Who Wants Low Mortgage Rates?

Who doesn't want low mortgage rates? A low mortgage rate means spending on monthly payments during the course of a mortgage. A low mortgage rate can save homebuyers like you several thousands of dollars. A low mortgage rate means having more funds to spend on investments that might prove profitable.

Despite the reported increase of previously low mortgage rates, rates today are still low enough to consider a mortgage refinance for your home. The Internet provides you with the perfect portal to start applying for those low mortgage rates. Below is a list of websites where you can apply for low mortgage rates.

Low Mortgage Rates at Interest .com

Interest.com offers you an opportunity to compare rates of several lending companies in your state so you can have a better chance at getting a low mortgage rate. For instance, you want to apply for a low mortgage rate on a 30-year fixed rate refinance mortgage in Georgia. The amount you wish to borrow is 0,000 with no discount points and a standard loan type. After clicking on the search button, the page will display the low mortgage rates of several lending companies in Georgia, including Sterling Home Mortgage Corporation whose low mortgage rate is 5.375%. There are several other lending companies that offer low mortgage rates and all you have to do is choose the one offering the lowest rate.

The Low Mortgage Rates of MortgageRatesUSA .com

Mortgage Rates USA is yet another company that offers choices and options for costumers who are on the look out for low mortgage rates. Their online low mortgage rate quote request is free and secure. The information you provide so the website could generate your low mortgage rate quote request is only shared with the lender and not with any third party.

The Low Mortgage Rates of ELoan .com

E-Loan is one of the top lending companies offering low mortgage rates. The reason for their low mortgage rates is that they do not charge you with any lender fees or any other hidden costs which is the main culprit to an increased mortgage rate. For example, a 5-year adjustable rate mortgage with E-Loan has a low mortgage rate of 4.625% and an APR of 5.078%.

How to take advantage of low mortgage rates

Refinancing is something that all homebuyer should consider when the market offers low mortgage rates. When you refinance, you take advantage of low mortgage rates by paying off your first mortgage with a new mortgage with low mortgage rates. This move can help you lower down your monthly payments and save on your overall interest bill.

For example, you have a year into a 0,000 loan for 30 years. The interest rate is 8.5 per cent and fixed for the duration of the loan period. You can refinance your first loan with a new 30-year loan with a low mortgage rate of 7 per cent. By doing this, you can cut down on your monthly payment by 5 to 8. The low mortgage rate of the new loan can also help you reduce your overall interest bill by ,200 to 3,000.

Looking For A Second Mortgage Loan?

A second mortgage loan is a subsequent loan and subordinate to the earlier mortgage. In other words, a second mortgage loan is used as collateral pledged for the first loan.

Length of Second Mortgage Loans

Second mortgage loans have varying lengths with which they are eventually paid off. Some second mortgage loans may last for as long as 15 or 20 years. Other second mortgage loans only require one year for repayment.

When you're thinking of taking on a second mortgage loan, you will need to know what term best suits you. Discuss the repayment terms of the second mortgage loan with your bank or lending company. For instance, you get a second mortgage loan worth ,000 to make some home repairs. With this amount, you might want to take on a second mortgage loan that will allow you to repay the entire amount in one or two years. If you pay a second mortgage loan that has a shorter term, the monthly payments may be too high.

Payment Calculations for Second Mortgage Loans

Before taking on second mortgage loan, be sure that you understand a couple of things first. Know how much your monthly payments will be for that second mortgage loan. Moreover, it is also helpful if you also have an idea as to where those second mortgage loan payments will cover.

Some second mortgage loans require you to make monthly payments on both interest and principal. Other second mortgage loans only require you to pay the interest of the borrowed amount.

The former type of second mortgage loans will allow you to significantly shorten your payoff period since with each payment you make, you are also chipping away at the principal. With the interest-only second mortgage loan however you will be required to pay back the entire amount that you borrowed as soon as the term ends. This type of second mortgage loan is also called balloon payment loans.

