Tag Archives: Types

Mortgage Calculator – What are the Types and How Does it Help?

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Do you wish to calculate payments and compare loans? Or do you want to find out whether you’re eligible for a loan? Use mortgage calculator, a financial tool which will help you work out the figures prior to taking a financial decision or at every step of the mortgage transaction. While you figure out the maximum you can afford to pay, it helps you avoid financial problems in future.

Apart from Purchase Mortgage Calculator, there are Refinance as well as Amortization Calculators that help you work out the figures while you refinance or when you determine amortized payments on your loan. Here’s a list of the financial calculators you may require when you’re buying a home or managing a mortgage.

Home Affordability Calculators: These include tools which help you to determine whether it’s better to buy or rent what mortgage amount you can afford and how much you should borrow.

Purchase Mortgage Calculators: Using these tools, you can calculate:

APR on different loans for comparison

Down payment on your new home

How much to earn by extra loan payment

Loan payments at different rates for comparing offers

Payments on loans having different terms

 

Besides, you can determine your debt-to-income ratio and compare between a fixed rate mortgage and an adjustable rate loan.

Refinance Calculators: These are tools using which you can find out whether it’s wise to go for a cash-out refinance or second loan. You can also calculate interest savings in a refinance.

Amortization Calculators: Such tools help you figure out payments throughout the loan period and provide you with a printable amortization sheet for fixed rate as well as adjustable rate loans.

Mortgage calculators are easy-to-use tools to help you with simple calculations for your home buying and home financing needs. The best way to make the right choice is to evaluate and compare and this is where mortgage calculator can help you the most.

 

Samantha Taylor is a contributing Financial Writer, Moderator and Community Mentor of Mortgagefit (World Largest Mortgage Community). She specializes in mortgage and real estate field. You can ask any mortgage/ real estate related problems to her in Mortgage Community Forums.

The 3 Types Of Mortgage Loans

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Currently on the market, there are many varieties of mortgage loans available. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell which mortgage loan is suitable and applicable to you.

I will discuss the 3 main types of mortgage loans on the market. Most banks and lenders offer mortgage loans that belong to one of these categories.

1. Fixed Mortgage Loan

Fixed mortgage loans are the most popular and common among the three types of mortgage loan.

You take out a mortgage loan with a lender and you pay a certain repayment amount for a fixed period of time. Most people usually choose 30 year fixed mortgage loans as the monthly repayment amounts are low and the interest rates usually evens out in a 30 year period.

One disadvantage of 30 year fixed mortgage loan is you have to repay more for your mortgage loan in total compared to someone who takes up a 15 or 5 year loan.

There are also shorter time periods such as 5 year, 10 or 15 years fixed mortgage loans. It allows people who want to pay off their house in a shorter period of time. Of course, you have to make sure you have the financial capability to repay higher monthly repayments.

There is also another sub-category of mortgage loan called adjustable rate mortgage loan or ARM. Usually, you will start off with a lower interest rate compared to a 30 year fixed mortgage loan. So you ended up paying less each month for your mortgage repayment.

However take note that ARM is highly fluctuating depending on interest rates. In other words, you pay less for monthly repayment when interest is low and pay more when interest rates is high.

2. Convertible Loans

Convertible loans are becoming more popular as it allows people to keep their mortgage loan options open allowing for more flexibility.

If you find interest rates are too high, you can convert to a fixed rate mortgage loan. If interest rates are low, you can also convert to ARM based mortgage loans.

There are too many varieties of convertible loans under this category. However I list one type of convertible loans I dealt with.

Balloon Loan

A balloon loan is a fixed rate convertible loan. Usually, you start off by repaying small monthly repayments for a period of years, usually 5 or 7 years. At the end of that period, you will need to repay the loan in one lump sum.

So what’s the advantage of a balloon loan? It is mostly used by investors or property dealers who are looking to sell the house in a short period of time. They can take advantage of low interest rates without locking their money on a house. Since they will have a large sum of money when they sell the house, it will not be a problem to return the lump sum.

