Tips for First Buying Property

The biggest challenge for most first-time home buyers is saving up enough money for a down payment. Here are some tips from Yahoo Finance for first buying house:


First: Pay Off Your Debt
It's a common mistake for home-buyers-to-be: They focus on saving as much money as possible for a down payment instead of paying off other debts. A better approach is to use extra cash to eliminate credit-card and other high-interest consumer debt � even if that means you can put down less on your future home, says Lori Vella, senior vice president of national lending for Washington Mutual.

Why? First, credit-card debt is expensive and limits your ability to save. The average interest rate on credit cards now stands at 13.8%, or more than double the 5.33% national average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, according to Bankrate.com. Second, credit-card debt will limit how much you can borrow. That's because lenders won't allow your total monthly debt service � which includes payments for credit cards, student loans and car loans, as well as homeowner's insurance, property taxes and a mortgage � to exceed 40% of your gross income, Vella says.

How Much Can You Afford?
The answer to that is a function of two things: How much you can borrow and how much of a down payment you can muster. As a rule of thumb, your annual mortgage payment, taxes and homeowner's insurance shouldn't exceed 28% of your gross income. Then determine how much cash you have for a down payment, leaving yourself enough left over to pay those pesky closing costs, which can add up to 3% to 5% of your total home's value (plus a little something extra for emergency repairs once you move into your new home).

Still having trouble figuring it all out? Click here for SmartMoney.com's home-buying worksheet.

Types of Loans
Now you're ready to start shopping around for the right loan. As we said, a first-time home buyer with a steady job and good credit can put down as little as 3% these days. These loans are more available, and more reasonably priced, now that they're acceptable to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (The two so-called government-sponsored agencies purchase mortgages worth up to $333,700 on the secondary market � $500,550 in Alaska and Hawaii � absorbing the original lenders' financial risk. And both will now buy 97% mortgages.) While rates vary, such a low-down-payment mortgage will run a half-point higher than a conventional loan, says Steve Majerus, senior vice-president of capital markets for E-Loan, an online lender. On our hypothetical 97% mortgage of $178,286, that extra half-point of interest adds $57 to the monthly payment.

But the more money you can muster for a down payment, the more options you will have. For example, Fannie Mae's new "start-up mortgage" allows borrowers who can put down 5% to qualify for a loan on a smaller salary than with a 3% down payment. You will need to find a Fannie Mae-approved lender to take advantage of this program. Click on Fannie Mae's Web site for a list of all of its products and approved lenders.

Private lenders are also coming up with their own programs to tap into the first-time home buyers' market. Washington Mutual, for example, offers a program for buyers with a 10% down payment: Instead of charging for mortgage insurance, the savings-and-loan builds the cost into the interest rate, making it tax-deductible (which mortgage-insurance premiums aren't).

And if you really want to get creative and avoid paying mortgage insurance altogether, you can do as Mullarkey did and take out two piggybacked loans. These are also referred to as 80-10-10s. First, you need to put down 10% of the home's value. Then, you take out a primary loan, usually a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, for 80% of the home's value. This interest rate should be competitive. For the remaining 10%, you'll need to take out a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage at a far less competitive rate � as much as two points higher than the market. Combine the two monthly costs to come up with your total mortgage payment. Due to the complexity, a piggybacked loan is a bit more expensive than a traditional mortgage and carries higher closing costs. Still, they tend to be cheaper than paying private mortgage insurance.

Questionable Credit
Worried you don't have perfect credit? Thanks to Fannie Mae's "expanded approval" program, consumers with slightly blemished credit can also qualify for mortgages at competitive rates that are as much as two percentage points lower than alternative financing. "These are people who might not qualify for fair-market value rates from traditional lenders," says Liz Bayless, director of single family product development at Fannie Mae.

If your credit's still not good enough for one of Fannie Mae's loans, you may yet qualify for a loan insured by the Federal Housing Authority, or FHA. These government-insured loans are issued with even more lenient credit criteria. You can also put down as little as 3% for an FHA loan, and can wrap your closing costs and fees into the mortgage. Interest rates are typically less than a quarter of a point higher than those in the conventional market. To get a government-insured loan, make sure you find a HUD-approved lender or a mortgage broker who works with one.

