Spaghetti asked:


I have a mortgage of 200K.I have a first mortgage of 160K at a fixed rate of 5.785% over 30yrs. and the 2nd one’s 40K at 9.00% fixed.Now,the value of my place went up to about 350K in the last 4 years.Should I stay with my current plan or should I re-finance? And if I do,which way should I go? Home Equity loan or Home Equity line?

Phyllis

Anthony Dean asked:


This article is hopefully going to explain many of the things people believe about mortgages that are actually false.The most important thing you must realize about a mortgage is that what you believe it to be is actually wrong. For one thing, although we commonly call them Mortgage home loans, this is not at all what they actually are; in fact, they aren’t loans at all, nor are they something that has been given to you by lenders. The mortgage is a legal contract between the mortgagor who is buying the property and the mortgagee, the person supplying the finance and security against the property. In fact, in reality, this isn’t the debt but the security required by the lender to protect their interests for the duration of the term.

A mortgage is used as a method by which individuals or businesses can purchase residential or commercial property without paying the full value upfront. There are also misconceptions about how they work so below is a description of how the process works. Being the financier, the mortgagee is the person who lends funds to the mortgagor or borrower. A security measure designed for purchasing properties, called a lien, is enforced until the mortgage is cleared at the end of the term.

This is the collateral or the security for the mortgagee who has provided the security instrument. Information about the lien is registered at a county courthouse, or similar, to ensure the contract is official and binding. The lien stays in force while the debt remains but the property is actually owned by the mortgagor. This is a strange situation where the mortgagor still owns the property even though the debt still remains to be paid.

This means the only occasion that can arise whereby the mortgagee can legally sell your home is if you stop making payments and it needs to be sold to repay the finance used to purchase it. In the unfortunate event that requires the property to be sold or Foreclosed, then the case will need to be presented to the courts for approval. The reason behind this process is to ensure the legal procedures have been followed and also why it is called Judicial Foreclosure. Obviously there is much more to the subject than this, but these are the basic foundations upon which the mortgaging system has been constructed.

Despite increasing numbers of the population having a mortgage, it is amazing how few people actually know what they are and how they work. A common misconception is that a Mortgage is a Home Loan but this is false and people need to be educated about the fact that it is not a loan at all. The mortgagor is the person who owes money to the mortgagee (the person who finances the deal) using a legal contract called a mortgage. Actually, it is in fact a legal document that is designed to ensure the lenders financial interests are secure.

The facility that a mortgage creates means individuals and companies can acquire land or property without needing the full face value to purchase it at the time. To help understand how this works, some important information is discussed here. Unfortunately it is our own common use of word like Borrower and Lender that has mislead people into thinking a mortgage is a loan when they should be referred to as Mortgagor and Mortgagee respectively. A lien is a means by which the mortgagor can purchase a home but it is the mortgagee that retains legal ownership until the arrangement between them has been completed (the debt is paid off).

This system works so successfully because the risk of loss on the part of the mortgagee is all but eliminated as they have legal possession of the property until the debt is completely repaid. This lien than becomes a matter of public record when it is registered at the county courthouse or equivalent. This act makes the purchase and the ownership of the house official and no-one can transfer this ownership until the debt is fully paid off. So how this works is that the mortgagor (you) owns the property completely even though the mortgagee has possession of the mortgage but not the title.

The only time the mortgagee has any rights over your property is in the event that you default on payments when he can sell it to recover the outstanding debt. This is the dreaded process referred to as foreclosure but if the property is used as security, then the foreclosure must go through the court system. This is done in order for it to be considered legal; this type of foreclosure is referred to as a judicial foreclosure. This is only a short introduction as the subject is much more complex but this information should make this important issue much clearer.



GARTH

Lara Sawyer asked:


Mobile home loans are becoming increasingly popular as the mobile homes technology advances thus increasing the comfort of these homes on wheels. The mobile homes need to be sitting in land that can be provided by the different governments or can be purchased by the mobile home owner. However, it is not the same to get a mobile home loan covering only the vehicle than to obtain a mobile home loan to finance the purchase of the vehicle plus the land where it will be placed.

These two different loan types have particularities that define very different loan terms. It is therefore important to outline in advance what kind of loan product you are looking for. The main topics that you have to address are: the differences between mobile home loans that exclude or include the land where the mobile home sits in, the different regulations of mobile home loans depending on this fact and the ways of obtaining better terms on mobile home loans.

Differences Between Mobile Home Loans With or Without The Land

As explained above, there are two kinds of mobile home loans: Those that include the land where the mobile home will be deposited and those that do not. The first type can sometimes be considered home mortgage loans and other times they are simply mobile home loans. Those loans that do not include the money needed to purchase the property where the mobile home sits in are called chattel loans.

Since mobile homes can be stationed on parks or communities, the land is not a necessary factor and thus, when the applicant can not afford to purchase the land too, simple mobile home loans or chattel loans can provide you with all the finance needed to purchase your mobile home and have your own place to live. Eventually, when your mobile home is paid off, you can try and get approved for a mortgage home loan in order to obtain the land too.

Different Regulations May Alter Your Decision

In some states, just like with manufactured homes, when the loan amount is used not only to purchase the mobile home or manufactured home but also the land where it will stand, these loans can be considered mortgages and thus, you can seize all the benefits in terms of taxes and subsidizes that such category implies. Therefore, you need to check local regulations in order to see whether you can benefit more of a particular loan type or the other.

That is the reason why we say that the different regulations may alter your decision. Because you may have thought that you would rather avoid purchasing land and that you would stick to a regular mobile home loan instead but it is possible that if you chose to get the land too, in some states it may end up being cheaper.

How To Get a Good Deal?

If you want to get a good deal on your mobile home loan whether it includes the land or not, my suggestion is that you search online for mobile home loan lenders and request loan quotes from them to see what they are offering. Try to contact them informally to know their requirements for approval and once you are confident with a particular offer and lender apply for your mobile home loan. That way you will make sure to get if not the best offer, at least a great one.



MYLES

jolifrijoles asked:


I am so irritated with the catch-22 of home improvement. You can’t get a loan without having equity (i just bought 4 months ago), and in this market you sure aren’t going to get equity without boosting the value of your home by making improvements, which of course requires money.I was prequalified for 3 times the mortgage I got, but this place needs a LOT of work. I was naive in thinking that since i prequalified for so much more that I could easily find home improvement funds. To an extent, that’s true– I can get personal loans with decent interest, but they’re on a 5-7 year payoff. I’d prefer to roll it all into a 30 yr mortgage so I’m not too burdened with the payment. I also don’t like the 203 loans because they require you to use licensed contractors for everything. A lot of it I could do myself. I’m guessing I could do it all with about $20-30K if I do what i can myself. If I go the contractor route it’s probably about 50K. I don’t want to put this all on credit cards. Are there any options other than 5 yr loans and credit cards, or 203 loans to get the money to do this stuff and pay it off in 15 years or more??? I’m about to give up. Thanks

BARNEY

andropolise asked:


Thank you for your feedback. In response, it is my ex husband. He was granted full ownership of the house and everything inside (I did not care to contest), and he’s been good enough to keep the payments current, but he refuses to re-finance, and there is nothing in the divorce papers stipulating that he HAS to do anything. I was trusting enough to believe I could get through a divorce without a lawyer (definitely learned my lesson); now the only way to make him take action is to re-open our papers, and I don’t have the money for that. I simply want to know if my mistake and his obstinance will keep me from ever owning property.
Thanks again for the feedback.

TAYLOR