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Pay Off Your Home Faster with These Mortgage Tips

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Pay Off Your Home Faster with These Mortgage TipsThe monthly mortgage payment that goes into purchasing a home is frequently the most expensive cost per month that most people will incur, and that means that it can be helpful to know the tricks of the trade in squaring away this payment more quickly. If you’re looking for some simple tips to get your mortgage paid off a little sooner, here are some pointers that will help you get to this goal.

Make Bi-Weekly Payments

It may seems like enough of an expenditure to pay your mortgage once a month, but making payments every two weeks can actually greatly reduce the amount of interest you’ll end up paying. For example, if your monthly payment happens to be $400, this would equate to $4800.00 in payments for the year. However, if you pay bi-weekly, this will actually increase your payment per year to $5200.00. While it may not seem like a significant difference, this can break down the principal and save you a lot of money on interest

Pay It Off With Extra Funds

It can be so easy to get used to the standard payment schedule that putting extra money down just seems like a burden, but if you receive an inheritance, a raise or get a bonus at work, you may want to consider putting this extra money towards your mortgage instead of a splurge! While smaller monthly payments will decrease your mortgage over time, a lump sum can help you see the difference in your monthly payment right away, which is a boon for paying it down further.

Keep Up-To-Date On Your Mortgage Options

Many people would rather forget about their mortgage and stick to what they’ve worked out when all’s said and done, but it’s a good idea to keep abreast of what’s happening on the market in case it can positively impact your mortgage. By keeping up to date on interest rates and more recent mortgage options, you may be able to negotiate a better deal or at least stay on top of your monthly payments in the event of an interest rate increase.

The monthly mortgage payment schedule can be a bit of a burden for many people, but there are ways to pay off your mortgage more quickly that can easily improve your sense of financial wellbeing. Contact your local mortgage professional for more information.

3 Things to Consider Before Buying a Vacation Home Abroad

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3 Things to Consider Before Buying a Vacation Home AbroadThe call of fancy vacation locations and the additional earnings that can come along with this type of home may appeal to many homebuyers, but a lot of time and money can go into maintaining a second property. If you’re currently considering a vacation home for your own use or as a potential investment, here are a few factors to consider before jumping into the fray of a long distance home.

Will You Use It Enough?

A home in a far-off place can be a great means of having a place to visit each year, but one of the problems with this type of home is that it often doesn’t get enough use to justify all of the associated costs. While things like timeshares can minimize this problem, buying your own home may mean that you’ll be compelled to visit quite frequently and you may feel the need to commit to one option when it comes to vacation time.

Do You Want To Worry About Maintenance?

Like any home, a vacation property is going to have both large and small maintenance issues that need to be fixed here and there, and this can be hard to get to if you live a 5-hour plane ride away. Maintenance isn’t necessarily a deal breaker when it comes to a second home, but you’ll want to determine if you’re willing to do the work when you’re spending time there or whether you’d rather hire someone who will do all of the little fix-ups for you.

Is It Really Affordable?

When going into an investment as significant as a home for pleasure, it can be easy for people to be obscured by what they want and not what they need, but this sometimes means people will take a financial risk. Instead of throwing caution to the wind, ensure you sit down and determine the monthly costs, maintenance fees and property taxes of your potential property. Determining how this lines up with all your other debts will help you decide if the purchase is really feasible.

Sunny beaches and trendy cities may seem like a foolproof investment, but it’s important to consider the cost effectiveness and all of the maintenance required before you commit to a second home abroad. If you’re currently looking for a home in an exotic locale, contact your local mortgage professional for more information.

3 Tips for Planning Your Monthly Mortgage Payment

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3 Tips for Planning Your Monthly Mortgage PaymentOnce you’ve purchased a home and decided on a move in date, it may seem like a lot of the hard stuff is over, but you still have one of the most important things relating to such a large purchase to think about: the payments! If you’re looking for a few tips on ways to approach your monthly payment, the following will steer you in the right direction so you can broach your mortgage schedule successfully.

Set Up A Payment Schedule

Many people have been in the situation of neglecting their phone or credit cards by forgetting about the payment due dates, but this can cause a lot of strife when it comes to an investment as large as your home. Instead of leaving it to chance, choose a day each month and ensure that your bank is transferring the funds over automatically so you never have to worry about missing a payment. This will help you retain a reputation as a responsible borrower and it means you won’t have to deal directly with this important expenditure each month.

Be Aware Of Ways To Pay

Instead of being in the dark about ways to pay your mortgage each month, talk to your bank about your options for making your monthly payments in a timely, hassle-free manner. Before you get into the nitty-gritty of home ownership, look into this as soon as you’ve signed off on the papers so you know the best way to approach each month. This will prepare you for your approximate total mortgage payment.

Is It Really Affordable?

If you’re associated with a lender you trust, you’ve probably already been made aware of the amount of house you can and can’t afford, but ensure you’ve sat down and thought about what all the added interest on your home means. While it can certainly be a huge financial commitment for anyone to commit to a monthly mortgage payment, being able to swing the expense consistently is the difference between financial well-being and a purchase you’ll come to regret.

Making the decision to invest in a home can be one of the most exciting things you’ll commit to in adulthood, but ensure you’re aware of just what your monthly mortgage means so that it’s not something you’ll look back on. If you’re currently on the market for a home, contact your local mortgage professionals for more information.

Ready to Be a Landlord? Important Considerations Before Renting Your Home

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Ready to Be a Landlord? Important Considerations Before Renting Your HomeWhether you’re going away on an extended vacation or considering downsizing into a smaller place, the popularity of websites like Airbnb has led many people to believe that there’s a lot of money in home rental. However, before putting your home on the market, it’s important to be aware of some of the factors that go into having a rental property. It may seem like extra money, but it’s the small details that can make it a more complicated process.

Is It A Short Term Solution

Many people plan on putting their home on the market for a short duration of time, but if you’re only planning on renting for 6 months or a year, it may not be as financially lucrative as you think. While tax breaks can go along with rental properties, the money you make off of this kind of investment is taxable so if you’re not in it for a slightly longer haul, you may not see the financial boost you’re looking for.

What Are You Willing To Deal With?

For those who are planning to put a home on the market, they still need some place to live, and this can mean that a certain amount needs to be made each month for the costs of having two homes even out. Before putting any serious considerations into this, ensure that you know it’s financially feasible. It’s entirely possible that you won’t have renters for certain periods of time and you could also run into problems with the renters you find, so you should sit down and put pen to paper to consider the investment potential.

Have You Considered The Maintenance?

Out of sight is often out of mind, but if you have a renter, you’re responsible for anything that goes wrong in the home. From small maintenance duties to sizeable but necessary overhauls, there are many things you’re legally obligated to do as a landlord and you’ll need to be prepared to take on these responsibilities. Since it will be the duty of the owner, in the event you don’t want to do it, you’ll have to hire a contractor who will be able to handle the work for you.

Having a house as a second property may seem like an ideal investment, but this can require you to take on the responsibilities of a landlord and you may even have to deal with problematic rental situations. If you’re searching for an additional property in the near future, contact your local mortgage professional for more information.

Mortgage Fraud: 3 Common Scams to Avoid

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Mortgage Fraud: 3 Common Scams to AvoidThere are many ins and outs involved in securing a mortgage lender, and as a result there are many offers and options out there which are only around to take advantage of prospective homebuyers. If you’re on the lookout for a home and are trying to wade through all the details successfully, here are some things you may want to be aware of.

The Perfect Rental Deal

If you’ve ever rented an apartment in the past, it’s entirely possible that you’ve run into deals on Craigslist where a sizeable, stunning property is advertised at a very modest price. While scams like this are quite common when it comes to rentals, they also occur when scammers copy MLS listing and pretend to be an agent facilitating a real estate deal. There’s no sure way to avoid scams like these, but ensure you don’t hand over money or sign anything unless you’re 100% certain whom you’re dealing with.

Lenders Who Push The Envelope

Reliable lenders will be upfront with you when explaining the details associated with your mortgage, so it’s important to be cautious if you end up dealing with someone who asks you to exaggerate or embellish your financial claims. The only way to make a solid investment is to be honest about your financial situation, and anyone trying to inflate your income and the price you can pay is only hoping to gain a piece of the profit for themselves.

Investment Speakers And Seminars

With so much information out there, many people look for courses that will make them aware of the basics of investing so that they can do some of the legwork on their own. Courses like these can be useful in many cases but if they happen to be sponsored by an organization and are charging high attendance fees, there’s a good chance they’re trying to endorse their own services and may not be providing the most accurate information. Instead of guessing for yourself, you may want to read up on the basics and follow up with a trusted lender for any additional questions.

There’s a lot involved in delving into the real estate market, and that’s why it’s important to watch out for the kinds of things that may not be serving your best interest. If you’re currently looking for a lender and are planning on buying a home soon, contact your local mortgage professional for more information.