Aug 25
adminCheap Mortgages
Interest Only Mortgages
Interest Only Mortgage is a means to payback a certain mortgage. On availment of interest-only mortgage, monthly amortization does not include any partial payment of the loan. The borrower has to pay only the fixed monthly interest of the loan. The principal amount of the loan is payable at one time and based on borrowers and lenders terms of agreement.
In Interest only mortgage, it is a must to determine how the loan payment should be made. Most borrowers are advice before engaging in this Mortgage to at least save consistently. The purpose of savings is to allow the borrower to come up with a lump sum to pay off the principal obligation. The completion of savings must also be made available before the maturity of terms of mortgage arrives.
Another option a borrower may do to effectively secure the mortgage is to make a conversion to a repayment mortgage. It is ideal for the type of a borrower who does not have big income at the time of engagement to the mortgage but expect an increase on the future income. By means of interest only mortgage the borrowers can enjoy low monthly payments. And when financial condition of the borrower increases, he may pay higher monthly payments for the repayment of mortgage.
Interest only mortgage are usually recommended by lenders and brokers but future borrower should be aware that interest only mortgage is beneficial only to particular type of person. Ideally interest only mortgage are good for workers who earn based on commissions or who expect high earnings in the coming year. Investors who expect big return of investment may also effectively acquire this type of mortgage.
Financial experts advise regular wage earners who opt to choose moderate size home loan not to apply for interest only mortgage. A borrower who cannot make a good plan for investing their savings is likewise not ideal for interest only mortgage.
Repayment Mortgages
Repayment Mortgage is a way of paying a mortgage wherein monthly repayments comprises of repaying the principal amount of obligation including the accrued interest. In simple terms, the borrower has to pay monthly part capital and part-interest. In repayment mortgage, at the end of the mortgage the full amount of the debt obligation will be repaid.
During early years of paying, the charges of the mortgage repayments consist mostly of the interest and because of this, less of the capital is actually paid off.
To determine the applicability of this type of mortgage to a person in need, the borrower must assure repayment of the full amount of the loan at the expiration of the term. The borrower must also consider that interest rate are subject to increases and will also affect the monthly payment premiums.
In repayment of mortgage, the borrower may ask the lender to extend the term of payment in case he is unable to pay the amortization or to allow interest only payments until the borrower can update the payment. This request for changes on the terms will increase the full principal obligation of the loan. But nevertheless, the same must be approved by the lender.
Most lenders provide flexible repayment mortgages to allow the borrowers to pay more than the required monthly premiums when their financial capacity improves. Holiday payments are also given to borrowers when they cannot meet the monthly dues.
Ideally, repayment mortgage is the efficient way to pay off the loan. When the mortgage value reduces, the amount of interest payable is likewise decreases. Hence, after few years of paying your dues the monthly repayment will now consist of an increasing amount of capital and a decreasing amount of interest. Tax relief will likewise decrease. This means that the borrowers will unlikely experience negative equity because the mortgage prevailing balance will also reduce. In the long run, the high equity percentages of the borrower’s property will also increases.
Reverse Mortgages
A Reverse Mortgage is a loan that enables homeowners to convert part of the equity of their home into a tax-free income. In this type of mortgage, homeowners do not have to sell their homes, give up the title, or take on a new monthly mortgage payment. It is termed as reverse mortgage because instead of making monthly payments to a lender as with a regular mortgage, the lender is the one that makes payments to the homeowners.
But not all can avail a reverse mortgage. In order to qualify in this mortgage, the homeowner must be at least 62 years of age. The older the applicant, the higher the loan amount can be. Also, the home to be subjected in reverse mortgage must be the applicant’s principal residence, meaning the applicant is currently residing in that particular house for more than half a year.
Elderly homeowners often use reverse mortgage as an additional source of income since most of them are already retired. Payment proceeds from a reverse mortgage can be also used to pay for the applicant’s health care, home repair or modification, paying off existing debts, taking a vacation and paying property taxes or just get some cash in case of emergencies.