Second Mortgage Loan Costs

Fees may be charged by some lending companies for the money you borrow on second mortgage loans. The fees, referred to as "points," are usually a percentage of the second mortgage loan. One point on your second mortgage loan is equivalent to one percent of the amount you borrow.

So, if you were to get a second mortgage loan of ,000 with an eight-point fee, then you would have to pay 0 in "points." Second mortgage loan companies may charge you in varying number of points so if it might be helpful if you do a comparison first.

Second Mortgage Loan Rates

Second mortgage loans have different payments plans. Most second mortgage loans have a fixed rate payment included in their payment plans. If you have a fixed rate second mortgage loan, the interest rate will be set for the whole loan term. This means that your monthly payments for your second mortgage loan will not be affected by any outside changes.

Some companies also offer second mortgage loans with variable rate payments. These variable rate second mortgage loans periodically experience rate adjustments. A variable rate second mortgage loan might be cheaper than a fixed rate payment in the long run. But this is only provided if the interest rates of second mortgage loans go down. If interest rates rise, then your monthly payments for your second mortgage loan will rise as well.

I tried to see what my rate would be at my bank, but they were charging an application fee of 100 dollars. Will that be the case each time? I'd like to "shop" around before I actually have to pay any fee. Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by William
You can "shop around" all you want, but no quote will be binding at all until you have a signed purchase contract for a house, apply for the actual loan and lock in a final rate. Rates fluctuate on a daily basis.

Add your own answer in the comments!

How A Reverse Mortgage Works

Ever wonder how a reverse mortgage works? For folks that have lived in their home for a long time, they may very well be sitting on a gold mine. Home prices have increased greatly over the last thirty years, and nationally have nearly doubled in value over the last ten years. This has left a great many homeowners with valuable equity in their homes and many different options to access that equity, home equity loans and mortgage refinances being the most common. For older Americans, there is another, less common option that is growing in popularity as home prices have increased and baby boomers have moved closer to retirement age: the reverse mortgage. But do you know what it is, and do you know how a reverse mortgage works?

So what exactly is a reverse mortgage? A reverse mortgage is a loan product that allows homeowners 62 years of age and older to use their equity to generate tax-free income, without having to sell the home or take on a new mortgage payment. In fact the reverse mortgage is exactly what the title states, the reverse of a standard mortgage. With a standard mortgage, the borrower (or homeowner) makes monthly payments to the lender (or bank or mortgage company), in order to pay back the loan that the lender originally lent to for the purchase or refinance of the house. This payment includes interest that the lender charges the borrower for the loan. In a reverse mortgage, the situation is reversed; the lender makes monthly payments to the borrower. However, in both a standard and reverse mortgage, the lender secures their loan amount by using the house as collateral.

There are a few factors that determine how much money a borrower will receive from a reverse mortgage, such as the value of the home, borrower's (and co-borrower's) age, current interest rates and any lending limits that may be standard for your geographic area. As a rule of thumb, the older the borrower and the more valuable the home, the larger the available loan amount. Homeowners can choose how they want to receive their payments, either as a lump sum, monthly payments or as a line of credit. The line of credit is the most popular option, with nearly 60% of reverse mortgage borrowers choosing to the option to draw income or a lump sum off the line at the time of their choosing. And the proceeds from the reverse mortgage can be used for anything, completely at the discretion of the borrower, though most borrowers use the funds for home repairs or modifications, health care expenses, to settle other debts, or for their long-planned vacation! Reverse mortgages are available for nearly all property types with the exception of co-ops, though co-op owners in some metropolitan areas, specifically New York, should have local options. If you are in retirement, or nearing retirement, and think this may be the product for you, I will go into more detail about exactly how a reverse mortgage works.

