Mortgages

When buying a home, you need to take a home mortgage loan, either because as a debtor, you end up paying less tax, or because in a market where property prices rise faster than salary levels, the money you have saved falls short of the amount required. When searching for a home mortgage loan, you can select from a wide variety. Study the types of mortgage loans available in the market and note the interest rates for each before you sign any documents. You can select from the following:

Fixed rate mortgage loans charge you the same rate of interest over a period of 15 to 30 years. You pay a high rate of interest over the tenure of the loan, because neither you nor the lender can take advantage of interest rate fluctuations, but you pay the same sum each month. This is an excellent option if you are on a fixed income or a salary. You begin by paying off the interest first and the principal later-as most of the loan is paid off, your equity in the house increases as compared to the lenders. When selecting a fixed rate mortgage, check the interest rates offered for fixed rate mortgages, select the loan tenure based on your repayment capacity, and ensure that you are not penalized for prepaying your loan.

Adjustable or variable rate mortgage loans (ARMs) are mortgage loans for the same period of time as fixed rate mortgages, where the interest rate changes based on market trends either annually, or every three, five, seven, or ten years. Although ARMs are considered risky due to the floating interest rate, the amount you pay as interest on the mortgage loan is lower as compared to that paid for a fixed rate mortgage loan. If you select an ARM when interest rates are high, you will pay off your loan with a slightly lower interest rate. Ensure that a periodic rate cap and a loan lifetime rate cap is included as part of the loan agreement-these will ensure that your rate does not rise or fall more than two percentage points in a period and does not rise or fall more than six percentage points during the mortgage loan tenure.

Balloon mortgage loans have three to ten year tenures, during which you pay the same amount each month. At the end of the loan tenure, you pay off the balance of the mortgage loan as one lump sum. Balloon mortgage loans are available at fixed or adjustable rates, but are considered highly risky because you end up paying off the interest on the mortgage loan and not the principal, and you stand to lose both the property and the money paid to date to the owner if you cannot pay off the loan balance at the end of the tenure or get refinance. If you want to save money by paying a lower rate of interest, are buying properties when interest rates are high, are sure of purchasing the property you want, are confident of refinance options when the balloon is due, or have no other choice, select a balloon mortgage loan.

This information should help you select the right mortgage loan. Check interest rates carefully before buying and you should be all right!

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the loan information sites Select Loans and also UK Personal Loan Store.

Latest News


Interest rate drop opens door to refinancing
Austin American-Statesman, TX - 7 hours ago
By Shonda Novak, MS Taboada The recent sharp drop in mortgage interest rates is creating a window for homeowners nationwide to refinance and providing an ...
Looking to refinance? Now might be the time Boston Globe
all 2 news articles

FinFacts Ireland

Ben Bernanke: Fresh Attack on Mortgage Rates
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 14 hours ago
Lower rates will enable some borrowers to refinance out of adjustable and into fixed-rate loans. But those who need to refinance the most have homes with ...
Long Bond Returns Most Since 1995 as Rosenberg Sees ‘Bubble’ Bloomberg
Treasury Yields Hit Record Lows, But Will it Last? Housing Wire
REFILE-TREASURIES-Bonds rally, helped by weakening economy Reuters
Hemscott - Bloomberg
all 150 news articles

Self-Employed Are Frozen Out of Mortgages
Wall Street Journal - 6 hours ago
He's been unable to find a lender willing to refinance the $900000 adjustable-rate mortgage on his primary residence, which he says is worth around $1.1 ...

Md. sees drop in loss of homes
Baltimore Sun, United States - 3 hours ago
Many borrowers took on mortgages at the height of the housing boom, believing they could eventually refinance to a lower loan rate or sell their homes if ...

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Begins Development of Hope for ...
MarketWatch - 19 hours ago
For borrowers who refinance under H4H, lenders are required to "write down" the mortgage to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-provided ...

Washington Post

Mortgage rates fall, but many borrowers will have trouble qualifying
Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 27, 2008
Jeff Lazerson, a Laguna Niguel mortgage broker, said all the customer calls he received Tuesday were from people seeking to refinance, not buy homes. ...
Mortgage-market revival: Try, try again CNNMoney.com
Last Call for Smart Homeowners Motley Fool
US move cuts mortgages to lowest rate since February Baltimore Sun
Bloomberg - AHN
all 2,159 news articles

New mortgage crisis looming, experts caution
San Bernardino Sun, CA - 7 hours ago
And since investors no longer want to buy commercial mortgages, banks are reluctant to write new loans to refinance those facing foreclosure. ...

Good time to refinance your mortgage?
WKTV, NY - 17 hours ago
By GARY LIBERATORE (WKTV) - If you are in the market to buy a home, it's a really good time, but if you're selling, it's not so good. ...

A recession Q&A
Newsday, NY - 2 hours ago
... take measures that will result in lower mortgage rates, "so people can afford to buy up housing inventory and refinance mortgages at affordable rates. ...

Great Wolf continues mortgage negotiations
Wisconsin State Journal, WI - 14 hours ago
Because of the economy, refinancing arrangements are taking longer and are structured differently than in the past, he said. The resort continues to operate ...
BRIEF: Great Wolf still talking with lenders Trading Markets (press release)
all 4 news articles

Resources