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Q: Should I refinance? TOP A:
There are two main benefits to refinancing your home. First, it
can save you money on your monthly payments and cut years off the
remaining term of your loan, saving thousands in interest payments.
The longer the remaining term on your loan, the more interest you
have to pay. Even if rates are just a half point lower than your
current mortgage, refinancing can save you a lot of cash. Q: Should I consolidate my debt? TOP A:
Consolidating your credit card, auto loan and student loan payments
into one low rate and payment through your home loan can be a smart
financial decision. You can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars
in interest by taking advantage of consolidating into one low mortgage
rate. Q: What are points? TOP A: Points are fees added on to a loan and are paid when the loan closes. One point equals one percent of the loan amount. There is an inverse relationship between the interest rate and the number of points paid. In other words, you can lower your monthly mortgage payments by paying more money up front through points. Q: What does it mean to lock in a rate? TOP A: When you lock in a rate, you are asking the lender to guarantee the current interest rate for a certain period of time. By locking the rate you are guaranteed that rate for your loan regardless of whether or not the rates go up the next day or not. A: ARM stands for Adjustable Rate Mortgage. With this type of loan, your interest rate is not fixed so it will change periodically. An ARM can be a good option when you are planning on selling your home in a few years as it may provide the lowest initial monthly payments. If you intend to keep your home for a long period of time, an ARM may not be the best option as your interest rate may increase. Q: What is a mortgage? TOP A: A mortgage is a legal document you sign pledging your property as security for a loan that the lender makes to you. A mortgage is executed along with the note, which is your obligation to repay the loan on a timely basis. At closing, the borrower signs both the note and the mortgage deed of trust. Without a mortgage the lender would not have the ability to foreclose against the property in the event of default. Q: What is a FICO score? TOP A: A FICO score is a credit score developed by Fair Isaacs Company as an aid to help determine a consumers overall credit quality and ability to repay a loan. Q: What are closing costs? TOP A: Closing costs are the costs charged by the lender and other third party vendors in order to complete the loan transaction. Q: What is a Loan-to-Value ratio? TOP A: The Loan-to-Value ratio, or LTV, is simply the loan amount divided by the value of the property. The LTV is important because it determines your equity in the property. Q: What is PMI? TOP A: PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance and is used to protect the lender in the event of borrower default. Generally, the borrower is required to pay a fee for mortgage insurance when the down payment is less than 20%. A: An appraisal is a report created by a qualified appraiser that is an estimate of the value of the property being financed. Q: What is title insurance? TOP A: There are two types of title insurance policies. A lender's policy insures that the lender holds an unencumbered first lien position. This coverage is required when obtaining a mortgage loan. An owner's policy is a separate policy that ensures that the borrowers hold a marketable title to the subject property. An owner's policy would ensure against ownership claims against the property that were not identified during the title search. Q: What is a loan origination fee? TOP A: This is the fee that covers the lender's costs for processing your loan. It is usually applied as a percentage of the loan amount.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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