For reverse mortgage borrowers with an existing mortgage, that mortgage will need to be paid off completely, so that the new reverse mortgage will be the only lien on the house. If the proceeds from the reverse mortgage are not ample to pay off the existing mortgage, the borrower will need to access savings or other sources to pay off the rest of existing mortgage amount. In this scenario, the borrower won't have access to any additional funds from the reverse mortgage; however, they will no longer have a mortgage payment! The more common scenario is one in which there is a small or no mortgage on the home and then the borrower is able to access nearly the full amount of the reverse mortgage to use at their discretion. No monthly payments are due on the loan and the loan is repaid when the moves or sells the home, passes away, or ownership otherwise changes hands. If the home is sold and the proceeds of the sale exceed the mortgage amount, the balance belongs to the borrower or their heirs.

One very important facet of the reverse mortgage process is the consumer counseling that is required for borrowers contemplating a reverse mortgage. Your lender can help you find counseling agencies and most programs are approved and monitored by HUD and/ or AARP. The counseling is required to make sure that the terms and risks of the program are clear to you. Counselors are obligated by law to review with you all of the implications of the new mortgage, and what your potential options are.

Overall, for older Americans contemplating a stress-free retirement, the reverse mortgage may be just the option! Just make sure that you know your options and goals… and how a reverse mortgage works.

Related Mortgage Articles

Mortgage Loan Basics: Interest Only Loans, Pay Option Arm

To understand loans and mortgages we need to understand loan limits first. If your loan amount exceeds the amount below, you will qualify for a Jumbo Loan, which carries higher interest rate.

One-Family (single family homes) 7,000

Two-Family(duplex) 3,850

Three-Family (triplex) 5,300

Four-Family(fourplex) 1,950

FIXED Loans:

30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates

This loan program is fixed for 30 years. Your interest rate will not change for 30 years. This is ideal for people who plan to stay at their present property for a long period of time.

20 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates

Fixed for 20 years. Your payment will be higher than 30 year fixed loan becuase your loan term is only for 20 years. Interest rate will not change for 20 years.

15 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates

15 year fixed loan has a loan term of 15 years and will not change during this period. Your monthly payment on this loan program will be much higher than 20 years fixed or 30 years fixed. Use this loan program if you plan to sell your home in 5-8 years. Interest rate will not change for 15 years.

ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage)

ARM Loans are fixed for a certain period of time, where after that period ARM loan becomes an adjustable loan. How do they work?

Each ARM Loan Program has these options:

1) Index: Most comon index-LIBOR

2) Margin: Is given to you by your lender, and it is the difference between the index rate and the interest charged to the borrower

For example 5/1 ARM. This loan is fixed for 5 years after which in 6th year it becomes an adjustable loan. Your loan officer will tell you what your index is and what your margin is. Usually 5/1 arm is tied to 1-year treasury index and margin is around 2.00%-3.00%

Your index + margin = Fully Index rate . Your new note rate (interest rate) after 5th year.

What about the 6th year? What would your payment be?

Let's say that your loan officer told you that your margin is 2.5% with 1 year treasury index. You will have to look up 1 year treasury index for a specific month.

1 year treasury as of Oct.2005 is 4.18, and you know that your margin is 2.5%. Therefore you new interest rate is 1 year treasury 4.18% (index) + 2.5% (margin) = 6.68% for the begining of 6th year.

Index rate are move on monthly basis, therefore your payment may flunctuate each month. In most cases banks wills end you a statement advising you that your rate will change.

3) To protect consumers from high index rates, lenders implemented a CAPS.

An example of this is a 2/6 cap, which allows the interest rate on your ARM loan to go up or down by no more than two percent every adjustment period, and has a total limit of six percent for cumulative changes. Therefore a 2/6 cap on a 5% ARM will allow a maximum rate (6 + 5%) of no more than 11%.

In some cases you will see 2/2/6, which means 2% adjustment with 2 year prepayment penalty and total of six percent of cumulative changes.

4) With an arm you can have either a fixed rate or you can choose an Interest Only structure loan.

1/1 ARM Mortgage Rates

1 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 1 year and in 2nd year it becomes an adjustable.

