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

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A home is the one purchase that everyone usually hopes to make by midlife. The problem is of all the things you can buy in life it is also one of the largest commitments you can make. Many people who do embark upon purchasing their own home realize quickly however that credit can be a major factor. But can bad credit stop you from purchasing a home? The answer is no.

There are a number of lenders out there who will step up to the plate when it comes to loaning you the money to buy a home. Searching for those lenders can be difficult since they are not usually out there on the open market but with a little bit of patience and time they can be found. The internet has made this a lot easier then it use to be and there are a lot more companies who take the time to do these types of loans so just be patient.

The first step to obtaining one of these loans, called high risk loans, is to find the right company for you. There are many companies on the internet that will screen your information first and then call you if they can find a lender who is willing. One good internet company for finding high risk home loans is The Lending Tree. The Lending Tree takes your information and then farms it out to banks and loan companies to see who will be the right fit for your home loan. They will then contact you back by phone or e-mail and set you up with the right loan service. Many of the companies who offer this type of service work in this way.

So if your credit is bad, dont fear you can still qualify to buy that home of your dreams.

Buying Mortgage Leads: Tips for Internet Mortgage Loan & Refinance Leads

Small mortgage companies must determine the most cost-effective way to market their services. There are different options to acquire mortgage leads. The options are direct source leads, internet leads from their own web site, newspaper advertising, and third party online leads or mortgage brokers.

Mortgage lenders may receive leads directly from Internet companies such as Lending Tree or mortgage companies who bundle and sell leads, such as leadpoint.com. Lending Tree markets their internet leads directly to mortgage institutions that must compete with 4 or 5 other mortgage institutions for the mortgage loans. Lending tree advertises that they represent 9 out of the top 10 financial institutions.

Leadingplanet.com sells their Internet leads to mortgage brokers. They advertise that they provide thousands of mortgage professionals with fresh leads each month and their primary goal is to provide cost effective leads that will increase borrower fundings. According to Claudio Perida, “leads are the blood to our loans. In order for me to be consistent and productive, I need a reliable source of mortgage leads.”

Internet mortgage sites offer to sell bundles of mortgages by type to brokers or financial institutions directly. The loans are bundled into groups of 25 by type, purchase leads; refinance leads, debt consolidation leads, second mortgage leads, home equity leads, etc. One site listed 18 different type leads.

The cost of a bundle of 25 mortgage leads varied from $125 – $150. A single bundle at the lower price would cost $3,125 and all 18 bundles would run $56,250.
The same leads can be sold over and over again. The broker buying the leads must find a company willing to close on the mortgage.

Some lending institutions have set up web site to market leads directly. This is significant as more and more borrowers are turning to the Internet in their search for lenders. In order to get the most bang for their advertising buck, small companies must carefully research all of the options available and chose the one most suited for their needs.

3 Essential Mortgage Refinance Secrets You’ll Need To Pick The Right Home Loan

Although lowering your monthly mortgage payment is always attractive, don’t let a slightly lower mortgage rate fool you. If you’re not careful when thinking about a mortgage refinance, you could cost yourself more in expenses than what you save in monthly payments — and not even know it. (Even with so-called “no cost” mortgage loans.) Refinancing a home loan has more to it than appears on the surface. Be sure to consult with a mortgage professional before getting yourself into something you can’t reverse.

Mistake #1: Waiting for lower interest rates.

Mortgage rates are notoriously unpredictable. No one can speculate on mortgage rates with enough accuracy to win every time. If rates are attractive, consider refinancing. If you do it right, and rates go down again later, you can always refinance again. If trates go down substantially before you finalize the loan, you can always change mortgage brokers. If rates go up, you’ll be glad you locked that initial rate in!

Mistake #2: Not shopping around enough with local mortgage bankers/brokers.

E-loan, Lending Tree, and other online mortgage shopping sites are great, but be careful! They are national mortgage shopping sites. That might sound nice because you get mortgage lenders from across the nation competing for your business, but be careful – any lender other than a mortgage lender who is familiar with lending in your home-state will not be familiar with local practices, and that could cost you in many ways. It might not only cost you that lower interest rate, but depending on your other circumstances, it could actually cause you miss that window of opportunity.

Mistake #3: Not looking at the whole picture.

If you have been paying your mortgage for several years, the amount saved every month by refinancing might not save as much as you think. In fact, it usually costs far more than people think! In other words, if you are 10 years into your mortgage loan, refinancing your mortgage would make you start over on the repayment of that debt. Obviously, it might be great to save some money after refinancing your home loan, but once you refinance the loan you’ve been paying on for 10 years, you’ll be paying off that loan for an additional 10 years! That could really hurt. Sure, it may seem great that you’re lowering your $1200 monthly payment by $100, but when you factor in the extra 120 payments of $1100 that you’ll have after refinancing, you’ll find that your “$100 monthly savings” will actually cost an extra $108,000 over the life of the loan! ($1100 times 360 payments over 30 years is $108,000 more than $1200 times 240 months.)

Be sure to get a “good faith estimate” and “Truth in Lending statement” from your mortgage broker before jumping into a new loan that could cost thousands of dollars (if not hundreds of thousands) over the life of your new loan. Get your mortgage broker to explain not only what your monthly payment will be, but also what your new loan balance will be compared to your old loan, what the new interest rate is, and how many years you will be adding to your repayment schedule if you do refinance.