Tag: debt

DISPELLING REFINANCING MYTHS

“Refinancing” is a scary word for many people, but that shouldn’t be the case for you. For many homeowners, refinancing can not only lower your monthly payments and help with your monthly budget, but it can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

YOU’RE NOT TOO LATE

For years now, we’ve been hearing that interest rates will be on the rise, and although there have been some small increases, you’re still in a great position to drastically lower your interest rate.

REFINANCING IS NOT JUST ABOUT LOWER MORTGAGE RATES

If you have consumer debt, such as auto loans, student loans or credit cards that are at high rates, then consolidating your debt into one low rate makes perfect sense. The idea is to wind up with one low monthly payment that is less than all the combined monthly payments you currently have. And you can have all the costs built into the loan so you have no out of pocket expense.

IT’S NOT TOO TIME CONSUMING

Don’t brush off refinancing just because it seems like a long and daunting process. An informational call with someone like myself to do a quick analysis takes just a few minutes. And besides, isn’t the amount of money you could save worth the time and effort?

ARMS CAN BE REFINANCED, TOO

Seeing your Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) increase after the introductory period can be incredibly stressful and place a squeeze on your budget. Many people assume they’re stuck, but ARMs can be refinanced, just like fixed-rate mortgages. You can even switch to a shorter term fixed-rate mortgage, such as 15 or 23 years. The longer you’re planning to stay in the home, the more sense it makes to look into refinancing.

Debt-to-Income Ratio –It’s Just as Important as Your Credit Score When Buying a New Home

Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a simple way of calculating how much of your monthly income goes toward debt payments. Lenders use the DTI to determine how much money they can safely loan you toward a home purchase or mortgage refinancing. Everyone knows that their credit score is an important factor in qualifying for a loan. But in reality, the DTI is every bit as important as the credit score.

Lenders usually apply a standard called the “28/36 rule” to your debt-to-income ratio to determine whether you’re loan-worthy. The first number, 28, is the maximum percentage of your gross monthly income that the lender will allow for housing expenses. The total includes payments on the mortgage loan, mortgage insurance, fire insurance, property taxes, and homeowner’s association dues. This is usually called PITI, which stands for principal, interest, taxes, and insurance.

The second number, 36, refers to the maximum percentage of your gross monthly income the lender will allow for housing expenses PLUS recurring debt. When they calculate your recurring debt, they will include credit card payments, child support, car loans, and other obligations that are not short-term.

Let’s say your gross earnings are $4,000 per month. $4,000 times 28% equals $1,120. So that is the maximum PITI, or housing expense, that a typical lender will allow for a conventional mortgage loan. In other words, the 28 figure determines how much house you can afford.

Now, $4,000 times 36% is $1,440. This figure represents the TOTAL debt load that the lender will permit. $1,440 minus $1,120 is $320. So if your monthly obligations on recurring debt exceed $320, the size of the mortgage you’ll qualify for will decrease proportionally. If you are paying $600 per month on recurring debt, for example, instead of $320, your PITI must be reduced to $840 or less. That translates to a much smaller loan and a lot less house.

Bear in mind that your car payment has to come out of that difference between 28% and 36%, so in our example, the car payment must be included in the $320. It doesn’t take much these days to reach a $300/month car payment, even for a modest vehicle, so that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for other types of debt.

The moral of the story here is that too much debt can ruin your chances of qualifying for a home mortgage. Remember, the debt-to-income ratio is something that lenders look at separately from your credit history. That’s because your credit score only reflects your payment history. It’s a measurement of how responsibly you’ve managed your use of credit. But your credit score does not take into account your level of income. That’s why the DTI is treated separately as a critical filter on loan applications. So even if you have a PERFECT payment history, but the mortgage you’ve applied for would cause you to exceed the 36% limit, you’ll still be turned down for the loan by reputable lenders.

The 28/36 rule for debt-to-income ratio is a benchmark that has worked well in the mortgage industry for years. Unfortunately, with the recent boom in real estate prices, lenders have been forced to get more “creative” in their lending practices. Whenever you hear the term “creative” in connection with loans or financing, just substitute “riskier” and you’ll have the true picture. Naturally, the extra risk is shifted to the consumer, not the lender.

