As an example of the necessity of having homeowners insurance, Dale and Janelle found a renovated bungalow in an upscale but older area. They hired a professional inspector who gave the property a good report and their FHA loan closing went smoothly. However, during the move-in, Janelle turned on the tub and another faucet to [...]
Continue reading...29 November 2011
The lessons Manual and Geri learned from this: Never pay more than the credit report fee, normally $40 to $75, upfront. And only after credit and income ratios look good should you pay for the appraisal costs and small inspections that may be required in your area. Be wary of application fees. Good lenders won’t [...]
Continue reading...25 November 2011
Manuel and Geri found out the hard way about bad lenders when a relative pressured them to use a friend in the mortgage business. They had found a cute bungalow close to their children’s school and made an FHA offer with a four-week closing date. The loan officer took their application and explained that he [...]
Continue reading...21 November 2011
The mortgage industry shelters good, bad, and downright scary loan officers and companies, so you need to exercise vigilance and use the tools offered in this chapter to avoid pitfalls. Although there are plenty of good, honest, hard-working lenders in the business, too many buyers fall prey to slick advertising, unrealistic rate quotes, or going [...]
Continue reading...17 November 2011
In mortgage-speak, a balloon payment is a payment that reduces the loan by other than the monthly payment. For example, say you structure a loan payment schedule of $1,400 a month, with a $5,000 additional payment due on March 15 of each year when you get your federal income tax refund.
Continue reading...13 November 2011
Adjustible rate mortgages (ARMs) are loans that start out with a low interest rate and then the payment goes up (or down) with fluctuations in the financial index to which the interest rate is linked. These interest rates are usually tied to regional cost-of-funds or Treasury bill rate indexes. As these indexes move up or [...]
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30 November 2011
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