| |
| |
|
Mortgage & Refinancing Information |
|
|
Choosing a Real Estate Agent
Before you go looking at houses, you'll need to find a real estate agent. Hiring a real estate agent takes a little bit of time to do. You're making one of the most important financial decisions in your life and you want to make sure you hire the right person. You can get recommendations for agents from family members, friends and co-workers you trust who have used that agent themselves in buying a home. You can also check the internet, newspaper listings, and "Homes for Sale" publications. The best type of agent to look for are the ones who work in real estate full-time. Sometimes, the part-time agents may not devote enough time towards finding a home for you. You want agents who do this for a living full-time and will make sure that your housing needs are met. Also, because there is such a high turnover among real estate agents, you want to find several that have been doing this for at least the past couple of years. Try to find agents that are licensed and have the Graduate, REALTORS® Institute series (GRI) accreditation from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Agents who have the GRI will usually have it printed on their letterhead or business cards. If not, just ask if they have this particular accreditation. After selecting several agents, set up interviews with each one. The interviews don't have to be long, no more than an hour. During the interview, explain to the agent what kind of house you're looking for, what neighborhoods you're interested in, and the price range you're comfortable with. Ask the agent if he or she is a buyer's agent. A buyer's agent represents the buyer only. Most agents say they represent the buyer and seller, which is called dual agency, but they really only represent the seller. These agents must legally negotiate on behalf of the seller and put the seller's interest first before yours. Ask if the agent is an "exclusive buyer's agent". This type of agent only works with buyers and does not sell homes. Ask to talk with past buyers who have bought homes in the neighborhoods you're interested in. After conducting interviews with all the agents, choose the one who answered your questions well and made you feel that you're interests were important and they're committed to finding that perfect home for you. Michelle Roebuck provides mortgage and home buying advice for people with bad credit at http://www.find-bad-credit-mortgage-loans.comSign up for her newsletter at http://www.find-bad-credit-mortgage-loans.com/newsletter.html
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Mortgage Debt Elimination in 5 to 7 years! Mortgage Debt Elimination shows that most home loan debts will be secured. Secured debts usually are tied to an asset, like your house for a mortgage. Home Equity Loans Can Provide Cash in a Hurry Think About the Long Term. Estimate how long you expect to stay in your current house. Fixed-To-Adjustable-Rate-Mortgage What is a Fixed-To-Adjustable Rate Mortgage?This type of mortgage offers fixed payments for an initial loan period of up to10 years then followed by an adjustable interest rate for the remaining term of your mortgage. Payments are usually lower than most fixed rate mortgages. Council Right to Buy Mortgage - Helping Everyone Have a Home of "We will help every Council Tenant to become Home Owners"With these historic words Margaret Thatcher initiated an equally historic concept of council right to buy scheme. However, the groundwork for this scheme had been laid much before in the 70s under the reigns of the labour government. Alternative Options For Rising Interest Rates As interest rates have risen in the last six weeks from record lows, homeowners are once again face with finding viable options to reduce the amount of interest paid on their home loans. The rush to refinance provided borrowers with good to excellent credit the opportunity to take advantage of low interest rates, that helped to reduce their monthly mortgage payments, which was the only benefit provided by the lowered rates. First Time Home Owner Mortgage Loans First time home owners are sometimes surprised at the complexity of the mortgage lending process. If you are searching for a mortgage and you have never owned a home, there a few things you can do to make the mortgage process less confusing. How to Secure the Best Mortgage Deal and Save Yourself Thousands in Interest When you consider that the average home owner will pay out far more in interest over the lifetime of their mortgage than their home actually cost in the first place, you can see why working to secure yourself the best possible mortgage deal now could save you tens of thousands of dollars in interest over the 25 - 30 year lifetime of your home loan.For the majority of us our house is the single most important and expensive purchase we ever make! Because this is the case we invest a lot of time and effort into finding the perfect property in the most ideal location, however few of us invest the time and effort we should into researching and securing the best possible finance method for purchasing our home. How To Save Hundreds A Month On Your Mortgage When it comes to American spending habits, the sad truth is that most people don't put their financial assets to the best use. One of the greatest examples of this is the home mortgage. Home or Investment Property Equity: Be Sure the Bank Gives You All that You Deserve Home equity is your own personal money machine. If you want financial freedom, a home equity loan is probably the best way to achieve it. Fixed Rate Mortgage vs. Adjustable Rate Mortgage The most basic distinction between types of mortgages that are available when you're looking to finance the purchase of a new home is how the interest rate is determined. Essentially, there are two types of mortgages - fixed rate mortgage and an adjustable rate mortgage. Home Equity Loan - Good Choice for Luxury Purchases? Home equity loans or lines of credit have increased dramatically in popularity in recent years. One of the reasons is that interest rates are at or near historic lows; borrowing money has rarely been more affordable. Mortgage Cycling May Be Your Best Bet For Equity Buildup and Investment Real Estate Mortgage cycling is a system that relies on solid budgeting, equity lines of credit and use of an open credit card. Whether you use this on investment real estate or your own home, it can work for wealth building. Home Mortgage Loans - Fixed Rate, Adjustable or Balloon, Which One Is Right For You? When you're shopping for a new home-especially for the first time-all the terms and expressions may be confusing and difficult to understand. Adjustable rate, fixed rate, balloon payment - how do you decide which is the right type of home mortgage for you if you're not even sure what each of them are?The name of the mortgage type usually has to do with how you'll pay for your loan - how the interest on the loan is being determined by the bank. A Guide to Getting a Home Improvement Loan If you've got a few things around the house that you'd like to spruce up but don't have the money for, you might want to consider getting a home improvement loan. As the name implies, a home improvement loan is designed to pay for improvements to a house or other form of real estate. Avoiding Foreclosure Scams If your mortgage company is threatening foreclosure, there are things you can do to avoid it (see my article titled "How to Avoid Foreclosure"). However, you should be aware of scams. Mortgage Prepayment Penalties - Just Say No One of the most common terms found in a new home loan is a prepayment penalty. This type of penalty says that if the borrower pays off the loan early, commonly during the first five years of the loan, then the borrower will be responsible for paying an additional amount of money, typically about six months interest on 80% of the mortgage balance. 13 Extra Costs to be Aware of Before Buying a Home Whether you're looking to buy your first home, or trading up to a larger one, there are many costs - on top of the purchase price - that you must figure into your calculation of affordability. These extra fees, such as taxes and other additional costs, could surprise you with an unwanted financial nightmare on closing day if you're not informed and prepared. Seniors Can Use a Reverse Mortgage to Fund Annuities, Investments, and Insurance Policies For many seniors in or entering retirement, the prospect of purchasing long-term care, investments or annuities can be cut short by a lack of retirement income. Statistics show that 3 out 4 seniors will have to lower their current standard of living during retirement. Home Mortgage Refinancing - What's in Your Contract? Are you one of the millions of Americans who will be refinancing their home mortgage loan this year? When you sign your contract and the other papers for your refinance, will you know what your signing?Your Contract: This one is simple, but I would guess very few people do it. READ THE ENTIRE CONTRACT. Save Time With a Bridge Loan Why You Need a Bridge LoanYou have to move fast in today's housing market if you want to get into the home of your dreams. In cities such as Seattle or San Francisco it's not uncommon for a buyer to receive half a dozen offers within the first day or two after putting the house on the market.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 TIGER MEDIA |
