Low Interest Rate Mortgages: Do They Exist? By Joseph Kenny

Interest rates, interest rates, interest rates; it seems as if they are everywhere that we look. Whether you want to obtain a credit card, loan, or mortgage, you will have to deal with interest rates. Unfortunately, interest rates can turn something that would otherwise be affordable into something that no longer is. To combat this problem, you are encouraged to search for low interest rates.

Obtaining a low interest rate, especially with a mortgage, is often easier said than done. As a potential homeowner, you have little control over the interest rate which you are being offered. This is why many individuals believe that low interest rate mortgages do not exist. Despite that belief, it is still possible to obtain a low interest rate mortgage.

If you are interested in obtaining a low interest rate mortgage, you will need to be prepared to do a little bit of research. You will have to find lenders that specialize in low interest rate mortgages. They are out there, but it may take a little bit of time to find them. In addition to finding low interest rate lenders, you may also want to examine and possibly improve your credit.

If you are wondering what your credit has to do with obtaining a low interest rate mortgage, you are not alone. Many believe that the interest rate is solely decided by the lender that they are seeking to obtain a mortgage from. While it is true that your financial lender will have the deciding say in what your interest rate will be, your credit can have an impact as well.

Mortgage lenders often have a preset interest range that they are allowed to charge. This preset range is often implemented by the government to keep the cost of owning a home affordable. Mortgage lenders, like all other financial lenders, are a little bit leery of doing business with an individual that has a low credit rating. To offer themselves security, they tend to charge those with poor credit a higher interest rate. This is not always the case, but a large number of lenders operate this way.

The good news about your credit is that you can improve it. If you know that you would like to buy a home in the future, you are encouraged to examine your credit. If you find anything that is unpaid, you are encouraged to pay it as soon as possible. In addition to having an impact on your interest rate, an improved credit score may even increase the amount of money that you are able to have to purchase a home.

Since interest rates vary and depend on a number of factors, you may want to do a little bit of comparison. The interest rate being advertised may not necessarily be the one that you will be offered. To receive an exact interest rate, you may be required to provide a mortgage lender with a little bit of information. Once they take your credit, your current financial situation, and the amount of money you are requesting into consideration they should be able to determine what the interest rate of your mortgage will be.

Once you have examined the interest rates from a number of mortgage lenders, you can easily compare your findings. If you are seeking a low interest rate mortgage, you will want to go with the lender who is offering you the lowest interest rate. It may take a little bit of time to compile all of this information together, but the amount of money you save on interest may be worth it in the end.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=75440&ca=Finances

What Credit Inquiries Do To Your Credit Score. By Dennis T. Cary

There are good and bad credit inquiries, some can take points off your credit score with each inquiry, while others have no effect at all. Too many of the bad inquiries and your credit can be destroyed, taking with it your chances for receiving a home, mortgage or personal loan.

Think back to all of the times you went out shopping for items like a new car, cell phone, home, apartment or insurance company. Each of these companies probably pulled your credit report and took a few points off of your credit score at the same time.

Although most credit inquiries take less than five points each time, this can still add up- especially if you have more than a few inquiries. Losing points on your credit score can cost you a lot of money over the years because you’ll end up paying higher interest rates and annual fees.

If you’re out shopping for cars and have applied at a few different dealerships in a two-week span, you don’t have to worry about your credit score dropping each time. You should only get up to a five point deduction because credit bureaus will count all inquiries in this time frame as one. But if you’re out shopping in a two week span for unrelated items- say a new car and an apartment- credit scoring will be affected with each inquiry.

Credit scoring is not affected at all if you are making inquiry as to where you stand. Whenever you order reports or request your one free copy per year, no points are taken off your credit score. You are not penalized for wanting to know what your credit history looks like, so take advantage of this. You should always know what your credit score is because it will give you a better idea of your chances for credit and loan approval. It will also alert you to fraud or any potential mistakes listed on your credit report if you experience a sudden point drop for reasons unknown to you.

Credit inquiries will remain on your credit report for up to two years. After this time period has passed, you can request they be removed. You can contact each of the three major credit bureaus- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion- to have this done.

To keep your credit in good standing, pay your bills religiously each month, keep your balances down and keep your credit inquiries to a minimum. Doing so will ensure lenders view you as someone they would be glad to do business with, rather than a huge credit risk.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=75620&ca=Finances

What Credit Inquiries Do To Your Credit Score. By Dennis T. Cary

There are good and bad credit inquiries, some can take points off your credit score with each inquiry, while others have no effect at all. Too many of the bad inquiries and your credit can be destroyed, taking with it your chances for receiving a home, mortgage or personal loan.

