Do you know what a mortgage is? A mortgage is a loan that you use to pay for your home. This essentially means if you don’t pay it back, you lose your home. This is a big responsibility, and the tips below will help you do it right.
Try getting pre-approved for your mortgage. It helps you know what you’re able to spend before you bid on properties. It also helps you avoid getting attached to a home that is out of your price range. The process is generally simple: you contact a mortgage lender, submit the personal and financial information, and then wait for their response. Some information in this process will include the amount you can afford and your loan’s interest rate. You will receive a pre-approval letter from your lender, and then you’ll have the funds as soon as the seller accepts the bid. Your pre-approval process may not be this simple, but it could be.
Before getting a mortgage, study your credit history. Good credit is what can help you get a mortgage. Obtain copies of your credit history and scores from the three major credit-reporting bureaus. Study your reports carefully to ensure that no issues or errors must be resolved before you apply. Many lenders need a minimum score of 680, which complies with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae’s guidelines. Most lenders want to avoid scores that are lower than 620.
Watch out for banks offering a “no cost” mortgage loan. There is really no such thing as “no cost”. The closing costs with “no cost” mortgages is rolled into the mortgage loan instead of being due upfront. This means that you will be paying interest on the closing costs.
Organize your financial life before going after a home mortgage. If your paperwork is all over the place and confusing, then you’ll just make the entire mortgage process that much longer. Do yourself and your lender a favor and put your financial papers in order prior to making any appointments.
Make sure you know how much you can afford before applying for a mortgage. Do not rely on what your lender says you can afford. Make a budget, allowing room for any unexpected expenses. Use online calculators which can help you estimate how much mortgage you can afford to pay monthly.
If you are able to pay more for your monthly payments, it is a good idea to get a shorter-term loan. Most lenders will give you a lower rate if you opt to pay your mortgage over 20 years instead of 30 years. Borrowers who get shorter term loans (such as 15 or 20 years terms) are considered less risky than those with longer term loans, resulting in lower interest rates.
Never sign anything without talking to a lawyer first. The law does not fully protect you from the shrewd practices that many banks are willing to participate in. Having a lawyer on your side could save you thousands of dollars, and possibly your financial future. Be sure to get the right advice before proceeding.
Shop around when looking for a mortgage. Be certain that you shop various lenders. However, also make sure that you shop around among a number of brokers too. Doing both is the only way to make sure that you are scoring your best possible deal. Aim for comparing three to five of each.
After applying for a home loan, ask your lender for a copy of the good faith estimate. This contains vital information about the costs associated with your home loan. Information includes the approximate cost of appraisals, commissions and surveys along with any points that are included in the loan agreement.
Be honest when it comes to reporting your financials to a potential lender. Chances are the truth will come out during their vetting process anyway, so it’s not worth wasting the time. And if your mortgage does go through anyway, you’ll be stuck with a home you really can’t afford. It’s a lose/lose either way.
If you don’t have good credit, you should be ready to put a large down payment down on your loan. While most home buyers make a three to five percent down payment, you may need to increase your down payment to twenty percent to guarantee approval for a mortgage.
You may want to consider refinancing your home mortgage. Interest rates have gone down a great deal in recent years, and due to this you could pay thousands less over the term of your loan if you refinance now. This is something that you must consider if you are pay just a fraction of a percent more than what you could pay now.
There are home lenders out that will try to take advantage of you. But the information shared here with you will help you to make the best decisions. By using this advice, your loan process should go well. Feel free to read the information found in this article as frequently as you need to while you move forward in the process.
