Maria Ny asked:




This article summarizes the differences between conventional and government loans for first-time buyers, homeowners looking for mortgage refinancing, and those looking to cash out on equity for loan consolidation, debt consolidation or home improvement through home equity loans (second mortgages).

Conventional Mortgages

o Not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Government.

o Features 0% to 20% down payment options.

o Usually fixed mortgage rates for 15 to 30 years or adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs).

o Maximum conforming limit is $417,000. Otherwise, it’s a jumbo or non-conforming conventional loan.

Government Mortgages

o Insured against default by the Federal Government, making qualification less stringent:

- FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

- VA loans are guaranteed by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

o FHA loans require 3% down payments and are 15 and 30 year fixed rate loans or 1 year ARMs.

o VA loans are only available to eligible veterans or surviving spouses of deceased veterans.

o No down payment required–up to 100% financing allowed.

o Maximum loan amounts for government loans are set geographically.

o Mortgage refinancing into government loans is only available to existing holders of government mortgages.

Stated Income Mortgage Loans

“Stated-income mortgages are for people who make the money they say they make, but that amount doesn’t show up on the bottom line of their income taxes,” says Hugh McLaughlin, president and CEO of KMC Mortgage Services Inc., a lender and broker in Naples, Florida. They are non-conventional loans with higher rates than conventional mortgages–borrower interest rates depend on several factors: income stability, debt-to-income ratio, credit score, down payment and property appraisal value. Stated income mortgages can be 15 or 30 year fixed rate loans or adjustable rate mortgages.

Joseph

Ross Bainbridge asked:




A mortgage is a device for a lien between a lender and a borrower. Through a mortgage, the borrower pledges the property to the lending agency as a security. This way the loan is secure and the lender can foreclose the property and recover his loan if the borrower fails to make mortgage repayments. A mortgage lien comprises the actual mortgage and a note that registers this lien. This process is also called hypothecation.

Mortgage loans in California, as in other parts of the country, are essentially of two kinds: fixed-rate loans or adjustable rate loans. A fixed rate loan is called an Amortized rate Mortgage (ARM) where the interest rate on the mortgage is agreed to and fixed for the entire period of the mortgage. In an ARM, the lender assumes the risk of interest rate fluctuation. This means that if the market rates go down the lender benefits from it but if they go up, the lender has to continue to charge only the fixed rate.

Adjustable rate mortgages have variable interest rates that can vary monthly or annually. In these loans the interest rate risk is transferred to the borrower. Therefore, loan rates of adjustable loans are also marginally lower than existing market rates. Many California homeowners also capitalize on the equity of their home by applying for a second mortgage on their homes.

Typically, most homebuyers apply for a pre-approval to loans. Through this process, the lending agency judges the loan repayment capacity of the borrower by their credit ratings, equity, income, etc. Once the loan is pre-approved, the borrower can easily enter into a mortgage lien with the lender once he actually locates a house.

Last but not least, a home mortgage loan with no down payment on the house is a popular option that many homebuyers opt for. This allows them to own a home and yet not invest all their savings into buying it.

Betty

Jim Johnson asked:


For most people the mortgage industry seems to speak a foreign language, with terms and acronyms that are vague and unfamiliar. And of course, when dealing with large sums of money such as those found in a home mortgage, you want to try to understand the language as much as possible in order to avoid making mistakes. So here is a little primer on some of the most important terms used when getting a mortgage or home loan.

There are four types of mortgages that are generally available and those are fixed rate, adjustable rate, convertible and special loans.

Fixed Rate Loans – usually these are found in either the 30 year loan or 15 year loan category, and this simply means that you pay a fixed payment each month over the course of either the 30 years or 15 years.

Adjustable Rate Loans – this is where your payment can fluctuate depending on the prevailing interest rate at the time. If interest rates rise, then your payment goes up and if interest rates fall, your payment goes down instead.

Convertible Loans – these are loans that may start out as either a fixed rate or an adjustable rate mortgage, and then can be converted over to the opposite kind of loan instead. Many people will use this type of loan to start out as an adjustable rate mortgage and then convert over to a fixed rate mortgage when interest rates are at their lowest.

Special Loans – these include FHA loans for first-time homebuyers and folks with credit problems, and also VA mortgage loans for veterans of the Armed Forces and their families.

There are other terms that you need to know when it comes to getting a home mortgage as well and they are:

Appraisal – this is where you pay an independent person to correctly assess the value of your home using excepted market calculations.

Closing costs – these are fees that are usually payable when the mortgage papers are signed that pays for the transfer of the ownership of the home.

Points – this is a value that typically relates to 1% of the total cost of the home being mortgaged.

Escrow – this is where money is often held by a neutral third party in a transaction of two or more people.

Pre-qualify – this is where a lending institution will state that you do qualify for receiving a home mortgage for a certain price range of home.

Pre-approval – this is where a lending institution has already run the necessary paperwork and approved a home mortgage loan for a certain amount.

There are other special terms and acronyms used by the mortgage industry, but the ones listed above are perhaps the ones that are most commonly used. Hopefully this will help you be more informed when you try to get your next home mortgage loan.



FORREST