Mortgage Delinquency Facts and Fiction
Kenneth Harney, a highly respected columnist for the Washington Post, expressed surprise in his column recently because home buyers in high-cost parts of the country like California, Hawaii, Boston and Washington, D.C. are not leading the nation in mortgage delinquencies.Mr. Harney stated (in near ... more...

How to Avoid Paying Mortgage Insurance
In today's world, a borrower should not be paying mortgage insurance (PMI) on their home mortgage with a few exceptions such as an FHA loan. Mortgage Insurance is a thing of the past.Lets first explain what mortgage insurance is. A lender requires a borrower to pay mortgage insurance if the loan ... more...

Short-Term Interest Rates on the Rise; Adjustable Rate Mortgage Holders Prepare for Increase in Rate
Interest rates are on the rise and many home owners who have adjustable rate mortgages may see increases in their forthcoming annual adjustments.Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made it clear in 2004 that the Federal Reserve would be increasing short-term interest rates at a measured pace. ... more...

What is an Offset Mortgage?
An offset mortgage is very similar to a current account mortgage - but instead of having everything all in one account, all accounts are held separately.The offset mortgage concept treats your money as one giant pot, with each element (mortgage, savings, current account etc) separate to the rest. ... more...

Advantages and Disadvantages Of A Reverse Mortgage
Betty and John, are in their mid-seventies and are currently weighing the advantages and disadvantages of a reverse mortgage as a way of freeing up some cash. The couple purchased their home 45 years ago for about $14,000 since then home values have skyrocketed and recent single family homes in ... more...

Option ARM The Worlds Most Dangerous Mortgage
Home prices have reached record levels, and in many parts of the country, homes have become nearly unaffordable. Real estate has replaced the tech stocks of the late 1990s as the hot investment, and everyone has sold their stocks and jumped into investment property. Real estate prices have ... more...

Shopping for A Mortgage? Do Your Homework First
If you happen to be shopping around for a mortgage, it is very important that you first take the necessary time to do your homework.When I say homework, I am talking about research. There are so many loan programs out there that it is easy to get lost in all of the mortgage jargon that people in ... more...

Thought You Can Go All Alone In Mortgages! Mortgage Advice Beneficial In All Important Decisions
Mortgages are easy as long as you understand them well. But how many borrowers can be confident of their knowledge of mortgages.With the list of terms and terminologies related to mortgages growing fastly, it is difficult to keep pace with it. However, the legal maxim goes as follows ignorantia ... more...

Mortgage Loans Explained In Plain English
With the many different kinds of mortgage loans out there, choosing the right one for your needs can be a difficult task. The following points will help you understand the pros and cons of the different types of mortgage loans available to you.What are the main types of mortgage loans?There are two ... more...

How and Why to Refinance Your Mortgage
Refinancing your mortgage can be a great way to reduce monthly payments, lock in a better interest rate, and gain additional time for repayment, but it should not be entered into lightly. Refinancing at the wrong time or for the wrong reason can actually result in you having a higher payment or a ... more...

How To Become a Mortgage Broker
The mortgage industry accounted for $1,815,949,279,000 in loan transactions in 2004. That's one trillion, eight hundred and fifteen billion, nine hundred and forty-nine million, two hundred and seventy nine thousand dollars... in one year!Mortgage brokers average better than 1% commission on every ... more...

How to Use Your Mortgage to Dramatically Increase Your Retirement Savings
Did you know that your mortgage can be used to dramatically increase your retirement savings? There are many ways to use your mortgage as a financial tool, but one of these ways that is most overlooked is that of using your mortgage to help you increase your efforts of preparing for retirement. ... more...

Home Mortgage Loans - Fixed Rate, Adjustable or Balloon, Which One Is Right For You?
When you're shopping for a new homeespecially for the first timeall the terms and expressions may be confusing and difficult to understand. Adjustable rate, fixed rate, balloon payment - how do you decide which is the right type of home mortgage for you if you're not even sure what each of them are ... more...