The amount of cash one can have depends on several factors like the age of the home, its value, age at the time of closing, and interest rates. The qualified applicant may choose to receive the money from a reverse mortgage all at once as a lump sum, as a line of credit, fixed monthly payments or a combination of both.
The lump sum is the cash paid to you on the first day of the loan as immediate cash. A line of credit lets you take cash advances whenever you want during the life of the loan and until you use it all up. The mortgage becomes due once the home is passed on to the heirs. The heirs then, had an option to pay the mortgage and keep the home or sell the home and pay off the mortgage. They can keep any excess sales proceeds. The homeowner can never owe more than the value of the home in which time the loan is repaid.
Aug 18
adminCheap Mortgages
What Is An Endowment Mortgage?
An endowment mortgage, in theory, is supposed to lower your mortgage payment. Ideally, endowment mortgages are much cheaper than standard mortgage policies such as repayment mortgages. When you get an endowment mortgage, you pay only the interest on the amount borrowed. In addition to this, you pay an addition small sum into a policy that is supposed to be ever-increasing: the endowment policy. This policy is supposed to grow and grow, and at the end of the mortgage term you use this money to pay off your capital.
The customer pays only the interest on the capital borrowed, thus saving money with respect to an ordinary repayment loan; the borrower instead makes payments to an endowment policy. The objective is that the investment made through the endowment policy will be sufficient to repay the mortgage at the end of the term and possibly create a cash surplus.
-Endowment Mortgages, Wikipedia, June 2006
Endowment mortgage is actually not a legal term. This type of mortgage policy was popular in the 1980s, especially in the UK, but natural fiscal problems and stock market lows made many of these policies practically worthless. An endowment mortgage is always going to be hit or miss. When they work, they really work well. When they dont workthen, things arent so great.
With an endowment mortgage, the borrower only pays the monthly interest to the lender while investing an additional monthly sum into a policy that is usually invested in equities. The theory is that this “endowment policy” should grow sufficiently, with long-term share price rises, over the course of the mortgage (usually 25 years) that the capital debt can be repaid at the end of the term.
-Q & A: Endowment Mortgages, Business Times Online, June 2006
And If Things Go Wrong With My Endowment Mortgage?
With an endowment policy, you lay yourself open to the vagaries of the stock market and the competence of the policy manger. You must also closely monitor the performance of your policy to make sure you are contributing enough.
- Q & A: Endowment Mortgages, Business Times Online, June 2006
Lets say, for instance, that you get an endowment mortgage. This type of mortgage has been getting more and more attention recently, and some consumers are starting to think it might just be a good idea again. So you get an endowment mortgage and start paying off your interest regularly. With equal regularity, you deposit a certain amount of pounds into your endowment policy. Only, the stock market doesnt do so well. Stocks are low, the economy takes a plunge. Twenty-five years go by, and you discover that your endowment policy does not have enough in it to pay off your capital. All your interest has been paid, quite nicely, for two and a half decades, however. So, what about that capital loan that needs to be paid off?
Youd better find a way to pay it offsomehow.
The underlying premise with endowment policies being used to repay a mortgage is that the rate of growth of the investment will exceed the rate of interest charged on the loan. Towards the end of the 1980s when endowment mortgage selling was at its peak, the anticipated growth rate for endowments policies was high (7-12% per annum). By the middle of the 1990s the change in the economy towards lower inflation made the assumptions of a few years ago looks optimistic.
-Endowment Mortgages, Wikipedia, June 2006
When you took out your mortgage with an endowment policy, the aim was that the policy would grow in value. However, as the value of most policies is linked to the performance of the stock market there is usually no guarantee that the policy value will be sufficient to repay the mortgage at the end of the mortgage term.
-Consumer Information, FSA, June 2006
Aug 11
adminCheap Mortgages
Mortgages are secured loans that are given to first time buyers, homeowners and people who have bad credit. Once you are accepted for the loan, you must repay the debt, which will include interest rates. Some refinancing loans have additional fees attached. The secured loans have collateral attached, means that if you fail to make payments, you are subject to foreclosure or repossession. The bank will come and take your home and sell it for the amount you owe.
