Saving Cash on Your Mortgage

October 30, 2008 by Guest  
Filed under Blog, Mortgages

Of course you want to save as much money on your mortgage as you can. The interest rate has a lot to do with how much it will cost you to finance the amount of money you borrow to buy a home. Shop around for interest rates among the various mortgage lenders before you actually submit a loan application. Most lenders have a free mortgage calculator available on their websites so you can experiment with this in entering the amount your wish to borrow and exploring various repayment options to determine your lowest payment and the best repayment terms.

When you have an amount of money to place as a large down payment on your mortgage, you will lower the amount of money that you need to borrow. Having large enough deposit is also one way of ensuring approval for the loan as lenders know you do have a stake in making sure you do meet your monthly obligations. Reducing the amount you borrow will also result in lower interest rates so it won’t cost you as much to have a mortgage. There are lenders who will approve mortgages without a down payment, but they require you to have insurance cover for the amount of the usual down payment. This will increase your monthly payments in the premiums you have to pay for such cover.

Another option for reducing the amount of interest you pay on your mortgage is that of bi-weekly payments. When you make a payment every two weeks rather than once a month, you make two extra payments a year. Each bi-weekly period will result in a lower outstanding balance and thus less financing costs for you. To see how you can save in this way, use a free mortgage calculator on a lending site. You will see how you can shave years off the term of the mortgage and own your home free and clear in less time than you previously thought

Making repayments in addition to your regular mortgage payment can also help you avoid paying too much for your mortgage. Many lenders allow you to make repayments once or twice a year. This will substantially reduce the balance of the loan, which affects the amount of interest you pay and the term of the mortgage. If you have some money left over each month, you can put it in a savings account and then when the time comes when you can make a repayment you can withdraw the money or transfer it to your loan account. There are also lenders that will allow you to make more than the required monthly payment each month. It is surprising to find what paying an extra few pounds each month will do to cut down on your costs

The cost of getting a mortgage also includes the arrangement fees, such as the legal fees, city taxes and administration fees. If possible try to pay these fees yourself outside of the loan. Lenders will offer you the option of having them added to your mortgage to save you money, but there is no savings involved if you do so. It not only increases the amount of money you owe, it increases the interest you pay on the mortgage as well

It pays to be informed when you take out a mortgage so that you don’t pay away money unnecessarily. Search the Internet for valuable information about the many different types of mortgages and the interest rates associated with each one. When you are an informed consumer, you will be able to cut your costs and save money

What To Do Before You Choose A Mortgage

October 23, 2008 by Guest  
Filed under Blog, Mortgages

It is not always easy to find a mortgage that is both suitable and affordable, and this has never been more true than it is today, when credit conditions are so difficult and many people are trying to cope with overstretched finances. However, no matter how tempting it may seem it is important that you never rush into this type of financial commitment, and that you take the time to follow some steps that could potentially help you to get a better package on your mortgage loan, saving you substantial amounts of money over the long term

It is a big mistake to assume that you are going to get the most affordable mortgage package from your own bank, even if you are a long standing customers, as the interest of the bank will lie in making money not saving you money. In some cases you may even end up paying more for your mortgage with your own bank than a new customer would pay, because the bank may be offering special rates to pull in new customers leaving existing customers stuck with high rates and less than impressive mortgage packages.

Taking the time to shop around and look at different mortgages and products from different lenders is very important if you want to increase your chances of getting a great mortgage deal. With interest rates, upfront costs, and terms all varying widely from one lender to another you risk missing out on a great offer if you do not compare packages from different lenders. You can compare easily and quickly online

Speaking to an experienced mortgage broker is another way of getting a good offer on a mortgage, as many brokers will have access to a wide range of lenders that cater for your needs. However, when you speak to a broker as if they cover the whole of the market rather than just a portion of it, as a whole of market broker will boost your chances of getting a suitable, competitively priced mortgage

You also need to know which areas of mortgage to compare whether you are looking at fixed rate mortgages or other types, as again this will help to boost the chances of finding the most suitable and affordable loan. Some of the areas to look at and compare include any upfront fees and charges, the terms and conditions of the mortgage, the repayment periods on offer, the eligibility requirements from the lender, and of course the typical APR that is charged on the loan

You need to make sure that you can feasibly and comfortably afford repayments on any mortgage that you are considering taking out, so make sure that you ask the lender to provide you with an APR and monthly repayment quote, as well as details of all additional costs, so that you know just what you will be paying.

Although having payment protection insurance, or PPI, in place is important you should remember that there is nothing to say that you have to take this from your lender. You can shop around for your PPI in order to try and get the best offer possible

Next Page »