Financial Utopia – Help with credit cards, debt savings and loans.

When it comes to financing your home, you have a few options to take into consideration. It can be confusing and you may not know the difference between the options or know which one is right for you. Lets take a look at the three most popular mortgage loan options.

Fixed mortgage loans

Fixed mortgage rate loans are the most popular type of home loan. With this type of loan you will know upfront what your monthly payment will be for the life of your loan.

The 30 year fixed rate loan is probably the most common loan selected by home buyers because the loan is spread over a longer span of time which reduces the monthly payment required each month. However, it increases the amount you have to pay over time due to interest as opposed to a shorter term loan.

The 15 year fixed rate loan allows you to pay off your home if fifteen years and is a popular choice for home buyers that can afford a higher monthly payment. You will only pay half the interest you would otherwise pay with a 30 year loan.

Biweekly loans are usually tied in with a 30 year fixed rate loan. Payments are made every two weeks instead of monthly. This lowers the amount of interest you have to pay and means your home will be paid off a few years sooner.

Adjustable rate loans

The adjustable rate mortgage can be tricky for those that dont understand how it works or are on a tight budget. The amount you pay each month depends on the current interest rate. Therefore it is possible your payments will increase as time goes on.

Convertible loans

This type of loan allows you to switch from a fixed rate loan to an adjustable loan or vice versa. This gives you flexibility in the years ahead to switch your loan type to get the lowest interest rates and lowest house payments.

Interest only loan

If you work on commission or receive a big bonus each year as part of your salary, you may be interested in an interest only loan. With this type of loan, you just make the interest payments each month until you get your bonus, and then you make a lump sum payment on your mortgage.

Balloon loan

A balloon loan is a fixed rate loan that has small monthly payments which span around seven years. Then at the end of seven years you must pay off the loan in a lump sum payment or refinance the loan.

Reverse mortgage

A reverse mortgage is for those with a lot of equity built up in their home. The loan requires no mouthy payment, however the loan needs to be paid off if you sell your house.

FHA mortgage

This type of mortgage loan is a good match for first time home buyers and those with little money for a down payment. FHA loans require a smaller down payment than conventional loans and the monthly payments are also less.

Veterans loan

Veterans loans are only for those who have served in the armed forces and their survivors. No down payment is required for this type of loan.

You can see there are quite a few choices to mull over. The best idea is to consult with your realtor, financial advisor, or other professional to help guide you through the types of loans available and how to choose the one best for you.

There are two types of mortgages, fixed rate mortgages and floating rate mortgages. As is obvious from their names, the fixed rate mortgages are ones where the monthly mortgage payment amount remains the same for the entire life of the mortgage i.e. till the end of mortgage term; whereas floating rate mortgages float/ change throughout the life of the home mortgage loan. The mortgage interest rate on the fixed rate mortgage loan is fixed at the start of Connecticut home mortgage loan term. Whereas, the mortgage rate on a floating rate mortgage is dependent on a pre-decided financial index. This predecided financial index factor is on economic, financial, political and many other factors).

So, which type of mortgage is better?

Well, the opinion seems divided and is mainly based on the preferences of the individual who is getting the home mortgage loan. However, the general recommendation is that you should go for a floating rate mortgage loan if you plan to live in the home for a shorter duration. For long durations, you will need to make a decision on how low the current fixed mortgage rate is and whether its low enough to be beneficial for locking-in for a long period.

Owning a home is a matter of great pride; and in todays world, owning a home has been made really easy through mortgages. However, when you buy an home through the home mortgage route, you dont actually get the total (100%) ownership of the home till you have paid your mortgage completely.

As you make your monthly mortgage payments, your ownership level increases and when you pay back your entire mortgage loan (which might happen 20-30 years after you start your mortgage), you then become 100% the owner. So, mortgages are long term investments where the home is the asset that you create over a long period of time. But that does not mean that you are blocking all your money in the making of an asset that matures over very long term. If you need money during the tenure of your mortgage loan e.g. for home improvements, you can actually make use of your investment (your ownership in the house) in order to get the cash you need. This happens in the form of an home equity loan.

Getting a good mortgage deal is one thing and bettering that mortgage deal is another thing. In simple words, Mortgage refinancing means ending your current mortgage to get into another mortgage for the same property.

Of course, you would go for mortgage refinancing only if the current mortgage interest rates are lower than the mortgage interest rates that you are paying on your mortgage which you took a few years back. However, that doesnt mean that you go for mortgage refinancing every time you find that the mortgage interest rates have gone down a bit. There are costs involved with mortgage refinancing and these costs make mortgage refinancing unfeasible unless the mortgage rates have gone down significantly.

Various mortgage industry analysts suggest different figures for the gap (between current mortgage rates and the rates on your existing mortgage) that would make mortgage refinancing a practical option.

A mortgage can be regarded as a type of loan which is guaranteed by the property purchased by an individual. A typical mortgage deal is based on the opportunity of the lender (the party providing the money for a home purchase) to sell the house in case the debtor is unable to pay off his mortgage loan. Basically, a mortgage can be viewed as a housing loan, which is probably the fastest way to buy a house nowadays.

Different financial institutions can act as mortgage lenders. Shopping for a home mortgage loan you should consider the following options on your way:
-banks
-building societies
-home mortgage companies
-credit unions
-state pension unions
-housing societies
-insurance companies

Also there are a number of certified mortgage lenders which are called private mortgage lenders. Its quite obvious that there are many different sources for initiating a mortgage loan. Quite a lot of mortgage lending companies have established strong presence online. Many mortgage lenders succeed in their business arranging online mortgage deals because such an approach is fast, efficient and well secured.

