
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Low Rate Home Mortgage Loan: Making Home More Valuable

Saturday, September 22, 2007
Mortgages – How Do you Cope With the Choice?

Wednesday, September 19, 2007
What is an Adjustable Rate Mortgage?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Five Tips to Slash your Mortgage Costs

Just think what you could do with all the extra money you would have spare if you didn’t have to meet your mortgage each month! Interested? Well, here are five steps that you could take today to substantially slash your mortgage repayments and the overall cost of your home loan and even speed up your rate of repayment so that the day when you’ve paid off your home comes that much sooner.
Step One - Demand Better Service.
As a loyal customer of your mortgage lender isn’t it about time you were rewarded for your financial commitment, for making your regular payments and for being a good, long term customer?
Well, you can be certain your mortgage lender will not reward you unless you ask for a better deal on your mortgage!
So get on the phone, call up your lender, ask to speak to someone in customer services or the customer retention department and explain that you’re looking around for a better mortgage deal. Often they will offer you a blended rate for the balance of your term.
We recently had a client who was in a 5 year fixed term at 5.35%. She called her bank and was told that the early withdrawal penalty for her $130,000 was $1700. That’s a lot of money and she was discouraged. However, we ran a rate comparison analysis and found that she would save $3400. by switching her mortgage now. She saved $1700. using only one of our steps.
Did you know, 20% of bank customers will sign their mortgage renewal letter without bothering to check rates? The banks count on this 20% to pad their profits so that they can give discounts to borrowers who ask for it. Often all it takes is one request and you will get a lower rate.
Step Two - Shop Around.
If step one doesn’t get you the deal you deserve, shop around. Check the internet and newspapers for special offers from lenders. Be sure to read the small print! A number of lenders offer 1.99% rates for 3 -6 months but the rate rises for the balance of the term. You will have to add the two rates together and find out what the blended rate will be.
Step Three - Get Help.
Get expert assistance in the form of a licensed and independent mortgage professional. As independent brokers they have access to and understanding of every single mortgage product available and they should be best placed to assist you find a better deal than the one you have now. A deal where your repayments will be less, your interest rate will be lower and the amount you repay over the entire duration of your loan is reduced.
Make sure your broker is fee free and remunerated by any company you decide to take a mortgage out with. More importantly than this, make sure they are regulated and licensed correctly. If possible ask for professional references or testimonials.
Step Four - Cut Out All Extras.
Mortgage lenders are notorious for offering mortgage, income disruption and life insurance at high rates. The lenders make huge margins on these products. While they are of value, couldn’t you find them at a cheaper rate elsewhere? Ask your mortgage broker for a financial advisor who could offer you insurance at a better rate. You could literally save yourself thousands of dollars each year in insurance premiums!
Step Five - Pay It Down.
So, you’ve cut your interest rate down to size, reduced your monthly payments, and saved yourself thousands on insurance products - now turn all those savings back into your mortgage and repay early. Leave your monthly payments at the amount you paid before and you can shave years off your mortgage. Make sure that your new lender offers pre-payments without penalties. Many of the lenders allow you to increase your payments by 15% per month and to pay up to 15% of the original mortgage amount. Some lenders will let you double up your payment amounts.
If you follow the 5 steps above you will be able to achieve your financial goals faster and easier than you thought possible.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Time is Right for Investment Property Mortgage Refinance

Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Should I Use an Independent Financial Adviser

Sunday, September 9, 2007
Refinance Home Mortgage
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The Best Mortgage Rates
There are going to be many factors which affect your mortgage rate, some of which are under your control and others which you can do nothing about. You should be aware of all of the factors which might affect your mortgage rate and take them into consideration before applying for a mortgage loan. You can take steps to improve some of the factors which affect your mortgage rate and make decisions about when is best to apply based on basic knowledge about your mortgage.
What is a mortgage?
Most people understand the basic definition that the mortgage is a loan which is used to purchase a home. There is slightly more to the mortgage than this. The mortgage is a loan which uses the property itself as collateral. If you fail to make the payments on your mortgage, the property may be taken over by the lending institution who has given you the mortgage.
You want the best mortgage rates
The mortgage is a long-life loan meaning that it is not going to be fully repaid for many, many years. A standard home mortgage is often a fifteen or twenty year loan. This means that you want the best mortgage rate possible because you are going to be needing to pay this rate for a long, long time.
Factors affecting mortgage rates
Major factors affecting mortgage rates include:
• Amount of down payment on mortgage
• Consideration of closing costs
• Income of mortgage borrower
• Life of mortgage loan
• Life of mortgage rate
• Total mortgage loan amount
• Whether or not the mortgage rate is adjustable
Factors making up a desirable mortgage rate
The basic premise of the desirable mortgage rate is that it is within your budget, has a low interest rate and is paid back as quickly as possible. How all of this plays out in terms of each individual mortgage depends upon the independent factors of each borrower. For example, you might prefer a fifteen-year mortgage loan to one that is paid over thirty years. This will allow you to save money over time because you pay less in interest. However, if you can not afford the higher monthly payments and you default on the mortgage loan, you have not helped yourself out any.
Negotiating a desirable mortgage rate
The simplest method of achieving a desirable mortgage rate is to work with a mortgage broker. You will have to pay up front fees to the mortgage broker, usually at the time when all of the closing costs are paid on the home purchase, but you will save money and time in the long run. The mortgage broker plays the role of assessing your personal financial situation and working with lending institutions to negotiate the best possible mortgage rate for your situation. The mortgage broker has experience with all of the factors and terms used in the mortgage loan negotiation and can use this expertise to your benefit.
Repayment of the mortgage loan
When you are working out a plan of repayment for the mortgage loan, you should look at the amount of money available for down payment, the amount you can reasonably pay on the loan each month, the grace period of any adjustable mortgage loan interest rates and any fees owed for early repayment of the mortgage. Working with the mortgage broker, you should be able to develop a repayment plan for your mortgage which allows you to purchase and remain in your home through the life of the loan.