3/1 ARM Mortgage Rates

3 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 3 years and in 4th year it becomes an adjustable.

5/1 ARM Mortgage Rates

5 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 5 years and in 6th year it becomes an adjustable.

7/1 ARM Mortgage Rates

7 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 7 years and in 8th year it becomes an adjustable.

10/1 ARM Mortgage Rates

10 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 10 years and in 11th year it becomes an adjustable.

Interest Only Loans

For example, if a 30-year fixed-rate loan of 0,000 at 8.5% is interest only, the payment is .085/12 times 0,000, or 8.34. This is an example of interest only payment.

Each loan payment consists of Interest and Principal. Here you will be paying an interest each month and your principal will be adding to your balance, thus increasing it. You may also pay both principal and interest.

If a lender offers you an Interest only Loan these loans are tied to an index just like ARM loans.

MTA Index: The MTA index generally fluctuates slightly more than the COFI, although its movements track each other very closely.

. 1 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates

. 3 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates

. 6 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates

. 12 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates

COFI Index: This index rise (and fall) more slowly than rates in general, which is good for you if rates are rising but not good for you if rates are falling.

. 1 Month COFI ARM Mortgage Rates

. 3 Month COFI ARM Mortgage Rates

LIBOR Index: LIBOR is an international index, which follows the world economic condition. It allows international investors to match their cost of lending to their cost of funds. The LIBOR compares most closely to the CMT index and is more open to quick and wide fluctuations than the COFI.

. 6 Month LIBOR ARM Mortgage Rates

. 12 Month LIBOR ARM Mortgage Rates

Pay Option ARM Loan

Pay Option ARM in a new loan program allowing customers to choose from up to 4 different payments. This loan program is part of an ARM, but with added flexibility of making one of the 4 payments.

Your intial start rate varies from 1.000% to anywhere around 4.000%. The intial start rate is held only for one month, after that interest rate changes monthly.

4 major choises are:

1) Minimum payment: Fot the first 12 months interest rate is calculated using the start rate after that interest rate is calculated annually.

Example:

Loan Amount: 0,000.00

Initial Rate: 1.25%

Index: 3.326 (MTA as of October 2005)

Margin: 2.75%

Payment Cap: 7.5%

Fully Indexed Rate: 6.076% (ndex + margin )

Minimum Payment Changes:

Year 1 6.50 Minimum Payment

Year 2 6.49 = 6.50 + 7.50%

Year 3 0.22 = 6.49 + 7.50%

Year 4 7.99 = 0.22 + 7.50%

Year 5 0.09 = 7.99 + 7.50%

The Option ARM's 7.5% payment cap limits how much the payment can increase or decrease each year, except for every fifth year (beginning in the 10th year on certain programs), when the cap does not apply. In the event your balance exceeds your original loan amount by 125% (110% in N.Y.), the payment amount may change more frequently without regard to the payment cap.

Becasue you are paying "minimum payment" this option will defer a payment of an interest which will be added to your balance.

Minimum Payment Adjustment Period: The minimum payment is usually set to 12 months, unless negative amortization limit is reached.

Minimum Payment Cap: This is a limit on how much the minimum payment can change. Your payment cap will be 7.5% for the first five years. On your next payment due, your minimum payment cannot increse or decrease more than 7.5%. If it does than a loan is recast.

Recast (Recasting) or re-calculating your loan is a way of limiting negative amortization (neg-am). Option ARM's recast every 5 years. When the loan is recast, the payment required to fully amortize the loan over the remaining term becomes the new minimum payment

2) Interest Only Payment: With Interest Only you will avoid deffered interest, becausue you are paying principal and interest. If you pay only Interest or Principal your loan balance will increase because you are adding either pricipal payment or interest payment to your loan balance, thus leading towards Neg-Am Loan.

Your payment may change on monthly basis based on ARM index (LIBOR,COFI,MTA).

3) Fully Amortizing 30-Year Payment: It's calculated each month based on the prior month's interest rate, loan balance and remaining loan term. When you choose this option, you reduce your principal and pay off your loan on schedule.

