Mortgage & Refinancing Information


Mortgage Basics for First Time Home Buyers


Anyone planning to take out a mortgage for the first time will most likely find the job a little daunting, not least because the financial jargon can often be very difficult to make sense of. As with any major financial decision, it is essential to fully understand every aspect of a mortgage plan before making a commitment. It's also vital to simply do the math, to calculate exactly how much each type of mortgage will cost for the overall life of the loan, how long it will take to repay, and what the monthly repayments will be. Buyers would be wise to make the financial calculations before choosing a home, to get a clear picture of exactly how much home they can really afford to buy. More information is available at http://www.money-smash.com

One of the most important decisions to make is choosing the term of the mortgage. Most fixed term mortgage plans work on either a 15 or a 30 year period. Generally speaking, a 15 year plan means the monthly repayments will be higher, but less interest is paid over the long term, so often the mortgage will work out cheaper over the life of the loan. A 30 year plan will normally mean more interest in the long term, but the monthly repayments will be lower, which may mean the borrower can afford to buy a more expensive home.

Another important choice to make is between a fixed and an adjustable rate mortgage. The terminology is as simple as it sounds, although making the choice between the two types of plan may be a lot more complex. Fixed rate mortgage means the interest rate is set at the time the loan is made, and remains the same throughout the life of the loan. With an adjustable rate mortgage, the interest rate is set for the first few years, then after that, it is determined by various external economic factors which are outside the control of the lender and the borrower. Usually there will be some kind of cap to protect borrowers from excessive interest rate rises. A fixed rate plan is the less risky option, but an adjustable rate plan generally offers lower rates initially, and should interest rates fall in future, borrowers can take advantage the lower rates immediately, without having to refinance.

David Cannell is a freelance writer and university educator. He is also the owner of http://www.money-smash.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Neon Tommy

Obama pressures Congress on mortgage refinance program
Fox News
WASHINGTON – President Obama is rallying support for his plan to expand government assistance to homeowners, pressuring Congress to help lower lending rates for millions of strapped homeowners. Obama, in his radio and Internet address Saturday, ...
Mixed reviews for President Obama's housing planCBS Moneywatch
Obama Announces Mortgage Refinance PlanNeon Tommy
Cardoza applauds Obama's new housing initiative, says will help ValleyMerced Sun-Star
Speaking of Real Estate (blog)
all 545 news articles »


MonitorBankRates.com

Mortgage Refinance Rates: 15 Year Refinance Mortgage Rates at 3.29%
MonitorBankRates.com
Mortgage refinance rates on 30 year conforming home loans are averaging 3.98%, unchanged from yesterday's average 30 year mortgage refinance rate. Mortgage refinance rates today on 15 year home mortgage loans are averaging 3.29%, down from yesterday's ...

and more »


International Business Times

Obama Proposes Mortgage-Refinance Plan
Wall Street Journal
By NICK TIMIRAOS President Barack Obama called on Congress during Tuesday's State of the Union address to approve new legislation that would give all homeowners who are current on their mortgages the opportunity to refinance at record low mortgage ...
Will Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Be D.O.A.?U.S. News & World Report
Obama proposes mortgage refinance programPolitico (blog)
Obama State of the Union 2012: Mortgage Refinance Changes Face ObstaclesInternational Business Times
Housing Wire -Daily Caller -MyFox Los Angeles
all 12,768 news articles »


Housing Wire

President Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Just a Bid for Votes
Yahoo! Contributors Network
By Mark Wise By Mark Wise | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 12 hrs ago This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world's most popular websites.
New Obama mortgage refinance plan to near $10 billionHousing Wire
Obama to Announce New FHA Mortgage Refinance ProgramGo Banking Rates
Obama mortgage refi plan to be rolled outMarketWatch
MNI News
all 1,125 news articles »


Obama Unveils Mortgage Refinance Endeavors
Mortgageorb
by MortgageOrb.com on Wednesday 01 February 2012 The Obama administration has presented the mortgage refinancing plan that was first announced during the president's State of the Union speech on Jan. 24. According to a statement released by the White ...

and more »


Living large? Get the best rate on your jumbo mortgage refinance
Fox Business
If you buy apparel from "big and tall" clothing stores, you're used to paying more and having less to choose from. "Regular guys," on the other hand, benefit from a wider selection of products and more competition between retailers.

and more »


High Volume Stock Movers: Bank of America, Sprint, Cisco, Annaly, Sirius Feb. 8th
Wall St. Cheat Sheet
By Derek Hoffman Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC): The US's Home Affordable Refinance Program has increased mortgage refinance applications and strained capacity at Bank of America, leading the bank to ask some customers to wait 60 to 90 days, ...



New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 Million
NASDAQ
Other changes to the program were designed to make it easier for homeowners with private mortgage insurance (PMI) to refinance or to obtain a HARP mortgage refinance with a lender other than their current mortgage servicer. In addition, new limits were ...

and more »


AgedLeadStore.com to Add 1100000 Aged Mortgage Refinance Leads
Middle East North Africa Financial Network
COM, January 26, 2012 ) Baltimore, MD AgedLeadStore.com is increasing its value for its customers by adding 1.1 million aged Mortgage Refinance Leads in February. This is important as many people depend upon their ability to refinance to make progress ...



New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 Million
MortgageLoan.com
Other changes to the program were designed to make it easier for homeowners with private mortgage insurance (PMI) to refinance or to obtain a HARP mortgage refinance with a lender other than their current mortgage servicer. In addition, new limits were ...


Google News

home | site map
© 2007