Tuesday 3 November 2015

What Every Homeowner Should Know About Mortgages

Are you in search of a home mortgage? Have you wondered just the right way to get one? Have you had problems getting a home mortgage in the past? There are many things you can do to increase your chances of approval. Using the tips below, nearly every potential homeowner could get approved the next time they apply.

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.

If you are planning on purchasing a house, make sure your credit is in good standing. Most lenders want to make sure your credit history has been spotless for at least a year. To obtain the best rate, your credit score should be at least 720. Remember that the lower your score is, the harder the chances of getting approved.

Get a pre-approval letter for your mortgage loan. A pre-approved mortgage loan normally makes the entire process move along more smoothly. It also helps because you know how much you can afford to spend. Your pre-approval letter will also include the interest rate you will be paying so you will have a good idea what your monthly payment will be before you make an offer.

Before applying for a mortgage, pay down your debts. Lenders use a debt to income ratio to verify that you are able to afford a mortgage. A general rule of thumb is 36 percent of your gross income should be available to pay all of your monthly expenses, including your mortgage payment.

Before seeing a lender, get all of the financial papers you have together. Your lender must see bank statements, proof of income, and other financial documentation. Being organized and having paperwork ready will speed up the process of applying.

When you decide to apply for a mortgage, make sure you shop around. Before deciding on the best option for you, get estimates from three different mortgage brokers and banks. Although, interest rates are important, there are other things you should consider also such as closing costs, points and types of loans.

Find an interest rate that the lowest possible. The bank's goal is locking you into a high rate. Avoid being their victim. Give yourself several choices by looking at many offers from different lenders.

Look into no closing cost options. If closing costs are concerning you, there are many offers out there where those costs are taken care of by the lender. The lender then charges you slightly more in your interest rate to make up for the difference. This can help you if immediate cash is an issue.

Be sure to compare the different term options that are available for home mortgages. You could choose between a number of options, including 10, 15 and 30 year options. The key is to determine what the final cost of your home will be after each term would be up, and from there whether or not you would be able to afford the mortgage each month for the most affordable option.

Lenders look at your debt-to-income ratio in order to determine if you qualify for a loan. If your total debt is over a certain percentage of your income, you may have trouble qualifying for a loan. Therefore, reduce your debt by paying off your credit cards as much as you can.

Having a strong employment history will make it easier to qualify for a home mortgage. Lenders like to see that you have been at the same job for a good length of time. Barring that, they like to see continuous employment for at leas the past five or more years.

Before you apply for a home mortgage, be sure to check your credit score. You can get a copy of your credit report for free once a year from one of the three big credit reporting companies. Check to be sure your credit report is accurate. Correct any problems you find. It is very important to have a clean and positive credit report before applying for a home mortgage.

Look into credit unions. There are many options for obtaining financing and credit unions have their strengths. Often credit unions will hold mortgages in their private portfolio. Banks and other financial institutions routinely sell mortgages to other holding companies. This could result in your loan changing hands multiple times over its lifetime.

Search online for home loan options. Even if those loans were once solely available with banks with retail locations, that is not true now. There are many reputable lenders who have started to do business exclusively online. They allow you to work with someone who can get you a loan quickly and they are also decentralized.

Remember that interest rates are currently very low, and that means they can only go up from here. How would that impact your finances? Would you be able to afford them if they went up? If not, consider how large a mortgage you could afford in that situation instead.

With everything you now know, getting approved should be much easier than before. People can get approved for a mortgage, but they have to use their heads and know what lenders want to see. Luckily for you, this article should have demonstrated just how simple an approval is when you try.

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