Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Mortgage loans when credit aint' perfect?

Is it harder to get a mortgage if your credit isn’t perfect?
By Nancy Woodward

Although everything in the world of mortgages is not black and white, generally you must take good care of your credit history to easily obtain a mortgage. Lenders consider credit scores to determine if you are worthy of a loan.

Most lenders see scores above 700 as positive indicators of good credit health while scores below 600 are deemed to be risky. Interest rates for mortgage loans are higher if your credit score is in the lower ranges.

Lenders seem to be pulling in the reins on mortgages or refinancing if your credit score has marks on it. Many lenders don’t want to handle riskier loans when the market is slower.

Novastar Financial Inc. of Kansas City, MO, lost 42 percent of its share price due to a fourth quarter loss of $14.4 million. Company officials set aside $45 in anticipation of defaulting mortgages.

When the market shifts, investors demand much higher standards to approval a mortgage loan. This shift causes some consumers to be squeezed out of the market.

During the past few years, many homeowners borrowed against their homes while the market was forging forward. They now have second mortgages and home equity loans to pay when the economy is tightening. Real Estate prices are leveling at this point.

The nation’s economy may be affected by the slowing housing market and increase in the interest rates. The trend for lenders and investors will lean toward more care when handing out mortgage loans. This does not mean you can’t obtain financing, it just means it make take a bit of creativity.

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

Will Interest Rates Rise?

by Nancy Woodward

Today I posted my latest article on the Fed's position on this subject. You can find a good buy on Real Estate currently. You really need to watch where the rates are going.

When rates rise, your cost of purchase rises also. The entire article is posted at
RealEstate Directory

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Saturday, February 17, 2007

How is your Credit Scored?

by Nancy Woodward

Getting approval for any type of loan depends on your credit rating. If you have average credit rating, you will find it almost impossible to get approved. It’s possible to get good rating or even improve you credit rating. Most companies almost use same rating system and if you are able to know more about it you should be able to have better credit score.

Your age is the first factor which it’s almost impossible to do anything about. Yes it’s possible to lie, but don’t because it will make things more difficult for you in future if the creditor get to know. If you are between 24 to 64 years of age you will get one point. Any age bellow or above that will score you zero point.

If you are married you have chance of adding extra point to your score. If not, you still score zero as most creditors see you as a higher risk. Also if you have no dependant you will score zero. But if you have between one to three you will add to your points. Here is how it works – if you have no dependant creditors believe you can skip town and not pay off your credit.

Creditors will also want to know more about your root. They will want to know where you live. Owning a home with a big fat mortgage or even without mortgage will give you more points. How long you stay in your present or previous residence also adds more points to your score. If you’ve move so often you will score zero point. However, if you’ve stayed up to 5 years before moving, you will surely get more point. It shows you are a good risk to them.

Other factors that will add to your point are your years on job (the longer the better), kind of job, your monthly income, present debt status, previous credit history and your saving or checking account.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Can you get a loan with Bad Credit?

Bad Credit? You can Still get a Loan
by Nancy Woodward

Don’t let bad credit get you down - you can still get a loan. With a mortgage loan, college loan or even a personal loan, many mortgage lenders turn bad credit down. However, there are some who will take a chance with you. Just because you have bad credit does not make you a bad person. When you have bad credit or absolutely no money to put down you should look for a bad credit mortgage lender.

A bad credit mortgage lender helps those who have a bad credit score or low income. They can also help get your loan approved faster than other programs. Although getting a bad credit loan may be easy, a bad credit mortgage loan has its price – you will likely pay higher interest rates and higher closing fees.


For the entire article visit RealEstateDirectory and subscribe.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Refinancing your Mortgage Loan

Mortgage Loans -Refinancing Your Mortgage is on the Rise
By Nancy Woodward

Long term mortgages rates are remaining relatively low. The average rate for a thirty year loans is approximately 6.2%. Since home equity loans and lines of credit have their interest most often tied directly to the prime rate, they have gotten more expensive since the prime is now over eight percent.

Many customers prefer to have a fixed rate loan than risk their economic future on fluctuating rates that can continue rising in the future. Freddie Mac says 89% of the loans it owns that were refinanced in the third quarter of 2006 had amounts at least five percent higher than the original mortgage balances.

According to the American Bankers Association, the dollar amount of home equity loans has increased by an annualized 14.6% for the first three quarters of 2006. This includes both home equity loans and home equity lines of credit.

Before you consider refinancing, you should look for the most economical way to accomplish this. You should also consider if refinancing to take additional cash is a wise move. If refinancing gets you a better rate and it has been a long enough period of time since your last change, then perhaps it is a good move.

If you have credit card debt, it is often financed at a much higher rate than you can obtain with a loan connected to your real estate. Sometimes you can obtain a fixed rate loan for a home equity line that will help you reduce your loan expense.

Consider the fees it takes to accomplish new financing and the time for repayment of the new debt. I personally am working on paying off my current mortgage with a Mortgage Payoff program.

I am now in the process of financing a second home. I just obtained a first mortgage at slightly less than 6.2%. Since this article was originally written about a month ago, the rates are remaining at the same levels.

If I had a loan that was at a higher rate - generally more than 2%, I would consider refinancing it to bring down my mortgage payments. You should consider how long it will take you to recoup the fees you spend to do this.

Jim Edwards’ Mortgage Loan Tips will tell you why some people almost always get the lowest interest rate on their home mortgage loan and never pay too much in points or “junk” loan fees!

Check out Mortgage Loans Tips by Clicking Here! You will save yourself time and effort, as well as, money.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Arizona Real Estate - Reasons to buy

Arizona real estate market is really hot. The centre of a lot of action in Arizona is Phoenix metropolitan area. However, when it comes to real estate investing, every area is hot. Based on whether you are looking for Arizona real estate just as an investment avenue or whether you are looking for Arizona real estate to actually live in, your preferences would change a bit. However, one thing which you would always want is a low price. And that is something that would require some effort.

If you are looking to get a piece of Arizona real estate for yourself and your family, then you need to consider a lot of different things which will also influence your perception of the lowest (or the best price) for that Arizona real estate piece. Note that the best price for the same Arizona real estate piece might be different for different people (because their level of motivation to buy a particular Arizona real estate piece might vary). So, if you have a lot of friends living in a particular area in Arizona, then Arizona real estate in that area might become your preference and hence increase your motivation level. For more...

The entire article is located on The Real Estate Directory Newsletter.