Friday, November 16, 2007

Reverse Mortgages Enable Retiring Homeowners

It’s a creepy thought. Over the nest 40 years, the proportion of Australia’s population aged 65 years and over will almost multiply. With continual expansion in the cost of healthcare and actual living expenses, and a decreased ability to rely on government assitance, many Baby Boomers are dreading a need to make important downgrades in their lifestyles to fund retirement.

The popularity of reverse mortgages is set to rise, as our population ages. An obstacle to the take up of reverse mortgages is a strong mentality among retirees to want to leave as much as possible to their children.

The downside? The interest on the financial loan can be up to 1 to 2 percent higher than ordinary home debt rates and is gradually added on to the loan over time. But the suitable news is that the financial debt doesn't have to be paid back until the real estate is sold. In most cases, however, kids of retirees would rather see their mum and dad tap into their assets to maintain a high principle of living and general satisfaction than leave a significant fortune to them.

To take some of the pressure level off ageing shoulders, economic institutions are continually exploring products specifically tailored to help retirees. Meet the Reverse Mortgage.

So how does it work? Just as the name says, a reverse mortgage works similarly to a standard mortgage, only it’s the lender who pays the homeowner instead of the other way around. The bank or lender will lend a percentage (somewhere between 30 and 50 percent depending on the retiree’s age) of the expense of retiree’s home as a lump sum, or regular revenues to supplement savings or a pension.

Also known as ‘Spending the Kids Inheritance’ or ‘SKI-ing’, reverse mortgages enable retiring homeowners to release equity in their homes to fund a model of living that would be otherwise out of reach. Using a reverse mortgage is the best solution for retirees to strike into their homes, usually one of their biggest assets, for cash.

"When you work all of your life, you get to retirement and you want to savour what time you've got left," one retiree said.

So whether you dream of a new car, a ship, home renovations or a cruise around the world, find out from your lender if a reverse mortgage could be the ideal solution for you.



http://www.articleson.com/Article/Reverse-Mortgages-Enable-Retiring-Homeowners/29160

Find How You Can Reduce The Amount You're Paying Each Month In 1 Simple Way

Remember that when you remortgage, you're not purchasing a new home. Instead, it’s just about switching your credit to a different mortgage owner, in order to lower the amount your monthly outgoings.

If you have a bank loan, then there’s a good chance you’ll also have an eye on opportunities to reduce the amount you’re giving each month – and if that’s the case, a remortgage may well be a sensible decision.

In short a remortgage is about saving riches, and is of special importance if the rate of your home has came up to.

For instance, your existing lender will want to try to make sure you stay with them or - if you part - that they squeeze a bit more assets out of you. Typical consequences are charging a percentage of what's still owed on your debt if you go to a new financier with a better relevance rate. This will be looked into for you and taken into account when all your alternatives are considered and offered.

Because organising a remortgage can be tricky to inquiry, it’s wise to turn to a team of masters – the best of which will have left no stone unturned in their bid to take the anxiety for you.

Others may make up for their ‘loss leader’ rate by trying to tie you. Tactics to accomplish this can take in making you pay a economic fine if you successively go to an alternative creditor.

As well as making sure you learn about the very best remortgage duties, they will look at your existing loan and make sure the opportunities presented to you take into account any present challenges which may relate to changing investor.

And there are those who may try to make it compulsory that you buy other bundled products from them at the same time as you take out your remortgage. Typically, they’ll try to make such bundling a state of your taking their cut-amount significance rate.

Also, some remortgage lenders will try to attract you with great cut-worth importance rates – you may read or hear of this being mentioned to as the ‘important benefit rate’.

Among the most commonly bundled goods are insurance policies.



http://www.articleson.com/Article/Find-How-You-Can-Reduce-The-Amount-You-re-Paying-Each-Month-In-1-Simple-Way/28740

Let the Mortgage Companies Fight for Your Business

The mortgage industry is a highly competitive one, so it is considered wise to shop around for the best deal and let the mortgage companies fight for your business.

The mortgage industry exceeds far beyond that of the banks you see on every street corner as you head into town.

Besides the banks there are the wholesale and retail lenders. Most wholesale lenders encourage the help of mortgage brokers to bring them potential borrowers.

Most mortgage brokers on average deal with more than two hundred wholesale lenders alone. These wholesale lenders are a very diverse group, and their programs and specialties vary from lender to lender.

So if you are considering purchasing a home or refinancing your existing mortgage, don't be afraid to shop around for the best deal.

It is important to remember that when you are shopping around for a mortgage, nothing is final until you sign on the dotted line at closing.

So don't be shy when it comes to shopping a few mortgage companies. Remember that they are very competitive and hungry for your business. So allow them to assess your situation, and whichever lender comes back with the best offer to fit your needs and budget should be the lender for you.

