ComputerHunter.org

 

Home Mortgages: Up, Up and Away!


Refinance NOW-before it's too late

If you haven't found the time to refinance your existing home mortgage, it's time to take action-like yesterday! Every time Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Board Chairman, opens his mouth, you can bet that the federal funds rates will rise by at least a quarter of a point, or by 25 basis points in investorese. What that means to you is that home mortgages will rocket as well.

A quarter of a percentage point may not seem like much, given that the federal funds rate currently stands at 2 Ÿ per cent, but a reality check quickly reveals that you, personally, have probably never seen 2 Ÿ per cent interest on anything in your lifetime. Take a look at your credit card statements. Are you paying 2 Ÿ per cent on your credit? What about your home mortgage? Without getting technical, there's little correlation between the federal funds rate and home mortgage rates except the direction in which they travel, and right now that direction is headed to the sky.

You've already missed the opportunity of a lifetime to lock in the lowest rates you'll see for the foreseeable future, but you have a little more time to get your hands on relatively cheap money. The window of opportunity is rapidly closing, so if you're going to refinance, you must do it as soon as possible.

Things you may not know about refinancing:

A small rate cut can pay off handsomely in smaller monthly mortgage payments.

Smaller monthly mortgage payments will decrease your tax deduction, because you will no longer be paying as much interest as you've been paying. Factor this in, because it's the total savings that matters.

You can and should ask to have fees waived or reduced: application fees, origination fees, appraisal fees, legal fees, points, and closing costs.

If you don't have cash on hand to pay fees, you can get them tacked on to the mortgage, paying nothing out of pocket for your refinanced home mortgage.

If you refinance and shorten the term of a home mortgage, you will pay a higher monthly payment, but you'll save a significant amount of money over the term of the mortgage in addition to paying off your home and building equity faster.

Standard mortgage terms run 15 years or 30 years. If you'd prefer a term somewhere in between the standard terms, ask for a custom loan and designate a term that works better for you. Find a term that strikes a balance between a term shorter than 30 years and monthly payments lower than those of a 15-year mortgage.

If you cannot get a custom term, settle for a 30-year mortgage and pay more than the monthly payment to pay off the loan sooner. You must also negotiate no pre-payment penalty.

Where to go from here

1. Review your credit record with each of the three credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Mistakes are common in credit reports, and you may be surprised at what you find: accounts that do not belong to you, balances that do not match your statements, an identity mistake or worse. Correct any bad information.

2. Compare mortgage rates and fees online among several finance companies.

3. Use a good mortgage calculator. Using refinance calculators is the only way to determine which loan is the better all-around deal.

Work fast, but negotiate hard to make a deal that works for you. The loan company wants your business as badly as you want a better rate.

M J Plaster is a successful author who provides information on home loans and home equity loans. M J Plaster has been a commercial freelance writer for almost two decades, most recently specializing in home and garden, the low-carb lifestyle, investing, and anything that defines la dolce vita.







Google News - Top Stories

guardian.co.uk

Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates on Obama national security team
Los Angeles Times - 56 minutes ago
The president-elect formally announces he will nominate Clinton as secretary of State and retain Gates in his current Defense post.
Video: Obama names Clinton US secretary of state AlJazeeraEnglish
Obama Names Hillary Clinton to State Post Washington Post
CBS News - FOXNews - Bloomberg - Newsweek
all 3,096 news articles


ABC News

India Tells Pakistan to Match Its Words With ‘Action’ on Terror
Bloomberg - 44 minutes ago
By Bibhudatta Pradhan and Pratik Parija Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- India blamed “elements” from Pakistan for last week’s deadly Mumbai terror attacks and told its neighbor to match its words of cooperation with “strong action” to build a “qualitative new ...
India makes protest to Pakistan BBC News
India Demands Action From Pakistan Wall Street Journal
Newsweek - Washington Post - Voice of America - Times Online
all 3,599 news articles


Canoe.ca

Burress Reports to Police Station
Washington Post - 1 hour ago
New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress arrived at a New York police station this morning. He is expected to be charged with criminal possession of a weapon after suffering a thigh wound in an accidental shooting Friday.
Plaxico Burress Surrenders to Police New York Times
Burress arrives at station to turn himself in FOXSports.com
Sports Network - National Post - Rotoworld.com - New York Daily News
all 2,014 news articles


Current World News

Alabama mayor arrested over payments: report
Reuters - 3 hours ago
BIRMINGHAM (Reuters) - Federal investigators arrested the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, on Monday on charges of receiving illegal payments, the Birmingham News newspaper reported on its website.
US mayor is arrested on bribery charges International Herald Tribune
Alabama Mayor Arrested on Federal Charges, Birmingham News Says Bloomberg
Detroit Free Press - USA Today - NBC13.com - MyFox Birmingham
all 403 news articles


Sydney Morning Herald

Obama says S.Asia is chief threat to US
Reuters - 22 minutes ago
CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said on Monday militants based in South Asia represented the biggest threat to the United States and he was "absolutely committed" to eliminating the threat of terrorism.
Obama expresses sympathy over Mumbai attack guardian.co.uk
Obama vows to eliminate threat of terrorism Xinhua
AHN - Voice of America - Atlanta Journal Constitution - Independent Political Report
all 787 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base