. Verify this with a quick and easy online credit report. Also avoid charge off's on your credit report.

Tip #8 - If you've filed bankruptcy before then you should wait 3-4 years before trying to get an auto loan.

Free Home Loan Tips

Tip #1 - Make Bi-Monthly Payments: Instead of paying your mortgage with one monthly payment switch to paying half of your loan payment every 2 weeks. The savings comes from the 26 half payments you make which add up to 13 monthly payments versus the regular 12 payments you would normally make in a year. The end result is you save a large sum of money on the interest owed and you'll own your home a lot sooner!

Tip #2 - Choose a 15 year mortgage instead of a 30 year mortgage: You'll end up with a higher monthly payment but in the long run you also save tens of thousands of dollars in interest charges, especially if you shop for the best home loans you can afford.

Tip #3 - Mortgage Refinancing: Currently this is the most popular trend. You refinance your mortgage if you can get a rate that is at least one percentage point lower than your existing mortgage rate and plan to keep the new mortgage for several years or more.

Tip #4 - Buy down the rate: The seller or builder, or through innovative pricing, can help you buy down your mortgage rate for one, two, or three years.

Tip #5 - Consider an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM): If you think you will be in your house for less then 5 years then perhaps you should consider an ARM. An adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) starts with a considerably lower interest rate, but then adjusts every year. This type of loan moves a little bit of the risk away from the lender, and the lender rewards you with a lower rate. Usually these mortgages are capped to rise not more than two percent in any year, and not more than five or six percent for the life of the loan for your protection.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Home Loan Rate - How Do Closing Costs Affect Home Mortgage Rates?

First time home buyers or borrowers are often rather unpleasantly surprised at the time of closing or just prior when the good faith estimate of closing costs is received. These closing costs can sometime add a significant cost to the dollar amount that the borrower is expected to provide to clear the escrow account at the time of closing or shortly thereafter. The home loan rate is not directly tied to each of the closing costs, but indirectly, you will pay the closing costs. You should make sure you realize and understand each of these costs and how they impact your total cost of the loan.

Definitions

'Closing costs' is just one of the definitions that you should understand when considering obtaining a home loan. The 'home loan rate' is another. Closing costs are expenses related to the obtaining of the loan, such as document preparation, title search, appraisals, and various other expenses. These costs are typically listed as part of the closing process on the loan. The closing of the mortgage at the title company or with the loan officer will spell out each of these costs and who is responsible for payment of the cost at closing.

Title search

One of the responsibilities that must be met is a search by a title company of court records to insure that the ownership or title to the home in question is clear. They will be looking at sales and deed records to determine that the sellers actually have the legal authority to sell the property. There is a fee charged by the title company to conduct this search. The clear title means that the title company can guarantee the title is correct and that you will have a clear title to the property in question after closing. The title company actually provides a type of insurance, known as title insurance. The cost of the title insurance is one of the closing costs built into the home mortgage rates.

Origination fees

Another factor in the home loan rate is that of origination fees. These are costs associated with the work the lender or broker does in opening an application file and working to collect and pass on all the necessary documentation required to complete the loan according to the contract. These fees can be sizable or modest, depending upon the broker, but in most cases are negotiable also that fact is not commonly known.

Points

The borrower may be required to pay 'points' as part of the loan fees. There are two types of points that you may be asked to cover. Origination points are the fees you pay your broker or lender to secure the loan while discount points are essentially interest that you prepay in order to manage the best interest rates on your loan. Both types of points are usually paid at the home of closing. Payment of the discount points can significantly lower your home mortgage rates meaning thousands of dollars less in cost over the life of the loan.