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Save Some Additional Cash with Our Guide to Lowering Your Monthly Mortgage Payment

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Save Some Additional Cash with Our Guide to Lowering Your Monthly Mortgage Payment If you are like many other homeowners, your home mortgage payment is the single largest expense in your monthly budget. This is a fixed expense that you will typically be responsible for until your loan is paid in full or until you sell your home, and you may have a 15, 20 or even 30 year term on your mortgage.

If your home mortgage payment has become unaffordable or burdensome for you to manage with your current financial situation, rest assured that you may be able to save some additional cash each month without selling your home. Refinancing your existing mortgage can provide you with important financial benefits to help you better manage your budget.

How Refinancing Lowers Your Mortgage Payment

Refinancing your existing mortgage essentially will replace your existing loan with a new loan, but you may not understand how this will result in a lower mortgage payment. When you initially applied for your current mortgage, your payment was fixed based on the interest rates at the time as well as the original loan balance. Since that time, you likely have reduced your loan balance considerably, and interest rates may be improved as well. In fact, some homeowners are able to refinance to a lower rate as well as pull equity out of their home in the process.

How Home Equity Could Further Reduce Monthly Expenses

While your main goal for refinancing a home mortgage may be to reduce the large monthly mortgage payment that you are responsible for, the fact is that you may be able to use your home equity to further reduce your monthly expenses. For example, you can use extra funds provided to you through a refinance to pay off an outstanding student loan, a car payment or a credit card balance. Some homeowners may even be able to pay off most or all of their debts by tapping into their home equity.

It is common for homeowners who have a high and unmanageable mortgage payment to feel overwhelmed and even trapped by their financial situation. However, as you can see, lowering your mortgage payment and even reducing some of your other expenses may be easier to do than you might think. If you are interested in learning more about how refinancing your mortgage may help you to improve your financial situation, you can speak with an experienced mortgage professional today.

Yes, It’s Possible to Get a Mortgage Without a Favorable Credit History – Here’s What You Will Need

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Yes, It's Possible to Get a Mortgage Without a Favorable Credit History - Here's What You Will Need There are several factors that are reviewed when you apply for a home mortgage, and one of the initial factors is your credit rating. You may already be aware that you have a lower credit score, or you may have learned about your credit issues after speaking with a mortgage professional. Now that you are aware of the situation, you may be concerned about your ability to get approved for your loan request. The good news is that you may still be able to get a mortgage without a favorable credit history with a few things.

A Co-Borrower Or Co-Signer

One of the best steps that you can take to strengthen your loan request is to find a co-borrower or co-signor for your loan request. Ideally, this will be an individual with a spotless credit history and great scores. There may be some rules in place regarding who can co-sign with you, so you may consider getting more advice from your mortgage representative before moving forward with this option.

A Large Down Payment

The size of your down payment essentially impacts the level of risk that a lender assumes when extending a loan to you, and your loan request is riskier to approve when you have a lower credit rating. You may be able to offset the fact that you have a troubled credit history by making a larger down payment. This may be a down payment that exceeds a standard 20 percent down payment.

A Willingness To Accept A Higher Interest Rate

Mortgage lenders typically have a tiered interest rate structure, and those with a lower credit score will qualify for a higher interest rate. There typically is a minimum threshold to the tier system, and each lender has a different minimum score that they will consider. However, generally, if you have a lower credit rating, you should be prepared to accept a higher interest rate with your loan request.

A lower credit rating will impact your ability to get approved for the best terms on a mortgage, but this does not necessarily mean that you cannot get approved at all. There are various steps that you may be able to take to strengthen your loan request and to structure the loan application so that underwriting will approve it. You can speak with your mortgage consultant today about the options available to you.

Should You Be Worried About Skipping Multiple Mortgage Payments? Yes, and Here’s Why

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Should You Be Worried About Skipping Multiple PaymentsFrom time to time, a homeowner may struggle to make a mortgage payment on time. Most will be able to make the missing payment a week or two later when the next paycheck arrives. However, others may find themselves in a situation where they are unable to make multiple payments in a row.

If you are skipping multiple mortgage payments, you should be concerned about your financial situation. There are several important reasons why you may want to take action to improve your situation or to work out a payment arrangement with your mortgage company.

Falling Too Far Behind To Catch Up

A mortgage payment is generally among the largest expenses in a personal budget, and a considerable portion of your take-home income may be applied to a single payment each month. When you miss multiple payments, you may find that you have fallen too far behind to catch up with your payments.

This can effectively make it nearly impossible for you to improve your financial situation without taking drastic action, such as selling your home or borrowing money.

