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Comparing The True Cost Of Obtaining A Home Loan


Home buyers are often confused about where to begin in their search for a home loan. The process is usually narrowed down to finding which institutions provide the lowest settlement costs, but the different types of lending institutions and the variety of lending programs available can make the search a slow, difficult experience.

Real estate settlement costs are fees buyers normally pay when purchasing a home such as legal services property insurance, mortgage loan financing and title services. In the past, consumers would have to call each lender, request an estimate of their settlement costs and compare all of the results to find which lender offered the lowest total settlement costs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, however, recently revised the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) which now makes it easier for consumers to estimate various settlement costs through computer loan origination programs. In this manner, consumers can access a computer listing of various programs offered by lending institutions.

The computer search speeds the process of reviewing various programs and allows participants to arrange financing with the listed lender. Buyers using a computer loan origination program may be required to pay a fee for this service, but many buyers feel the convenience outweighs the cost. Still, the new RESPA changes require a real estate broker with a computer loan origination program to inform the buyer that the service is only an option and that non-listed lenders may offer lower rates or fees.

The new Federal Regulations also permit real estate brokers to offer more comprehensive services to home buyers by allowing brokers to enter into controlled business arrangements with other companies associated with the home buying process. Real estate brokers were always allowed to refer buyers to lending institutions, title companies and escrow companies, but they were not permitted to accept compensation from those institutions for giving a referral. The RESPA changes now allow real estate brokers to enter into partnerships or actually open their own mortgage service institutions. This allows brokers to provide virtual "one-stop shopping" by handling the entire settlement process.

RESPA changes were made to help home buyers learn about and obtain mortgage services more conveniently. Since RESPA helps consumers to understand the process of home ownership, the regulations may encourage more potential buyers and further stimulate the real estate market.

About The Author

W. Troy Swezey is the author of "COMPARING THE TRUE COST OF OBTAINING A HOME LOAN." As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book, "REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED." http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or mail to: TroyC21@usa.net


MORE RESOURCES:

Housing Wire

Obama pressures Congress on mortgage refinance program
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WASHINGTON – President Obama is rallying support for his plan to expand government assistance to homeowners, pressuring Congress to help lower lending rates for millions of strapped homeowners. Obama, in his radio and Internet address Saturday, ...
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MonitorBankRates.com

Mortgage Refinance Rates: 15 Year Refinance Mortgage Rates at 3.29%
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Mortgage refinance rates on 30 year conforming home loans are averaging 3.98%, unchanged from yesterday's average 30 year mortgage refinance rate. Mortgage refinance rates today on 15 year home mortgage loans are averaging 3.29%, down from yesterday's ...

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Fox News

Obama Proposes Mortgage-Refinance Plan
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By NICK TIMIRAOS President Barack Obama called on Congress during Tuesday's State of the Union address to approve new legislation that would give all homeowners who are current on their mortgages the opportunity to refinance at record low mortgage ...
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International Business Times

FOX 11 News Discussion: State of the Union
MyFox Los Angeles
And he aimed a pitch at homeowners, announcing a new mortgage refinance program with "historically low interest rates" that "gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3000 a year on their mortgage." He added, "A small fee on the ...
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CBS Local

Six Questions on Obama's Mortgage Refinance Proposal
Wall Street Journal (blog)
By Nick Timiraos President Barack Obama said Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that he would send a plan to Congress to allow all homeowners who are current on their mortgages to refinance. Here's a quick look at the proposal: How is this ...
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KOMO News

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If you buy apparel from "big and tall" clothing stores, you're used to paying more and having less to choose from. "Regular guys," on the other hand, benefit from a wider selection of products and more competition between retailers.
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AgedLeadStore.com to Add 1100000 Aged Mortgage Refinance Leads
Middle East North Africa Financial Network
COM, January 26, 2012 ) Baltimore, MD AgedLeadStore.com is increasing its value for its customers by adding 1.1 million aged Mortgage Refinance Leads in February. This is important as many people depend upon their ability to refinance to make progress ...



High Volume Stock Movers: Bank of America, Sprint, Cisco, Annaly, Sirius Feb. 8th
Wall St. Cheat Sheet
By Derek Hoffman Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC): The US's Home Affordable Refinance Program has increased mortgage refinance applications and strained capacity at Bank of America, leading the bank to ask some customers to wait 60 to 90 days, ...



New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 Million
NASDAQ
Other changes to the program were designed to make it easier for homeowners with private mortgage insurance (PMI) to refinance or to obtain a HARP mortgage refinance with a lender other than their current mortgage servicer. In addition, new limits were ...

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Boehner On Refi Plan: Bad Idea, Obama!
Mortgageorb
by MortgageOrb.com on Thursday 02 February 2012 Any hope for bipartisan support of President Obama's mortgage refinance proposal was squashed by House Speaker John Boehner, who dismissed the new initiative as a continuation of failed policies.

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