Think back to all of the times you went out shopping for items like a new car, cell phone, home, apartment or insurance company. Each of these companies probably pulled your credit report and took a few points off of your credit score at the same time.

Although most credit inquiries take less than five points each time, this can still add up- especially if you have more than a few inquiries. Losing points on your credit score can cost you a lot of money over the years because you’ll end up paying higher interest rates and annual fees.

If you’re out shopping for cars and have applied at a few different dealerships in a two-week span, you don’t have to worry about your credit score dropping each time. You should only get up to a five point deduction because credit bureaus will count all inquiries in this time frame as one. But if you’re out shopping in a two week span for unrelated items- say a new car and an apartment- credit scoring will be affected with each inquiry.

Credit scoring is not affected at all if you are making inquiry as to where you stand. Whenever you order reports or request your one free copy per year, no points are taken off your credit score. You are not penalized for wanting to know what your credit history looks like, so take advantage of this. You should always know what your credit score is because it will give you a better idea of your chances for credit and loan approval. It will also alert you to fraud or any potential mistakes listed on your credit report if you experience a sudden point drop for reasons unknown to you.

Credit inquiries will remain on your credit report for up to two years. After this time period has passed, you can request they be removed. You can contact each of the three major credit bureaus- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion- to have this done.

To keep your credit in good standing, pay your bills religiously each month, keep your balances down and keep your credit inquiries to a minimum. Doing so will ensure lenders view you as someone they would be glad to do business with, rather than a huge credit risk.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=75620&ca=Finances

What To Do When You Are Turned Down For A Loan By Tabitha Naylor

Often, when your lender scrutinizes your loan application, and it is turned down for one reason or another, it is very distressing and discouraging. If this happens, you need to understand just why the decision was taken, and do what is necessary to remedy the situation. The causes for rejection listed below will help you understand why mortgage applications are declined.

Causes for rejection:

1. The appraised value is far too low: Your lender perhaps found the ratio of the loan amount to the sale price or the appraised value of the property to be substantially lower than the purchase price or loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. Or perhaps the LTV is higher than your lender is allowed to approve. Or, perhaps you have applied for 90-100% of the purchase price, as new the loan amount. A low appraisal will then make your loan request far too large.

If the seller’s price of the property far outstrips the prevailing rates in your locality, you would be best advised to renegotiate the price with him so that it conforms to the prices in the area. It should also be one which your lender would not refuse in order to pass your loan request. If this can’t be done, it might be a better idea to accept a smaller loan amount, and pay the balance from your personal funds.

2. Insufficient funds: When your lender goes through your financial information and your verification of deposits, he (or she) might find that you do not have enough funds to make the necessary down payment and cover closing costs. Even if these funds do not come from a loan, a gift could go a long way. Alternatively, you could ask the seller to take back a second mortgage on the property. This would help lower your down payment. Alternatively, you could get the seller to pay some of the closing costs. All these things could easily help your situation. Not to mention, each would help you buy more time, which would allow you to save more money.

3. Do you have insufficient income? Lenders will refuse your loan application if they find that the mortgage payment on your property exceeds approximately 28 percent of your monthly gross income. In addition, if your total debt, including mortgage payments and other installments reporting on credit, exceed 50 per cent, you stand to be refused. The figures are higher for FHA loans. But the situation can improve for you if your credit card record is good and you can prove that you already are carrying a huge household expense, including rent or mortgage payments. This is primarily the reason why it is highly recommended to be as accurate as possible when disclosing income and expenses on your initial application.

4. Up to your eyes in debt: Often, lenders don’t reject applications solely because of the amount of debt someone carries. Most of the time, loan applications are rejected due to excessive amounts of credit cards and other revolving credit accounts, which show histories of rising account balances that come close to the limit prescribed. Such information is detrimental if you are out to prove your creditworthiness. To remedy the situation, you will need to pay off as many of your debts as possible and then reapply for a loan.

5. Poor credit history: What can be more devastating than to have your loan request turned down due to a history of poor debt repayment habits? If your lender sees that you have a history of making late payments often, owing outstanding amounts to the bank, or insolvency, he/she is hardly likely to pass a loan application for the purchase of property. Your lender is surely not going to be tolerant of a bad credit record. Even if you have had a low loan-to-value ratio on past accounts, and you have low debt ratios, you cannot wipe out a history of poor credit.

Rejection is not the end of the world: Just because a lender rejects your loan application doesn’t mean you can never own property in your life. You can take corrective steps to improve your chances of acceptance. But, if you work diligently, you will iron out the wrinkles. The key is to find out why your loan application was rejected, and work towards correcting the issues.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=68054&ca=Finances