The Difference Between Home Loan Modification and Mortgage Refinancing

Amy Nutt


During these difficult economic times, more people are losing their jobs and having a tough time making their mortgage payments. This has resulted in millions of foreclosures and millions of people on the verge of losing their homes. Fortunately, there are opportunities out there that can help homeowners stay in their homes. Two options are Home Loan Modification and Mortgage Refinancing. When considering these two options, it is important to understand their differences.

Home Loan Modification

Home Loan Modification is when a lender and mortgage holder change the terms of a mortgage by changing the amount of the monthly mortgage payments. The goal is to make payments more affordable for the homeowner. If a lender is owed money, they will often prefer modifying a loan instead of advancing with a foreclosure as there are many fees associated with the process. Giving a mortgage holder the chance to bring the mortgage up to date and provide better terms is much easier and less expensive. Other benefits of a loan modification include: it does not depend on a person's credit score, it usually results in a lower interest rate, and it allows lenders to get rid of a bad asset and sell the new loan on the open market. For many homeowners, refinancing is not an alternative. For homeowners who cannot make monthly payments or have recently lost their job, a loan modification may be a good solution. A homeowner will have to provide proof to show that their current loan has put them in substantial financial difficulty.

Mortgage Refinancing

Mortgage Refinancing means the terms of an existing mortgage are withdrawn and a new mortgage is put in place that offers better rates and terms and conditions. You are actually paying off your existing mortgage with a new mortgage. The conditions and terms are negotiated by the lender and homeowner and they both agree to the new terms. The result is usually better terms and payments. The major difference from loan modification is that mortgage refinancing will involve fees and penalties, and home loan modification does not have these fees. Mortgage refinancing involves paying such fees as title fees, escrow fees, lender fees, appraiser fees, and taxes. Most home owners refinance in order to lower their interest rate, to extend the life of their loan, or to pay off other debt. Lenders normally require that homeowners who are looking to refinance have a good credit score, equity in their home, and proof of job security.

Deciding which option is best often depends on the homeowner's personal situation. There are advantages and disadvantages with each type of home loan. If you have built up a lot of equity in your home, you should consider refinancing. If you have a poor credit rating, you may want to consider a loan modification. With the increase of mortgage defaults, homeowners should know there are options out there to save their home from foreclosure. It is just a matter of researching and choosing the best option that meets their particular needs.

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How to Choose the Best Deal With Home Loan Mortgage Refinance

Christen Scott
Home Loan Mortgage Refinance refers to replacing the existing mortgage with the new one when required. Many circumstances lead people to do so. Refinancing your mortgage gets you a number of benefits but to get these benefits, it requires you to choose the best deal. If you choose wrong lender and fail to get the appropriate deal, you may have to incur loses in spite of enjoying benefits.

The most important thing to be taken care while availing Home Loan Mortgage Refinance is the cost of the loan. Lenders impose a number of charges in the name of processing fee like, Lender fee or funding fee, Attorney fee, Appraisal fee, Credit report fee, Document preparation and recording fee, Origination or underwriting fee etc.

With this you should also consider the interest rate offered by the lender, compare the interest rates offered by different lenders and processing fees. A cut throat competition in market lets you get the refinance loan at reasonable price. You should also check whether the interest offered by the lender is fixed or adjustable.

You should also check the closing fee of the loan. Sometimes it happens that you get enough money any how so that you repay your complete loan at once, then it requires closing fee to be paid to the lender. If the closing fee is high then, either you will have to go with burden of loan otherwise, you will have to pay a big amount for this which would lead you to save nothing. Therefore, this condition should be taken care in advance. Closing fee includes- Flood determination, State and local taxes, Surveys and home inspection fees, prepaid private mortgage insurance or PMI, Prepaid amounts towards interest, hazard insurance, taxes, etc.

After comparing the quotes and finding the best lender you need, you can also negotiate with lender. Write all the fees together and negotiate with lender. This way you can find the best of best deals. Your ultimate aim towards finding the best deal with Home Loan Mortgage Refinance is to save as much money as you can. Home Loan Mortgage Refinance gets you rid from a lot of financial troubles you are facing.