3. Special mortgage loans

These are mortgage loans that are only being offered to a group of people. For example the FHA mortgage loans are only available for first time home buyers or people with bad credit.

Another one is the veteran affairs mortgage loan. They are only offered to widows of the US armed forces.

The best way to know whether you qualify or is suitable for a mortgage loan is to speak to a professional mortgage consultant before you decide to take up any mortgage offer

Ricky Lim works in a finance company specialising in Home mortgage refinance loans. Visit his site to find the best home mortgage loan.

Mortgage Companies – Different Types Of Mortgage Lenders

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If applying for a new home loan, there are numerous mortgage lending options. New homebuyers may not know where to start. Different mortgage lenders fit different circumstances. In fact, choosing the wrong lender may result in paying more interest. With this said, it is important for homebuyers to educate themselves on the different types of mortgage lenders, and select the lender that is perfect for them.

Traditional Mortgage Lenders: Banks, Credit Unions, etc.

While waiting in the lobby of a bank or credit union, perhaps you have observed signs advertising low mortgage rates. Some homebuyers choose to finance their homes through mortgage companies. However, it is possible to obtain a mortgage loan from your local bank.

Using a local banker may be advantageous. Each mortgage lending institution establishes its own lending guidelines. Moreover, these lenders can pick and choose the type of loans they want to service.

There are various types of home loans. These are intended to help individuals with good credit, poor credit, no credit, recent bankruptcy, etc. Unfortunately, not all lenders offer a range of home loans. Thus, persons with bad credit may have trouble getting approved.

Likewise, banks and credit unions may choose not to service bad credit loans. Therefore, those with a credit score below 680 may not qualify for a traditional loan. If this is the case, these applicants may have to seek alternative financing.

Mortgage Loan Brokers

Because mortgage comparisons are important, many homebuyers bypass local banks. Accepting the first mortgage offer received is not a wise act. Lenders offer different interest rates. The only way to get the lowest mortgage rate possible is to obtain quotes from many lenders.

Mortgage brokers are very useful. Although brokers do not finance home loans themselves, working with a mortgage broker gives homebuyers the opportunity to receive multiple offers from different lenders. Additionally, brokers have access to many types of loans. Thus, persons with a low credit rating can also obtain quotes from different lenders offering bad credit mortgages.

Mortgage brokers are also successful with locating suitable home loans for people with unique conditions. This may include self-employment, no money for closing, real estate investors, etc.

3 Primary Types Of Home Mortgages

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There are three major types of home mortgages – fixed rate mortgages, adjustable rate mortgages and balloon mortgages. Each of these types have their own sub types, depending on the length of their terms and overall flexibility. To learn more about the three major types of home mortgages, along with their benefits and disadvantages, keep reading.

Fixed Rate Mortgage

The fixed rate mortgage is the standard, traditional mortgage. This is the mortgage your parents probably had. It’s easy to understand, simple to budget and very stable, predictable and steady.

A fixed rate mortgage offers the same interest rate over the entirety of the mortgage’s term. That way, you can expect the same monthly payment for the duration of the loan and look at a full and complete amortization table of your mortgage to see exactly where each payment will go over the next 15 or 30 years.

That is, even though the monthly principle and interest will add up to the same amount every month, the portion of that payment made up of interest on the loan will far exceed the principle amount during the earlier years of the loan and then gradually shift until the principle is much higher than the interest during the last several years.

The benefits of a fixed rate mortgage go beyond stability and can also translate to major savings. If interest rates are low, locking in your rate with a fixed rate mortgage before rates go back up could translate to big savings – perhaps tens of thousands of dollars – in the long term.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage

The adjustable rate mortgage tends to be for those who prefer a little more risk but lower monthly payments in the first couple of years or so. Despite the fact that homeowners with an adjustable rate mortgage tend to pay less overall in interest charges than homeowners with a fixed rate mortgage, there’s still an element of risk to be carefully weighed.