4) Fully Amortizing 15-Year Payment: It is calculated from the first payment due date.

Negative Amortization Loan (Neg-Am Loan)

Negative amortization loans calculate two interest rates. The first is called the payment rate the second is the actual interest rate. The true interest rate is calculated as simply the index plus the margin without periodic caps. Borrowers are given a choice of which rate to pay. Thus advertisers of negative amortization loans often refer to these loans as "payment option" loans.

A loan that allows negative amortization means the borrower is allowed to make a monthly mortgage payment that is less than the interest actually owed during that month. For example, let's say we have a 0,000 loan with an adjustable rate that's currently sitting at five percent. Simple interest on this loan is easy to calculate. Multiply the interest rate by the loan amount and you have the annual interest of ,000. Divide ,000 by 12 months and the monthly "interest only" payment is 3.33 or simply here is the formula for your monthly payment for interest only loans: loan balance x interest rates / 12 = monthly payment.

Now, let's say that there's a provision in the loan documents that allow the borrower to make a minimum payment based on a "payment rate" of four percent. So your lowest payment would be 6.67 because the "payment rate" is based upon four percent, not the actual interest rate, which is five percent.

So if you make make the lowest allowable payment you are actually losing 6.67 in equity. The balance of the loan increases to 0,166.67.

Exotic Mortgage

You may have heard this term before. So what are they?

The latest and most exotic mortgages out there include:

1. The 40-Year Mortgage: This is similar to a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, except the payment is being stretched over an extra 10 years. The lender will charge a slightly higher interest rate, as much as half a percentage point.

2. The Interest-Only Mortgage: With an interest-only mortgage, the lender allows the borrower to pay only the interest for the first so many years of a mortgage. After the grace period, the loan essentially becomes a new mortgage with the interest and principal being stretched only the remaining years. Please refer above for Interest Only Loans.

3. The Negative Amortization Mortgage: This interest-only type of mortgage allows a buyer to pay less than the full amount of interest. The difference between the full interest payment and the amount actually paid is added to the balance of the loan. Please refer above for more information.

4. The Piggy Back Mortgage: This is actually two mortgages, one on top of the other. The first mortgage covers 80% of the property's value. The second covers the remaining balance at a slightly higher interest rate.

5. 103s and 107s: You may not need to save for a down payment at all. You could borrow 3% or 7% more than your home is even worth. These loans give you the option of borrowing money needed for closing costs and moving costs. You can include it all in the mortgage.

6. Home Equity Line of Credit: These aren't just for those who own a home! They are commonly known as HELOCs, and they can finance an original home purchase using a credit line instead of a traditional mortgage. HELOCs are variable-rate mortgages tied to the prime rate. If you use this mortgage as your first mortgage, all of the interest is tax deductible.

There are going to be many factors which affect your mortgage rate, some of which are under your control and others which you can do nothing about. You should be aware of all of the factors which might affect your mortgage rate and take them into consideration before applying for a mortgage loan. You can take steps to improve some of the factors which affect your mortgage rate and make decisions about when is best to apply based on basic knowledge about your mortgage.

What is a mortgage?

Most people understand the basic definition that the mortgage is a loan which is used to purchase a home. There is slightly more to the mortgage than this. The mortgage is a loan which uses the property itself as collateral. If you fail to make the payments on your mortgage, the property may be taken over by the lending institution who has given you the mortgage.

You want the best mortgage rates

The mortgage is a long-life loan meaning that it is not going to be fully repaid for many, many years. A standard home mortgage is often a fifteen or twenty year loan. This means that you want the best mortgage rate possible because you are going to be needing to pay this rate for a long, long time.

Factors affecting mortgage rates

Major factors affecting mortgage rates include:

• Amount of down payment on mortgage

• Consideration of closing costs

• Income of mortgage borrower

• Life of mortgage loan

• Life of mortgage rate

• Total mortgage loan amount

• Whether or not the mortgage rate is adjustable

Factors making up a desirable mortgage rate

The basic premise of the desirable mortgage rate is that it is within your budget, has a low interest rate and is paid back as quickly as possible. How all of this plays out in terms of each individual mortgage depends upon the independent factors of each borrower. For example, you might prefer a fifteen-year mortgage loan to one that is paid over thirty years. This will allow you to save money over time because you pay less in interest. However, if you can not afford the higher monthly payments and you default on the mortgage loan, you have not helped yourself out any.

Negotiating a desirable mortgage rate

The simplest method of achieving a desirable mortgage rate is to work with a mortgage broker. You will have to pay up front fees to the mortgage broker, usually at the time when all of the closing costs are paid on the home purchase, but you will save money and time in the long run. The mortgage broker plays the role of assessing your personal financial situation and working with lending institutions to negotiate the best possible mortgage rate for your situation. The mortgage broker has experience with all of the factors and terms used in the mortgage loan negotiation and can use this expertise to your benefit.

Repayment of the mortgage loan

When you are working out a plan of repayment for the mortgage loan, you should look at the amount of money available for down payment, the amount you can reasonably pay on the loan each month, the grace period of any adjustable mortgage loan interest rates and any fees owed for early repayment of the mortgage. Working with the mortgage broker, you should be able to develop a repayment plan for your mortgage which allows you to purchase and remain in your home through the life of the loan.

John Bird and John Fortune (the Long Johns) brilliantly, and accurately, describing the mindset of the investment banking community in this satirical interview.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

More Mortgage Articles

Question by Aqua: What is a 75/25 mortgage and how does it work? Would I be making 2 mortgage payments a month?
My broker is suggesting a 75/25 mortgage which he says is good because you do not have to pay mortgage insurance, but does anyone know other details about it? Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by togashiyokuni2001
It's two loans. It's a first loan for 75% LTV, with a subordinate second of 25% LTV. In many cases, it's cheaper to do that than pay MI. But if LPMI is available, it's usually cheaper to do that. It usually depends on your Fannie findings, and really more things than I can go into and keep your interest. Anyway, if the same lender funds both loans, they'll probably only send you one bill, but a bill that is itemized to show that you're paying on two loans. The rate for the first one will be a conforming rate, but the second will be about 8-9%. If this is a purchase, watch your prepay penalties, especially if you go into the house with equity, because if you have sufficient equity going in, you can refinance after 6 months using the appraised value for LTV, not the purchase price, and then get one loan with no MI. You'd have to refi for 80% or less, though.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Question by White Lady: Will it work if my name is in the mortgage instead of my relative?
I have a relative that wants to take over my mortgage but she cannot get approved for a loan because she have a low fico score. I want to help her out, that's why I want to find out if it's ok to transfer the title to her name and I remain on the mortgage. Will it work if we do that? What's the best way for us?

Best answer:

Answer by spnkitman
No, do not transfer the name, have her sign a lease to buy agreement and let her rent from you to cover the mortgage and other taxes and expenses. When the mortgage is paid off then you can transfer to this persons name.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Best answer:

Answer by bbwebpuppy
Underwriting is the process where a person at the lender goes about matching up all the qualifying documents, like your W-2's, credit report, appraisal, bank statements, employment verification, etc. to the loan guidelines. Once they are sure that the initial info you supplied is true and fill it in with everything the lender needs to verify to be sure you can pay the loan back, they will fund your loan.

What do you think? Answer below!

Best answer:

Answer by Mary B
You wouldn't qualify.

Your husband didn't lose his job, he quit his job, there is a HUGE difference.

Sorry to sound harsh, but programs weren't designed for that purpose. The smart thing to have done is to have had a full time job BEFORE he left active duty military.

Is he even looking for a job? Are you? Is there a reason why one or both of you can't work two jobs?

The reserves is only one-weekend a month…where did he think the money was going to come from?

What do you think? Answer below!