Christen Scott is passionate about writing and love to write over different topics. These days she is writing about Home Mortgage Loans and letting you know more and more about Home Mortgage Loans.

Mortgage Loan Calculators Can Help You Estimate Your Home Loan Payments

By Tim Parker

With the real estate market beginning to see signs of a bottom leading to a recovery, it may be time to start looking for a new home or an investment property. Because of that, I want to show you a website where you can figure out your loan payments with their mortgage loan calculator.

First, let's talk about what a real estate bottom means. Real estate, just like everything having to do with the economy, moves in definite cycles. While economic downturns are scary and affect people in a real and sometimes debilitating ways, they are part of the normal cycle of our economy. When the economy is down, you can expect that it will go back up.

What investors look at in these cycles is the bottom. The bottom of a cycle is the absolute lowest value an investment vehicle hits before it starts to go back up in value. The closer to the bottom you can buy, the more money you stand to make. Use the mortgage loan calculator at Yahoo! Real Estate to see if you can afford that property if you think your area is at the bottom of the real estate value cycle.

Remember that no matter what your motives are for purchasing a home, it is an investment and should be bought at the appropriate time in the cycle. Let's take a look at the Yahoo! Real Estate mortgage loan calculator which you can find by searching for Yahoo! Real Estate and clicking on the comprehensive mortgage calculator

In order to get an accurate payment amount you have to fill in all of the fields. The loan amount is the total amount that you will borrow for your home. That is different than the selling price of your home. The interest rate will come from your loan company but if you want to get an average rate, look in your newspaper or online for the average rate being paid in your area. There are numerous online resources that will give you that information.

Number of years is normally 30 years and you want to look at a yearly amortization table. (This table simply tells you how much of your payment is going to interest versus principal. It's depressing to see how much money isn't going to the actual payment of your home.)

The property taxes can be found by calling the local city government office or asking your real estate agent if it is on the MLS listing. Your mortgage loan calculator is almost ready to calculate so don't give up.

Hazard Insurance is going to depend on the value of your home plus any additional coverage you want. It is suggested that you get a quote before making a decision on whether to purchase the home. This can easily be done online and the quote will be nearly instant.

Unless your down payment is at least 20% of your home's value, you are going to pay PMI. This is insurance against you defaulting on your loan. Bankrate.com says this:

Let's say you put down 10 percent or $10,000 on a $100,000 house. The lender multiplies the 90 percent loan, or $90,000, by .005. The result is an annual PMI of $450, which is divided into monthly payments of $37.50.

Now, your mortgage loan calculator is ready so do the calculation and see what comes up. If you can afford it, take the next step. You're on your way to a new home!

For more information about free financial calculators, visit my website below.

Tim is the author of elementary-finance.com, a financial blog providing beginning investment and finance advice to those who have a desire to learn the basics of investing and finance.

Mortgage Loan Calculators Can Help You Estimate Your Home Loan Payments

By Tim Parker

With the real estate market beginning to see signs of a bottom leading to a recovery, it may be time to start looking for a new home or an investment property. Because of that, I want to show you a website where you can figure out your loan payments with their mortgage loan calculator.

First, let's talk about what a real estate bottom means. Real estate, just like everything having to do with the economy, moves in definite cycles. While economic downturns are scary and affect people in a real and sometimes debilitating ways, they are part of the normal cycle of our economy. When the economy is down, you can expect that it will go back up.

What investors look at in these cycles is the bottom. The bottom of a cycle is the absolute lowest value an investment vehicle hits before it starts to go back up in value. The closer to the bottom you can buy, the more money you stand to make. Use the mortgage loan calculator at Yahoo! Real Estate to see if you can afford that property if you think your area is at the bottom of the real estate value cycle.

