Mortgage Tips

Top 5 Reasons People Get Reverse Mortgages
Once you’ve done your research on reverse mortgages and gained a more complete understanding of the product, the next step is to decide if a reverse mortgage is right for your situation. If you’re eligible (a homeowner 62 years of age or older with equity in your principal residence), this may be a quick decision or one that requires a bit more consideration. Below are the top 5 reasons people get reverse mortgages: ~ Retire in style! — Most homeowners getting close to retirement age have spent that last thirty years or more making mortgage payments; depending on where you live, this monthly obligation could be anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand dollars a month and beyond — phew! Every month that one big check goes out the door to the bank and leaves you with that much less cash to save, invest or spend on the items you need and want. How great is it to finally turn the tables on Main Street Bank, where they now send you a check each month? Most retirees have steady monthly costs, such as housing, medical, insurance and other necessary expenses. For non-working retirees, those expenses are managed with a fixed income from retirement accounts, pension plans, social security or other plan. The reverse mortgage allows a retiree to increase their fixed income and provide cash to do some things that they might otherwise not be able to afford to do. Typically, the personal quality of life is the number one reason people get reverse mortgages. ~ Pay hospital or medical bills — For many older Americans and retiree’s medical issues are an increasing reality in their daily lives. With the ever rising cost of healthcare, this can put tremendous demands on a fixed income. Ongoing medical treatments, prescription drug regimens, or a large one-time (possibly unforeseen) medical bill are all top reasons that people get reverse mortgages. ~ Improve or modify a home — While this may not be an expansion of the home, the early part of retirement is a great time to re-purpose your house to accommodate the way you will be living for the next ten, twenty, thirty years and on. Maybe it’s time to expand the kitchen, widen the hallways or remove some steps, or exchange the old pool in the backyard for a beautifully landscaped garden. As we get older, a top reason people get reverse mortgages is to outfit their house for their new lifestyle. ~ Dream vacation anyone? — What better time to just get away than when your working days are behind you and the weather turns a bit gloomy? Proceeds from a reverse mortgage have allowed many homeowners to take that vacation they’ve always dreamed about, but never had the time or resources to take. Bon voyage! ~ Pay off high interest rate or problematic debts — With the large amount of debt that the American consumer accumulates over a lifetime, it should be no surprise that this is a top reason people get reverse mortgages. Whether its high interest rate credit cards, a relative’s student loan debt, or even a potential foreclosure that must be dealt with, reverse mortgages can be a very effective way to get a large sum of cash to manage other debts. These are the top 5 reasons people get reverse mortgages — once you’ve made a decision to move forward with a reverse mortgage, send us your top reasons and we’ll add them to the list! For more articles on Reverse Mortgage visit: http://www.bills.com/reverse-mortgage-info-article/Justin has 5 years of experience as a financial adviser; his key areas are loan consolidation, debt relief, mortgages etc. For more free articles and advice visit http://www.Bills.com.
Source: www.ArticlePros.com

