Recent underwriting changes have made mortgage lending decisions look more like the 1990 ’s which makes getting a mortgage harder. These new policies should inject some needed sanity into the lending process and make lenders and borrowers more secure which will help the real estate market and the economy as a whole. Expect to be [...]
If extra borrowing is not a priority and the purpose of the refinancing is merely to reduce the interest rate it may still be necessary to increase the principal balance to cover the closing costs of the refinance. In refinancing a borrower will normally incur bank (application, appraisal), title and legal fees which can cost [...]
I tell all my friends to call your real estate lawyer before you start the process. Even if you are knowledgeable about interest rates it never hurts to make a call to get some advice that could save money. While it serves to reason that a lower rate is better that is not the whole [...]
Before attempting to refinance your mortgage a homeowner should make do three things-clarify your refinancing goals, investigate several lenders and make sure you are in fact saving money. Whether your goal is to reduce your payments, borrow additional money for other uses or change your mortgage from an adjustable to a fixed rate, you need [...]
We all are hearing great things from Obama and his advisors about how the so-called Stimulus Package will be helping the economy pull out of its doldrums, but it is silent on the mortgage foreclosure mess. After the failure of the Bush TARP plan many commentators advocate letting the market play out its normal course [...]