wink asked:


I’m getting a divorce and eventually moving out, and I don’t really want to throw money away on rent. I’m thinking of buying a mobile home (because they’re inexpensive) but was wondering if I can get a full 30-year mortgage on one, so I can keep my payments as low as possible? (And no mobile home jokes, ok??)

Constance

vtown_german asked:


Would it be best to go through banks, credit unions or other lenders that mortgage brokers might suggest? What are competible and reasonable mortgage rates? Is 6.25% legit for an first offer or should I definitely keep looking?

Craig

Gufs99 asked:


My father would like to help us purchase our first home by co-signing on the loan for us. (yes, we both understand the implications of him being a co-signer on the mortgage). He is retired and living on his pension (not collecting SS just yet). Is this possible on a FHA mortgage?

Dora

Dean Shainin asked:


Mortgage interest and real estate taxes are tax deductible and any one with a mortgage can enjoy this tax benefit.

Taxes can be complicated, and it is recommended that you learn about the benefits, the drawbacks and how to file your taxes properly. To enjoy the tax benefits, you can either wait for a big payout after you file your income-tax return, or adjust what is withheld from your paycheck each month.

During the early years of the home mortgage, most of your monthly repayments go towards your interest, with little payment towards the capital. Tax benefits are therefore very useful for first-time home buyers, especially during the early years of acquiring the mortgage.

As you pay more on the amortized home mortgage over a longer time frame, more of each monthly payment goes towards paying the principle, and less towards interest. This means that with time, you lose some of your interest write-off as your equity in the property increases.

It is important for you to note that you can take these tax deductions if you change from standard deduction, which all tax payers are entitled to, to itemized deductions. In the case where your itemize deductions, including home mortgage interest and property taxes, do not exceed the standard deduction amount, it is better for you to take standard deduction.

The following three components of your home mortgage are tax deductible:

1. Interest on your home mortgage

2. Property taxes

3. Loan points for a purchase mortgage fully deductible in the year that they are paid. It is noteworthy that in refinance, the points are written off in increments over the term of a home mortgage.

What five components of your home mortgage or home ownership related costs are not tax deductible?

1. Expenses relating to home improvement

2. Insurance

3. Loan application fees, home inspections

4. Real estate commission paid to real estate or mortgage loan brokers

5. Homeowner and co-op dues and costs relating to home inspections and appraisals, and home loan application fees

Some penalties on a home mortgage can be incurred from IRAs. You are not able to use a conventional IRA account or 401-K plan for a down payment without paying high penalties and taxes on the gains that accrued while the money was in your saving plan. Nonetheless, if you are saving to become a first-time home buyer, it is recommended that you consider a Roth IRA. Roth IRA was created by The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and it allows penalty-free withdrawals for first-time home buyers. It is recommended that you know all the fine details of Roth IRA before you use it for a home mortgage down payment.

What are the two key factors to consider with deductions?

1. It is important that you convert your existing IRA cautiously. Under the tax law, if your adjusted gross income is les than $100,000, then you can convert your existing individual retirement account into a Roth IRA if your. One must wait 5 years to qualify for a Roth IRA, and a distribution must be made five taxable years after the first contribution to the account was made.

2. Contributions to a Roth IRA are not deductible, but no taxes are paid on qualified distributions. So one can deduct income but not contributions. A limit on the contribution of up to $4,000 a year can be contributed to an account, but only by single tax-filers with adjusted gross income of less than $95,000 and joint-filers with a combined income of less than $150,000.

A home mortgage has several tax benefits which you can enjoy if you get a mortgage and own a home.



Edwin

vinz asked:


I am about to lock our application for home mortgage. before it, i would like to know if there’s still a chance for it to go down? Please help! Is it good to lock now or not yet? the last time we went to the lender, the interest rate is 6%.

Cory

originalidaho asked:


My husband and I recently purchased our first home. My husband is active duty army so he does not need to become a resident to get the resident rate for property tax purchases. Since my name is on the mortgage papers we are not able to take advantage of this. I do not want to become a state resident because of other tax reasons (We are residents of Idaho for tax reasons-no state income tax on out-of-state military residents). Just wondering what is involved with taking me off the mortgage to save about 1200+ dollars a year? How much does it cost?

