Answers To Your Home Mortgage Questions
Are you planning to buy a new home? Or is your current mortgage too high thanks to the slumping economy? Do you need to refinance or take on a second mortgage to complete work on your home? No matter what reason you have for seeking a mortgage, this article has what you need to know.
To make your application for a mortgage fast and easy, make electronic copies of your last two pay checks, two recent bank statements, W2s, and tax information. Lenders will ask for all of this information to go with the application and having them on hand in electronic format makes it easy to supply this information.
Knowing your credit score is important before trying to obtain a mortgage. The better your credit history and score, the easier it will be for you to get a mortgage. Examine your credit reports for any errors that might be unnecessarily lowering your score. In reality, to obtain a mortgage, your credit score should be 620 or higher.
Have at least 20 percent of the purchase price saved. Lenders will want to verify that you have not borrowed the money, so it is important that you save the money and show deposits into your checking or savings account. Down payments cannot be borrowed; thus it is important to show a paper trail of deposits.
Get your financial documents in order. Most lenders require a standard set of documents pertaining to income and employment. You should have your tax returns, W2s and bank statements. If these documents are ready, your process will be smoother and faster.
You should know that some mortgage providers sometimes approve clients for loans they cannot really afford. It is up to you to make sure you will be able to make the payments on time over the next years. It is sometimes best to choose a smaller mortgage even though your mortgage provider is being generous.
Brokers would prefer to see small balances on a few different cards than one huge balance on a single line of credit. Try to keep balances down below half of the credit limit. If you can, get balances below 30 percent of your available credit.
Monitor interest rates before signing with a mortgage lender. If the interest rates have been dropping recently, it may be worth holding off with the mortgage loan for a few months to see if you get a better rate. Yes, it's a gamble, but it has the potential to save a lot of money over the life of the loan.
Before you begin home mortgage shopping, be prepared. Get all of your debts paid down and set some savings aside. You may benefit by seeking out credit at a lower interest rate to consolidate smaller debts. Having your financial house in order will give you some leverage to get the best rates and terms.
Reduce your outstanding liabilities as much as possible before applying for a home mortgage loan. It is especially important to reduce credit card debt, but outstanding auto loans are less of a problem. If you have equity in another property, the financial institution will look at that in a positive light.
Keep on top of your mortgage application by checking in with your loan manager at least once per week. It only takes one missing piece of paperwork to delay your approval and closing. There may also be last minute requests for more information that need to be provided. Don't assume everything is fine if you don't hear from your lender.
There are times when the seller of a home will be able to give you a land contract so you can purchase the home. The seller needs to own the home outright, or owe very little on it for this to work. A land contract may need to be paid within a few years.
Most financial institutions want the assurance that the property they finance is insured and the property taxes are current. They do this by requiring that you add an amount to cover those expenses to your mortgage payments. This is called an escrow account, and most people find it is convenient to set up payments this way.
When you want to buy a new home, you'll have to find a mortgage you can afford. If your plan is refinancing or paying for renovations, you'll need to locate a mortgage which permits these uses. All of the tips in this article will help in either situation, so be sure to use them.