Tuesday 3 February 2009

How To Choose Your First Home's Mortgage Loan

By Alexandria P. Anderson

First time home buyers often are befuddled when it comes to choosing the best mortgage package. In addition, there is no guarantee of getting your preferred mortgage loan even if you are working with a mortgage professional. First time homebuyers must not sign away the loan they qualified for but instead consider a smaller, more affordable loan.

This can be achieved when the basis set to qualify you is not your income ration and not exactly how much you are prepared to pay monthly. Borrowing the entire loan amount you qualified for can most probably exhaust your monthly resources which nobody would want to happen.

Setting your own limits for the loan will help you resist the temptation to just borrow up to the limit that your loan officers offer s and help you stay within a comfortable housing expense range based on your income level. Here are some more tips for selecting the mortgage for your new home purchase:


1. Be informed about the tax benefits. 'Interest only' loans are those that allow deducting the entire payment from your taxes on a particular year. There are also other loans with negative amortization that won't permit deduction of interest from the monthly payment.

2. Evaluate the long-term advantages. Whether you're planning to live in your home for 30 years and more or not, it is still advisable to know the pros and cons of your mortgage package. A fixed interest rate loan is somewhat higher in amount but unlike ARM and other loan products, it can safeguard you from changing market conditions. But a fixed interest loan also has its limitations. Smart Consumer's Guide to Home Buying's author, Barron, proposes that the fixed interest rate may increase your payments because of the demands of the escrow account linked with it.

3. Inquire about flexible payment options. Some home mortgage loans allow you to make extra payments towards the principal balance without paying a penalty, which means you can start paying down your mortgage when you have extra funds at your disposal. Find out if your loan products offer this type of flexibility so you can start paying down and be free of debt sooner than later.

4. Find ways to keep your payments manageable. Keep your payments affordable by setting a limit on your loan amount even if you have been offered a huge amount by the lender. As much as possible, find a low interest rate, long loan term, and the ability to make interest-only payments.

5. Avail yourself of mortgage insurance. Nowadays, majority of people do not have enough resources to pay for down payment. However your down payment can no longer be a problem since it can be provided by mortgage insurance and in some instances, you can even apply for your desired loan without making any kind of down payment.

About the Author: Alexandria P. Anderson is a Maple Grove real estate agent that helps people to find and purchase Homes in Maple Grove of Minnesota.

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