ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Are Biweekly Mortgages Really Worthwhile?
You may have heard people, especially mortgage lenders, extolling the virtues of biweekly payments, saying that you can save thousands of dollars and take 5-7 years off your mortgage--and then offering to set up a biweekly plan for you for as little as $400. But you don't have to spend $400 to begin saving money and time on your mortgage. In fact, you don't have to spend anything at all! You can set up a money-saving mortgage payment plan yourself--easily and at no extra cost. The key is to look carefully at the fine print in many biweekly plans. You find that even though you'd be making biweekly payments, the lender may only post them to your account on a monthly basis, which means that you wouldn't be saving anything on interest, because mortgage interest is paid in arrears (as opposed to rent payments, which are paid in advance). Your only real savings would be in the fact that you'd be making the equivalent of one extra payment a year. That's a good thing, of course, but you don't need to pay someone $400-500, possible monthly maintenance fees, to be able to accomplish the same results. Here's how biweekly payments save time and money: By making biweekly payments, you actually end up making an extra monthly payment each year. Over the course of a year, you'd make 26 payments (one every other week for 52 weeks), which is the same as making 13 monthly payments. Making one extra payment per year will shorten the life of your loan and save you thousands of dollars. But you don't have to make biweekly payments to obtain those savings. Here are a couple examples of how you can save big money, using the same basic idea: If you get paid every two weeks, divide your monthly principal and interest payment in half and then send your lender a check for that amount during those months in which you receive three paychecks. Just sending in those two extra checks will be the equivalent of one extra payment a year. If you don't want to send lump checks, you can get the same results by dividing your monthly principal and interest payment by twelve and then adding that extra amount to your payment every month. Normally, that figure won't put too much extra strain on your budget, and it will add an extra mortgage payment to your loan every year. You really can save significant amounts of money and shorten the life of your loan by making extra payments, but you definitely don't have to pay a lender $400-500 to do it. Making those extra payments is easy to do yourself, and at no extra charge--which is always a good thing. Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher All rights reserved. Professor Jeanette Fisher is the author of "Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars," "Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate," and other books. Real estate financing questions? Visit the new Real Estate Credit Help Center for articles, Credit Tips ezine, and blog: http://www.recredithelp.com
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
6 Things to Consider Before Refinancing Perhaps you're a homeowner in need of some quick cash. Self Employed Mortgage Loan ? Getting a Mortgage When You?re Self Employed Being self employed has many benefits. When you are self-employed, you can write off all of your deductions on your taxes. You have the potential to make more income than someone who is employed by someone else. You have the freedom to be your own boss. One of the few times when being self employed has some drawbacks is when you go to get financing for a home or a major purchase. But, here are some things to know that can help you make the mortgage loan process run smoothly when you are self employed. Find the Best Mortgage Company If you do not wish to commit to living in one place for at least a few years, then owning a house is probably not for you, at least not yet. With the transaction costs of buying and selling a home, you may end up losing money if you sell any sooner. But if you think you are ready, you probably need to find a mortgage loan. Finding a mortgage companies or lenders can be an arduous task. This is a serious decision and you should be ready to invest some time to research mortgage loan options and understand the mortgage loan process. There are many lenders and you should contact several potential lenders to search the best mortgage companies and lenders. Flexible Mortgage Guide Here is a useful flexible mortgage guide. Flexible mortgages are loans which allow you to increase or decrease the size of your repayments within certain limits. This type of mortgage is relatively new. Mortgage Loans Explained In Plain English With the many different kinds of mortgage loans out there, choosing the right one for your needs can be a difficult task. The following points will help you understand the pros and cons of the different types of mortgage loans available to you. The Mortgage Loan Application Online - Save Time & Money By Applying On The Internet "You can save time and money by applying for a mortgage loan online." This often touted tagline seems like a gimmick, but it's true. Here's why: Avoiding Foreclosure If you fall behind in your mortgage payments, you face the threat of foreclosure. Do Your Homework - Find the Mortgage That Fits Your Lifestyle and Your Budget You've been looking at houses for months, and finally you've found it--the house that's just right. So now, all you have to do is to purchase your new home, move