Insurance you need

There are different types of insurance that you can take out on your home and mortgage. As with trying to find your actual mortgage you should shop around for any insurance you take out – there are some good deals, and some very poor ones too that should be avoided.

You’ll probably find that your bank/mortgage provider will try to get you to take out a policy with their own company – while they may push it hard, it’s often not the best deal available so shop around on the internet and you’ll probably be able to save yourself quite a bit.

Buildings And Contents Insurance – You’ll want to insure your home and it’s contents against damage. It’s important to get it right when estimating how much cover you need – you don’t want to pay over the odds for excessive cover, and neither do you want to underinsure.

Look at your possessions – do you have any antiques that need extra protection? What type of furniture do you have? How much would all of it cost to replace? Shop around on the internet to find some great deals and you’ll save yourself thousands in the process (as opposed to signing up to whatever your mortgage provider is trying to push on you).

Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance – this type of insurance protects you against any loss of income that may affect your ability to make your mortgage payments. This can be an important cover, especially if you do not have the cashflow to make mortgage payments should you lose your job/income source.

The two important things to look out for are (1) when the insurance payment starts after your loss of income (for example, is it 30 or 60 days?) and (2) how long are you covered for (you can often get 12 to 24 months coverage).

As with most insurance types, these vary widely so make sure you shop around online and get the best deal for you.

Life Insurance – With this type of insurance, should you die your dependents will receive a sum of cash to replace a part or the full amount of your earning power. If you’re single then this is cover that you don’t really need – but if you’ve a wide and children who depend on you putting food on the table and a roof over your head, it may be cover that you should seriously consider.

Mortgage Protection Decreasing Term Insurance – This is a unique type of coverage where as the amount owed on your mortgage decreases over time, so do your insurance payments. The logic is that as your mortgage decreases, you need less to cover it should anything bad happen – so the insurance should also cost less.
Critical Illness Cover – As you might think, critical illness insurance protects you in the event that you develop a very serious injury/illness (the types of illnesses are pre-set in the policy).

Standard Illness Cover – Also known as permanent health insurance, this type of policy covers you against most types of illnesses (typically you can expect 50% of yor income to be paid out until recovery).

Bad Credit Home Equity Line of Credit

Bad credit can increase the difficulty that a homeowner encounters when seeking a home equity line of credit. Bad credit can be the reason for a poor credit score.

What is a credit score? The credit score varies between the values of 300 and 850. The credit score is the creation of the Fair Isaac Corporation. Lenders who arrange for a home equity line of credit use the credit score in order to set the interest rate that will be charged the homeowner.

Homeowners with a low credit score will need to pay higher interest payments. A score above 700 is assurance of good interest rates. The credit score also serves as an indicator of whether or not a lender should accept a homeowner’s application for credit. Decisions on credit limits for the homeowner are likewise based on the homeowner’s credit score.

The credit score is a function of the homeowner’s past line of credit. In the U.S., three different agencies keep a record of each consumer’s line of credit. Those agencies are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. If a homeowner with a low credit score wants to raise that score, then the homeowner must contact each of those three agencies.

The effort to overcome a record of bad credit and to raise a credit score requires the contesting of false claims that money is owed. If the homeowner can prove that the claim for money is spurious then the homeowner has an opportunity to raise his credit score. This action should be taken if the homeowner who plans to seek a home equity line of credit has a score less than 640. Such a score would be a sign of bad credit.

The contesting of a credit score is not like a shot in the dark. A survey of credit reports in the U.S. showed that 80% of such reports contained mistakes. Thus, a homeowner could have good reason to question the credit score that is being used to determine the interest rate on a home equity line of credit.

The credit score for a couple, a pair that are joint homeowners, is based on three credit scores from the person with the most sizable income. This is the score that the homeowner needs to make correct. Such correction may require a written statement to each of the above-mentioned agencies. Those agencies will then contact the homeowner and indicate if more information is necessary. If the homeowner is lucky, then the credit score will be increased and the interest rate for the desired home equity line of credit will be lowered.