Mortgages used to be pretty simple to understand: You paid a fixed rate of interest for 30 years, or maybe 15 years. As time went on, mortgages started to come in a variety of flavors, such as adjustable-rate, 40-year, interest-only, option-adjustable, or piggyback mortgages, each of which may be structured in a number of ways. Many of these types of loans helped contribute to the mortgage crisis in 2008.

The whole idea behind all these types of mortgages was to shoehorn people into qualifying for loans based on their debt-to-income ratio. “It’s all about the payment,” was the prevailing view in the mortgage industry. That’s fine if your payment is fixed for 30 years. But what happens to your adjustable rate mortgage if interest rates rise? Your monthly payment will go up, and you might quickly exceed the safety limit of the old 28/36 rule.

These alternative mortgage products were fine as long as interest rates didn’t climb too far or too fast, and also as long as real estate prices continued to appreciate at a healthy pace. Make sure you understand the worst-case scenario before taking on one of these complicated loans. The 28/36 rule for debt-to-income has been around so long simply because it works to keep people out of risky loans. As we have gotten further away from the mortgage crisis that helped ruin the economy in the early 2000, lenders are now stretching those ratios based on the strength of the rest of the file.

Make sure you understand exactly how far or how fast your loan payment can increase before accepting a non-traditional type of mortgage. If your DTI disqualifies you for a conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage, then you should think twice before squeezing yourself into an adjustable rate mortgage just to keep the payment manageable.

Instead, think in terms of increasing your initial down payment on the property in order to lower the amount you’ll need to finance. It may take you longer to get into your dream home by using this more conservative approach, but that’s certainly better than losing that dream home to foreclosure because increasing monthly payments have driven your debt-to-income ratio sky-high.

Some Money Saving Mortgage Tips

Buying a house is a great long term investment. If you’ve never had a mortgage payment, it simply means you’ll have to be more careful regarding the management of your finances.

The first step before venturing into a mortgage if you’re not already in one, is to consider your financial situation. Then decide to buy a home where the mortgage and down payments meet your financial situation, so that you can enjoy life and have a roof over your head at the same time. If you have no idea what your monthly budget can afford then you should take some advice from a finance professional first.

Regardless of your situation here are several ways to reduce your monthly mortgage payments:

• As interest rates keep on changing you should keep track of changes and consider refinancing at the right time. This will reduce your expenditures. Do the calculations to know your savings after paying closing costs and other expenses. Closing costs can be added to your new mortgage to avoid out of pocket expenditures, while still saving you money.

• Check your monthly mortgage statement properly and regularly to make sure that all adjustments are made correctly; even banks sometime they make mistakes.

• Choose a mortgage that offers flexibility. You want a mortgage that allows you to pay in an easy way according to your earnings.

• Consider biweekly payments or accelerated equity plans. This will give you an additional payment each year and begin to reduce your mortgage quickly right from the start.

• Consolidate all your loans into a single one with lower monthly payments. Make a table and analyze all your loans; education, car, home and bank loans for example. Study your expenditures. Try to consult a mortgage specialist, ask him or her about debt consolidation, and how much it can reduce your monthly payments.

• Go for a 30 mortgage. This will allow you to pay lower monthly payments, which will lower the amount of interest you pay. Make sure there is no prepayment penalty on your loan, because the best move you can make is to pay way more each payment than the minimum. Each time you do this you’ll be reducing the principle of your mortgage.

A mortgage or home loan is a long term debt but it doesn’t have to be a burden. You are advised to pay it off as soon as possible but arrange your budget tactfully by keeping an eye on insurance, loan disbursements and their interest rates. Enjoy your new home; hopefully with a few of these tips it will be all yours sooner than the banks desire. Remember, if it’s paid for it’s yours.

Debt-to-Income Ratio –- It’s Just as Important as Your Credit Score When Buying a New Home

Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a simple way of calculating how much of your monthly income goes toward debt payments. Lenders use the DTI to determine how much money they can safely loan you toward a home purchase or mortgage refinancing. Everyone knows that their credit score is an important factor in qualifying for a loan. But in reality, the DTI is every bit as important as the credit score.

Historically, lenders have applied a standard called the “28/36 rule” to your debt-to-income ratio to determine whether you’re loan-worthy. Although those numbers have changed, and many of our loans exceed these numbers, it is instructive to use them to explain this concept.

The first number, 28, is the maximum percentage of your gross monthly income that the lender will allow for housing expenses. The total includes payments on the mortgage loan, mortgage insurance, homeowners insurance, property taxes, and homeowner’s association dues. This is usually called PITI, which stands for principal, interest, taxes, and insurance.

The second number, 36, refers to the maximum percentage of your gross monthly income the lender will allow for housing expenses PLUS recurring debt. When they calculate your recurring debt, they will include credit card payments, child support, car loans, and other obligations that are not short-term.

Let’s say your gross earnings are $4,000 per month. $4,000 times 28% equals $1,120. So that is the maximum PITI, or housing expense, that a typical lender will allow for a conventional mortgage loan. In other words, the 28 figure determines how much house you can afford.

Now, $4,000 times 36% is $1,440. This figure represents the TOTAL debt load that the lender will permit. $1,440 minus $1,120 is $320. So if your monthly obligations on recurring debt exceed $320, the size of the mortgage you’ll qualify for will decrease proportionally. If you are paying $600 per month on recurring debt, for example, instead of $320, your PITI must be reduced to $840 or less. That translates to a much smaller loan and a lot less house.

Bear in mind that your car payment has to come out of that difference between 28% and 36%, so in our example, the car payment must be included in the $320. It doesn’t take much these days to reach a $300/month car payment, even for a modest vehicle, so that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for other types of debt.

The moral of the story here is that too much debt can ruin your chances of qualifying for a home mortgage. Remember, the debt-to-income ratio is something that lenders look at separately from your credit history. That’s because your credit score only reflects your payment history. It’s a measurement of how responsibly you’ve managed your use of credit.

However,  your credit score does not take into account your level of income. That’s why the DTI is treated separately as a critical filter on loan applications. So even if you have a PERFECT payment history, but the mortgage you’ve applied for would cause you to exceed the 36% limit, you’ll still be turned down for the loan by reputable lenders.

The 28/36 rule for debt-to-income ratio is a benchmark that has worked well in the mortgage industry for years. Unfortunately, with the recent boom in real estate prices, lenders have been forced to get more “creative” in their lending practices. Whenever you hear the term “creative” in connection with loans or financing, just substitute “riskier” and you’ll have the true picture. Naturally, the extra risk is shifted to the consumer, not the lender.

If your DTI disqualifies you for a conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage, you should think twice before squeezing yourself into an adjustable rate mortgage just to keep the payment manageable.

Instead, think in terms of increasing your initial down payment on the property in order to lower the amount you’ll need to finance. It may take you longer to get into your dream home by using this more conservative approach, but that’s certainly better than losing that dream home to foreclosure because increasing monthly payments have driven your debt-to-income ratio sky-high.

The 7 Worst Financing Mistakes First Time Home Buyers Make…And How to Avoid Them, A Free EBook

I am excited to release my new EBook for first time home buyers: The 7 Worst Financing Mistakes First Time Home Buyers Make… and How to Avoid Them.

Click here or on the picture on the right to download your free copy.

Having originated mortgages for close to three decades, I have found the topics covered in this EBook are the ones first time home buyers want to know about most. Hopefully, this EBook will help you avoid the mistakes others have made that have cost potential home owners thousands of dollars, and blown up many deals.

Here are some of the mistakes I cover in this easy read, that will help you avoid a similar fate:

  • Overextending yourself
  • Not counting the cost of bad credit
  • Not knowing your down payment options
  • Not budgeting for closing costs
  • Not getting pre-approved
  • Not choosing the right mortgage product
  • Not getting multiple lenders to compete for your business
  • and so much more…

The download is absolutely free as my gift to you for reading my blog; there is nothing to buy and no commitments to make. Enjoy it, and feel free to pass it on.

I wish you much success on your purchase.

Consolidate Bills with Cash-out Mortgage Refinancing and Make Your Monthly Payments Fit Your Budget

Have you seen enough commercials about credit card and other types of debt? Do you feel like all these commercials are directly talking directly to you? Have you finally decided it’s time to take advantage of these offers and get your finances under control? If your goal is to consolidate bills and bring your finances back under your control, a refinance of your mortgage that will allow you to do this is exactly what you need.

