Brian asked:


Is it possible to get a home equity loan or 2nd mortgage with a poor credit score. The one thing we have going for us is that our house is completely paid off. We have no credit cards and our vehicles are also paid off. The only debt we have are some medical bills that we are making payments on which is around $2500. My wife and I are both employed and make decent income of around $6000 monthly. We just have some things coming up to where we would like a loan for around $15,000. I think our credit score is around 590 . (We ran in to some difficulty when I lost my job and had a baby born with a disability and medical bills piled up). But with that much equity and such a low score would there be a loan company that would work with us? Would our local bank be able to help or should I check around on the net that specialize in bad credit loans? Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Thank you all so much for such great answers and some great explanations! Our original loan for our house was over 10 years ago so I don’t remember much about how all of that loan stuff works. We have never checked in to a equity loan so I know nothing about them except for some research on the net. I think I’ll start with my local bank and go from there. Thank you all!

Danity……I have no idea what you meant by your answer!
One more quick note. I was not working for quite some time due to a back injury that ended in surgery. I have now been back to work for a little over a year now though. My wife has been a teacher for 12 years. So, we had a 2 year span to where our credit went down the drain but the last year have been on time with what little debts we do have. I was also thinking it would be difficult to raise our credit score without having any credit out there. Maybe starting with a credit card and just using it for small purchases and paying off the balance each month would be one way. I was also thinking with the equity loan would really help rebuild our credit with timely payments. My son needs some extensive dental work and that is why we are wanting a equity loan to pay for that and other services he needs due to his disability.

Louis

Robert Melkonyan asked:




Your mortgage payment is likely your most expensive payment each month. If you could lower this payment it might make all of your finances a bit easier to deal with. Lowering this payment even just a little bit each month could make a huge difference for you. Many people are realizing this and they are considering mortgage refinance to make a change so that they can enjoy lower monthly payments and perhaps more financial stability.

Lowering Your Payment Through Mortgage Refinance

The first thing that you should understand is that mortgage refinance won’t work miracles on your bills or your debts, but lowering your payment each month can help you establish a more stable financial situation if that is what you are working toward. Many people who are desperate put too much hope in refinancing and they get frustrated when things suddenly aren’t better afterward. If you refinance and you are able to lower your monthly payment that is a good time to look at all of your bills and see where you can make changes.

There are many ways that mortgage refinance can help you save. The best way to lower your payment is by lowering your interest rate. So, if you purchased your home 10 years ago and you got the going rate at the time, which was eight percent, chances are you could refinance today and lower that interest rate by at least two percent – perhaps more depending on your credit. Lowering your interest rate by two percent will make a huge difference each month and will substantially lower the overall payment that you are making over the course of the loan. In addition, when you refinance you will be refinancing less, after 10 years, than you were when you initially bought the home. So, when you lower the amount that you are financing and you decrease the interest rate, your savings can be substantial.

Another way that you can save, though you may not see it in your monthly payments, is by switching from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed rate. Many people get nervous when their rate is about to adjust and they look into mortgage refinance then to keep from having to pay really high interest rates. While you may not be able to get your fixed rate as low as your introductory rate for your APR loan, in the end you will save money because you are not having to deal with the very high interest rates that you may see when your interest rate adjusts. If nothing else, the stability that you will get from this type of loan will allow you to sleep better at night!

As you can see, you really can save a lot of money when you look into mortgage refinance. While you can save, it’s important that you shop around a bit and make sure that you get the best deal for you. There are a lot of loan programs out there for you to consider and when you are trying to save you should comparison shop so that you are sure that you are saving as much as possible. Look into all the details of the loans so you know what to expect and you aren’t taken by surprise.

Katie

Blessed Cheesemaker (cancelled) asked:


Most of the Evangelical Christians I know are convinced that Jesus is going to return or they are going to be ruptured within 10 years.

Yet these same people are taking out 30 year fixed mortgages to buy homes. Its pretty clear that they have no intent to make good on their loans and are planning on leaving the Atheists at Citicorp and BofA to foot the bill.

Should we lobby to add a non belief requirement for mortgage applicants?

Sam