| |
| |
|
Credit Information |
|
|
|
Good Credit is King, When Qualifying for Mortgage Programs
If you want to purchase a new home or refinance your current mortgage, be sure to check out the wide array of loan programs available. If you have less than excellent or even poor credit, you can still qualify for a loan. If you have outstanding credit, though, you are in the proverbial driver's seat, when it comes to selecting your loan program. Be sure to find a good mortgage consultant, and carefully explain exactly what you need. Here are just a couple of "outside-the-box" programs that come in handy for some people but require excellent credit ratings. Stated loan programs are designed for a person whose income or assets fluctuate from month to month and year to year. Not many banks offer stated programs. Many people who need stated programs get turned down by not only banks but by inexperienced mortgage brokers who don't understand the breadth of the programs at their fingertips. So, you may have to enlighten them with your own insight by telling them this is the program you need. Stated programs are for people who may not qualify for a conventional loan, because they do not meet income requirements a lender has. A prime example is someone who does not show all of her income on a W-2 tax return, for one reason or another. This person may make enough money to cover the mortgage payment, but she can't prove she makes it on paper. Lenders like to see two years of W-2 income. This proves to them that you consistently make enough money to pay back the loan. Now, it's important to note that this is a good credit program, and a lender will want someone with at least A-minus credit for approval. Here is where all that work to maintain your spartan credit record is going to pay off. What the stated loan requires is all standard documents, except income verification. In other words, the loan officer is going to state your income on the application, and no proof is required. Please note that this program is not intended for someone who works at McDonalds to try to state that he makes $200,000 yearly, so he can get approved for a $400,000 loan. It is intended for people, like salesmen, whose income varies or for businessmen, who work on bonuses, which they may not receive until the next year. As long as the income is reasonable for the profession, no underwriter will ever question it. So, if you needed to make 60,000 yearly for approval, but you only show $54,000 on last year's W-2, your mortgage broker can get you a stated income program, and he will simply write $60,00 on the application. Don't worry, the lender won't ask for pay stubs or tax returns. Your credit rating speaks for itself. In other words, the lender sees that you have an excellent payment history on your other debts, so he is willing to take on a bit more risk. A stated asset program works the same way, and good credit is required for approval in this program, too. Lenders require cash reserves, in order to cover several months of mortgage payments, in the event something goes wrong after the loan closes, like you lose your job or get hurt. This can be a problem for people who have no savings, stocks, or retirement accounts, which are all acceptable forms of reserves. If you fall into this category, you simply ask for a stated asset loan, and the mortgage broker will state enough assets on your loan application to appease the lender. This seems fraudulent, you might say. It isn't, as long as you follow the guidelines set forth by the lenders. Remember, they created these programs, so they could loan more money. You'll pay, of course, because the lender will hit you with a premium on your rate, because the loan is more of a risk. So, instead of getting a 6% rate, you might get as high as 6.75%, but at least you'll get your loan. There are many other loan programs that allow you to borrow more of the equity in the house, let's say up to 95% or even 100%, due to a great credit rating. Some programs allow for an improvement on your interest rate. It's always important to ask your mortgage broker if there is some kind of incentive because you have A or A+ credit. Most lenders allow the mortgage broker to either give you the break in rate, or they'll give it to the broker in a cash commission. Many unscrupulous brokers will never mention the credit bonus to you, and they'll make up to .25% of the loan amount for themselves. So, if you had a $200,000 loan, and the lender allowed a .25% interest reduction or commission to the broker, and the broker takes it, instead of giving it to you, that mortgage broker would make $500.00 extra dollars, which would be paid by the lender. Of course, if you had received the .25% better rate, your payment would decrease by about $30.00 each month and $360.00 each year. That's nearly $2,000 if you have the loan for five years that you would lose to a greedy mortgage broker. So, always ask for something, due to your excellent credit. And always remember, with good credit, you are king. And kings always make the rules. Learn more at www.winningthemortgagegame.com Mark Barnes is author of the wealth-building system, Winning the Mortgage Game and other investment real estate books. He is also a suspense novelist, and his new novel, The League, will thrill both suspense and sports fans. Learn about Mark's wealth-building system and get his free home loan course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com. Learn more about The League and read an excerpt at http://www.sportsnovels.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Credit Card Debt: One Way To Avoid It One of the biggest problems people have in these modern times is Credit card debt, and worst is USA.Simply because there have always been so many laws and regulations before you could have acard in the rest of the world, you can't for instance borrow someone elses card and go shopping becauseyou always have to show some ID before they accept cards in Europe. Credit and Its Cost What is Credit?Credit is money granted by a lender (or creditor) to a debtor (or borrower) whereby the lender defers receiving payment of the debt for a period. In exchange for the credit allowed, the lender will get back the money lent plus interest. 