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Know Your Loan Options before Applying (Page 1 of 2)
All loan options are not the same; there are huge differences in them with respect to the options they provide. Sometimes with all these features it becomes very difficult to choose the loan option that could be ideal for you. In order to make the process of deciding which loan to take, let us first know what the different types of loans are.
1. Fixed Rate Mortgage Loans
These are the most popular types of loans available. With these loans, the mortgage rates are fixed throughout the life of the loan. Even within fixed mortgage loans, there are different kinds according to their tenures:-
a) 30-year Fixed Rate Loans: These loans are preferred by people who wish to stay in their houses for longer periods of time. Since the repayment is spread over to a period of thirty years, the amount paid back each month is low, which allows the family to have some liquidity in hand. However, the borrower will end up paying more in the long run because of the more interest paid.
b) 15-year Fixed Rate Loans: The shorter period makes it possible for the house to become the borrowers sooner, but he/she would have to make much higher monthly payments. The interest rate would also be half of that on the 30-year loan.
c) Biweekly Loans: With these loans, the payments are to be made every fortnight instead of every month. They are generally given on 30-year loans. Due to the excess payments made, the loans get over in something like 23 years. Also the loan builds up the equity faster. But some people might find the frequency of the payments too much to keep up with.
2. Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans
With adjustable rate mortgage loans, the rates of interest are subjected to ups and downs as per mortgage trends. Generally these loans begin with lower rates of interest, and they could build up over time. The advantage with these loans is that the rates of interest in the beginning could be lower since the borrower would lock in a low rate of interest. But the rates could go higher at any time and then the borrower would have to make highly monthly payments.
There are some other aspects to home loans that must be known well in advance. Let us see these options.
1. Hybrid and Convertible ARM These loans provide the borrower with the ability to switch from a fixed rate of interest to an adjustable rate, or from an adjustable rate of interest to a fixed rate. Hence the loans become flexible. Naturally it makes sense to convert with these loans only if the rates are lower than with the option you are currently using.
2. Interest Only Loans In these loans, the borrower is supposed to make only the payments on the interest month after month, but will have to pay lump sums on the principal periodically. Interest only loans are those for people who work with lower salaries but get huge bonuses at the end of the year. This makes it possible for the borrower to get higher loans and keep more money in his/her pocket for all year round. But the disadvantage is that these loans do not make any payments on the home all through the year.
How To Get A Loan Modification In A Week Or Less
If you want to get your loan modification approved in a week or less, good luck! It is almost impossible…or is it?
If you know anything about loan modifications, you know that it generally takes 2 to 3 months to get the modification approved. It is a stressful process if you are the homeowner desperately waiting for an answer. Some lucky people can get this done in about a month, but this is very rare. Getting it done in a week or less is almost unheard of!
The reason it takes so long to get a loan modified is because there are so many people in need of this service. Lenders have stacks and stacks of files on their desks and not enough employees. It takes a long time to sort through all those files and get the loan mod completed.
There are a few companies out there that have such close relationships with lenders that they will actually allow them to take some of the unbearable workload off their backs. There are only a few companies that do this because it is very hard to come up with the necessary ratios to get this accomplished.
What this means in lamens terms is this: A company that provides this service can call up your lender with your loan number. They speak to a case manager and review your file. They approve or deny the loan modification right away and tell them what your interest rate and payment will be. They can then tell you what the terms of your modification will be and you can decide to move forward or pursue another option.
If you do decide to move forward, they can generally complete the loan modification within 24 hours to 7 days. To further ease your financial burden, often times they can push back your next payment 30 days from the date the loan mod docs are signed.
The success of this depends on what lender you have and if you are even a candidate for a loan modification. The top lenders participating in this program are Countrywide, Bank of America and EMC. These are not the only lenders, just the main ones.
If you want to get your loan modification approved in less than a week, this might be your only option.