How to Determine Which Mortgage Type is Right For You
The following are the most important factors involved in selecting a mortgage that is truly suitable for you:
1. Check Your Financial Position – To get a mortgage one must check the current financial position and weaknesses one has. These strengths and weaknesses include:
• The monthly income earned by you which gives you the ability to pay the mortgage payment
• The savings collected by you. This will help you making down payments and covering the closing costs at the time of refinancing. Once must also keep cash in hand for emergencies.
• The way you manage the loans and credit cards and your all financial documents is a crucial matter.
2. Your Savings – The amount of your savings relative to the money earned by you is checked. One must add the savings money, mutual funds, and gifts in the form of money and see the final value derived which can be used for the down payment. If the savings you have are less than 25% of the money you earned then it is considered as deficit.
However, if the savings amount is more than 25% of the income but lesser than 75% of the money earned then it is considered as enough. Hence 5% of your money can be used for purchasing the house.
If the amount of your savings is more than 75% of the money earned then you are capable to make a down payment of nearly 20% of the cost of the house.
3. Debt In Relation To Income – One can manage the credits by checking the ratio of the payment of debts to the income. The debt payments include student loan payments, payments for car, installment loans, alimony charges, interest rates and any other obligations. However, these do not involve rent or bills and the payment for the mortgage of the house sold or purchased by you.
4. How Long You Wish To Keep The Home- This is an important issue because if you plan to move within three to five years then an adjustable rate mortgage is a better option. The rate of interest and the payment is lower during the first few years. Hence this helps you save money. However if you plan to keep the home for 15 years or more then a fixed rate mortgage is a better option.
To learn about the various types of mortgage loan programs available visit mortgage loan details.
Mortgage Financing FAQ:
Question: I have excellent credit (800) and need a mortgage.
I’m looking to buy a rental property. The problem is that at the time I’m not employed. I actually have enough money to put 30% down and enough money in the bank to pay mortgage on the house for 10 years. I will also have my sister who works co-sign the loan but her credit is around 600. Will getting a good loan be a problem? Or will it be sub prime?
Answer: Without verifiable income, you won’t get a loan no matter what your credit score. Lenders want to see that you have the cash flow to pay the loan note. Investing in real estate while unemployed is questionable.
Question: Should we pay for a property in all cash or put a large down payment and get a small mortgage?
My wife and I are looking at purchasing a town home or smaller home in the area of Tracy, CA. We are looking at homes in the 180 to 200k range. We can afford to pay cash in this price range, but we will only have about 50k in savings leftover if we do this. We don’t qualify for a low interest loan because we recently started a new business and don’t have a solid track record yet. We could qualify for a high interest FHA at about 9%. My thoughts are to pay all in cash, but my wife thinks we should do mostly in cash and get a small loan. I like the idea of having no mortgage, hence less overhead each month, and we’re not throwing away lots of money interest each month. My wife however doesn’t like the idea of having too little money leftover after we buy the home, just in case something happens. So, do you think we should pay all in cash or pay mostly in cash and get a loan for about 50k or so, and why do you feel that way?
Answer: Pay cash for the house. You will avoid the application, loan origination and reconveyance and credit-pull fees, which could add up to almost 2%-4% of the loan amount.
Then, after you have moved in for a few months, apply for a HELOC from your bank. Since you have 100% equity in the home, you will get the HELOC. And the HELOC is usually free in application, and you pay interest only on the amount you take out. If you don’t use the money, you don’t pay any interest whatsoever.
This, to me, is the best way to go about this.
Question: How to write a mortgage for owner financing?
Can a title company write a mortgage (the paper contract that says the buyer owes the lender etc. and gets recorded as a lien)? Or does it require a real estate lawyer to write one? Or can you write it yourself and then get a real estate lawyer to approve it? If you write it yourself, is there boilerplate text for it available on the internet?
Answer: Call a title company in town. They may have a format you can use. If not better go to an attorney. This is too important to mess up.
Question: Is it a wise choice to go for seller financing if I can’t get a mortgage?
Also does a real estate agent help you with this process and are there still closing costs invloved?
Answer: Seller financing can work, but there are some things to watch out for:
If you can’t get a regular loan, can you make the payments on the seller financed loan? Most of them will “balloon” or come due within 2 to 5 years, so will you be able to get regular financing by then if you can’t get it now?
Is the seller charging more than market value for the house, or charging a much higher than normal interest rate?
Does the seller own the house free and clear? They may not have the right to offer you seller financing if there is any existing loan. Most mortgages have a “due on sale” clause, which means that if the title is transferred to you, the seller’s mortgage can become immediately payable. If there is an existing loan and the seller “wraps” that one with your loan, how do you know that his or her mortgage is getting paid?
Yes, an experienced real estate agent should be able to help you with this and write up the contract so you understand the terms of the note. Also do get title insurance so you don’t have problems in the future. Yes, there are still costs involved – title fees, inspection, but not near as many as if you got a regular mortgage loan.
Question: I am about to buy a home with an inground pool that is 12 years old in fair condition.
The type of mortgage loan I am getting is 100% financing (USDA), but will not finance the value the pool brings to the home on the appraisal. Does anybody have any idea what kind of value, if any, does an inground pool bring to the value of a home on an appraisal?
Answer: Usually it is no value, they are not investments, but amenities and have no value at all, even a negative values as your insurance for the house will be so high that many people can not afford to buy the house because they can’t afford the insurance premiums.
Question: Where can I find a contract for a change in mortgage payment?
We purchased an owner financed house, so we pay our mortgage payment directly to the sellers. We have damage to the roof and they are going to deduct $200 from each payment for a year. We want something in writing so they can’t ever come back and say we owe them more money or say that we didn’t pay our full payment. I was trying to find a form or example contract that I could follow to write this up.
Answer: If you purchased the house,then your name must be on the title deed why are the people you are paying deducting $200.00 per month for damage to the roof? This is your responsibility.
If the person you are paying is deducting money from your payment, I have come to the conclusion that you must be purchasing your home on a land contract or a lease with an option to buy sometimes called a rent to own.
You do not need a particular document, you simply need a piece of paper where you may write down what you want to say. After this has been written you and the owner need to sign this document. Once signed by the both of you this document becomes legal and enforceable in any court in the United States.
Write on this piece of paper that says owner and buyer agree that $200.00 will be deducted from each mortgage payment for 12 months beginning on (What ever month) and continuing until (What ever month).
For any legal and tax matters you should contact your attorney or tax consultant.
Question: Bought house with owner financing, can I get the first time homebuyer tax credit?
I just purchased my first home and it is through owner financing. I put $10,000 down and am making payments to the owner for ten years. We have a contract through a lawyer. Can I get the first time homebuyers credit just like someone would purchasing a home with a mortgage loan?? What kind of papers do I need to claim the credit? What does the IRS need?
Answer: ONLY if you took title NOW, and are on a recorded deed. Many times with owner financing, you have to pay for some time, then get other financing and buy them out. So depends on the type of owner-financing you have. Who is on the title, the seller/owner or you? You will need a copy of the deed, closing papers.
It is likely there will be some new home buyer’s tax credit next year or an extension of this one. You can restructure your deal to qualify if you don’t currently. However, as seller, I wouldn’t give you deed yet.
Question: How to get a mortgage after a foreclosure?
Foreclosed on in 08, been renting for a year now, how do I find financing for another home?
Answer: Unlikely unless you are specially qualified (VA…FHA). You won’t qualify for another mortgage for at least three years after your past foreclosure, and that is assuming that all credit information since then has been flawless.