Tammy

Julian Lim asked:


ome mortgage refinancing? In simple definition, home mortgage refinancing is paying off an old mortgage and getting a new one. You can also define it as a new loan which substitutes an existing mortgage that is guaranteed by your same assets. Why would I want to pay off my old mortgage loan just to replace it with a new one? What will I benefit from this financial action? 1. Home mortgage refinancing can be very helpful to those with existing mortgage loans as acquiring such refinancing will provide the borrower with many benefits. 2. First of all, interest rate costs can be dramatically reduced. This can be done by the replacement of the original loan with the refinance mortgage loan that has a much lower interest rate. 3. If you get a new mortgage loan that has a much longer term, your payment obligations can be reduced. 4. If by any chance, your existing loan is one with a variable rate, the risks that go with it can be reduced if not totally eliminated by replacing it with a fixed interest rate mortgage loan. 5. Home mortgage refinancing can also be done to transform available equity of a property into quick cash that can be used for other expenses. It is also likely that a home mortgage refinancing will lower the already owed monthly payment on the mortgage loans. This can happen by changing the loan’s interest to a much lower rate or by extending the loan’s term thereby spreading the payments over the extended period of time. The cash that is saved can be utilized eventually to reduce your loan’s principal and consequently lowering your payments further. More Reasons to Consider Refinancing Mortgage Another reason why you might to consider refinancing mortgage is to lower whatever existing risks there are in an existing loan. Loans with adjustable rates actually have interest rates that fluctuate, meaning their values go up and down depending on a number of prime rates. By changing an adjustable rate mortgage loan (or Balloon loan) to a fixed rate mortgage loan, it eliminates the risk of increment of the interest rates and a stable conditioned refinance mortgage rate is achieved over time. If you have a debt with a high rate of interest, for example your credit card debt, such debt can be possibly refinanced with a loan having a lower interest rate, an example of which is a home mortgage loan. Another reason for considering home mortgage refinancing is to be able to utilize your improved credit report. For example if you have gotten a bad and undesirable loan because of a poor credit history, you might want to try bad credit home mortgage refinancing in case your credit rating has improved some time after you got your original mortgage loan. And most probably you are bound this time to enjoy a lower rate of interest and better loan term.

Ronald

Andrew Mason asked:


If you are considering a second home in a state different from where you are living now, processing your mortgage loan would be easier if you let a nationwide home mortgage loan company finance your home.

It makes sense also if you put your first mortgage with the same nationwide company-otherwise, tracking your payments can get pretty confusing. When at all possible, make sure you make all your payments at the same time, as if you have to do this at different intervals throughout the month, it can become hard to keep up with.

Your second home mortgage application would be approved more speedily if your mortgage company has immediate access to your credit score and financial information. Many borrowers tend to use in-state or local mortgage company.

If you are purchasing a primary residential house, there’s really nothing big to worry about. But if you’re planning to purchase a second home in a different state, you can’t expect your local mortgage company to help you.

This is how using a nationwide home mortgage loan company can be extremely beneficial. The more states your lender covers, the less it would be a hassle for you to get a second home loan in a different state.

When shopping for your mortgage loan, send a select number of companies a copy of your financial and credit. Gather and compare quotes based on the information you’ve sent them.

When considering another mortgage in another state, check the number of states the nationwide home mortgage loan company have offices in. Do they have an office in the state you consider for your second mortgage?

To get quotes the fastest, you can either go to each individual companies site and find their quotes, or you can take the fastest (and smartest route)-going to a site that has different quotes from a bunch of different companies.

There are many companies that will immediately give you quotes from ten or fifteen different companies when you give them your information, and basically work as an online mortgage broker-the only difference is, unlike a physical broker, you don’t have to pay them for this service.

This is a quick and relatively easy way to quickly narrow down which companies have the cheapest quotes, and while the exact price you pay might be a tad different, at least it will show you who to start with. This is a much quicker method than going to each individual site and filling out the same information over and over, as these sites are basically a one stop source for all your mortgage quote needs.

Find out also if you can roll the two home loans into one, and if that would mean lower payments for you. You can call their toll-free number and talk to their representative if you have questions.

With the same mortgage company providing a potential second home loan, you expect that your application would be approved in a shorter time than if you apply at another mortgage company. Apart from selecting a nationwide home mortgage loan company over a local one, it should also be your priority to get the best rate from them.



