A Guide to Getting a Mortgage
Buying a new house is a major step in your life... and it can
also be a major debt that shouldn't be taken lightly. To save
yourself both time and money, it's important to keep your need
for a mortgage in mind during the entire process of finding and
buying a new home.
Careful consideration of potential houses and shopping around
for a mortgage lender can not only help you to find the right
house for you and your family but can also help make sure that
you're not paying more in interest and fees than you absolutely
have to.
Here are some helpful hints to assist you in finding the house
that you want and getting the money that you need so you can pay
for it.
Advantages of Using a Realtor
In order to buy a new home, you need to find a house to buy.
While there are a variety of ways that you can go about
searching for a house, one of the best ways is to locate a
realtor and let them assist you with the process. While there
may be some additional fees associated with using a realtor, the
benefits more than outweigh the drawbacks.
Not only will they be able to walk you through their entire
catalog of homes (and often the homes that other realtors in the
area have for sale as well), but realtors can often recommend
mortgage lenders that they work with regularly (and who may
offer reduced rates because of the reference) in addition to
assisting you with getting utilities connected and recommending
businesses and services if you're new to the area.
Finding a Mortgage Lender
Once you've found the house that you want to buy (either with a
realtor or by yourself), you need to decide where you're going
to get the money to pay for it. The best way for you to find a
mortgage loan with good interest rates is for you to shop around
and compare lenders before making your decision.
Request loan quotes from a variety of lenders, not just banks...
after all, mortgage and finance companies exist to provide
loans, as do online lenders.
By taking the time to compare interest rates and loan terms from
several different types of lenders, you might end up finding a
much better deal on your mortgage than you would have from the
lender whom you originally planned on using.
Down Payments, Closing Costs, and Other Fees
In most cases, you won't be borrowing a house's total cost with
a mortgage loan... you'll be expected to pay a portion of the
cost up front and borrow the rest. Unfortunately, the amount
that you pay up front isn't all that you're going to have to pay
once the deal is closed... other fees, such as closing costs,
lender fees, and realtor fees, must also be paid.
In order to make sure that you have enough money to pay for all
of this, you should inquire as to what fees will be associated
with your mortgage loan and with purchasing the house you want
before you request a quote from a lender. Subtract this amount
from the money that you have available, and then use the amended
total as your down payment when requesting loan quotes.
Ideally, you'll be able to submit a down payment of at least ten
percent of the total cost of the home... this is the percentage
that many lenders prefer, though most will accept a lower down
payment or no down payment though closing costs and fees still
apply.
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