Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The 3 Important Items Before Getting a House Loan

After 8 months of searching for a new home, you finally settled on a wonderful three bedroom condo with great views of the mountains. Your offer was accepted and now it is time to get the mortgage to pay for the property. Here is what you must consider before settling on a house loan.
If you have been pre-approved for a mortgage, which should be done before going into the negotiations on the property, then it is now a matter of locking in an interest rate that is acceptable in the long run. The mortgage application process can take as many as 90 days to complete. During that time, anything can happen including a change in the interest rates. So the first rule before locking in to a particular mortgage rate is follow the trends in the economy and in particular low interest rates. You don't want to lock into a rate that appears excellent at the time you lock only to have it drop further and re-negotiate the points when it's time to close. Most lenders will drop the rate to the low interest rate if you ask them. But you need to be informed to do so.
The second important item before getting a house loan is to not put all of your eggs in one basket. You can pre-qualify for a home loan at more than one institution. Pre-qualifying does not commit you to anything other than the lender committing to you that you qualify for a particular amount of money based on your income. It is easy to work with two or even three different lenders to see who offers the best house loan financing. You don't commit to a loan until you have to pay money for the application and appraisal fee. So it is important not only to see who has the best mortgage rates but also who is willing to work harder for your business.
The last item maybe more important than the other two, depending on the time of year you planning to close on your new property. The interest on the mortgage that you will be paying for your primary residence in this new condo that you found with the great mountain views is tax deductible. So, how much of a tax benefit do you need for this year is a major consideration. For instance, if you are buying a home late in the year because you are expecting a raise next year, then you may want to hold off on the closing until next year to take advantage of the tax. So the important last thing to do is check with your accountant to see where you stand.
These are just some of the considerations that you should look into when deciding on a house loan. There are many other tricks and tactics to use, so as not to get yourself into a long-term dilemma.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Banks Give Loans For Your Dream House

Today fulfilling a dream of owning a house is not difficult. In India there are many banks and house financing companies that are willing to come to your doorstep to give you a loan. Even if you apply online for home loans you will find your mailbox full of mail from different banks and house financing companies. All of them will claim to offer the cheapest rates along with other benefits on home loans.
Banks and financial companies offering home loans, although have their own terms and conditions, the interest rate they charge is more close to each other is more or less similar in number. Banks and housing finance companies ask for property papers for security reasons. In banking terminology it is called Collateral Securities. There are some banks and financial institutions who ask for deposit of lump some amount for the first time, commonly known as the down payment.
In case of property papers as security banks or finance companies scrutinize the papers and find out their real market value, their intrinsic value. After thoroughly checking property papers if they find them right and fair in nature they considered them as Collateral Securities.
Home loans can be taken for a number of purposes like for building a new house, renovation of existing house, for expansion of existing house, etc. Banks have fixed certain parameters for issuing home loan which should be taken care of while applying for home loan.
You can fill the form for a loan and submit it physically or you can also apply online. If you apply online then you will be asked to give some personal details like security number and driving license number. You might be asked to furnish your previous credit history also. The banks and companies giving loan make sure that you have an ability to pay back the loan on time. For this they ask for your income statement.
Usually there are two types of home loan floating and fixed. In floating rate, interest changes with time i.e. the interest is impacted by various other factors like inflation, RBI increasing repo rates and CRR. In fixed, the rate of interest will remain same throughout which was finalized at the time of signing up for loan. In fixed you might pay an extra amount. In case you want to pay a fixed-rate loan off early, you may have to pay extra for breaking the fixed-rate agreement.
Before signing on the dotted lines read the documents and the agreement carefully and make sure you are aware of all various terms, interest rates and installment dates. Take care of hidden charges also.