William

Julian Lim asked:




 

Are you considering getting for yourself a home mortgage loan via the internet? Would you rather find a loan online than go to a brick and mortar mortgage loan company to do the loan application personally? Before you tap on those computer keys, here are some advantages and disadvantages of getting your home mortgage loan online.

 

Advantages of online home mortgage loan

 

First of all, if you are going to use the internet in your search and acquisition of home mortgage loan, you will be surprised to find the process not only easy but very convenient. The online process is much more simplified, unlike if you are going to meet personally with some lenders who are more likely to ask for so many information.

 

Online home mortgage loan companies are numerous, and so they tend to compete fiercely against one another just to get you as a client. Therefore, they offer a great variety of programs as well as numerous benefits such as flexible payment terms and low interest rates.

 

The corresponding cost and fees that go with the application of online mortgage loans is much cheaper than that of the mortgages taken offline.

 

Online mortgage loan companies are more likely to be lenient to those borrowers who have bad or even non-existent credit history. Mortgage loan companies on the internet tend to offer prospective borrowers more mortgage loan alternatives especially to those with bad credit rating and having difficulty getting loans elsewhere.

 

One great advantage of applying for home mortgage loan online is that you immediately know if your online application is approved. This only means that you get to enjoy your loan immediately if you earn approval. On the other hand, knowing quickly if your application is disapproved means you can immediately make a move and apply with other online lenders.

 

Disadvantage of online home mortgage loan

 

One complaint about online home mortgage loans is that there are some online lenders who ask for application and other fees even when the application has yet to become approved. This rarely happens, if at all, in the real world.

 

There is also the problem of accountability; as the borrower, you need to be on top of the situation which can be difficult especially of you don’t have a clear idea of things. And if in case, things do go wrong, like your online loan lender does not come through, it’s difficult to find compensation for whatever damage or problem it might have cause you. Actually, there is no specific group that you can turn to and complain when having online loan problems.

 

Not all online loan lenders are represented in all the US states, and so before you apply for an online home mortgage loan, be sure the state that you are in have their representative.

  



Angela

Julian Lim asked:


Two of the most important aspects of home mortgage refinancing are the interest rate and the length of the repayment period. These two factors drive the overall cost of the loan you acquire.

When looking at home mortgage refinancing, rates and terms of the loan are critical. The rate is the amount of interest that you will be applied to the unpaid principal during each loan payment period, while the term is the length of time before the loan is paid off. It is important to understand how various combinations of these two factors affect the total cost of your loan. Make certain that you have a complete understanding of not only the monthly payment that will be your obligation, but the cost of the entire loan over the course of the loan.

Definitions

There are some common buzz words associated with obtaining home refinancing. It is important that you understand the meaning of the terms as the loan broker or the lender defines them. If the definition is not standard usage as you understand the term, you may find yourself with some very wrong assumptions about the mortgage documents that you signed. For example, you should at a minimum define adjustable rate mortgage, mortgage term, Option ARM and negative amortization. Be aware of alternative terms used in the documents and be certain that you understand the impact these words and clauses will have on the length and cost of the mortgage loan.

ARM

An adjustable rate mortgage grew in popularity during the 70s and 80s when fixed rate mortgages were climbing sky high. The adjustable rate mortgage allowed more home buyers to qualify for a loan, because the interest rate and thus the initial payment amount was lower. If you select the ARM for your home mortgage refinancing, you will typically pay less for 6 to 24 months after which your rate will increase at a rate tied to some outside index. There may or may not be a cap on how high the adjusted rate can go and how often it can be adjusted.

Fixed Rate

A fixed rate is quite common when searching for home mortgage refinancing. This type of rate benefits those who have a stable income, plan to stay in the same home for at least 3 years, and who need to be able to plan ahead for expenses in the foreseeable future. The fixed mortgage rate is set at the onset of the loan term and does not change during the term. It tends to be somewhat higher than an adjustable rate mortgage since the lender has a slightly higher risk of loss with this type of loan.

Negative Equity

Negative equity loans are more likely to be seen in new home mortgages than in home mortgage refinancing loans, since the concept is relatively new. Essentially, the negative amortization loan adds the unmet portion of interest and principal payments each month to the principal balance. This means that at the end of the grace period which can be only a few months, the borrower ends up owing more in principal than was on the original loan. A few individuals can take advantage of this type of loan but it requires self-discipline and an understanding of strict budgeting.



Jill