Once the homeowner has a good credit score then he will want to avoid slipping back into that region of bad credit. This means that the homeowners must avoid the sort of spending that carries them to the borders of their credit limits.

Re-Financing with an Interest Only Mortgage

Re-Financing with an Interest Only Mortgage

Interest only mortgages are a relatively new phenomenon in the re-financing industry as well as the home buying industry. While the appeal of an interest only mortgage is typically a greater monthly cash flow, this increased cash flow can come with a hefty price tag. In exchange for more cash flow each month, the homeowner may be sacrificing the ability to obtain a fixed rate mortgage as well as the ability to build equity. This article will further examine these features to provide the reader with more information on the subject of interest only mortgages.

Greater Monthly Cash Flow

The one main advantage for many homeowners in an interest only mortgage is the ability to increase monthly cash flow. Homeowners who re-finance by utilizing an interest only mortgage will likely have more money available each month because they will only be paying interest on their mortgage initially. The reduction of the principal payment can make it easier for the homeowner to either afford a larger house or have the ability to live more extravagantly on their budget. However, there is often a significant price to pay for these types of re-financing options.

While interest only loans may not be ideal, they can be beneficial in the situation where the homeowner is having a great deal fulfilling his monthly obligations. In this case, the homeowner may be willing to sacrifice an overall financial loss for the ability to continue to pay monthly bills in a timely fashion.

Unknown Risks of an ARM

Interest only re-finance loans are typically offered with an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) this means the interest rate is not fixed and may fluctuate with the rise and fall of the prime index. This risk can be quite costly for the homeowner if the interest rate rises significantly. There is usually a cap placed on the amount, in terms of percentage, the interest rate can rise in a certain period but this can still be a very costly mistake for the homeowners.

An ARM re-finance option with an interest only component may be worthwhile in some situations. For example if the homeowner has a hybrid mortgage which features a fixed interest rate during the interest only portion and an ARM during the principal and interest portion of the loan they might benefit from this situation if they do not plan to stay in the home for longer than the interest only period. This period may vary depending on the lender and the circumstances. Homeowners who plan to sell the house before the interest only period ends and the ARM period begins enjoy the benefits of lower monthly payments and the security of fixed interest rates before they ever have to worry about repaying the principal or dealing with the varying interest rates.

No Equity in the Home

Another disadvantage to the interest only re-finance loans is they do not allow the homeowner to build equity in the home during the initial period where only the interest on the loan is repaid. This can be a problem for homeowners who are looking to profit through the sale of their home. These homeowners may find the participation in an interest only re-finance has had a damaging effect on the profit they are able to generate from the resale of their home.

Checking Mortgage Rates Online

Homeowners who are planning to re-finance their home may find the Internet to be a very worthwhile resource. The Internet is useful because it can give the homeowner a wealth of information as well as the ability to compare different rates from different lenders at their convenience. While these options have made re-financing a more convenient process there is more potential for danger. However, homeowners who exercise a small amount of common sense in using the Internet for re-financing often find they are not at any additional risk.

Comparison Shop at Your Convenience

One of the most popular advantages to researching re-financing online is the ability to comparison shop at the homeowner’s convenience. This is important because many homeowners work long hours and often find they are not able to meet with lenders during regular business hours because of job restraints. The Internet, however, is open 24 hours a day and allows homeowners to research their options, make important calculations or receive online quotes at any time of the day through the use of automated systems.

Homeowners can also take their time comparing the quotes they receive from these lenders online instead of feeling pressured to provide an immediate response. While homeowners may have some additional time available to them, these same homeowners should realize they do need to act relatively quickly to lock in estimates they receive as interest rates are often time sensitive in nature and cannot be guaranteed for long periods of time.

Use Only Reliable Resources

Homeowners who are using the Internet to research re-financing options and obtain quotes should carefully consider their sources when making important decisions regarding the subject of re-financing. Homeowners who stick with well known lenders and established websites will not likely encounter problems but those who select a new lender may be surprised by the results of the re-financing attempt.