7 Ways To Squash Identity Theft It is the scourge of our age: identity theft. Thieves learn an important part about your personal information, such as your credit card number, and they open accounts in your name and spend, spend, spend! Unfortunately, by the time you discover that you are a victim the damage is already done. Free Credit Report - A Website Typo Could Be Costly In 2003, Congress passed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions act (FACT), which made it possible for consumers to obtain a copy of their credit report for free. In fact, the legislation makes it possible for consumers to obtain one free report from each of the three main credit bureaus - Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax, per year. 10 Tips To Prevent Credit Card Fraud Imagine opening your credit card statement one morning and discovering to your horror that you suddenly owe thousands of dollars - on purchases that you never made.Impossible?Credit card fraud on the rise, so you need to treat your card and its information with extreme care. Saving Money: Quick Cash, High Cost I didn't think it was possible. But it is. Credit cards If gold medals were awarded for marketing consistency, the credit card industry would be the Sarah Hughes of the business world. Major players Visa and MasterCard, who have maintained their steady rates of spending and commitment to their positioning platforms for years, will stick to their established routines this year. Credit Traps Snag Consumers Nearly 20 years ago I worked for a small consumer advocacy organization in Washington, DC. Each week we received sacks full of mail from consumers across the country requesting our list of credit cards with low interest rates and no annual fees. Small Business Credit Cards So what do you look for when applying for a credit card for your small business? One thing is for sure, wasting money isn't an option because it can make or break your business. Things to look for are low interest rates and good customer service. Various Types of Credit Cards - Part 2 Several different types of credit cards offer several different options, depending on what your needs are. Some are geared toward individual consumers while others are set up in ways that work best for small business needs. Trade Credit: How to Determine if You Should Offer Net-30 Terms to Your Customers What is trade credit?One of the major differences between consumer and commercial transactions is that most, if not all, consumer transactions are paid in cash or by credit card at the time of sale. Because of this, most consumer businesses never have to worry about extending credit to a customer and can run their operations on an "all cash" basis. Avoiding College Credit Card Traps Congratulations college freshman! You're about to embark on one of the most exciting times of your life. By now your parents, siblings, and friends have offered you all kinds of advice on how to make your transition to college smoother - how to get along with your roommate, what classes to take and which ones to avoid, where to find the best off-campus food, and how to stay safe on campus. Credit Verus Debt Secured and unsecured debt - what's the difference?It's easy to just think that debt is just debt, but in reality, there are different types of loans, and it's important to know what which type you have.You will need to understand the differences in order to be a good money manager, or, if the worse happens and you find yourself turning to credit or debt counseling, you'll need to understand how different types of debt can be handled. Why Should You Use Credit Cards Believe it or not, the way society, especially the commercial side, is set up these days, the only alternative to using credit is to pay cash for everything. But it's actually quite hard to do that. Identity Theft - Monitor Your Credit Report The recent security breach at credit card processor CardSystems Solutions has many consumers worried. Thanks to a well-placed computer virus, nearly forty million credit card numbers were stolen, and cardholders nationwide are justifiably concerned about identity theft. Commercial Collections: Business Finance Booster Shot Commercial collections: fixture of the new B2B cultureIf you're in the business-to-business field, or even if you're a consumer products business that works through third-party distribution channels, you probably know what it's like to check your mail anxiously each day, sifting through all the bills for that payment that was supposed to have been in months ago.It wasn't supposed to be like this. Errors on Your Credit Report: What You Should Do There are times when you may be turned down for credit and you do not understand why. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you have been denied credit because of negative items on your credit report within 60 days of the request for credit, if you are unemployed but looking for work, are on welfare, or believe that your credit report is incorrect because of fraud. Harassment of People in Debt by Creditors HarassmentHarassment of people in debt by creditors or their agents is a criminal offence under the Administration of Justice Act 1970. It is often difficult to know what to do when you feel a creditor is not dealing with your account fairly. Save Money and Lower your Payments by Improving or Repairing Your Credit Having a better credit score not only represents easier access to money from lending institutions, but more importantly represents instant money in your pocket.This probably sounds like something obvious for most of people, but it isn't until you start thinking in terms of real examples and real dollars that most of us start to understand the magnitude of the benefits associated with a good credit score. Credit Card Security Advice Which of the following is the biggest threat to your credit card security?a) Shopping online with a credit cardb) Shopping in a real store with your credit cardc) Ordering something over the phone with your credit cardThe answer may surprise you. It's b - shopping in a real store with a credit card.
|
| Home | Site Map | |
| © 2007 |