Remember that no matter what your motives are for purchasing a home, it is an investment and should be bought at the appropriate time in the cycle. Let's take a look at the Yahoo! Real Estate mortgage loan calculator which you can find by searching for Yahoo! Real Estate and clicking on the comprehensive mortgage calculator

In order to get an accurate payment amount you have to fill in all of the fields. The loan amount is the total amount that you will borrow for your home. That is different than the selling price of your home. The interest rate will come from your loan company but if you want to get an average rate, look in your newspaper or online for the average rate being paid in your area. There are numerous online resources that will give you that information.

Number of years is normally 30 years and you want to look at a yearly amortization table. (This table simply tells you how much of your payment is going to interest versus principal. It's depressing to see how much money isn't going to the actual payment of your home.)

The property taxes can be found by calling the local city government office or asking your real estate agent if it is on the MLS listing. Your mortgage loan calculator is almost ready to calculate so don't give up.

Hazard Insurance is going to depend on the value of your home plus any additional coverage you want. It is suggested that you get a quote before making a decision on whether to purchase the home. This can easily be done online and the quote will be nearly instant.

Unless your down payment is at least 20% of your home's value, you are going to pay PMI. This is insurance against you defaulting on your loan. Bankrate.com says this:

Let's say you put down 10 percent or $10,000 on a $100,000 house. The lender multiplies the 90 percent loan, or $90,000, by .005. The result is an annual PMI of $450, which is divided into monthly payments of $37.50.

Now, your mortgage loan calculator is ready so do the calculation and see what comes up. If you can afford it, take the next step. You're on your way to a new home!

For more information about [http://www.elementary-finance.com/featured/free-financial-tools-calculators/]free financial calculators, visit my website below.

Tim is the author of [http://elementary-finance.com]elementary-finance.com, a financial blog providing beginning investment and finance advice to those who have a desire to learn the basics of investing and finance.

Commercial Mortgage Lenders - Who Do You Choose?

Private investors, banks or Commercial Mortgage brokers are some of the options through which you can obtain commercial mortgage. It is preferable to obtain commercial mortgage banker or a broker as your lender than a private investor.

Now between a broker and the banker, it is unto an individual to choose. The advantages of choosing a banker are its low costs transactions and also offer better rates. But the drawback is that the chances of getting selected is minuscule that means that you will be shown the door more often. But with brokers you are likely to find you the perfect solution but it come with a price. Also if you are looking for a special type of loans or deals then heading for a broker is the best thing.

A Commercial Mortgage is very complex compared to a household mortgage loan so do not just dwell on rates and charges.

First, consider how much you can (and should) borrow. Most standard Commercial Mortgage programs will give you up to 80% of the property value and require you to come up with a 20 to 25 percent down payment. But, if you are willing to pay a somewhat higher interest rate, you can borrow more than 80% and perhaps with less of a down payment. Also, check around with different commercial mortgage lenders to see if you will be permitted to get a second loan against the property if you ever want one. You may well want that option.

Also, watch out for balloon payments. These may look highly attractive, but later on when they balloon you could wind up with a payment that drives you nuts--or, you might even lose your commercial property. While you're checking into this, also find out if the Commercial Mortgage is assumable--that is, if you can pay it off early without penalties. If you can get one that is assumable, this is always the better option, even if you have to take a bit of a higher interest rate.

Check out for the processing time of each mortgage transaction by the mortgager as this is the most time-consuming when it comes to getting a Commercial Mortgage. Lookout for lenders with reputation of giving quickly mortgages as it saves you lot of time but are on the lookout for clauses included in the agreement. Each mortgager has their own practice and stipulates conditions which vary from each. If you are going to a bank for a mortgage then you have to deposit some of your assets as a surety while some requires a guarantor.

Different Commercial Mortgage lenders also have different stipulations regarding how much documentation you'll need to provide--both before and after the loan is closed. You may have to pull docs out of your nose; you may be bound to give quarterly reports after the loan is closed, with penalties including possible default if you fail to do this. Make sure you know all about these stipulations before you sign on any bottom lines. If one lender isn't to your liking, talk to another (once again, using a broker can really streamline this process for you if extra cost is no obstacle to you).

And, of course, when looking for a Commercial Mortgage lender, if you find more than one who can meet your personal demands, compare prices: origination, points (if any), processor fees, title searches, and so on.

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