Article Archive January, 2007

Home Equity Loans and Second Mortgages: Is there a difference?

By:

MortgageLoan.com | January 31, 2007

The home mortgage vocabulary can be very complicated, and we didn't learn it in grade school. Two types of loans that cause a great deal of confusion are the home equity loan and the second mortgage. In reality, they basically mean the same thing.

Dropping Mortgage Rates Spur Refinance Fever

By:

MortgageLoan.com | January 30, 2007

After a series of 17 rate increases, the Federal Reserve has been holding steady. As a result, mortgage rates have begun to fall. Those who wanted to refinance their mortgages for extra cash, or to opt out of adjustable rate mortgages, but hesitated because mortgage rates kept rising, now have a rare window of opportunity.

Is it Time to Refinance?

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 29, 2007

Whether it's the right time to refinance your home mortgage depends on a few specific factors, and a hefty amount of your own good judgment. While there's no formula or spreadsheet that will tell you what to do, the following article provides a framework to make your decision-making process easy and efficient.

Designed to Sell: Home Improvements Ease the Burden

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 26, 2007

Experts are predicting that the housing market will be slow in 2007, with certain areas of the country feeling the impact more sharply than others. As more sellers compete for the attention of fewer buyers, homes will take longer to sell and prices will dip. If you have plans to sell, riding out the housing slump without taking action could cost you time and money.

Creating a Debt Management Plan

By:

Anders Bylund - MortgageLoan.com | January 25, 2007

There are ways to work your way out of seemingly unmanageable debt loads. Analyze, understand, and then fix your problems in a few simple steps.

Manufactured Home Buying: Four Essential Financing Tips

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 24, 2007

Shaking off the trailer park jokes, manufactured homes are gaining acceptance as a low budget route to home ownership. Now more than ever, it's important to know the basics of financing manufactured homes.

Refinancing Tips for a Smooth Closing

By:

Anders Bylund - MortgageLoan.com | January 23, 2007

There are a few things you can do to ensure that closing day for a mortgage refinance will be free of nasty surprises. Prepare as early as you can, and get assistance.

Refinancing For Veterans

By:

Maria Esposito - MortgageLoan.com | January 22, 2007

There are 29 million veterans and active duty personnel who have served, or are currently serving, their country. To thank these men and women for their sacrifices, the Veteran's Administration (VA) offers a home loan guarantee program to help them purchase or refinance a home.

Protect Yourself From Home Equity Loan Scams

By:

Jan Lindsey - MortgageLoan.com | January 21, 2007

Anytime you take a home equity loan, you're increasing the risk that you'll lose what's most likely your biggest asset: your home. That's because there are unscrupulous lenders who are more than willing for you to lose your shirt and the house in which every one of them is hung. But there are things you can do to help protect yourself-and your home.

The Annual Mortgage Check-up

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 19, 2007

As the year comes to a close, it makes sense to re-assess your finances and make sure that you're on track for the future. An important step in this process is examining your mortgage to ensure that you're still getting the best deal possible.

Year-end Mortgage Tax Tips

By:

Anders Bylund - MortgageLoan.com | January 16, 2007

Get your mortgage ducks in a row now, so that you can enjoy those juicy mortgage-related tax deductions in the spring.

Finding a Bad Credit Loan

By:

Jason Giacchino - MortgageLoan.com | January 15, 2007

Credit mishaps can lead to a low FICO score, which may limit your ability to find a mortgage lender. But don't despair-sub-prime lenders often accept a score as low as 500 for bad credit mortgages. Here are some tips on finding the right lender.

Home Equity Loans: Just the Facts

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 14, 2007

If you're planning to fund an upcoming project with your home's equity, don't jump in without knowing the facts. Understanding the key differences between HELOC's and home equity loans makes for more effective decisions.

Down and Dirty: Questions to Ask a Mortgage Lender

By:

Tom Kerr - MortgageLoan.com | January 13, 2007

We're usually so focused on what our lenders will ask us that we may forget that the lending interview is a two-way conversation. As consumers, we can benefit by turning the tables on our mortgage lenders by asking them a few insightful questions, to ensure that we get the service and terms we desire.