If you are paying each month on three or four different credit cards at an interest rate of at least fourteen percent, those monthly minimums will certainly add up. Each of those balances are charged the interest rates each month. When you consolidate bills instead of spreading them out, you are being charged interest on only one amount at what can be a fixed and, usually, lower rate than what your credit cards will charge you.

Several mortgage companies, including our own, offer mortgage refinances that are specifically designed to help you pay off your credit cards and consolidate bills by rolling those bills into your mortgage amount. One of the benefits of getting this type of loan is the fact that you will go from several bills each month coming due at different times to one bill due at the same time each month. In this way, you will only have to keep track of one bill each month and this bill will cover your mortgage as well as your debts. The only other monthly bills that you should have coming in will be your utilities.

In combining all of your debts, you are actually saving money each month. As stated earlier, when you consolidate bills in this way, you will be charged interest on one amount rather than several amounts. Since mortgage loans have lower interest rates than credit cards, you are charged less each month, which leaves more money in your pocket each month. This extra money can be used to pay off extra each month toward your balances or any other way you decide.

Consolidating bills in this way is a decision that will make life easier and give you control again of your finances. Your interest rates will be lower as will your monthly payment. You will save money while paying off your bills and keeping your credit score high. And don’t forget, mortgage interest is tax deductible, while credit card interest is not. So you will be getting a bonus from Uncle Sam as well. Ask your accountant or tax professional for further details.

Anatomy of a Mortgage

In exchange for getting this very large loan, the person then agrees to put the house up as collateral against the loan

Introduction

Mortgages were the original home loan agreement. In many ways, the mortgage changed the real estate market completely and turned it on its head in a very good way. Before the advent of the mortgage, the only way for people to go out and get what they wanted in terms of property was to pay for it outright. Since very few people possessed the means back then to pay for property outright, the ownership rights were only there for pretty much the upper middle class. From the middle class downwards, most were excluded from home ownership. Mortgages changed all of that, and to understand how profound a mortgage is, it is important to take a close look at exactly what a mortgage entails.

Agreement

The agreement for a mortgage is one that is the main point of everything else that follows. Under the agreement of a typical mortgage, the person has the ability to borrow money from a lender in order to pay for a house or a property. The amount of money they can borrow varies, but for a Conventional Mortgage, the maximum you can borrow is 80% of the lower of the appraised value or purchase price of the house. Options for mortgages above 80% are available by paying mortgage insurance, which I will discuss in another blog. In exchange for getting this very large loan, the person then agrees to put the house up as collateral against the loan, so that the bank has some way to save itself in the event that the person is unable to pay the loan back.

Interest Rates

Whenever people think about loans, very likely the first thing that they think about is interest rates. There are a number of different interest rates involved in different loans, but when you compare the vast majority of them to what is available under a mortgage, what you find is that the vast majority of those interest rates don’t really match up. The average mortgage has an interest rate attached to it of between 4% and 5% (depending on the loan to value and credit score) and the vast majority of loans that are available on the marketplace today, even if they happen to be secured loans, really can’t match up.

Repayment Terms

Just like with interest rates, the repayment terms for a number of different mortgages are very impressive when compared to a number of other conventional loans. When you’re talking about unsecured loans (i.e. credit cards), then obviously there’s going to be no comparison, but for the most part you will find that mortgage repayment terms are significantly easier to deal with than with most other loans. This is because (a) the collateral being used is extremely strong and (b) the term lengths are longer, so naturally that makes the monthly payments smaller.

Fees

There are some fees for mortgage payments relating to things like late payments and underpayments, but you will find for the most part that fees are not really that important in the grand scheme of the agreement itself. It is important to be aware of what the fees are, and to make sure to pay your mortgage back on time every month.

Closing Costs

Closing costs for a home mortgage can be significant. With the advent of the new disclosure laws that have taken effect in 2015, all fees must be disclosed by your lender at the beginning of the loan process. These fees include appraisal costs, title fees, recording and lender fees. Make sure you receive a lender disclosure at the very beginning of the process.

 

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