mortgage loan pre-approval, NY New Yorkmortgage loan pre-approval - NY New York: mortgages, loans of any type, refinancing, quick easy online quotes, home equity loans, See if you could save on your mortgage today. Lock-in refers to a written agreement guaranteeing a home buyer a specific interest rate on a home loan provided that the loan is closed within a certain period of time, such as 60 or 90 days. Often the agreement also specifies the number of points to be paid at closing. Getting Financing for Your Business Previous Home Next CCH Toolkit World Wide Web Business Tools Downloadable checklists, model business plans, forms and other documents VA Loans features: Qualified veterans can get a loan up to $240,000 No down payment Fixed rate loans only More flexible qualification guidelines than FHA or conventional loans For eligibility information contact Countrywide Specific programs You can contact these agencies directly for more information, or ask your mortgage banker or broker: .Rates Are Low. Is Now A Good Time To Refinance? A. When interest rates fall, a homeowner should definitely call a lender about refinancing, but he or she should discuss their entire financial situation and goals before making any final decision. Is your goal to lower your monthly payment? Consolidate debts? Get cash out for large purchases? Change your interest deduction expense for your taxes? Example Lets say you make $40,000 a year. Your maximum monthly mortgage payment (28 percent of gross income) would be $933. Assuming your total monthly debt is no more than $1,200 (36 percent of gross income), the bigger the down payment, the more expensive the house you can buy. This is considered a nonconforming loan, because it exceeds the loan limit set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two publicly chartered corporations that buy mortgage loans from lenders, thereby ensuring that mortgage money is available at all times in all locations around the country. The 1998 single-family loan limit is $227,150. If you need to borrow more than that, you will need a jumbo mortgage, which generally has a higher interest rate than conforming loans. See the latest bankrate.com survey of jumbo mortgage rates. Capped Rate Mortgage A capped rate mortgage is very similar to a fixed except that if the variable rate drops below the capped rate, the borrower will make payments based on the lower variable rate. However should rates increase the payments will be ‘capped’ and will not rise over the capped rate. So as a rough ‘rule of thumb’ a capped rate is better to have than a fixed if all other factors are equal. Again, as with fixed rates, up-front charges and ‘lock-ins’ are common. There are a number of premier mortgage lenders who have websites on the Internet. On these websites you will find mortgage payment calculators. These handy tools allow you to calculate your monthly payment at the click of a button. They are also free, with no obligation to use that particular company as your lender. · Cashing in the plans early may result in financial penalties. These will be provided for in the initial agreement. In addition the lender has no way of tracking some of the more modern repayment vehicles, such as an ISA, which will result in some instances where a borrower lets an investment lapse forgetting or not realizing it is to be used to pay off the mortgage. This will result in situations where there is no method of paying off the mortgage and the lender will only become aware at the end of the mortgage term. Virtual interviews and a selection of mortgage interest rates from multiple lenders, applications and approvals are also available online. Protect a rate you like with Countrywides free rate protection Thinking about buying a home? Concerned rates will go up and youll lose buying power? 6. Get a gift. Aunt Edna always liked you best. Take advantage of that favored family status and ask her to make a present of your down payment. Tax law allows gifts of several thousand dollars a year to be bestowed without tax consequences to either the giver or recipient. The gift-exclusion amount is adjusted annually to reflect inflation (its $11,000 in 2002), so check with the IRS to ensure guidelines are met. Many wealthy people use this tax rule to reduce potentially taxable estates while theyre still around to get the thanks. Not close to your family? Not a problem. The gift exclusion isnt limited to relatives. The monetary present can be from anyone, so track down a well-off friend now! Variable Rate MortgageQuick help for selecting the right loan to get you into a home: Have our interactive Loan Advisor suggest a loan for you Read the information here about the special features of Countrywides loan programs Get general information on home loans in Learn about loans. Flexible Mortgages This type of mortgage is becoming more readily available. As the name suggests, flexibility is very much the benefit here. You may be able to repay more (or less) than your regular payment each month, settle the mortgage early without penalty, take payment holidays, the number of options are vast. Factoring in Your Down Payment You may now want to turn to the bankrate.com calculator, How much house you can afford? and factor in your down payment. If you are selling a home, you can apply the equity as a down payment on the new house. Note: You need to include an estimate of closing costs in buying the property (plus selling costs if youre also selling a house). Closing costs are generally 3 percent to 6 percent of the sale price. Your mortgage banker should also suggest to you and review with you several options available to you such as prepayment clauses, portability of the mortgage, insurance on the mortgage, and any other features that may customize your mortgage. Next, check rate trends and calculate loan rates and payments according to the lowest rates offered. Firmly hold to the lowest rates within your reach. Benefits to Refinancing Your Mortgage.Variable Rate Linked to the Bank of England base rate, this type of mortgage can have variable monthly repayments depending on whether base rates are increasing or decreasing. In recent months the trend has been for an increase in rates, although they still remain relatively low and appear to be stable at present. It is thought by many analysts that further increases may be in the pipeline before rates start to decrease. Most mortgages require a fee to set up. You need to allow a few hundred pounds for this. Legal Fees It is necessary to have a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to act on behalf of the mortgage applicant and the lender in the house purchase or remortgage transaction. The costs will be greater for house purchase than for remortgage. It is the role of the solicitor or licensed conveyancer to note ownership of the property on the title deeds; note the lenders interest in the property; register with the Land Registry and conduct searches to identify if there may be factors which could affect the property e.g. coal mining search to check for subsidence; check to see if there are some planned major road developments going through the back garden etc. Ask about fees up front. Use the amortization calculator to figure in fees, insurance and tax payments. However, before you start looking in real estate agents windows for your dream home, you need to work out whether being a home owner makes financial sense for you. If such a move will stretch your finances, you may be better off continuing to rent and placing the money you would have used as a deposit into some other growth asset like a managed fund or shares. These investments are more liquid than property, which is useful if you need to sell up quickly |