Aug 6, 2014 | Home Mortgage Tips
Homeowners who are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments can make it easier on themselves by cutting costs in other areas. Learning how to budget effectively will likely enable homeowners to pay their mortgage payments on-time, every time. Here are five of the best budget tips:
Conserve Energy
It is advisable to be mindful of energy use in order to keep utility bills down to a minimum. Lights, televisions and other devices requiring electrical power are best to leave off in unoccupied rooms. It is also a good idea to make sure that windows and doors are properly sealed so that energy is not wasted.
Stay Committed to Couponing
All too often, coupons that arrive in newspapers or through emails are quickly discarded. Collecting coupons from various sources can give homeowners the chance to save big on groceries, entertainment and other everyday purchases. Some of the savviest consumers have been known to spend practically nothing on their purchases by simply staying committed to the art of couponing.
Watch Credit Card Usage
Having a credit card often creates a false sense of financial security. Many card holders are tempted to charge their credit cards up to their limits only to be burdened with high interest rates and inflated minimum payments. Credit cards are best to use only in times of emergencies.
Consider Alternative Transportation Methods
Fuel costs, auto repairs and other expenses associated with driving a vehicle on a frequent basis can make it much harder for homeowners to stay on top of their mortgage payments. People who have access to adequate public transportation may be able to significantly reduce their commute costs. Car sharing services give people the opportunity to use a car on an as-needed basis and often prove to be a smarter alternative to owning a vehicle.
Keep Expense Records
It can also be easier to set money aside for mortgage payments if expenses are carefully monitored with a detailed eye. It is best to closely scrutinize receipts, bank statements and other financial documents for any discrepancies. Keeping track of expenses on a spreadsheet so that all financial information is clearly displayed may be another practical idea.
Smart budgeting practices can help homeowners save the extra money they need to pay their monthly mortgage payments before each due date passes.
Jul 30, 2014 | Home Mortgage Tips
Most people don’t know whether or not a single missed mortgage payment can have serious consequences for their credit score.
The good news is that there are things that can be done to mitigate the damage and help anyone who has missed a payment repair their credit. What are some options to help homeowners get back in the good graces of their creditors?
Own Up To The Mistake
The best thing to do is to admit that the payment was missed and immediately make amends for it. For the most part, mortgage lenders are sympathetic to the fact that people miss payments for reasons that may be beyond their control.
By calling the lender as soon as it appears that a payment may be late or not forthcoming at all, it is easier to make arrangements to roll that payment back into the mortgage or take other steps to decrease the odds of a negative remark being made on a credit report.
Don’t Let A Single Missed Payment Turn Into Multiple Missed Payments
While a single missed payment can hurt a credit score, it is important to not compound the mistake by missing more payments. In some cases, someone may decide to make up for the late payment before making any further payments.
However, that only makes the mistake worse because a borrower will be considered late on all subsequent payments. It is better to make the most current payment on time and make the late payment the secondary priority.
Hire A Third-Party If Necessary To Negotiate A Loan Modification
It is important to not let emotion get in the way of negotiating a modification to a mortgage. When a borrower hires a credit counselor or a bankruptcy attorney to talk his or her creditors, the negotiations can stay professional and on topic.
In most cases, a lender will be willing to make modifications for those who need them because it is better to get the money from the borrower willingly instead of having to go through a foreclosure proceeding.
While a missed mortgage payment can be bad news for a credit score, it is possible to make amends for the missed payment while minimizing long-term damage to a borrower’s credit score. By owning the mistake, staying current on all future payments and working with a third-party, it may be possible for a lender to forget that the missed payment ever happened.
Jul 25, 2014 | Home Mortgage Tips
If you are nearing retirement, a reverse mortgage might be right for you. This type of mortgage essentially allows you to turn your home equity into cash. If you find yourself with little money, a reverse mortgage could be the perfect solution, and here’s why.
No Worries About Monthly Payments
After taking on a mortgage, there are many costs that you have to worry about. One of these problems is mortgage insurance premiums. Add interest and fees from lender service providers to the mix, and you’ve got yourself many costs.