With an adjustable rate mortgage, your interest will change depending on the current standard interest rates. If rates fall, so does your rate and your monthly payment. If rates go up, the opposite is true. Essentially, the risk of fluctuating interest rates is passed to the borrower rather than the lender.

Because of that increased risk that you assume, lenders will offer very low introductory rates and a slightly lower ongoing rate.

Balloon Mortgage

The balloon mortgage is designed for homeowners who are expecting to live in their house for a short period of time or anticipate an influx of cash or equity within a few years.

The balloon mortgage works by setting up a loan that’s shorter in duration than the amortization period and then collecting the balance at the end of the time.

For example, you have a $200,000 mortgage and the loan is for 10 years, but it’s amortized over 20 years. That means, you’ll make monthly payments based on the face that it’s taking 20 years to pay it off. But, then after 10 years, you’ll have to pay for the remainder of the principal still owed. Hence, the analogy of a “balloon.”

For information on mortgages, please see http://www.homeloanmortgagers.com, a popular site providing mortgage preparation ideas, such as the type of mortgage loan, Bank of America home personal loans, Connecticut mortgage lenders, and many more!

Types Of Mortgage Rates

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Types of Mortgage Rates

 

A mortgage loan is basically taken against a property. In case you own a property you can keep the house as collateral and avail a loan to help you in times of financial crisis. Though a property with a good value can guarantee you a good mortgage loan, rates of the loan are often dependent on various factors like your credit ratings, personal assurance, etc. We take a look at the various mortgage rates that are usually available to the customer and the advantages or disadvantages of each.   

  

Mortgage rates may vary depending on the type of loan and the duration of the loan. There are basically three types of mortgage rates, these are-

 

# Adjustable Mortgage Rate

# Fixed Interest Rate

# Variable Interest Rate

There are numerous mortgage companies which offer refinance that involves obtaining a new mortgage loan on a property that is already owned – and that is often to replace existing loans against the property. It is a good time to refinance when the mortgage rates are low.

One of the major benefits involving refinancing is the fact that it can save the monthly payment of an existing loan. Lock-in rates are another very interesting schemes these companies offer.

The interest rate of a mortgage loan is fixed and that does not change, and based on the changes of an underlying interest rate index, a variable interest rate moves up and down.

 An interest rate may change in case of an ARM based mortgage loan; which is usually in response to changes in the Treasury bill rate or prime rate. The mortgage holder gets the protection by a maximum interest rate, which is called a ceiling; that is usually reset annually. Adjustable mortgage rates or ARM usually starts with better rates than fixed rate mortgages.

 

 

Two most common mortgage interest rates are the adjustable rate mortgage and fixed rate mortgage-

 

Fixed Mortgage Rates:

In case of ‘fixed mortgage rates’, the monthly payments and the principle for interest do not change throughout the entire tenure of the loan. The interest rates remain the same as long as the borrower is in a fixed term agreement. The borrowers can keep a track of the exact amount of their payments, which is an advantage of this type of mortgage interest rate.

 This way, through a fixed mortgage rate, borrowers can manage their personal budget very easily.

 

It is also advisable to have a fixed rate mortgage to protect oneself from the rising loan interest rate. The borrower cannot be sure that the loan rates will remain the same in the future, however, deciding on a fixed rate mortgage can save a lot of future headaches.

 

Adjustable Rate Mortgage:

On the basis of an index, the mortgage interest rates of an adjustable rate mortgage are adjusted from time to time. When there is a downward fluctuation in the interest rates, it is advisable to go for adjustable mortgage rates. For example, there might be a scenario when the adjustable mortgage rate is much lower than the fixed rate mortgage. In the above scenario, it is much better for a borrower to apply for an ARM mortgage rate, as the monthly payment would decidedly become much lower.