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Guidelines for making
a mortgage decision for purchasing property in CITY |
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Planned period of your stay
in the new property: |
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For example, if
you intend to live in the house for 7 years or less, you may want
to consider an intermediate adjustable with a rate that is fixed
for a 5 or 7 year period. Why give the higher rate of a 30 year
fixed when you don't have need of such long term financing. Also
if your time horizon of ownership is 7 years or less, it is advisable
to opt for minimal closing costs because your opportunity to recoup
the price of high closing costs is dramatically reduced. |
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List your current financial priorities
(i.e. cash flow, rapid repayment of the home loan)? |
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For example, if cash flow is
a top priority, an adjustable with varied payment options may be
your best bet. Some adjustable products agree borrowers to choose
from 3-4 payment options each month (i.e. interest only, allowing
for negative amortization, 30 year fixed rate fully amortized or
15 year fixed rate fully amortized). This allows a borrower to prefer
a different payment option every month based upon his or her monthly
cash flow.
For others, the purpose may be rapid repayment
in which case a 15 year home loan may be considered or possibly
an adjustable rate with a lower rate of interest supplemented
by extra principal payments to retire the mortgage debt early.
With an adjustable vs. a fixed rate, your principal reduction
payments will manage to pay you a progressively lower required
monthly home loan payment as the mortgage is recast and interest
is calculated and your payment is based on the existing home loan
balance vs. the original balance. With a fixed rate home loan
your required payment will remain constant over the life of the
home loan, regardless of any principal reduction payments you
may make.
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List whether you anticipate any major changes
to your financial situation in the next few years. |
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For example, do
you anticipate receiving funds (stock options, inheritance, sale
of an asset) in the next few months or years that would sanction
you to pay down your home loan balance? If so you may choose a home
loan with an interest rate that is guaranteed for a shorter term
(i.e. an ARM with a rate fixed for 1-5 existence) reflecting the
time frame from which you expect to receive the funds. After this
time you could refinance, using these funds to pay down the balance
on your existing home loan or if you currently had an adjustable
that is scheduled to recast, you may just pay the balance down and
enjoy a lower monthly payment without refinancing. |
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Check recent credit history: |
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If you have
outstanding credit, you may have question about home loan products
that are discounted for individuals with high credit ratings. In
addition to credit, some lenders will also offer further discounts
to borrowers who have high equity in their property, usually considered
to be 30-35%+.
For those having credit blemishes,
it is best to discuss your history openly and honestly with your
home loan consultant and to analysis your current credit report
together. The market for less than perfect credit applicants (referred
to as sub prime) has grown considerably over the last few years
offering competitive interest rates and a greater variety of product
options. For those planning to improve their credit ratings, it
is greatest to take shorter term financing of 2 to 3 years, after
which one can refinance into "A paper" (the best) financing.
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Check your documentation: |
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If you will not
be able to adequately document your income, you may opt for a quick
qualifier, easy qualifier or no income verification home loan. These
products usually offer a trade off though, the less documentation
you are able to provide the higher the interest rate will be. Some
of these programs also require a higher amount of equity in the
property. There are also programs that do not require authentication
of either income or assets (referred to as NINA mortgages). Each
of these mortgages could have higher interest rates and equity requirements
associated with them. |
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