by: Charlie Essmeier
With the growing interest in real estate purchasing and speculation, more and more lenders are offering “nontraditional” types of mortgages. These include adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) of every shape and size, the more popular interest-only mortgage, and the very dangerous Option ARM mortgage, which can cause the amount you owe to actually increase as time passes. One rapidly growing sector of the lending market is the so-called “subprime” market, which caters to consumers with poor credit records. The subprime market is a profitable one, as lenders offer loans to consumers whose poor payment history targets them as risky clients. Yes, they are risky clients, but the lenders charge fees and interest rates that are high enough to offset the additional risk. People who are interested in purchasing a home should be careful, however, as many people who should qualify for traditional loans are being pushed into higher-priced subprime loans instead.
The subprime market is quite a lucrative one for lenders, who are able to charge higher fees and interest rates due to the increased risk posed by clients with substandard credit histories. A subprime borrower might pay an interest rate that is several percentage points higher than that of a traditional loan, and the fees may include several additional “points” as administrative fees. A point is one percent of the loan amount. This can add several thousand dollars to the closing costs and tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of the loan over the life of the typical 30-year mortgage.
While it is understood that customers with poor credit histories represent a higher risk to the lender, potential borrowers need to make sure that they aren’t classified as “subprime” by their prospective lenders. Studies show that up to 15% of subprime borrowers have credit scores that should have entitled them to loans at lower, more traditional interest rates. What this means for potential borrowers is that you should shop around for the best price on a loan and not accept it as fact when a lender tells you that you don’t qualify for the traditional rates. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating several lenders who have increased their profits tremendously by steering borrowers who should have qualified for low-interest loans into higher-interest subprime loans, claiming that they didn’t qualify for the lower rate.
How can you avoid such problems? Obtain a copy of your credit report. You can obtain one, with your credit score, from any of the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, or Trans Union. As a rule, lenders offer subprime rates to customers who have credit scores below 620. If your score is higher than that, you should be able to qualify for a better interest rate. If not, you can either accept the higher rates from lenders, or take time to improve your score by paying off some bills in a timely manner.
About The Author
Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including http://www.homeequityhelp.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity lending.
equity@homeequityhelp.net
Refinance Mortgage Loan – Tips on Refinancing Your Home Mortgage
by: Carrie Reeder
Refinancing your home mortgage can come with some great perks. If you do it with no money out of pocket, you can skip one to three mortgage payments. You can save money on your payment or pay off your entire mortgage faster when you have better terms. Here are a few things to pay attention to when you refinance your mortgage loan, to make sure that you don’t overlook anything that you might regret, or that can cause you problems later:
1. Apply for a pre-approval to many different lenders to make sure you are getting the lowest rate possible. When you do this, make sure that with the initial pre-approval application, the lender is not pulling your credit history. You will want to reserve your credit pull for the lender that you are most likely to work with. You can decide that after you have gone through the preliminary pre-approval process with a few lenders. Each time your credit is pulled, it docks your credit score just a little. If you have too many inquiries, it could keep you from refinancing your mortgage loan with the lowest rate possible. When you pre-apply for home mortgage loans online, most lenders or mortgage service companies will not initially pull your credit. Check for information about this on their website. They will usually tell you whether or not they are going to pull your credit. Also, if on the application you do not give them your social security number, they cannot pull your credit. If, on the application, they ask you to describe your credit, they are probably not pulling your credit.
2. Make sure that your original mortgage does not have a pre-payment penalty or early payoff penalty of any kind. Sometimes people will get into their mortgage with the mortgage having a pre-payment penalty and they will not even know about it. Pre-payment penalties usually range from 6 months to 3 years with a penalty for an early payoff. The penalty is usually about the amount of 6 months worth of your mortgage loan interest, but this varies. You would have to be able to have some significant payment and interest savings on your refinance loan to justify refinancing a mortgage loan with a pre-payment penalty.
3. When evaluating different lender offers, in the mortgage loan pre-approval process, pay closest attention to the interest rates they are offering & the closing costs. These are the two biggest factors that will help you figure out which lender is right for you. If one of these two factors is too high, it could offset the benefit of refinancing for you.
4. Get your interest rate and closing costs in writing as soon as you decide on a lender to work with. Get your lender to give you a commitment in advance of all of the costs that will be involved with your loan. Find out if the refinance loan you are getting has a pre-payment penalty as well. Sometimes lenders will leave out important information like this, if they think it might scare you away from refinancing with them.
To view a list of highly recommended refinance mortgage lenders, most of which will not pull your credit in the initial application, visit this page: www.abcloanguide.com/refinance.shtml.
About The Author
Carrie Reeder is the owner of http://www.abcloanguide.com. ABC Loan Guide is an informational loan website with informative articles, the latest finance news and lists of recommended mortgage lenders.
carrie@abcloanguide.com
Refinancing your home mortgage can come with some great perks. If you do it with no money out of pocket, you can skip one to three mortgage payments. You can save money on your payment or pay off your entire mortgage faster when you have better terms. Here are a few things to pay attention to when you refinance your mortgage loan, to make sure that you don’t overlook anything that you might regret, or that can cause you problems later:
1. Apply for a pre-approval to many different lenders to make sure you are getting the lowest rate possible. When you do this, make sure that with the initial pre-approval application, the lender is not pulling your credit history. You will want to reserve your credit pull for the lender that you are most likely to work with. You can decide that after you have gone through the preliminary pre-approval process with a few lenders. Each time your credit is pulled, it docks your credit score just a little. If you have too many inquiries, it could keep you from refinancing your mortgage loan with the lowest rate possible. When you pre-apply for home mortgage loans online, most lenders or mortgage service companies will not initially pull your credit. Check for information about this on their website. They will usually tell you whether or not they are going to pull your credit. Also, if on the application you do not give them your social security number, they cannot pull your credit. If, on the application, they ask you to describe your credit, they are probably not pulling your credit.
2. Make sure that your original mortgage does not have a pre-payment penalty or early payoff penalty of any kind. Sometimes people will get into their mortgage with the mortgage having a pre-payment penalty and they will not even know about it. Pre-payment penalties usually range from 6 months to 3 years with a penalty for an early payoff. The penalty is usually about the amount of 6 months worth of your mortgage loan interest, but this varies. You would have to be able to have some significant payment and interest savings on your refinance loan to justify refinancing a mortgage loan with a pre-payment penalty.
3. When evaluating different lender offers, in the mortgage loan pre-approval process, pay closest attention to the interest rates they are offering & the closing costs. These are the two biggest factors that will help you figure out which lender is right for you. If one of these two factors is too high, it could offset the benefit of refinancing for you.
4. Get your interest rate and closing costs in writing as soon as you decide on a lender to work with. Get your lender to give you a commitment in advance of all of the costs that will be involved with your loan. Find out if the refinance loan you are getting has a pre-payment penalty as well. Sometimes lenders will leave out important information like this, if they think it might scare you away from refinancing with them.
To view a list of highly recommended refinance mortgage lenders, most of which will not pull your credit in the initial application, visit this page: www.abcloanguide.com/refinance.shtml.
About The Author
Carrie Reeder is the owner of http://www.abcloanguide.com. ABC Loan Guide is an informational loan website with informative articles, the latest finance news and lists of recommended mortgage lenders.
carrie@abcloanguide.com
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