All of these fees can create tremendous headaches, as a large chunk of the loan amount goes into covering these costs.
When you undertake a reverse mortgage, you don’t have to worry about any of that. The loan is paid back with home equity, not ongoing cash flow, so monthly payments aren’t a worry.
Your Income Won’t Affect Your Eligibility, And The Income You’ll Get Won’t Create Problems
If the reason you’re hoping to get a reverse mortgage is your low income, the last thing you want is that income to be the deciding factor. With this type of loan, it’s not an issue. That’s because the thing that determines eligibility is your house’s value.
In fact, the income you’ll be getting from this loan is not taxable, which means you’ll be able to keep it in full. Plus, any benefits you get from Medicare will not be affected, and neither will your Social Security.
As such, what you’ll be getting is a loan that doesn’t take into account your current income. Rather, it adds on to it, without creating any issues for you. Plus, you’ll be able to get the money in several different ways, which means you’re in control.
Lastly, the money you get is fully yours. That means that you can use it for anything you want, whether that means you’ll be paying off other loans, or simply funding your day-to-day needs.
You Won’t Be Taken Away From Your Home
Your house is yours because it feels that way. It’s the place in which you’ve invested money and effort. It’s also the place where many loved memories were created, and where they’ll keep on being created.
One of the hardest things for the elderly is being removed from their loved homes and placed into care. They have to leave the place they’ve grown to love. Worse than that, they’re thrown into a world they don’t know.
With a reverse mortgage, this doesn’t need to happen. With this type of loan, you get additional income, and you get to stay in your own house.
Not only that, but you’re also keeping the title to that place until you move, pass away, or reach the end of the loan’s term. Your home will stay yours, both effectively and in the documents.
There are many more reasons why a reverse mortgage is a great idea. However, the fact that you’re in complete control of the income you’ll be getting is one of the most important things.
If you’d like to learn more about reverse mortgages, be sure to contact your mortgage professional.
Jul 22, 2014 | Home Mortgage Tips
Are you shopping for a home or a new mortgage? If you are interested in finding the best possible financial product, it is important to consider the benefits of selecting a Qualified Mortgage. With so many different types of loan products to choose from and financial terms to learn, schooling yourself on the mortgage market before you buy your first home or apply for your first refinance mortgage may seem like a daunting task.
Luckily, there are resources that are designed to help you learn the basics of products and terms so that all consumers have the power to inform themselves before securing a loan.
What is a Qualified Mortgage?
There are many different categories of home loans that individual loan products can fall into and one of these categories is simply referred to as a Qualified Mortgage. Qualified Mortgages, also referred to as the QM in the industry, is a product that has been approved as a qualified product because it has stable features that benefit you as a borrower.
All lenders who are interested in offering a Qualified Mortgage must make a good-faith effort to assess your income and your debt-to-income ratio to ensure that you are able to repay the loan before you take the loan out. All lenders must meet a long list of certain requirements that are free of harmful features that could affect a borrower’s ability to pay.
Common Requirements of Qualified Mortgages
The main purpose of a qualified mortgage is to protect borrowers from forms of predatory lending. The standards that the loan must meet are set by the Federal government. In addition to assessing the borrower’s ability to pay before approving an application, lenders must meet loan product requirements that are very specific in nature. Some of the harmful features that a QM product is not permitted to have include:
– Negative Amortization: This feature affects consumers by allowing principal to increase over time.
– Interest-only Periods: Where payments are only applied to interest on the money borrowed.
– Balloon payment requirement: A requirement where borrowers must pay a large payment at the end of the loan term.
– Long Terms: Loans cannot have terms longer than 30 years.
– A Large Debt-to-Income Ratio: There is a limit in how much income that can go to monthly debt payments. This limit is 43% for a QM.
How Can a QM Benefit a New Home Buyer?
As you can see, there are safeguards built into a Qualified Mortgage that are designed to protect you from entering into a long-term binding loan contract that puts you in an unfair position. There are also legal protections that are designed to protect lenders who are committed to designing qualified mortgage products. You can sign a loan that you can afford to repay, have payments applied to your principal as well as interest, and become a homeowner without unnecessary stress.
