Sunday, July 17, 2011
Getting a Loan With Bad Credit is Not Impossible
Getting a home means not merely finding a place that meets your needs but finding a home finance loan that suits you as well. This could entail contacting several lenders and getting their mortgage loan requirements. The best way to finance or refinance if you have bad credit is to use a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers work with many different mortgage lenders. These brokers know how to find poor credit lenders to make sub prime loans. They match up your current credit history information with the lenders requirements and locate the perfect loan for you.
A mortgage broker takes your credit information and matches it with the lenders requirements to find you a good match. You will give information about your credit history, including your income and debts, then information about the property, such as the size of loan you are looking for and any equity or downpayment you have. The broker uses that information to match you with a lender or lenders that can help you. The easiest way to find a mortgage broker is to go online. You need to get comfortable with working with someone online. Sometimes an area brokerage service may not have the most up-to-date nationwide info. There may be a company outside of your locale that can help you with your mortgage. You wouldn't want to miss out on some great opportunities. With bad credit, finding a lender willing to give you a decent interest rate will be tough. It's all about how much risk they're willing to take.
Before you start looking for a lender or a broker, you should make sure your credit report is as good as it can be. You're entitled to a free credit report without strings from each on the three main reporting bureaus every year. Check your report carefully to make sure there are no errors which might bring your score down. Pay to enroll in a monitoring service if you want to keep track of whether your report and score are changing. If you have accounts that have a zero balance, don't close them, in most cases it will hurt your score to close them. For most lenders the minimum score is 550 to get any type of loan. If it's below that, lenders will consider you too poor a risk. If your score is above 550, feel free to start looking for brokers. With a low score, keep in mind that your options are few - but there are some.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Dangers of Reverse Mortgage - Reverse Mortgages Could Be Costly
As baby boomers get older and start thinking about how to finance their retirement, reverse mortgages are becoming more popular. For people over the age of 62 who have 75% equity in their home, a reverse mortgage can be a good way to get tax-free income that doesn't have to be repaid. But along with every good thing comes some bad and there are some dangers of reverse mortgages that you should be aware of. Although they are a good opportunity for most of those who qualify, you just want to make sure you are fully informed about all the options.
A reverse mortgage allows seniors to use the equity in their home and receive tax-free income without having to give up ownership, or make a monthly payment. The money that is received is paid back when the home is sold, usually after the owners have died or moved into other living arrangements. The amount of money received depends mainly on your age, how much the house is worth, the interest rate, and the current mortgage balance, if any.
You can receive the money basically three different ways: a lump sum payment, fixed monthly payments, or a line of credit that can be accessed whenever needed. There are dangers of reverse mortgages associated with each of these options. Stay away from these reverse mortgage pitfalls.
A lump sum payment
When you receive a lump sum payment you need to be a good steward of your money so that it will not run out.
Fixed monthly payments
Fixed monthly payments are good because you know the exact amount of money you'll be receiving each month. The dangers of fixed monthly payments for reverse mortgages is that inflation is not taken into account. The first payment amount is the same as the last payment amount whether the payments last two years, 10 years or 20 years.
Line of credit
As with the lump sum payment, a line of credit is exhaustible. Once you've reach the limit, there is no more money available unless you refinance.
Another danger of reverse mortgages is in the terms of the contract. Some of these contracts can be very confusing, it is highly recommended to get counseling before entering in to this type of loan.
How Does A Reverse Mortgage Work?
When considering options for using the equity in your home, you may have come across the idea of reverse mortgages and you've been asking, how does a reverse mortgage work? A reverse mortgage works the opposite of a traditional mortgage. Instead of making payments to reduce the loan amount and increase the equity in your home, you are receiving money that will use up some of the equity in your home and increase your debt. Increasing your debt may seem like a bad thing to do but for seniors, this is a good way to get additional money to spend and not worry about repayment.
Basically when you get a reverse mortgage you agree to a certain amount of money paid out either as a lump sum, monthly payments, or a line of credit. In return you agree that when the house is no longer your primary residence, you will sell it and pay the money back along with other fees associated with the loan, such as interest.
Reverse mortgages are available for people 62 years and older. There are many factors that go into the amount of money that you can receive, including your age and how long you may live, the value of your home and if you owe anything on it. With a reverse mortgage you retain ownership of the home, and can have money to make needed home repairs, pay down expenses, or enjoy your quality of life.
There are many things you should consider about how reverse mortgages work when deciding on your options. Reverse mortgage contracts are a little more complicated than traditional mortgages. A lot of times people go into these contracts without knowing the true costs, such as what you'll have to pay back on top of the money that you receive. Understand, that to get out of this mortgage you will probably have to sell the house because normally you can't pay the money back without selling the house. For some people are home equity loan might be safer and easier.