Faced with plunging property values and rising defaults, lenders are charging borrowers higher mortgage rates and adding fees. Not all of these added costs are set in stone, however. If you’re looking for a loan, vigilant shopping and a little haggling can go a long way toward landing a better deal.
Here are some fees you need to watch out for:
Application Fees
Just because an ad says “no application fee” doesn’t really mean there’s no fee to get the loan. Fees paid outside of closing typically include an application fee, an upfront property appraisal fee, and a credit check. They might be disguised as something like a “document processing fee” or “doc fee.”
Risk Adjust Rates
Getting deemed a risky borrower is no longer just a matter of a low credit score. Lenders now consider other risk factors. Buy in an area that has seen values drop precipitously and you can expect a higher interest rate.
Down Payment Penalties
The days of zero down on a mortgage are long gone. Without a down payment of at least 20%, prospective homebuyers will undoubtedly be hit with a higher interest rate and need to pay for more points. (Each point usually amounts to a fee of about 1% of a mortgage.)
Also, if buyers can’t put 20% down, they’ll need to get private mortgage insurance, which typically costs 0.5% of the loan. Shopping around for lenders with more-favorable points and insurance charges can help lessen the blow.
Closing Costs
Closing fees amount to 2% to 5% of a home’s price. Location plays a big role, as taxes and other requirements vary by state. Some states require expensive attorneys to oversee the closing process, while others allow a title agent or escrow officer.
Ask potential lenders for a good-faith estimate of closing costs. Then check in weekly with whoever is handling the closing to see whether there are any changes in either lender or third-party fees.
If you need a place to start looking for a dependable mortgage expert, contact us. We work with many lenders and can give you a few names and numbers to get you started looking for the best home mortgage.
The idea of being upside down on a vehicle is not that new. This commonly occurs when a consumer makes the decision to purchase a new vehicle before they have paid off their existing one. As a result, the balance of the loan on the existing vehicle is added to the note for the new vehicle. The result is that the consumer owes more on the new vehicle than it is actually worth.
Today, many consumers are finding they are now upside down on their mortgages. Unfortunately, this did not occur because they bought a new house and added in the cost of their old home to the new mortgage. This situation occurred in many cases because of the rapid rise of home values in many areas followed by the real estate market crash that sent home values subsequently spiraling downward.
In many markets, the majority of homeowners are now actually upside down on their mortgage, and that number is increasing rapidly. A large number of these homeowners are consumers who purchased their homes at the peak of the boom. During that time home values doubled and even tripled within a short period of time in many areas. This situation leaves many homeowners wondering what they should do. Options are often based on whether the homeowner is able to continue making their monthly mortgage payments. While some are able to pay their monthly mortgages, especially if they have a fixed rate mortgage, that is not the case with others who took out adjustable rate mortgages.
Homeowners who can still afford their monthly mortgage payments and who are not feeling the pressure to sell due to employment reasons may find they are better off by riding out the market decline. There is wide belief that once the market bottoms out and begins to rebound, these homeowners could still be poised to make a profit on their home.
Other homeowners are not so fortunate; however. In some cases, homeowners simply have no choice but to move now rather than wait as a result of relocation or job loss. Homeowners who have adjustable mortgages may also find they are simply no longer able to afford their mortgage payments as they continue to rise. These homeowners are now facing the bitter reality of foreclosure when they are not able to pay off their debts or refinance their home loans because of tightening loan restrictions.
Homeowners are also facing the reality that their options are reduced because they have little or no equity in their homes. The amount of equity a homeowner has in their home is often determined by the amount of their down payment. During the housing boom it was quite common for many buyers to purchase homes with very little, if any, down payment. At the time it seemed like a good deal; however, today it is causing significant problems as housing values continue to decline.
This situation is causing further problems for homeowners who would like to take out home equity loans either to make necessary home improvements or to consolidate higher interest debts. Even if they are among the few homeowners who do have equity in their home, they are finding that lenders are increasingly wary of making home equity loans. Just as the default rate on mortgage loans have increased, so has the default rate on home equity loans. Quite simply, lenders are no longer willing to take on risk when they are already holding a number of defaulted loans.
The ability to refinance has also dwindled in many locations. Not only are loan guidelines becoming stricter but most homeowners who are upside down are frequently finding the lower value of their home makes it nearly impossible to qualify for a new loan. In essence these homeowners now have negative equity and lenders are simply not willing to take on that risk.
If you are having trouble paying your mortgage for any reason, or expect problems, you should work with your loan servicer (the company that collects payments on your mortgage) or other experts to find a solution now. If you fall behind and don’t take action, the lender will foreclose on your home. If that happens, you may lose your home and all of the money you have already invested in it. The sooner you act, the better the chances you will avoid foreclosure.
Talk To Your Lender
Talking to the lender, or loan servicer, the company that collects the payments, should be one of your first steps. The earlier you call, the better your chance to work out a solution.
Here are some options:
Loan Modification. Loan servicers can help you catch up on late payments or amend your mortgage to make it more affordable. For homeowners who face losing their home, a loan modification is often the most effective way to avoid foreclosure. The options include:
- Adding all the missed payments to the loan amount and changing the monthly payment to cover the larger loan.
- Giving you more years to pay off the loan, lowering the interest rate, and/or forgiving part of the loan, to lower your monthly payment.
- Switching from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage, so you can avoid higher monthly payments.
- Requiring amounts for taxes and insurance to be included with your monthly mortgage payment so you avoid big bills in addition to your mortgage.
Other options include:
Repayment Plan. If you can start making payments to catch up, the lender may let you pay an additional amount each month until you are caught up.
Forbearance. Lenders may let you make a partial payment, or skip payments, if you have a reasonable plan to catch up. Tell your lender if you expect a tax refund, a bonus, or a new job.
Reinstatement. Reinstatement refers to making a payment that covers all your late payments, usually at the end of a forbearance period.
Sign Over the Property to the Lender in Exchange for Debt Forgiveness (often called “deed in lieu of foreclosure”). This can hurt your credit, but is better than having a foreclosure in your credit history.
Watch out for companies that ask you to sign papers that waive your right to pursue legal actions against them—especially if you expect to continue struggling with your home loan.
For immediate advice, call 888-995-HOPE to speak to a counselor on how to avoid foreclosure. Available in English and Spanish, 24/7. Or visit www.995hope.org for more information.
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