There exist different types of mortgage loans on the contemporary market. Different mortgage packages are offered by different mortgage lending institutions. And quite often, terms and conditions differ a lot.

Obtaining a mortgage loan the buyer should choose between either a fixed mortgage rate or variable mortgage rate and some other hybrid mortgage solutions combining the features of the two principal mortgage types. A particular mortgage loan affects regular mortgage payments, loan interest rate and overall mortgage costs. A good mortgage company provides customers with many different options in order to give people the flexibility they need. Before deciding in favor of a particular mortgage lender one should carefully review all mortgage opportunities, study available mortgage plans and packages in order to make the right decision. A casual approach to choosing a mortgage loan can result in a great loss of funds due to high mortgage payments and unexpected raise of the mortgage rates.

There are quite a lot of costs and fees associated with a mortgage deal. Costs can vary from lender to lender and many of them are negotiable. The most common mortgage fees are an appraisal fee, mortgage insurance fee, application fee, early repayment and a number of others. Let an experienced lawyer or mortgage broker handle your mortgage deal that will help a lot.

Tiberias Financial Group, Inc. http://www.TiberiasMortgage.com is an example of a typical player on the contemporary mortgage market since it offers a wide variety of services and mortgage related opportunities. Whether you’re buying a home, refinancing, or looking for a home equity loan or home equity line of credit you will be serviced by professionals and get what you want.

Adjustable Rate Mortgages: This Home Mortgage Loan May Not Be For The Weak At Heart

I heard the news about another interest rate hike and thought it was about time to look into refinancing my mortgage. I contacted my mortgage company first.

“I am interested in a fixed mortgage rate.” I said.

“May I ask why that is?” The broker asked politely.

“I don’t want to deal with the risk of rising interest rates. At my age, I cannot afford the risk.

“Looking at your last ten years of history, you have done pretty well with the adjustable rate. In fact, you had paid less in interest than most people with a fixed loan. May I suggest that we look at some adjustable rates, which are even less than the rate youre paying and with caps you dont have to worry about the interest rate hikes. I think we can save you a few hundred dollars off your monthly payment.”

At this point the broker took a breather so that I can say, “No thank you. I am only interested in a fixed rate mortgages.” “I don’t understand. Are you not interested in saving money?” He asked before launching into a lecture that had a mix of economy 101, budgeting 1, a dash of fortune telling and a healthy and totally unrealistic optimism of future trend in interest rates.

When he was done I explained to him that I recall the 18%-19% interest on mortgage loans in the early 1980’s that he seemed too young to remember. I pointed out that on a $100,000 loan, the 18% interest is $1,500 per month on the mortgage interest alone. If you have a $200,000 loan the interest alone would be a back-breaking payment of $3,000 per month.

I knew he thought I am out of my mind thinking about an 18% mortgage interest rate in todays environment. At the end we ended the phone conversation without any resolution. The gap in understanding wasnt about fixed rate mortgages vs adjustable rate mortgages (ARM). The gap was in age, experience, expectation, hopes and fears; a gap too wide to bridge.

To understand this gap, lets look at the adjustable rate mortgages. This type of mortgage loan is usually lower than the fixed rate and the lower rate means lower payment that in turn means easier qualification.

When lenders are considering your mortgage loan application, they look at what percentage of your income is available for repaying their loan. With an income of $5,000 per month, a $2,000 loan payment is 40% of your income and a $1,000 payment is 20% of your income. The closer you get to $1,000 or 20% of your income, the easier it is to qualify for the loan. This easier qualification appeals to younger people who are just starting and those with income limitation.

Adjustable mortgage rates appeal to young people with an innate optimism, hopes of increased income and the high possibility of moving to a different home in a short period of time. They need to look at what they can afford to pay and cannot worry too much about the distant future. To them anything is better than renting which is absolute waste of money.

There are also those older individuals who have suffered from some set back in life and do not enjoy a high credit score or do not have a very high income. Since a poor credit score increases the interest rate a bank offers to potential borrowers, a fixed rate may be too high for these individuals to consider.

Lets take a look at some terms that help you understand ARM better.

Margin – This is the lender’s markup and where they make their profits. The margin is added to the index rate to determine your total interest rate.

ARM Indexes – These are benchmarks that lenders use to determine how much the mortgage should be adjusted. The more stable the index is the more stable your adjustable loan remains. Consider both the index and the margin when you are shopping around.

Adjustment Period – Refers to the holding period in which your interest rate will not change. You will come across ARM figures like 5-1 that means your mortgage interest remains the same for five years and then it will adjust every year.

Interest Rate Caps – This is the maximum interest a lender can charge you.

Periodic caps – The lenders may limit how much they can increase your loan within an adjustment period. Not all ARMs have periodic rate caps.

Overall caps- Mortgage lenders may also limit how much the interest rate can increase over the life of the loan. Overall caps have been required by law since 1987. Payment Caps – The maximum amount your monthly payment can increase at each adjustment.

Negative Amortization – In most cases a portion of your payment goes toward paying down the principal and reducing your total debt. But when the payment is not enough to even cover the interest due, the unpaid amount is added back to the loan and your total mortgage loan obligation is increased. In short, if this continues you may owe more than you started with.

Negative amortization is the possible downside of the payment cap that keeps monthly payments from covering the cost of interest.

As you compare lenders, loans and rates remember Henry Moore who said, “What’s important is finding out what works for you.”