Homeowners who are unsure about the reliability of a particular resource or lender should do additional research on the company. One of the easiest ways to do this is to consult the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB may be able to provide the homeowner with valuable information regarding the number of previous complaints against the company. A company who has a large number of unresolved complaints should be considered an unreliable company. However, homeowners should not assume companies without a significant number of complaints are reputable unless the company has been in existence for a number of years and is a member of the BBB.

Homeowners should also take care not to be fooled by fancy web design. A website which looks very professional is not necessarily a website which is accurate and informative. Many skilled website designers can create websites which are both attractive and professional looking. These website designers can also optimize a website for particular mortgage related keywords so users find the page easily when searching for these terms but this does not necessarily make the website designer knowledgeable about the subject to re-financing.

Confirm Loan Terms in Person before Committing

While shopping for re-financing options online is certainly easy and convenient, homeowners should consider completing the application process either in person or over the phone instead of relying on an automated system. While the Internet is good for research purposes, homeowners can take advantage of face to face meetings or telephone conferences to ask all of their relevant questions. Asking all of these questions will help the homeowner to ensure he fully understand the loan terms as well as all of his available options.

Completing the re-financing process in person or over the phone can also prevent the homeowner from being surprised by any elements of the mortgage re-finance. This may include additional fees which are tacked on during the processing of the application, rates which are only available in certain situations or other elements of the re-financing agreement which could significantly impact the homeowner’s decision making process.

Mortgages rates

An individual’s home is the biggest asset that one has at his disposal. A home to back you up when you need a loan is one of the greatest advantages of home ownership. In recent years, there has been a major boom in the amount of people looking to use their homes as a way to get access to extra money when they need it most. One of the best ways to do this is through a second mortgage.
Second mortgage loans are loans that are made in addition to the first mortgage, and it is usually based on the amount of equity that the borrower uses to build into his home. Usually it’s required to fund home renovations. Since the borrower has already been through the process once, the underwriting that is required to get a second mortgage is much simpler than it was the first time around when the borrower had taken the first loan. The cost of the transactions involved will be lower when the borrower applies for the loan second time. This usually happens for the fact that interest rates on the second mortgage are a bit higher than they were on the first one. But then, there are some positive points too. For example, the fact that the interest paid on the loan may be tax deductible. In most cases the interest is 100% fully deductible as long as the combined loan to value of the 1st and 2nd mortgage does not exceed the value of the home.
On a second mortgage, one borrows a fixed sum of money against the home equity, and pays it back after a specific time. The amount borrowed will be combined with the amount the borrower still owes on his first mortgage. But there are a few things that one should keep in mind. First of all, one should not take a second mortgage on his home unless one has made payments on the original mortgage balance for a good amount of time. One may be able to get a second mortgage if one does not have much equity, but then the loan rates will be much higher, and the amount that one can borrow much lower. It will essentially be a waste of time and money.
A second mortgage is a loan that is secured by the equity in ones home. While obtaining a second mortgage loan the lender places a lien on the borrowers’ house. This lien will be recorded in 2nd position after the primary or 1st mortgage lender's lien, hence the term second mortgage. Second mortgages aren't for everyone. Borrowing more than 80% of the home's value will subject the borrower to private mortgage insurance. The monthly payments should also be a factor. If one refinances in the future, he will have to pay off the 2nd mortgage.
Loan proceeds from a second mortgage loan can be used for just about anything. Many consumers take out 2nd mortgage loans to consolidate debt, do home improvements or pay for their children’s college education. Whatever one decides to do with the loan proceeds it is important to remember that if one defaults on then payment then he can lose his home. So one would want to make sure that he is taking the loan out for a worthwhile purpose
Thus we see that a second home loan can be of great help to the borrowers, although the borrower must take steps to ensure that he does not squander away the advantages of second mortgage.