Should You Pay Discount Points When You Get Your Mortgage?

One of the challenges you will face when deciding how much money to put down on your new home is whether to put down a larger down payment or to take a bit of money from your down payment and use it to buy "discount points" to lower your interest rate. There are pros and cons to doing both and each borrowers situation will be different so it's important to understand which option is best for your individual situation. Some factors you should consider include: Cost of borrowing - generally speaking, to lower your interest rate will mean you pay…
Read More

Manage These 3 Items Before Applying For A Mortgage

Mortgage lenders weigh the risk of getting their principal and interest paid back by looking at the qualities of the prospective borrrower. And due to the amount of money being requested and lent to purchase homes, those requirements can become daunting.  Working with a trusted and qualified mortgage professional makes this sometimes confusing process a little clearer. To this end, there are three things that a potential homebuyer can do to prepare for the mortgage approval process. Manage Debt And Credit Levels For many homebuyers, managing their credit score is the biggest challenge. Mortgage lenders like buyers with strong credit.…
Read More

Over 5 Trillion Dollars In Home Equity May Lead To More Cash Out Transactions

US homeowners now have over 5 trillion dollars in home equity which is a very large amount of money! So this year may be the year for a lot of cash out refinances and other home equity mortgage products. Most often, when you are purchasing a home, you are buying at or below the appraised value and you are making a down payment. The good news is this means you have "instant equity" in your home. And over time you build more equity as you make your monthly mortgage payments as well as any potential home price appreciation. This build…
Read More