Do you know what mortgage insurance is?
Many people confuse mortgage insurance with mortgage life insurance, mortgage disability insurance, or even homeowners insurance. These are all very different types of insurance - no wonder there is such confusion! Mortgage insurance is generally required when the down payment on a home is less than 20%, and it is designed to protect the lender in the event of loan default. The lower the down payment, the higher the risk for the lender, and this can mean a higher monthly mortgage insurance premium. Depending on the specifics of your information, there are ways in which mortgage insurance can sometimes be avoided at the time of purchase, or dropped altogether at some point in the future. Many lenders now offer a single loan that doesn’t require Mortgage Insurance. These generally have a slightly higher rate.
If you have to choose, which one is best for you?

Lets look at one home purchase with three scenarios

$200,000 home
$180,000 loan (with $20,000 down)

Scenario A
One loan WITH mortgage insurance
Payments of $1,320.00 plus mortgage insurance payments of around $80.00 per month for a total of $1,400 per month

Scenario B
One loan WITHOUT mortgage insurance (8

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How much can you Borrow? The question everyone applying for a loan wants the answer to is “how much do I qualify for? Depending on your credit score & the amount of your revolving debt, a few home equity lenders may let you borrow up to 100% of the appraised value of your home. When you apply for a loan online, always ask the lender about the terms for the home equity loan. How many years is the loan for? Is the interest rate fixed or variable? If you are applying for a home equity line of credit, discuss whether or not there is a minimum draw requirement at closing.

Don’t forget to find out about the accessibility. In other words, how do you access to your credit line? (ie. checks, credit card, etc.?) Ask the loan officer if after the draw period expires, whether or not it will you may be able to renew your credit line. If you cannot, find out if the interest rate will continue to be variable for the repayment period. If there are fixed rate options, get them.

Verify with your loan officer that there is no balloon payment with the second mortgage. If there is, you may be required to pay off the entire outstanding balance, when the balloon payment is due.

How much cash can you get out of your home? If you have good credit, and have for example $75,000 in equity, you should be able access the entire $75,000. There are quite a few home equity lenders that offer equity loans up to 100% of the appraised value of your home. A few brokers and lenders, like BD Nationwide Mortgage can offer you second mortgages up to 125% of home’s appraised value. Typically 125% loans will have some cash out limits. Depending upon your credit score, 125% second mortgages will allow cash back between $25,000 and $75,000 in addition to the debt consolidation.

Dan Ambrose is a true mortgage authority who has been in the business for nearly 15 years. Today Dan is a free-lance writer, and account executive for Irwin Home Equity. He offers loan tips to anyone interested in maximizing home equity. Previously, Dan has done some consulting for Countrywide, and BD Nationwide Mortgage. You can read more of his articles about Second Mortgage & Home Equity Loans online. For a complete look at home equity loans please visit 2nd Mortgage & Debt Consolidation or go to 125 second mortgages online. If you want more tips, please check out the “FTC Fast Facts - Home Equity Credit Lines” published by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Having a blemish on your credit report can lead people to believe that it will be impossible for them to obtain a mortgage or refinance their current one.

Although having less than perfect credit can be a challenge, all hope is not lost.

There are lenders out there, and many of them, who specialize in doing mortgages for people with challenged credit. These lenders are known as sub prime lenders.

You may not be familiar with sub prime lenders because they are not the type of institution to set up shop on every street corner like the banks.

Sub prime lenders deal with all kinds of special and unique situations. Whatever your situation may be, there is a good chance that there is a lender out there with a program for you.

For instance, sub prime lenders have programs for people with poor payment history, people who have had bankruptcies, people who are in foreclosure and are looking to be bought out, etc. Over all if your credit history is poor, you will most likely have to go with a sub prime lender.

My suggestion to you would be to find a broker to shop around for the best possible program for you.

A broker is not a lender, their job is to guide and educate you through the loan process. Most brokers have a contact list too literally hundreds of lenders across the country including sub prime lenders. Allow for the broker to assess your financial situation, than fit you into a program that you both can agree on.

The down side to dealing with a sub prime lender is the interest rate. You can count on it being high. If you have bad credit, the lender will see you as a risk, and the penalty you pay for being considered a risk is in the interest rate.

The point is this, regardless of your credit issues, there most likely is a lender out there who will deal with you, just make sure the deal you agree on is in your best interest and not in the best interest of the broker or the lender.

When deciding to purchase a home or refinance your existing one, always do your homework. Continue to educate yourself so you know what to expect going forward, and don’t be afraid to shop around for the best deal out there. Just because your credit isn’t the greatest doesn’t mean lenders won’t be competing for your business because they will.

Your credit can be repaired over time if you pay your bills on time, so make this a goal and work toward it.

Jennifer Hershey has more than twenty years of experience in the Mortgage Industry as a loan officer. She is the owner of http://www.explainingmortgages.com/, a mortgage resource site devoted to making mortgage terms and products easy to understand.

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