Chrisjan Smith


Just over a year and a half ago the real estate market in the United States was red hot and setting records all around the country. It is now coming to a screeching halt. There are a variety of reasons like interest rates that are increasing and also the affordability for the average family that is no longer there. Most experts agree that the slowdown is more than just a passing trend and will continue for at least the next number of years.

With this slowdown in the market, loans that seemed like a great way to save some money up front are now proving to be a bad decision. If you locked yourself into a fixed rate 15 or 30 year mortgage you will be fine during this market correction. If you have an interest only adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) you may be are in a very tenuous position.

Real estate investors were using interest only ARMs to help them turn a quick profit, the practice is also known as flipping. This gave an investor a few years of relatively low monthly payments so they could use their capital to fix the home up.

Unfortunately what happens with an interest only ARM is that not one cent goes towards the principle of the home and no equity is gained. Depending on which type of ARM you have, after three or five years your payment increases so that you begin to pay some money towards the loan’s principle.

Most investors didn’t worry about the fact that none of their payment was going toward the principle because home prices were rising so quickly that the market itself was adding to the equity of their home. With the slowdown that is no longer the case, in fact they may find that after making five years of payments they don’t have any more equity in the home then they did when it was first acquired.

Many people that have purchased a home that they couldn’t really afford used the Option ARM. The Option ARM allows the home owner four ways to pay the monthly payments. You can do the minimum payment option, the interest only option, or you may chose the payment plan that has an amortization schedule to get you paid off in 30 years, and there is also the 15 year payment option.

The worst option you can choose is the minimum payment option. This option is very misleading, it gives you a very low monthly payment, but none of the principle is touched and it does not even cover the monthly accrued interest. If fact, if you were to only make the monthly minimum, the next month you will actually owe more than before you made the payment.

The market has now changed and you should re-evaluate your home mortgage. If you have an ARM or the Option ARM, check with your lender and see what it will take to get you into a fixed rate 15 or 30 year mortgage.



Peter Smith


One of the biggest investments you will ever make is purchasing a home. It can take over thirty years to pay that mortgage and because of the interest on your loan you will pay back almost double the amount of money you actually borrowed. So before you venture into the first time purchase of a home, make sure that you actually understand what you are getting into with your mortgage.

Here is helpful advice for a first-time homebuyer:

Take the time to understand exactly how big a mortgage you can actually afford. You never want to cut yourself short on money each month. Remember owning a home is not just about the monthly mortgage payment, but there are property taxes, home owners insurance and general maintenance, so make sure that you can afford the mortgage payments along with everything else that comes along with owning a home. Do not allow you bank or real estate agent to try and talk you into a bigger payment then you are comfortable making, remember they are not the ones that have to make all the payments.

Run your credit report before you apply for the mortgage. This way you can clean up any potential problems or fix any errors on your report. Due to new laws you can obtain a free credit report from all three the major reporting agencies.

Gather all the paperwork that the bank will need. They will usually want to see 2 years worth of tax returns, proof of income, and documentation of how you plan to pay for the down payment on the home.

If you have a good relationship with your bank try them first for your mortgage, they may give you the best interest rates and fees for your first mortgage. Keep them honest though, check a few lenders online or at other local banks to see what terms work best for you.

Read all the terms and conditions of the loan very well and do not assume anything, if you have a question; it is your right to ask.

Get a break down of your closing cost. This is the amount of money you are required to bring with you at the closing. It will usually include things like your loan application fees, lien recording fees, surveys, appraisals, government documentation stamps and a host of other regulated fees. The closing cost can be rather steep, so get an estimate to avoid being shocked when you get a call a few days before closing telling you to bring a cashier’s check for $12,000.

If you are a first time home buyer, take your time. Do not rush into anything when buying your first home. Make sure that you can afford the mortgage and be patient; mortgages take a while to close so be prepared to wait.



Felix Maudio


cle is hopefully going to explain many of the things people believe about mortgages that are actually false. The first thing to put straight is that it is not a loan, although they are normally referred to as a mortgage home loan. There are three terms that you need to learn that are used: the first is mortgagor (the property owner), the mortgagee (the company that takes on the security for the property) and the mortgage (the contract to pay between the two). This is in fact the document which ensures the financing of the property is safeguarded until the end of the term, usually twenty five years.

Without mortgages being available, people and many businesses would not be able to afford the full asking price of a property if it was required they pay this amount upfront. Misunderstandings on how the system works also create problems but the main points are dealt with during the rest of this article. The problem arises because so many people refer to the buyer as the Borrower and the financier as The Lender which leads people to believe that the money has been loaned which is not the case. A security measure designed for purchasing properties, called a lien, is enforced until the mortgage is cleared at the end of the term.

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The mortgagee\’s money is then protected by this knowing the property is in fact security against its own debt. Information about the lien is registered at a county courthouse, or similar, to ensure the contract is official and binding. While the property is owned now by the mortgagor, the lien cannot be reversed until the amount specified in the debt is paid off. So how this works is that the mortgagor (you) owns the property completely even though the mortgagee has possession of the mortgage but not the title.

However if the mortgagor or the owner defaults on his or her payments, the mortgagee has the right to dispose of the property to reclaim funds. This is the dreaded process referred to as foreclosure but if the property is used as security, then the foreclosure must go through the court system. The reason behind this process is to ensure the legal procedures have been followed and also why it is called Judicial Foreclosure. If you were unsure about the definition before and the subject surrounding it, I trust this information has been of use.

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