Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Are You Ready for a Home Mortgage Loan?


Buying a Home and committing to a Mortgage can be very scary! A home mortgage loan is the largest debt that most Americans will take on in their lifetime. As such, making the decision to take out a mortgage is not one that most first time homebuyers take lightly. Not only will your monthly mortgage payments probably be the largest bill that you face each month, but the total amount of debt realized with a home mortgage loan can have a staggering, and sobering effect on the first time home buyer.

I can remember the months leading up to my decision to fill out a mortgage application. I had nightmares about loosing my job, not being able to keep up with my payments and finding myself homeless. And those were on the good nights when I was able to sleep at all!

Committing to a Home Mortgage Doesn't Have To Cost You Your Sleep Get the Best Rate on Your Home Mortgage Loan

Home mortgage interest rates hit record lows in 2004 and have remained at record lows as we go through 2005. It is possible today to get a thirty-year fixed rate home mortgage loan for under five percent, and an adjustable rate mortgage can be found for under four percent if you look hard enough!

However, record low mortgage rates do not mean that you should take the first mortgage offer made to you, even if it sounds low. On the contrary, it means that shopping around for the best mortgage possible may be even more beneficial then during a high market period.

If you solicit mortgage rate quotes from enough lenders and pay attention to economic news, you might be able to secure a home mortgage loan at an interest rate that you will not see offered again in your lifetime.

Solicit Several Mortgage Rate Quotes

In order to get the best deal on anything in America, it is important to shop around. Securing a home mortgage loan is no exception to the rule. If you are the type of consumer who likes to walk into the first store that you see and buy what you need without comparing your options, then you might also be inclined to accept the first home mortgage loan offered to you . Doing so would be a big mistake. In order to get the best possible home mortgage loan you will need to "shop" and compare lenders. Having a substantial down payment on the home that you wish to purchase and applying for a smaller home mortgage loan is another way to increase your chances of getting mortgage approval. Again, this goes back to the risk involved to the lender for financing your loan.

Many mortgage lenders will require that you have a 20% down payment on the home, and then they will grant mortgage loan approval for the remaining 80% of the purchase cost. This helps to offset the lender risk. In the event that you are unable to keep up with monthly mortgage payments and you default on the loan, the lender will have a better chance of recovering his money through foreclosing on and selling the home if the loan is a smaller percentage of the market value of the home.

Therefore, if you can save 30% or more towards a down payment on your home, you will be lowering the risk to the lender and increasing your chances of getting mortgage approval.

You May Have To Accept a Higher Interest Rate on Your Mortgage Loan If you wish to secure a mortgage despite your bad credit history, and you do not have a sizeable down payment saved up, you may have to agree to a mortgage at a higher interest rate than that which is being offered to low risk borrowers. This is because the lender will want to be compensated for his increased risk level. This should not necessarily prevent you from taking the loan, though. If you secure the mortgage and are diligent about making timely payments, after paying on it for awhile you will improve your credit history. Then you can refinance the mortgage at a later date with a better rate offer.

Michael Contaro
http://www.atozonline.com

For more articles by Michael Contaro, you can go to http://www.atozonline.com

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Washington Times

The Truth About Mortgage Refinancing Revealed By Connecticut ...
SBWire (press release), WI - 18 hours ago
Westport, Connecticut based Mortgage Broker Don Caiati reveals mortgage refinancing secrets at a new web site that is full of free reports, a home buying ...
Refinancing suddenly booms Honolulu Advertiser
Lenders Backlogged By Refinancing Rush Washington Post
Low Mortgage Rates Bring Refinancing Boom MSNBC
Forbes - Modesto Bee
all 23 news articles


Baltimore Sun

Average Mortgage Rate Hits 5%, Lowest in Decades
New York Times, United States - 10 hours ago
Of course, buying a home is a more lengthy process than simply calling up a mortgage broker to refinance, and activity typically slows during the holiday ...
Long-Term Mortgage Rate Falls Again Wall Street Journal
Banks' mortgage rates fall below 5% Boston Globe
Homeowners with good credit scores are poised to capitalize on ... Baltimore Sun
Scripps News - MediaSyndicate (press release)
all 60 news articles


WJBF-TV

US Banks Offer Mortgages Below 5% After Fed Action
Bloomberg - 19 hours ago
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of applications to purchase a home or refinance a loan dropped to 1143.8 for the week ending Jan. ...
Mortgage rates fall to record low again Forbes
Freddie Mac: Benchmark mortgage rate continues to new low MarketWatch
Bold government action can solve housing crisis North Texas e-News
American Banker - Connecticut Post
all 601 news articles


Cardoza proposal could aid housing crisis
Stockton Record, CA - 3 hours ago
Under the Cardoza plan, the payment on that mortgage refinanced to 4 percent fixed rate would drop to $1194 a month. Contact reporter Bruce Spence at (209) ...


REFILE-UPDATE 1-US mortgage demand dipped before Fed move-MBA
Reuters - Jan 7, 2009
The jump in applications during December may have been driven by homeowners already "on the fence" and prepared to refinance on a drop in mortgage rates, ...
Mortgage applications down in latest survey Forbes
Week-to-week mortgage applications down 8.2% MarketWatch
Fewer apply for home loans; credit line delinquencies increase Los Angeles Times
KVOA.com - Kansas City Star
all 63 news articles


Boston Globe

Fed’s Rosengren Calls for ‘Concerted’ Fiscal, Monetary Policies
Bloomberg - 5 hours ago
... to purchase or refinance homes,” Rosengren said. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped for a 10th week to 5.01 percent yesterday, ...
Rosengren sees path to recovery Boston Globe
Fed's Rosengren says recession more severe than thought Reuters
all 51 news articles


AFP

Congressional Press Release on Mortgage Deal
Wall Street Journal - 10 hours ago
"Despite efforts by Congress to address this issue, not enough lenders have come to the table to help borrowers with bad mortgages refinance into new, ...
Citigroup reaches agreement with key senators on mortgage ... Minneapolis Star Tribune
Citigroup agrees to allow judges to help modify some mortgages IdahoStatesman.com
all 556 news articles


TopNews

Question & Answer on mortgage refinancing
Boston Herald, United States - Jan 1, 2009
If I refinance the mortgage on my current house, will I hurt my chances for getting a loan for a new place later on? A: No. Refinancing a loan shouldn’t ...
MORTGAGES: 30-year Mortgage Rate Falls For Ninth Straight Week To ... CNNMoney.com
Mortgage Rates Hit 37-Year Low Poynter.org
Home-Mortgage Rates' Next Stop: Below 5% Wall Street Journal
Ventura County Star - Wall Street Journal
all 457 news articles


Refinancing shoots through the roof
Plano Star Courier, TX - 16 hours ago
“Quite a few people have remortgaged,” said Craig Jarrell, loan officer with Pulaski Mortgage. “Most people who refinance are new homeowners as recent as ...


Mortgage refinancing skyrockets
Cincinnati.com, OH - Jan 3, 2009
... 2009 With US mortgage rates the lowest in 30 years, local lenders say they've seen a strong surge in loan applications as homeowners seek to refinance ...
Waco banks seeing a boom in mortgage refinance applications Waco Tribune Herald
Borrowers seeking to refinance may face challenges WTOP
As mortgage rates slide, refinancing applications take off Dallas Morning News
all 15 news articles

mortgage refinance - Google News

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