There's no income limit to qualify for an FHA-insured loan. However, since these loans are geared toward helping first-time home buyers and low- to moderate-income families, there's a limit to how much you can borrow. The amount varies from region to region, but it's capped at $290,319 in high-cost areas ($403,750 in Hawaii), says Laurie Maggiano, a HUD spokeswoman. To check your area's ceiling, click on the FHA mortgage limits page.

Down-Payment Assistance Programs
Still having trouble coming up with that down payment? Each year HUD gives states and municipalities money to distribute to low- and moderate-income families for housing. Much of it is put toward down-payment assistance programs. Many young prospective home buyers may qualify for a $3,000 to $5,000 grant (or in some cases a loan that's forgiven if a home buyer stays in the home for at least three years) to put toward their down payment or closing costs.

To qualify for a down-payment assistance program, a consumer typically can earn no more than 80% of a region's median income. Call your state housing finance authority, county housing and community development office or mayor's office for an application.

One final note of caution: Don't confuse any of these programs with no-equity loans being offered to people who already own their homes. These high-cost, high-risk home-equity loans are a bad idea. See our story to find out why.

Avoid Top 10 Mistakes Made By Real Estate Investors

Author: Real Estate Advisor

Real estate investment is perhaps one of the most lucrative forms of investment today. But it is also equally risk bound especially when one is not well versed with the trends and nuances of the real estate market. So if you are contemplating on investing in real estate, it is best to avoid costly mistakes in real estate investment especially when you invest your hard earned money into it. Knowing the most common mistakes made by real estate investors helps one steer away from making such mistakes in the future and ensures good return on investment.

Here are the top ten mistakes made by real estate investors, according to bankrate.com. Bankrate has put together the top ten mistakes after speaking to established, full-time real estate investors and other professionals involved in real estate investment such as bankers. Read on to know them and avoid them.

1. Not planning up ahead. Lack of a proper plan is the biggest mistake made by novice investors. Finding a house after forming a proper investment strategy is the right way instead of looking for a house to fit the plan. Many make the mistake of buying a house because it seems to be a good deal and then trying to see how they can fit it into their plan. Instead of buying a house and thinking one can plan in due course, investors should rather concentrate on the numbers and try to make offers on multiple properties. This will ensure a good property that not only matches their investment model but also works out well with the numbers they had planned for.

2. To believe you can make money quickly. The second major mistake that real estate investors make is to think it is very easy to get rich in real estate. This is only a myth and the reality is that investing in real estate is a long term project.

3. Doing it single-handedly. For becoming a successful real estate investor one needs to build a team of professionals who would assist the investor in his deals. This would ideally include a real estate agent, an appraiser, a home inspector, a closing attorney and a lender.

4. Making excess payment. One another reason that investors in real estate goof up in their investment is by paying too much for the properties they buy. Paying too much and locking up all the funds in the erred property deal will leave you with no money to redeem yourself.

5. Leaving out the groundwork. Not doing your homework could be a costly mistake if you were a real estate investor. Every field of business needs sufficient amount of homework to be done, and real estate investment is no exception. Learn the fundamentals and then venture into investing in properties.

6. Throwing caution to the winds. Investors have to exercise a certain degree of caution and take earnest efforts while making a deal. New investors often fail in this regard and sign a deal without doing adequate research on the property.

7. Miscalculating money flow. Investors whose strategy is to buy, hold and rent out properties need to ensure sufficient cash flow for maintenance. Property managers could be expensive and the owner has to incur more expenses such as mortgage, taxes, insurance, advertising costs etc. Investors have to allocate their budget such that all these expenses are taken care of, or end up having their asset turn into a liability.

8. Lowering the volume. A larger volume of deals or transactions helps in increasing the profits by reducing the impacts of marginal deals.

9. Getting trapped in your own deal. Having more number of options at hand for the property you buy is a wise strategy. This helps one to be prepared for fluctuations in the real estate market. Plans to rent out the house could go awry when the rental market slumps. Having alternative plans helps you cut down losses and tackle unexpected situations.

