homedepot asked:


i am a first time (or hope to be) home buyer, and i have a tax lien on me, however i am classified ‘currently non collectible’ by the irs. so in short,how does this effect my chance of getting a mortgage loan. also, the tax debt is not even in the 5 digits, it that even matters. thanks!

ABE

Minkesh Sood asked:


Home owners are in a special situation when it comes to secured loans. A home is often the major investment an individual or couple will make and that property will continue to appreciate in value over time. The longer you stay in a home, the more your home will grow in value and the more wealth you accumulate as you pay down your credit and watch your house grow more valuable.

Banks become conscious that home owners are in a powerful borrowing position. Their home is often their most valued ownership and banks have little fear that the standard home buyer will be unsuccessful to make payments putting that possession at risk. On these grounds, there are attractive secured loan options offered to homeowners using their home as guarantee.

Home:

A home is often the largest asset of a individual or couple. The financial arrangement, or mortgage, planned to purchase the home are secured by the home itself allowing lenders to offer very competitive interest rates. There are a wide range of mortgage options, but mortgages are all similar in that they use the actual property you’re purchasing as collateral.

Once you’re in possession of your home and you begin paying down the mortgage and the value of the assets increases, your equity in the property increases. A home equity loan allows you to borrow against this equity effectively creating a second mortgage or lien on the home. The funds you’ve borrowed are secured by the home meaning a default on your original mortgage or the home equity loan gives the bank the option to foreclose in order to recover their loss.

Mortgages:

The largest secured home loan is the mortgage used to purchase the home initially or as part of a refinance. There are a range of mortgage options including fixed and variable rate loans, government assisted loans and interest only loans. But all of these home loans are secured by the home itself. Very few people are in a position to pay cash for a new property. While there is satisfaction in owning a property outright, there are also benefits to leaving cash invested in other instruments and obtaining a mortgage – even if you don’t technically need to.

In many areas, the interest paid on a home loan is a huge tax deduction. By owning your home outright, you are not able to take advantage of this tremendous tax savings. By taking out a loan for the purchase of your home, you’ll effectively be paying more for the home over time, but you can counteract this by investing the cash you might have used for the home purchase in an account or instrument paying more interest than your mortgage.

If you arrange a mortgage for a new home with an interest rate of six percent, but invest the cash in a combination of instruments paying an average of seven percent over time, you’ll not only be earning a net profit of one percent on your investments, you’ll also be able to take full advantages of the tax benefits.

Home Equity :

When you have a sizeable investment in your home, you are able to access that equity in a special secured loan called a home equity loan. By borrowing a percentage of the equity you have in the home, the bank can offer you lower interest rates on the loan than other options. A home equity loan is often called a second mortgage as the home itself is used as collateral.

Funds borrowed in a home equity loan or line of credit can be used for almost any reason, but most homeowners use the funds for home improvement. Money borrowed against the home is used for additions or to upgrade the house making it more valuable. This effectively increases your equity and is an ideal situation all around.



BOOKER

Dean Shainin asked:


The first thing which home buyers will need to know is how much they can afford. There are various rules of thumb which are used to determine the size of a home loan you can afford. However, it is noteworthy that these formulas and guidelines will need to be taken within the context of every home buyer’s particular situation.

Home lenders now offer all sorts of loan packages with various options for the borrowers. It is therefore even more important for you to be fully informed on the short and long term implications of the home loan packages you are offered.

What Are The Important Considerations For The Mortgage Home Loan Procedure?

An income or mortgage ratio can give you an estimate of the price you can afford when you are to purchase your home. This formula is 25% of your gross income per paycheck to be used toward a house payment. Based on this formula and the indicative amount of what you can afford, you can then begin to look for a home and stay within a price range suitable for you. Although there are many variances, this formula gives you the basic guideline to help you keep within your budget. Another formula that is also used is 2 ½ to 3 ½ times your annual gross income calculated for the amount of the home loan.

It is important to note that these formulas do not consider interest rate or the type of loan you might obtain. In addition, they also do not consider living expenses or other debt.

These ratios are used by lenders as guidelines against monthly income and debt in order to determine the home loan payment a person is qualified to make and still have money left over at the end of a month for other living expenses and/or other financial obligations.

For some home buyers, a few issues are however not clear with the rule of thumb formulas and ratios. If one does not have a good understanding of how they may or may not be used, then it is possible that one may make some mistakes on the amount they can borrow. Sometimes it is not clear for some people the exact meaning of the rule of thumb that they can use up to 30% of their income for a loan payment for a home. Does the 30% include principal and interest? Is it the principle and interest? Does it include anything else? Is the 30% based on gross or net income? All these specific details about the rule of thumb formulas are not clear for some people.

Before a home buyer start to look for a house or discuss the house selling price, he/she will need to know the specific details of the rule of thumb ratios so that they know the amount of a mortgage they can take up. All rule of thumb formulas and ratios should only be used as a guideline until a person has full understanding of how to use them effectively, and know they include or exclude.

Home buyers search for their financial options when they are close to decide on their home selection. However, knowing your financial options beforehand will save you a lot of time and will make home selection hassle free.

In most cases, the real estate agencies you will be dealing with will refer you to the mortgage agents they normally deal with. It is recommended that you assess if these agents meet your needs and expectations. If they do not, it is a good idea that you talk to other lenders.

A mortgage is a long term financial commitment. It is very important that you get a home loan with monthly repayments you are comfortable with, and which suits your financial situation.



ANTON