The Negative Impact On Your Credit Report

Late payments are reported to the credit bureaus as soon as the payment is at least 30 days past due. While your lender may charge you a late fee on your mortgage after the grace period expires, you still typically have extra time to make the payment that month without seeing an impact on your credit rating. However, when you have missed a second mortgage payment, your first missed payment has typically exceeded this 30-day mark. This means that you will likely see a negative impact on your credit rating.

The Potential For A Foreclosure

You are contractually obligated to make timely payments to your mortgage lender, and when you fail to do so, the lender has the legal right to begin foreclosure proceedings. This process can impact your credit rating. More than that, it can result in the loss of your home, including erasing any home equity that you have established in it.

As soon as you realize that you are unable to make a payment on a given month, you may consider reviewing financial options available to you. You may also speak with your lender about possibilities. A final option is to reach out to a mortgage professional to review refinancing options that may be available to you.

Thinking About Buying a Rental Property? 3 Reasons You’ll Want to Get a Mortgage Pre-Approval

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Thinking About Buying a Rental Property? 3 Reasons You'll Want to Get a Mortgage Pre-Approval A rental property is a wonderful investment option to consider, and it can provide you with everything from considerable tax benefits to appreciation and monthly cash flow. While you may be eager to get started searching for a new rental property to invest in, a good idea is to take the initial step to get pre-approved for your mortgage.

There are several good reasons why a pre-approval is an important first step to take.

Determining What Sales Price to Consider

The mortgage rules and guidelines for an investment or non-owner occupied property are different than those for an owner occupied property. For example, a key difference is that most lenders will require you to make a larger down payment. When you get pre-approved for your mortgage, you can more easily narrow down your property choices so that you only consider those that are affordable for your budget.

Estimating Cash Flow

When you invest in a rental property, you will need to estimate the cash flow for the property to ensure that it is a good investment. This may include reviewing the monthly rents and operating expenses, and it also includes analyzing the mortgage payment. When you get pre-approved for your mortgage, you can estimate your monthly payment and determine which properties are a better investment opportunity for you and which will generate the largest profit for you.

Structuring A Stronger Offer

By getting pre-approved, your mortgage professional will provide you with a pre-approval letter. This letter can be given to a seller when you structure your offer, and essentially this will strengthen your offer and make you look like a more serious and qualified buyer. When you are in a bidding war, this letter can make a big difference in your success. Furthermore, it can streamline your mortgage process once your offer is accepted by the buyer, and it will enable you to create a more realistic closing date on your offer.

While you may be ready to jump head first into your property search, you may benefit from taking time to get pre-approved for your mortgage. This process takes very little time to do, and it will facilitate the entire process. From searching for a great property and analyzing its strength as an investment opportunity to helping you pass through the loan process, you will benefit in a number of ways. You can reach out to a mortgage professional today to begin the pre-approval process.

The Pros and Cons of Putting in More Than 20 Percent as a Down Payment on Your New Home

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The Pros and Cons of Putting in More Than 20 Percent as a Down Payment on Your New Home One of the most common questions home buyers ask today relates to how much money they need to put down on a home. There are mortgage requirements in place that establish minimum down payment requirements, and some home buyers will barely have enough to pay the minimum down payment as well as closing costs. However, if you have access to more money, you may be wondering if you should make a larger down payment. There are several points to consider to determine if making a larger down payment is right for your financial situation.

Having Liquid Assets Available After Closing

It is important to consider how much available cash you will have access to after closing if you do make a larger down payment. There are many costs associated with home ownership to think about, such as unexpected repair costs, paying a homeowners’ insurance deductible if a mishap occurs and even furnishing your new home. Once your funds are invested in your home, you will only be able to tap into those funds by refinancing. You may consider placing extra cash into a more liquid asset if you do not have a lot of extra cash available to you.

Qualifying for a Lower Interest Rate

Depending on your loan program, you may be able to qualify for a lower interest rate if you place more money down with your new mortgage. This is not always the case, so you will want to review this option with your mortgage representative. Keep in mind that interest will impact your mortgage payment as well as the amount of your mortgage interest tax deduction at the end of the year.

Having a Lower Mortgage Payment

When you obtain a lower loan amount with your mortgage, your mortgage payment will be lower. This can make your budget more affordable going forward. Because a mortgage payment is generally one of the higher expenses in a budget, the importance of this cannot be understated. An alternative to this is to establish the loan on a shorter term. Using a shorter term option generally makes your payments higher, but with a larger down payment, it may be easier for you to manage a shorter term length and to pay your mortgage off more quickly.

Using Funds for Other Purposes

You should also consider other ways that you could use your additional funds. For example, you may have high interest rates debts that you could pay off, or you may be able to invest the additional funds in the stock market. For some, tying funds up in a home is practical, but it is not always the best option available.

There is no catch-all answer regarding how much money you should use as a down payment. Each situation is unique, and you should speak with your mortgage representative to discuss the pros and cons of a larger down payment with your specific loan application.