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4 Ways to Help Your Mortgage Transaction Close On Time

July 8, 2016 by Jeff Cost

4 Ways to Help Your Mortgage Transaction Close On TimeWhen you’ve finally found the home you’re looking for at the right price, it’s easy to think that the hard part is over; however, there’s still a lot to do in order to ensure your purchase goes through without a hitch. If you’re tying up the loose ends on your home purchase, here are some things you should do to avoid any unnecessary delays.

Hire A Legal Professional

However much research you may have done in regards to buying a home, there’s still a lot of legal jargon in the closing documents that can be difficult for most people to understand. Instead of doing guesswork, you may want to use an attorney who will take the difficulty out of the documents for you so there will be no holdups with the paperwork.

Arrange A Home Inspection

A home inspection is a necessary step before the sale of a home, but this is an important one to get out of the way because it can seriously impact your home purchase. Because major problems can often be discovered during inspection, getting this out of the way and deciding if an item should be fixed or the total price knocked down will ensure there are no delays at the last minute.

Acquire Title Insurance

In order to make sure your property really belongs to you, it’s a good idea to have a title search completed to see if there are any claims to your future property that could invalidate your purchase. As this is a legal safeguard for your claim to your home, it will help you avoid unnecessary issues in the event of an unknown property claim.

Determine The Closing Costs

An escrow company is responsible for holding the funds until all aspects of a home sale are complete, but there are fees that go along with this service. Before you get to the end of the process, determine what exactly the company will be charging so that you can be prepared for the final total. While fees are legitimate, if you see a higher tally than expected, you may want to negotiate for a reduced cost.

Purchasing a home is a significant investment full of hurdles you might not be aware of, but by acquiring title insurance and having a legal professional look through your documents, you can make your home purchase go a little smoother. If you’re planning on purchasing a new home soon, contact your local mortgage professional for more information.y want to

Filed Under: Home Mortgage Tips Tagged With: Closing Costs, Home Mortgage Tips, Mortgage

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 5, 2016

July 5, 2016 by Jeff Cost

Closing Paperwork: How to Read and Understand the Truth-in-Lending Disclosure StatementLast week’s economic events included S&P Case-Shiller’s Housing Market Indices for April along with reports on Construction Spending and Pending Home Sales. Consumer Confidence was higher in June in spite of low wage growth and inflation well below the Fed’s goal of 2.00 percent annually.

S&P Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Ticks Downward

April home values grew by 5.40 percent in April on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis. Case Shiller reported a drop in momentum from the March reading of 5.50 percent according to the S&P Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index. While no city included in the 20-City Index reported lower home values, the rate of growth appears to be slowing. High home prices driven by high demand and slim inventories of available homes may continue to lose steam as high home prices coupled with stricter mortgage requirements sideline first-time and moderate income buyers.

Pending home sales in May saw their first decline since August 2015 According to the National Association of Realtors®, Pending sales dropped from April’s downwardly revised index reading of 115.0 to 110.8. Pending home sales were -3.70 percent lower in May as compared to April’s reading of +3.90 percent. The drop in pending sales, which represents homes under contract that are not yet closed, is largely blamed on markedly low inventories of homes for sale in many areas.

Construction spending was higher in May, but remained in negative territory with a reading of -0.80 percent as compared to expectations of +0.50 percent and April’s reading of -2.00 percent. While the overall reading appears unremarkable, residential construction spending was 5.30 percent higher in May.

Mortgage Rates Lower, Jobless Claims Rise

Freddie Mac reported lower mortgage rates in the aftermath of Great Britain’s vote to leave the EU. Rates for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.48 percent.15-year mortgage rates averaged 2.78 percent and the average rate for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages was 2.70 percent. Discount points were also lower at 0.50, 0.40 and 0.50 percent respectively.

Jobless reports jumped due to the end of the school year; New York State in particular allows some workers to file jobless claims when schools are closed. 268,000 new jobless claims were filed as compared to expectations of 265,000 new claims and the prior week’s reading of 258,000 new claims.

Consumer confidence rose in June, but consumers were surveyed before the Brexit vote. Consumer confidence increased to 98.0 in June as compared to May’s index reading of 92.40.Stronger job markets and stabilized gas prices were seen as contributing factors that boosted consumer confidence.

What’s Ahead

Next week’s scheduled economic reports include several labor-related reports including Non-Farm Payrolls, ADP Payrolls, June’s national unemployment rate and minutes of the Fed’s last FOMC meeting. Freddie Mac’s survey of mortgage rates and weekly jobless claims will also be released.

Filed Under: Mortgage Rates Tagged With: Home Prices, Mortgage Rates

Pay Off Your Home Faster with These Mortgage Tips

July 1, 2016 by Jeff Cost

Pay Off Your Home Faster with These Mortgage TipsThe monthly mortgage payment that goes into purchasing a home is frequently the most expensive cost per month that most people will incur, and that means that it can be helpful to know the tricks of the trade in squaring away this payment more quickly. If you’re looking for some simple tips to get your mortgage paid off a little sooner, here are some pointers that will help you get to this goal.

Make Bi-Weekly Payments

It may seems like enough of an expenditure to pay your mortgage once a month, but making payments every two weeks can actually greatly reduce the amount of interest you’ll end up paying. For example, if your monthly payment happens to be $400, this would equate to $4800.00 in payments for the year. However, if you pay bi-weekly, this will actually increase your payment per year to $5200.00. While it may not seem like a significant difference, this can break down the principal and save you a lot of money on interest

Pay It Off With Extra Funds

It can be so easy to get used to the standard payment schedule that putting extra money down just seems like a burden, but if you receive an inheritance, a raise or get a bonus at work, you may want to consider putting this extra money towards your mortgage instead of a splurge! While smaller monthly payments will decrease your mortgage over time, a lump sum can help you see the difference in your monthly payment right away, which is a boon for paying it down further.

Keep Up-To-Date On Your Mortgage Options

Many people would rather forget about their mortgage and stick to what they’ve worked out when all’s said and done, but it’s a good idea to keep abreast of what’s happening on the market in case it can positively impact your mortgage. By keeping up to date on interest rates and more recent mortgage options, you may be able to negotiate a better deal or at least stay on top of your monthly payments in the event of an interest rate increase.

The monthly mortgage payment schedule can be a bit of a burden for many people, but there are ways to pay off your mortgage more quickly that can easily improve your sense of financial wellbeing. Contact your local mortgage professional for more information.

Filed Under: Home Mortgage Tips Tagged With: Home Mortgage Tips, Mortgage

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Jeff Cost
Sr. Loan Officer

Cincinnati, OH Mortgage Lender
NMLS# 21688


jeffrey.cost@ccm.com

Call (513) 403-6260
Fax (941) 567-5222

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