This is why it is wise to make sure you know what you are getting into if you plan to refinance to consolidate your debts. Some loans permit buyers to repay the loans in 25 years, while others allow 30 repayments. Few of the lenders available on the Internet that offer refinance loans for consolidation of debts are aware that people go through hard times-or at least they don’t deal with people directly enough to actually feel this hardship through talking to them.
On the loans that offer lower interest rates, combine payments for debt consolidation. If you can manage to pay for the loan in the time stipulated, it is likely that you will take less time to pay back the loan amount borrowed. Once you find a lender to refinance your mortgage and combine your bills for debt consolidation, you will receive a loan based on capital and interest.
The Repayment loans for refinancing and consolidation make it easy, since the lenders will combine the interest and repayments into one monthly installment. Still, few lenders will allow you to repay the interest rates only; however, be aware that these types of loans do not combine your payments for consolidation; rather they put you at risk in some instances.
Still, there are several types of loans available that will help you refinance for debt consolidation, so keep an open mind and mull over your choices carefully before you make a final decision.
One of the most important tasks debtors must carry out to achieve in debt consolidation is keeping away from complications. When debtors have bills that are behind merely because they didn’t have the cash to repay the debts, then their stress will build. Some people may go on binge, spending instead of paying their bills, and procrastinating instead of working to restore their credit.
These people may believe that after three, seven or ten years the problem will end, since the credit reports remove any pending debts after seven years and any bankruptcies after ten years. The fact is, the problem doesn’t go away the problems only get bigger. Yes, it is true: after three years, if you manage to payoff a debt, then the debt is removed from your credit report. In addition, yes, it is true if after seven years you failed to make payments the debt is removed in most instances from your credit report.
Furthermore, it is true that in many cases, after ten years, bankruptcy is removed from your credit report. If you have the patience to wait this long, can tolerate the hassling phone calls and letters, and don’t mind worrying about going to court for this long, then by all means procrastinate.
Bills and debt consolidation is optional, however bill and debt reduction is your best bet. You can do this by start paying as much every month on your bills as possible to reduce your debts.
Aug 04
adminCheap Mortgages
Danger of Deferred Interest Mortgages: Understanding the Risks of Negative Amortization Home Loans
Negative amortization or “neg am” occurs when the minimum payment on a mortgage covers less than the monthly interest charged, causing the balance of the loan to increase instead of decrease. Interest only loans generally dont increase the balance due on a home although they dont diminish the amount due. However, deferred interest loans will increase your loan amount. This can happen with negative amortizations loans like a payment option ARM, where payment choices can be calculated based on COFI – The 11th District Cost of Funds Index which demonstrates the average interest rate paid by certain banks in Arizona, California and Nevada or on MTA – The 12 month Treasury Average, giving you a variety of choices in payments. While these loans can be a good deal when short-term interest rates are low, they are not necessarily the right choice when short term loans have a higher interest rate, like now. For most, now is not the right time to refinance a fixed-rate loan for a deferred interest mortgage.
If you are looking to eventually cash out home equity, you should look for a purchase loan that involves paying some of the principal. Not only is it possible you may not build equity in your home with neg am loans, but you also may have a loss of equity through an increased mortgage balance. If you suddenly need to sell your home, you may not be able to get a purchase price high enough to cover your loan. You will also have more difficulty getting a second mortgage behind negative ARM loans.
Henry Savage, president of PMC Mortgage notes that on a deferred mortgage, The mortgage balance can increase as much as 350 per month for every 100,000 that’s borrowed. The neg am on a 500,000 loan for example, can be as much as 1,750 per month. He continues by noting, There are not many circumstances where I would recommend an Option ARM. However, there are a few instances where deferred interest or negative amortization loans may make sense.
Neg am loans are good for investment properties when you may be paying a double mortgage. They are also good for self-employed with cash flow issues. If you plan on normally paying some of the principal, but dont know what your cash flow will be like from month to month, it may be helpful to have the option of a minimum payment.
Do you homework before deciding on a deferred interest mortgage. Although your payments will be lower, there are inherent risks involved and you may be better off with a fixed-rate mortgage.
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