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Why Should My Clients Lock In Their Interest Rates

December 12, 2013 by Jeff Cost Leave a Comment

Why Should My Clients Lock In Their Interest Rates Interest rates fluctuate frequently, often depending on the news. If you are considering refinancing your home, your loan officer may suggest locking in the interest rate on your loan.

There are some valid reasons why this is a good idea including:

Saving Money For The Long-term

Over the life of a loan, an increase of as little as one-quarter of a percent can cost thousands of extra dollars. Spending a small amount of money now to lock in a rate can save money over the life of the loan.

Your loan officer will explain the difference in rate increases initially, over a year and over the life of the loan.

You May Not Qualify At Higher Rates

Whether you are considering refinancing your property or you are buying a new home, you may discover your rate just qualified for your loan to meet the required debt-to-income ratios. An interest rate increase may mean you will not qualify for the loan.

Closing Times May Impact Their Decision

If a loan is scheduled to close within 30 days, it may be a good idea to consider locking in the interest rate your loan officer is offering. The lock will help protect against potential increases in rates during that period of time. This will help you plan your final closing costs and ensure your monthly payments will not be higher that estimated.

Don’t Forget: Upcoming News Impacting Rates

There are often issues that will have a serious impact on interest rates. For example, the current Quantitative Easing program by the Fed is keeping rates low. Should the Fed reveal they intend to modify or taper their program; chances are fairly good that rates will take a slight hike.

Loan officers can help you unwind the news and make sure your refinance is not negatively impacted by interest rate increases.

Not every refinance customer will want or need to lock in their interest rates. However, once a loan has been approved, you should consider talking with your loan officer about the potential of locking in. The small fee that may be required could save you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.

The Pros And Cons Of Making Biweekly Mortgage Payments

December 11, 2013 by Jeff Cost Leave a Comment

The Pros And Cons Of Making Biweekly Mortgage Payments Have you ever considered paying off the mortgage on your home in two biweekly payments rather than one monthly payment? It might seem like this wouldn’t make a difference, but the truth is that biweekly payments really do add up more quickly.

Since there are 52 weeks in a year you will end up making 26 payments in total – which is equal to 13 months rather than 12. This means that your mortgage will be paid off more quickly and you will save money on interest payments in the long run.

This arrangement might be the best for you when it comes to paying off your mortgage quickly and saving money, but it’s important to consider the possible disadvantages before you make the decision.

Cons Of A Biweekly Mortgage Payment

Often lenders do not offer biweekly services free of charge. You will be required to pay a registration fee as well as paying biweekly charges.
If your budget doesn’t allow the room to pay more toward your mortgage every year, this could be a foolish move. Don’t neglect the importance of having an emergency savings fund or paying your bills.
If you have your mortgage payment set up via direct debit from your bank account, taking out a payment every two weeks could catch you out if the funds are not there, especially if you are only paid once per month. This would result in charges for insufficient funds from both your lender and your bank.

Pros Of A Biweekly Mortgage Payment

Some people find that paying their mortgage biweekly fits better into their budget because it’s easier to plan for a smaller payment amount – especially if they are paid every two weeks.
By shaving years off the length of your mortgage, you are reducing the amount of money you will pay over the long run.
You will also be speeding up the time it takes to build equity in your home.
You will be compelled to make an extra mortgage payment per year, enforcing good habits on yourself that will eventually pay off.

These are just a few factors to consider before deciding whether you should make biweekly payments on your mortgage. If you don’t want to commit to biweekly payments on your home mortgage, you can always save up your money and make a lump sum payment at the end of the year.

For more tips and advice, feel free to reach out to your trusted mortgage professional today.

The Low Down On The HUD-1 Settlement Statement

December 10, 2013 by Jeff Cost Leave a Comment

The Low Down On HUD1 Settlement Statement When preparing for a closing on your refinance or home purchase, one of the documents you will be provided with a few days before closing is a HUD-1 Form. This form provides you with valuable information about your loan.

While at first, this three page document may seem intimidating, if you understand what you see in each section, it is not as confusing as you might think. Let’s break down the various parts of the HUD-1 and talk about what they mean.

Loan Information

On the first page of your HUD1, you will see your loan information at the top. This includes the type of mortgage, property location, loan amount and the date of closing. This information is very basic but also is very important to review for accuracy.

Buyer And Seller Costs

If you are refinancing your home, you will only see information in the buyer section of the HUD-1. This section will define any charges associated directly with the home including taxes, insurance and any amounts that are due from you or payable to you at closing.

You will also see a total of all settlement costs which you can find broken down by category on page two of the HUD-1.

Page 2 Is Important

On the second page of your HUD-1 form, you will see a complete breakdown of all costs associated with your loan. This includes appraisal fees, broker or lender fees, and if your loan is a purchase loan, you will also see information regarding fees paid to a real estate broker if applicable.

Additional information found on this page includes escrow payments the lender may require be paid prior to closing. In most cases, escrow will include a portion of taxes and insurance payments that will be due through the quarter following closing on the mortgage.

Final And Important Highlights Of Page 3

Finally, you will need to review the signature page of your HUD-1 form. This page also contains critical information regarding your loan. Your interest rate, information on whether or not your loan will increase and the total amount you will pay over the life of your loan.

Additionally, you will see a comparison of the fees that you are actually paying compared to what your lender estimated at the type of application.

Borrowers need to review their HUD-1 form thoroughly prior to signing any loan documents. Typically, this form will be provided to a borrower a day or two prior to closing to allow for review and to get any questions answered prior to closing.

Having a basic understanding of the HUD-1 form can help make your closing much less stressful. For further questions on this topic feel free to reach out to your trusted mortgage professional.

Why Should My Clients Lock In Their Interest Rates

The Pros And Cons Of Making Biweekly Mortgage Payments

The Low Down On The HUD-1 Settlement Statement

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