New Home Purchase

New Home Purchase
By: Jennifer Hershey
So the time has come for you to purchase a new home. Purchasing a new home is by far one of the largest financial transactions you will ever make in your life, so you will want to take your time and learn as much as you can about the mortgage industry.

The first question that comes to peoples minds when they begin their quest for a new home is "how much can I afford?"

Many factors play a role when it comes to determining how much you can afford. Such as your income, your current debt, down payment, the term of the loan, etc.

Once you have determined what your financial situation is you will want to begin your quest for a mortgage. But before you dive in and start filling out applications, make sure you shop around for the best possible deal. There are a lot of lenders out there that are hungry for your business. So let them compete for it.

Purchasing a home requires time, patience and education. But don't worry, you don't have to do all of the work yourself. There are people within the industry you will be working with such as Realtors and lenders that will help you through this process and point you in the right direction.

This doesn't mean to let them tell you every thing, it is very important to continue to educate yourself as much as possible and remain in the driver's seat at all times.

Keep in mind the majority of people in this industry are paid on commission, so getting you into that home is just as important to them as it is to you.

Author Bio
Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

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Shop Around for a Mortgage

Shop Around for a Mortgage
By: Jennifer Hershey
If you have decided to take the leap into home ownership or you are interested in refinancing your current mortgage, one of the first things you will need to do is track down a mortgage.

I honestly can't tell you just how many mortgage companies there are in the United States, but I can tell you this, there are a lot of them.

Mortgage companies also come in a few different forms. You might recognize one as your local bank, but there are also wholesale lenders who use not only there own loan officers to originate mortgages, they will also use mortgage brokers. Than you have your retail lenders, who use only their own employed loan officers.

Because there are so many mortgage companies out there, the industry has become highly competitive.

So before you commit to the first lender you approach and start filling out applications, look again, and consider shopping around. Like I said, the mortgage industry is highly competitive, so let them fight over you.

You don't have to go crazy when shopping for a lender. No more than five inquiries should be your limit. Talk with them, find out what programs they have to offer, and at what rate. Ask about closing costs. Remember, closing costs should not exceed 5% of the total amount of the loan at the very most. (This does not include the down payment).

By shopping around, you will be able to get a feel for what is out there, and whatever lender offers you the best deal to fit your needs and your budget, should be your lender of choice.

The down fall to speaking with one lender is, you are limiting yourself too just their products and services, as well as their rates. How do you know you can't get a better deal somewhere else? Most likely you can.

Shop around for a mortgage the way you would shop around for a car. Look at a few of them at different dealerships, test drive them, discuss pricing with the sales person, than once you and the selling party have come to an agreement, make the purchase.

Buying or refinancing a home is not something you want to rush into. So take your time and educate yourself. Talk to people within the industry, shop around, than make an educated decision based on what best fits your needs.

Author Bio
Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of www.explainingmortgages.com, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

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How Much is too Much for Mortgage Closing Costs?

How Much is too Much for Mortgage Closing Costs?
By: Jennifer Hershey
Something that is very important for you to take into consideration when purchasing or refinancing your home is the closing costs.

I would love to tell you that closing costs are not expensive, but believe me they are. Once you add up all the fees' involved, such as points, taxes, title insurance, county costs and various other fee's, it really begins to add up.

The first thing you need to understand is that nobody works for free, so be prepared to pay at closing.

The total amount of fees' depends on quite a few things. For instance, the percentage of loan origination fees' (points) the lender is going to be charging you. Another large fee is the title search and insurance. The title fee varies by state and is determined by the amount of the home.

Closing costs on average should not exceed 5% of the total amount of the purchase price, and this does not include the down payment.

The total amount of these fees' does not all go to the lender. Generally only the loan origination fee and the application fee go to the lender.

The rest of the fee's such as the appraisal, credit report, interest for the period in between closing and your first monthly payment, home owner’s insurance, title insurance, pro rated property tax, etc., go to their appropriate institutions.

Before you go to closing, the lender is required by law to send you a Good Faith Estimate (GFE).The GFE discloses an accurate estimate of all the fee's you will be responsible for at closing.

Make sure you go over the GFE with a fine tooth comb, and if there are any fees' you don’t understand, call your lender or broker and ask for an explanation.

As I stated earlier, you must be prepared to pay closing costs. Closing costs are not cheap, but you should not pay a penny more than what is required.

If your closing costs are somewhere between two and 5% of the amount of the mortgage, you should be in good shape.

If they are drastically higher, consider finding another lender.

Remember, do your homework. Put yourself in a position to understand all the jargon that fills up all the paperwork you will be signing.