Bad Credit Mortgages with No Down Payment

By:

Tom Kerr - MortgageLoan.com | January 12, 2007

Bad credit is no fun, especially when you're applying for a home mortgage. Fortunately, there are lenders who specialize in bad credit mortgages. By working with these lenders to accomplish debt management, you can turn the tide of bad credit history.

Mortgage Elimination Schemes and Scams

By:

Tom Kerr - MortgageLoan.com | January 11, 2007

We all want to eliminate our mortgage payments. If you're desperate to find a way out of your debts, you'll be even more susceptible to mortgage scam artists. Instead of falling for fraud, and being taken advantage of, consider taking advantage of a debt consolidation loan or a bad credit mortgage.

Get Smart: Intelligent Ways to Use a Home Equity Loan

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 10, 2007

Do you have a big expense on the horizon? Are you thinking of tapping into your home equity to generate the necessary funding? A home equity loan can be an appealing mortgage instrument, but only if you know the right ways to use it.

Home Loans for Veterans

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 09, 2007

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages several programs to assist our servicemen and women as they transition back to a normal life after their service. One of these is the Home Loan Guaranty Program, which helps veterans obtain competitively priced mortgage loans.

Four Good Reasons to Refinance your Home

By:

Jan Lindsey - MortgageLoan.com | January 08, 2007

Refinancing can help reduce your monthly mortgage payment, stabilize your interest rate, put cash in your pocket, or help make other debt more manageable. It requires effort, but if a refinance mortgage helps meet your goals, it can be time very well spent.

Financing For A Mobile Home

By:

Maria Esposito - MortgageLoan.com | January 06, 2007

If you've dreamed about owning a home but can't afford one, consider a mobile home. Use the following tips to purchase an alternative to an expensive house.

Five Strategies to Get Out of Debt

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 05, 2007

The weight of excessive debt can be stifling on your monthly cash flow and your long-term financial outlook. Start working towards a debt-free future today by learning more about debt negotiation and consolidation strategies.

The Best Way to Finance Home Improvements

By:

MortgageLoan.com | January 04, 2007

Don't despair over costly home improvement projects-the financing you need is closer than you think with home improvement loans.

The Home Loan Buzz on Accelerator Mortgages

By:

Tom Kerr - MortgageLoan.com | January 03, 2007

Homeowners love to discover innovative methods to borrow money and expand equity. Now, a new home loan repayment idea born in the UK has arrived in the U.S. The so-called "mortgage accelerator" uses home equity loans to pay off mortgages and generate additional equity.

Upgrade Your Investment Properties With a Mortgage Refinance

By:

Anders Bylund - MortgageLoan.com | January 01, 2007

As a real estate investor, you should look for the best ways to unlock the value of your investments. The key to increasing your revenues is upgrading. You can find the funds to do this with a mortgage refinance.

Subprime Mortgage Marketing Tips

By:

MortgageLoan.com | January 01, 2007

Thirteen is an unlucky number for the subprime mortgage market. This market reached a level of 13.5 percent of overall mortgages in 2006, according to the Mortgage Brokers Association. Unfortunately, its delinquency rate jumped to 13 percent by the end of that same year. This has led to an increasingly competitive environment in which only the smartest marketers will survive.

Direct Mortgage Marketing Tips

By:

Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | January 01, 2007

Although direct mortgage marketing studies indicate that 80 percent of all sales are made after the fifth contact has been made, there's no doubt that the most important connection is the first one. First impressions apply to mortgage brokers in business as it does to anyone else in day-to-day living. Therein lies the importance of knowing the essential tips for marketing mortgages via direct mail.

Reverse Mortgage Marketing Tips

By:

MortgageLoan.com | January 01, 2007

The keys to successful reverse mortgage marketing are finding your audience and making an appealing pitch. Your audience, the senior population, faces a distinctive set of pressures that governs their daily decision making. Recognizing and addressing these pressures is an essential step in building your reverse mortgage business.

Commercial Mortgage Marketing Tips

By:

Greg Mischio - MortgageLoan.com | January 01, 2007

Charles Darwin formed his theory of evolution after visiting the Galapagos Islands. In today's day and age, Darwin could have saved himself the boat ride and just taken a look at commercial mortgage marketing. Why? Because as interest rates climb, only the commercial mortgage lenders who can adapt to their new environment will survive.