When shopping around for a mortgage product, don't feel the need to keep this a secret. By letting a loan officer know your intentions, you will most likely send them the message that you don't have time for games and that it will be in their best interest to make you their best possible offer.


http://www.articlegeek.com/finance/mortgage_refinancing_articles/mortgage_companies_fight_business.htm

Shop Around for the Best Mortgage Interest Rate

Shop Around for the Best Mortgage Interest Rate

If you are currently on the market for a new home, or you are looking to refinance your current mortgage, one of the most important things to you when shopping around for a home loan will be the mortgage interest rate.

Of course you will want your mortgage interest rate to be as low as possible, so take some time to shop around for the best deal.

Shopping around for the best mortgage interest rate is very important because you want to go with the best deal possible. Don't just settle for the first lender you come across and go with whatever rate they may offer you.

By shopping around you can compare rates and products. The difference in one percentage point on an interest rate can mean thousands of dollars in savings over the course of a thirty-year mortgage.

Think of shopping around for a mortgage the same as shopping around for a new car.

When you are on the market for a new car, you visit two or three car dealerships, you speak with a few different sales people, you test drive a few different cars, than make your decision on the best car at the best price.

Treat the concept of shopping for a mortgage the same as you would if you were shopping for a car.

The mortgage industry is a very competitive one, and the mortgage companies are all too happy to compete for your business. The last thing a mortgage company wants is for you to give your business to their competition.

When shopping around, let the mortgage brokers or loan officers you are dealing with know that you are shopping around. By supplying them with this knowledge, they will understand the importance of coming back at you with the best deal they have to offer to make sure they secure your business.

Once you have a handful of loan officers make you their best offer, give your consideration to the one with the best rate and to the scenario that sounds the most reasonable.

Remember, once an offer is made to you, ask to see all of the particulars in writing. A verbal offer may sound great to you, but without the paperwork to back it up, it is worthless



http://www.articlegeek.com/finance/mortgage_refinancing_articles/shop_mortgage_interest_rate.htm

Understand Credit Report's Relevance In Mortgage

One might be wondering why some lenders turn down a mortgage application while some others might consider it fit for approval. The answer may well lie in the credit report and the credit score to be precise which plays a crucial role in loan sanctioning.

Credit history is an important factor affecting loan granting decisions by the lender or mortgagee. As part of the pre-approval process a detailed investigation is carried out into your financial history whereby the lender assesses your finances, your credit history and your investments. Your debt ratios are compared with the lender's standard while deciding on the loan approval. Your level of debt or credit history is taken as a parameter for judging your ability to make the monthly repayments. The credit history as represented by your credit report plays a very crucial role since some lending institutions may even turn you down because of incompatibility with their lending standards. Too much debt and poor credit rating is a common reason cited for turning down a mortgage application.

At times your application may not be rejected altogether but you may have to settle for a loan amount lower than what you desired or expected. The other terms and conditions of the loan might also not have proved worthwhile for you. All these could have been avoided had you been a little more careful and vigilant while placing your documents about your personal finances as reflected by records of your earnings, monthly expenses and debts. Among these documents the credit report is of prime importance which reveals your credit score.

While considering your application the lender will also get to analyze your credit report. This provides all details about your financial history, payment records, total debts and bankruptcies (if any). This information is used to work out your credit score or FICO score (a rating of Fair Isaac and Company). This is a composite number-a numerical rating of your credit worthiness. These scores may range from 300-900. However, most people's score fall between 600 and 700. Higher credit scores make you more appealing to the lender. Thus, you will be more likely to be offered better rates and loan terms.

A number of factors can affect the credit score. They can be broadly classified as:

a) The length of time you have had credit, outstanding credit, methods to repay this and how close you are to your credit limits.

b) Problems with credit which you may be having like late payments and bankruptcies. The number and frequencies of your delinquencies is to be considered.

It may be noted that almost 80% of credit reports contain errors. Getting for yourself a copy of the report beforehand will enable you to take steps for improving your score.You will be availed of the opportunity to review the report and rectify the score to quite an extent.

Some steps which can be taken in this regard are:

a) Finding out credit cards which are not needed anymore and closing the corresponding credit accounts.

b) Settling outstanding accounts, if any.

c) Paying out your bills, debt payments on time and in full and reduce your outstanding credit.

d) Verifying all listed account numbers and getting assured that they are yours.

It may be noted that minor credit problems or problems cropping up due to illnesses or temporary loss of income due to some unpredictable occurrence will restrict your chances of getting the aspired loan only from some high-cost lenders. Other lenders will hopefully be considerate enough to overlook such minor problems.

In spite of the best efforts there may still be certain negative indications in the report which could not be done away with. In such case you need to explain the situation to the lender. If at all it cannot be explained then, perhaps, you have to make greater down payments.

Getting to know how credit record affects loan prospects, proceed towards making improvements in your credit report.Your loan prospects will improve, no doubt. It will take you a long way towards securing your desired mortgage loan.


http://www.articlegeek.com/finance/mortgage_refinancing_articles/credit_report_relevance_mortgage.htm