Also, take your time and shop around, always look for the best rate at the lowest possible price


Author Bio
Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of www.explainingmortgages.com, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.
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Agreement of Sale

Agreement of Sale
By: Jennifer Hershey
When the time comes for you to purchase your new home, both you and the seller will have to come to an agreement.

The major component of the sale that both you and the seller will have to agree on is the purchase price. On a smaller scale, you both must come to an agreement on the down payment, what stays and what goes, and any minor work the property may need, etc.

Once you and the seller have come to an agreement, you will both be required to sign the agreement of sale which is provided to you by your realtor. Your realtor, who acts as your advocate will go over all of the stipulations with you before you sign the actual paper work.

Once the agreement of sale is signed, you can then move on to following through with all of the other necessary conditions required to purchase your new home.

An agreement of sale is defined as follows:

A written signed agreement between the seller and the buyer in which the buyer agrees to purchase certain real estate and the seller agrees to sell upon terms of the agreement. Also known as contract of purchase, purchase agreement, offer and acceptance, earnest money contract or sales agreement.

Author Bio
Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of www.explainingmortgages.com, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

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Mortgage Refinancing

Mortgage Refinancing
By: Jennifer Hershey
If you are interested in Mortgage Refinancing, it is normally for one of two reasons. Either to get a lower interest rate to save money in interest payments over the life of the loan. Or, you are interested in refinancing with cash out.

Mortgage refinancing can be done in a number of ways. The two most common are going to your local bank or using the internet.

The internet is becoming a more and more popular method of mortgage refinancing by the day.

Some of the reasons are obvious, mortgage refinancing over the internet is very simple, and the information you can find on the mortgage industry is limitless.

The mortgage industry is a very competitive one, so using the internet to shop around for mortgage refinancing is very smart. As opposed to using your local bank that normally has one product for you to choose from.

Finding someone to do your mortgage refinancing by way of the internet may be easier than you think. These loan officers are hungry for your business, and by putting only limited information on a secure mortgage web site, you will have at least four mortgage loan officers calling to compete for your business within twenty-four hours.

There is also no need to hide the fact that you are shopping around, this only forces loan officers to come back at you with the best rate they can possibly find in order to keep you from doing business with someone else.

The best part is, you are not committed to anything by shopping around, and this is a great way to educate yourself about the programs that are available, and to get a feel for how mortgage refinancing works.

In the end, the choice is yours. But remember, take your time and gather as much information on the mortgage industry as possible. It will help you make much wiser choices, which will pay off in the end.

Author Bio
Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of www.explainingmortgages.com, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

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Reverse Mortgage

Reverse Mortgage
By: Jim
Reverse Mortgage is something, which can enable an individual to withdraw the money from the bank in lump sum. There are several banks out there where one can apply for the same. But before jumping into any decision about the Mortgage one should make sure that the place is safe and reputed.

To apply for Reverse Mortgage one must fulfill certain conditions. One needs to fill in an application form with information like age of the borrower, interest rate, and loan fees etc. People can apply for the same not only by visiting the banks, one can also log on to online sites and apply for the same.

This type of Mortgage is lucrative and will not affect the borrower's ability to collect social security and pension benefits. People can take Reverse Mortgage loans to pay for home repairs, taxes, insurance payments, medical bills etc. this Mortgage is of different types.

Before applying one needs to do a lot of home work i.e. research work, that can include talking to a financial experts, going through bank literatures etc. One needs to be careful and clear about the terms and conditions involved in Reverse Mortgage as any kind of carelessness can lead to problem.

Reverse Mortgage loan enables the people to take loan from lenders in lump sum without much difficulty. The good thing about this mortgage is that the borrower still remains the owner of the house just like he was when he had a forward mortgage. Before making any decisions one should always do proper research work about the bank, the loan types, rate of Interest

Before making any decision about Reverse Mortgage it is very important on the part of the borrower to be well aware of his ability to pay back the amount he has borrowed. People can apply for the same for education, home, car and other purposes. Loan is something which people have to payback that too within fixed period of time.

People should always apply for the Reverse Mortgage loans from good and safe banks! Thus one should always browse around to find the best place. One can find out about such financial programs not only by visiting various banks, but also by taking the help of Internet. Apart from one can also take the help of Mortgage lenders or even the Brokers as they can provide details about such financial programs!

People with bad financial history may not be eligible for getting Reverse Mortgage loan however good places can be an exception. After choosing the right bank and the loan one needs fill in the registration form offered by the banks. People need to show documents and papers, and fulfill certain criteria to borrow the money. One could payback the amount either together or in installments. Good places do not want your home but need the repayment!