What is Mortgage Pre Approval Really Worth
In 2004, at the height of the home buying boom, a survey came out from Campbell Communications indicating that fully 62% of the failed closings studied were due to home buyers being denied a mortgage - despite having “pre approval” The company found that 39% of pre approvals issued by Internet-based lenders were invalid Mortgage brokers were also showing significant signs of unreliability, with 27% of pre approval letters proving invalid National lenders had their letters fail 19% of the time, while local banks dropped the ball on 14% Credit unions weren’t far behind at 10% and the mortgage partners of real estate agents came in last with 9% found to be void . .A hot real estate market led many institutions to put through loans that should never have been allowed to get past the initial examination! However it is a cycle that can lead to some injudicious decisions - people want to buy homes, realtors don’t want to show homes to unqualified people, people go to lenders for pre approval it is a nasty cycle that ends up with a lot of time wasted and sometimes a significant amount of money It also set up unreasonable expectations on the part of the buyers - “I got pre approved and now I’m not approved at all?” which could very well have led many of them to less scrupulous lenders . .Some people think that the solution is a standardized letter of pre approval that is provided by a national organization such as the National Association of Realtors (NAR) or another recognized national association that can issue out pre approval letters based on a strict examination of the buyer’s proof of income and assets . .Other people think it is incumbent on the lenders to tighten up their pre approval process so that unqualified buyers never get a letter that makes them and the real estate professionals they deal with think that they have a chance at a decent mortgage It may be cruel, so the thought runs, but so is the time and expense taken to put through a home sale that doesn’t happen And it prevents financial disasters like today’s recession . .Another key tip for buyers with early approval is to stop everything Don’t make a major purchase, don’t change jobs, don’t marry, don’t start trying for a baby - just focus on getting the home purchase finalized Major changes in one’s financial outlook can be disastrous for the final approval of a loan . .Pre approval does not mean final approval In fact, if it is from an unreliable source, it means less than the paper it’s printed on To make sure that a pre approval is genuine, buyers are urged to deal with reputable lenders and brokers, to take critical stock of their financial situation and to avoid making major changes to their lifestyle in the time between the approval and the closing To not do so can mean significant amounts of time, effort and money wasted and possibly greater ramifications, like the straits that our economy is presently in .
Source: www.rsstnx.com

Mortgage Calculators Confusion!
When you first start using a mortgage calculator such as Karl Jeacle’s Graphing calculator, you might easily get confused, especially if you are new to the world of buying property. The sliding scales on this calculator aren’t what some people are used to seeing. Most people are used to typing their numbers into boxes with familiar features. But don’t be dazzled only by the graph, boxes are still available further down the page so that you can use numbers instead of the scales. Using Karl Jeacle’s mortgage calculator against one on a different website can give you different a different feel for what looks like the same set of figures. It’s all to do with the basic programming that has developed around mortgage calculator. Some mortgage calculators are very basic, they input very simple basic numbers and a few calculations take place in the program behind the scenes on your computer. They give you suggested figures that, although not perhaps 100% accurate, will give an approximate idea of what the property will cost you. There are other factors that need to be taken into account when a mortgage is computed, such as your age and state of health for example. Many basic mortgage calculators won’t take this into account, but some more sophisticated programs can. These will give a more accurate analysis of the mortgage situation you would face as it will have more information about you personally. The more the mortgage calculator knows about you, and the property, the more detailed and accurate the answers it gives will be. This is another reason why sliding scales such as Karl Jeacle’s Graphing calculator might not work for some people. Sliding scales are often better for approximation rather than specific numbers. Perhaps 48 instead of 50 is “almost” right, but it’s not going to create the most accurate analysis and the hard figures you need to figure out your budget and finances. The various colors on this mortgage calculator are also a little less clear than straight forward numbers. So why even mention Karl Jeacle’s mortgage calculator? Even though it won’t give you precise numbers, and no calculator does, the graphics give you a feel for just how much that mortgage is really costing you. You can see for yourself, graphically, how adding a little bit to your monthly mortgage payment makes a large difference down the road. Using a variety of different mortgage calculators gives you a good overall feel for how a mortgage on a particular property would affect your budget. But, make sure that you know what their figures are based on. For example, the mortgage calculator may not ask you for a mortgage term, but somewhere on the calculator site there may be a note to say that calculations are based on 30 year mortgages. The same could be true about interest rates. While some mortgage calculators ask you to input the interest rate, others assume an “approximate” rate. Mortgage calculators linked to specific lenders could take the interest rate automatically from the lenders financial pages so they are the current default rate and not able to be altered even if you have perfect credit. Use one calculator at first to pin down your basic options and figures. Then test those numbers out on a variety of mortgage calculators to get the best feel for how your new mortgage will affect your finances and change your life. For More Information on Mortgage Calculators, please visit: <a href="http://www.greatpublications.com/Mortgage%20Calculator%20Clues.htm" title="http://www.greatpublications.com/Mortgage%20Calculator%20Clues.htm" target="_blank">http://www.greatpublications.com/Mortgage%20Calculator%20Clues.htm</a>
Source: www.ArticlePros.com