10. Making incorrect estimates. People who plan to rehab their house need to check if they will still reap the benefits at double the time that they had estimated. This ensures they do not miscalculate and lose money on the deal.

Getting Your First Mortgage

Author: Chris Borthwick

There hasn’t been a harder time than in the past few months for those looking for a first time buyer mortgage with rising house prices and the credit crunch has caused lenders to tighten their lending requirements and cancel and reduce the number of mortgages they offer. There is only currently only one 100% mortgage lender on the market making it hard for many to get the first steps on the property ladder.

Mortgage rates are starting to return to levels very similar to those before the credit crunch and should set to get even more competitive however first time buyers are disadvantaged by new tougher conditions mortgage lenders are introducing with their mortgages.

To get a decent rate you need to either have a sizeable equity stake in a property (obviously counting first timers out) or have a fairly large deposit to put down on a new home.

However don’t worry things are getting better as mortgage lenders re-enter the market and property prices have come down, on average by £20,000, making it possible for many more to buy and afford repayments.

Before you commit to buying a mortgage you should think carefully – is it the right time for me/us to buy? Should I/we save a little longer? Saving for a bit longer will mean your choice of mortgages will be better as you are able to offer a higher deposit, easing lenders concerns who will in return offer a better interest rate, possibly saving you in the long term by renting for just that bit longer.

Once you are ready to start your property search, a good place to start is with a mortgage broker. A good mortgage broker will take time to understand your requirements and should search the whole of the market to find the best http://www.firstmortgage.co.uk/First-time-buyer-mortgage"> first time buyer mortgage for you. Many offer free, impartial advice so you can see what you can afford, what is available to you and how much you can borrow for your property. They should also be able to offer expert knowledge of the market and have experience to be able to recommend a lender when you have a choice between a few.

Start your search now to see if you can jump into the property market.

Tips for Reviewing Loans

Once your have begun the process of obtaining a home mortgage loan, here are some essential things to watch or watch out for in reviewing loan proposals and documents.

When you are in the process of obtaining a home mortgage loan, there are undoubtedly many aspects of the process that are new to you. The language that applies to loans, for instance can be different from the meaning applied to the same term in everyday life. It is far better to review each clause of the prospective loan document as soon as you have access to it and make certain that you understand the terms that are used and how they apply to your own financial situation. Here are some concepts regarding your loan that will be important in ensuring your loan package is acceptable in the long run.

Overall cost of the loan

There are many aspects that go into determining the loan cost on your home mortgage loan. The interest rate, mortgage type, loan fees, and term of the loan are just a few of these. You may understand the words, but it is important to take a look at what the words will cost you in dollars and cents. Even a few dollars less in the early stages of a loan can save you thousands of dollars over the entire loan period. It's important to take advantage of such savings.

Mortgage type

The basic mortgage types that are common when you apply for a home mortgage loan include the fixed rate mortgage, the adjustable rate mortgage, reverse or negative equity mortgages and interest only mortgages. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages and you are the best equipped to determine whether the type of mortgage will work for you. The important factor is that you review the documents and proposals so that you know precisely which type of loan you are getting. Being surprised in a few months by a two to five hundred dollar increase in your monthly payment due to an adjustable rate mortgage can result in the loss of your home.

Interest rate

When reviewing the loan documents for a home mortgage loan, one of the important factors that you should check and understand is that of interest rate on the loan. Mortgage interest rates can vary from low to high, depending upon such other factors as the type of loan, applicable usury laws, credit rating, term of the loan and others. Review the stated rate and make certain it is what was agreed upon. If you are expecting a fixed interest rate and the documents provide for an adjustment in 24 months, chances are good that the mortgage has been prepared with a variable interest rate.

Broker's reputation

Actually, checking the broker's reputation should come well before preparing or reviewing the documents for your home mortgage loan. Sometimes though, you won't see a problem until you actually get the documents in writing before you. If there is anything that is unclear or incorrect, the time to get the problem corrected is before signing. A reputable broker should be willing to work with you to correct problems or clear up any communication issues.

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