Author Bio
Jim is writer of many mortgage and loan related topics. This article of www.greatmortgageservices.com has been written by Jim.Great Mortgage Services

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Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing

Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing
By: Jim
Many a times due to some unexpected financial expenses a person may fail to make the repayment of the Mortgage loan and in such case Mortgage Refinancing would be the best option. In case you are credits are suffering then you should apply for Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program. There are many banks and financial organizations that are offering this kind of program.

Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program involves paying the earlier mortgage with the Bad Credit loan amount taken from another lender. This kind of program can be of a real help to the borrowers. It can lower the monthly payments with low rate of interest. When you are applying for this kind of program you must do proper research work in order to find out about the bank's credibility, as not all banks are safe to apply for this kind of program.

When applying for Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program one needs to fill in application form and provide some important documents. All the information given by the borrowers are carefully examined by the lenders. With the coming in of Internet, people can also apply for such program simply sitting at home, i.e. online. People with bad credit history can also go in for this type of program. One should find out about each and every element involved in the mortgage.

Any sort of confusions can lead to lot of problems. Thus if you have any sort of confusion regarding Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Program, you should discuss the same with the Mortgage lenders or brokers. This kind of financial program can help the people to save their money and lead a tension free life.

Author Bio
Loans Bargains

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California Home Mortgage

California Home Mortgage
By: Jim
Mortgage is a financial program that involves borrowing money from the bank with the condition of keeping a valuable asset as a collateral security. Home Mortgage as the name suggests involves keeping the Home as the collateral security. There are quite a many banks in California that are offering the California Home Mortgage program.

Before applying for the California Home Mortgage one should have a proper discussion with the best California lenders, as they can clarify all the confusions. One can also contact California Mortgage Brokers also in order to get more information. Before applying for the program one should find out about the California based bank/ company's credibility after all not all places in California offer good programs.

Apart from that one also requires to find out about best California Home Mortgage Quotes and rates. Only good places in California offer affordable quotes and rates. One can go through the bank/company's catalogues and read carefully the terms and conditions as it sis important on the part of the borrower to know about the same.

To apply for the best California Home Mortgage program one has to fill in an application form and provide information such as the social security numbers, marital status, current address, birth date, employment and salary information etc. All the information given by the borrower is evaluated carefully in order to see if the person is suitable for getting the money.

When applying for a California Home Mortgage program its important on the part of the borrower to know if repayment of the loan is affordable. As incase the borrower fails to make the repayment then bank/company would have full control on the person's home! One can pay back the Mortgage loan amount either all together or in monthly installments according to the repayment procedure being followed by the bank or company.

Author Bio
The Quick Loans

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Second Mortgage a Good First Step

Second Mortgage a Good First Step
By: Mike Hamel
A second mortgage can be the first step to climbing out of debt, especially for homeowners who have bad credit. A second mortgage is a loan taken out in "second position" on a property that already has a mortgage. There are fixed-rate loans, adjustable-rate loans and home equity lines of credit (also known as HELOCs). Fixed-dollar-amount mortgages are the way to go when you need all the money at once. A HELOC is a credit line that can be drawn upon as needed up to the limit of the loan.

"Bad Credit" Second Mortgages
Your right to credit is guaranteed by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. You can't be denied credit based on race, gender, marital status or ethnicity. But how much money you can borrow and how much interest you will be charged will depend on your credit score.

Credit is easy to get and hard to control. Not using it properly will get you a low FICO score from the three major credit bureaus. Generally, a score of 680 or better signifies good credit. Scores in the 680-620 range are still considered good, but will cause creditors to take a second look before lending you money. 620 and lower, and you are in the bad credit range.

Here are some indications that you are in bad credit territory:


You have to apply for new credit cards to pay off old ones, thus rotating but not retiring your debt.

You can only make the minimum payments on your loans and cards each month.

You are at the limit on all your cards and accounts.

You have to get subprime financing when you need to borrow money.

Improving Your Financial Situation
It's a catch 22 that getting a bad credit second mortgage can lower your FICO score initially, but it can also help raise it in the long run-if you use the money to pay off high interest debts. This new loan doesn't reduce your debt; it just restructures it to help you get back on your feet financially. An added bonus is that the interest you pay is tax deductible. The IRS says joint filers can deduct all the interest to a maximum of $100,000 on home mortgages.

It's easy to shop and compare bad credit second mortgages online at reputable sites like www.badcreditsecondmortgages.com. The no-obligation application process is quick and confidential. Interest rates are still relatively low, but might rise in 2006, so now is a great time to see if a second mortgage is a good financial move for you.
Author Bio
Mike Hamel is the author of several books and the Senior Writer for AIM Techs (www.salesandmarketingllc.com), an Internet marketing company that specializes in improving visitor-to-sale conversions using proprietary software and advanced SEM techniques.

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