In the past, a person had limited options when borrowing money for a home purchase. These days, there are exotic mortgage loan options that satisfy just about every borrowing need.
Creative Mortgages
Getting a loan for a home purchase can be very stressful. What if you dont qualify? How humiliated will you be? These days, theres no reason to worry. The mortgage lending market has a solution for just about everyone.
1. Do the Two Step. The Two-Step Mortgage is a mixed interest rate loan. Essentially, the loan provides a lower fixed interest rate for a period of 5 years or so and then adjusts to a new rate at the end of the period. The new rate is dependent upon the interest rates being charged at the time of the change. This loan can be helpful for borrowers who are squeezing into a loan since the initial period tends to have a lower interest rate than a straight fixed interest loan.
2. Graduated Payments Graduated Payment Mortgages are loans that, well, have a graduated payment schedule. Depending on the specific lender, the first five to seven years of mortgage payments will be 10 to 20 percent lower than a fixed rate mortgage. After the prescribed time, the payments will actually be higher than a fixed rate loan. The advantage of this loan is two fold. First, it lets you borrow more money than a fixed loan because you can qualify for the lower initial payments. Second, the loan is optimal if you are expecting to sell the house within the initial five-year period after significant appreciation.
3. Sharing Appreciation Shared Appreciation Mortgages are typically provided by private investors and even family members. In essence, you borrow money to purchase a home by agreeing to share a percentage of future appreciation in the home with the lender. Private lenders can want as much as fifty percent of the appreciation, but they will significantly lower the interest rate on the loans. SAMs should really only be used if you have horrible credit and no other options.
There three loan options are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mortgages. If you need to get creative, find a reputable mortgage broker in your area and see what they can come up with for you.
First Time Home Buyer Loans – How To Apply For A Mortgage Loan
For a first time home buyer, applying online for a mortgage loan makes the experience easy. You have plenty of time to compare rates and terms to find the best financing for your situation. With
just a few steps, you can secure financing for your home with the lowest possible rates.
1. Select Your Terms
Mortgage terms affect both your interest rate and payment. With a large amount of flexibility, lenders allow you to tailor your loan to fit your budget needs. So if your goal is to purchase the most with your income, look into an adjustable rate mortgage with initially low payments.
For security, fixed rates can also have reasonable rates. For even lower rates, you can purchase reductions by paying points at closing. One point equals one percent of the principle. Paying points is affective if you keep your mortgage for at least seven years in order to recoup the cost of buying the rate reduction.
The length of the loan will also affect your rates and payments. 15 year mortgage provides you with a cheaper loan, but payments are about a third higher than a 30 year mortgage.
2. Research Your Lender
Even a difference of an eighth of a point in rates can save you thousands of pounds. The easiest way to save money on your homes purchase is by finding the lowest costing loan.
With online mortgage companies, in just a few minutes you can request loan quotes without hurting your credit report. Every time a potential creditor accesses your report, it temporarily hurts your score.
Rates are one way to evaluate loans. But closing costs can also add up to thousands. Thats why the APR number is important. It gives you the total cost of the loan. But if you plan to move or refinance, focus on low closing costs rather than low rates.
3. Apply Online
When you have found the right lender, you can start your home loan application online. Even if you havent found the right house, you can still get pre-approved and lock in your rates.
With online financing companies, your paperwork is expressed mailed to you. You complete the forms with a notarys seal. Working with your real estate agent, escrow company, and seller, the date of sale can then be finalized.