in, and get settled, right? Not quite. There's one more big step to go-getting a mortgage loan. You're going to want to decide on the type of mortgage and payment terms that fit within your budget. And you're going to have to prepare yourself by doing some research. What follows is valuable information that will be crucial in helping you make loan decisions that will fit your budget and circumstance. Home Loans and Mortgages ? Beware of Deed Theft Scam The average home in the United States has a value of $206,000, a record amount. Real estate prices have been rising throughout the country during the last five years, and homeowners have seen the value of their property skyrocket. In California alone, the equity in private homes has increased by more than one trillion dollars in the last five years alone. Many homeowners do not even realize that their home may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they know. Unfortunately for them, a new breed of thieves is well aware of the value of home equity, and a scam known as "deed theft" has allowed them to steal homes from thousands of people. A Guide to Getting a Home Improvement Loan If you've got a few things around the house that you'd like to spruce up but don't have the money for, you might want to consider getting a home improvement loan. As the name implies, a home improvement loan is designed to pay for improvements to a house or other form of real estate. Mortgage Cycling ? Brilliant or Risky With mortgage rates near 20-year lows, competition in the mortgage industry is fierce. It seems like every day a new mortgage loan strategy comes out that is suppose to be the best thing since sliced bread. Whether it's a mortgage with no closing costs or an interest only mortgage, everyone is claiming they can save you a ton of money. Now someone has come out with something called Mortgage Cycling. Mortgage Cycling could save you thousands of dollars or it could cost you your home. Home Mortgage Loans For People With Bad Credit - 3 Ways To Improve Your Chances For Getting Approved Finding home mortgage loans are a reality for people with bad credit. By tapping into online home loan resources, you can find financing to buy a home. While adverse credit limits your chances with traditional lenders, the following three ways will improve your chances to get approved for an online real estate loan. Free Home Equity Loan Information Home equity loan information can sometimes be confusing and misleading. I have written this article to properly explain home equity loans. Basically equity is the difference between your home's appraised -- or fair market value and the outstanding mortgage balance you owe on your home. Borrowing against the equity built up in a home has become extremely popular. Mortgage Sales Hit Problems The housing market has been buoyant over the past few years, but mortgage providers and first-time buyers are both now facing a tough time. Following announcements from the Bank of England that there has been an overall decline in the total number of UK home-buyers, and a declaration from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) that the number of disputes concerning mis-sold mortgage endowments has now hit record levels, it seems that mortgage lenders are facing a bleak time. Add to this the results of a new survey, by the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre, which shows potential first-time buyers fear that they may never get onto the property market, and you start to see a worrying picture of the housing market emerge. Refinance Your Mortgage to Rebuild Credit Refinancing your mortgage is one way to rebuild your credit, particularly if you have recently declared bankruptcy. With a poor credit history, you can find refinancing through a sub prime lender. To rebuild your credit, make regular payments on your mortgage and other bills. Then after two years, refinance again for lower rates with your now good credit rating. Secured Lending - a Guide to Releasing the Value in Your Home The recent boom in house price values have made some homeowners more wealth than they could have possibly earned though working in their jobs, however what use is all that wealth if you can't get your hands on it until you've sold your house? The quickest and easiest way to unlock the increased value in your home is often a secured loan that will allow you to receive a lump sum upfront without having to move or remortgage your house. Reverse Mortgages: When Is One Right For You? How do you know if a reverse mortgage is right for you? The answer depends on your current financial situation of course. Advantages Of Mortgage Pre-Approval There are several advantages to getting mortgage pre-approval before looking for a home. Home Equity Loan Improvements There's more Regulation Z compliance on the way, courtesy of the Home Equity Loan Consumer Protection Act. This fall banks will have to implement the new home equity loan disclosure rules the Federal Reserve Board was required to issue under the act. Mortgage Prepayment Penalties - Just Say No One of the most common terms found in a new home loan is a prepayment penalty. This type of penalty says that if the borrower pays off the loan early, commonly during the first five years of the loan, then the borrower will be responsible for paying an additional amount of money, typically about six months interest on 80% of the mortgage balance. Sub-prime market loans will typically carry prepayment penalties more than standard mortgage loans.
|
|
|
|
|
