Speaking The Language of Mortgage Loans

When visiting a foreign, exotic location, you always try to learn at least the basic terms of the country. Well, one could argue that the mortgage industry is definitely a foreign world. Before visiting, you should have an understanding of the following terms.

The first thing to understand about the mortgage application process is the subject of origination. This is the filling out of the application, rounding up and supplying of documentation, verification of employment and checking of credit history.

If you are cash rich at the closing, you might want to investigate paying a discount point. It is the equivalent of one percent of the loan amount. By paying it, you can pay down the interest rate on the loan and save money over time.

When is the best time to start the loan process? This is a common question and leads us to the term pre-approval. You want to get pre-approved for a loan and lock in an interest rate. This allows you to shop for a home knowing exactly what you can spend.

With rising energy prices and global warming concerns, the government is offering energy related mortgages. The Energy Efficient Mortgage is an FHA program that provides money to make your home energy efficient and has low borrowing costs.

Perhaps the simplest term to understand is equity. Equity is simply the amount you own free and clear of any debt obligations on your home. Equity grows as you pay down the mortgage balance. It also grows as the home appreciates. Over time, it can become a large amount.

The mortgage industry is full of terms that sound rather drastic such as underwriting. This simply refers to the evaluation process by an underwriter at the lender. These days, it is often a piece of software. It takes all your information, crunches the number and approves or rejects the loan.

Lenders evaluate potential borrowers in many different ways. The loan-to-value ratio is one of them. It is the requested loan amount divided by the appraised value of the property.

How does one tell who really owns a home? You look at the title. Title can be a complex subject, so you want the lender to do it. Lenders will actually require the hiring of a title insurance company to check the title and insure that it is free and clear. You have to pay for the search.

Private mortgage insurance is an annoying aspect of buying a home. It protects lenders from some of the losses that can happen if a borrower defaults, but the borrower is required to pay for it! Put more than 20 percent down and you can avoid it.

Visiting a country where you don’t understand a word being said can make you feel bashful and intimidated. The same goes with dealing with lenders. This can lead to unfavorable loans. Take the time to learn the lingo, and you can avoid such problems.

By: Hal James

Get more information on mortgage loans at FSBOAmerica.org.
Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Article Directory: http://www.articlewisdom.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated