Mortgage Finance-more What You Need To Know

You can hardly listen to the radio or watch TV any more without seeing or hearing an ad for a mortgage company that will do this or that. I dare you to go to a search page on the Internet without seeing an ad for a large sum of money at a really low amount for a payment. There are mailers, ads in newspapers and magazines, billboards?they are everywhere.

So where do you start? Unless you know someone in the business that you trust I would start by doing some independent homework. Real estate agents usually have a favorite company that they like to do business with?just be careful. It's like asking a hotel front desk clerk where the best restaurant is. You'll get an answer?only colored with their opinion.

Ask friends and relatives of their experience for a start. Your bank will try to sell you their services. To my way of thinking it is best to talk to someone who is knowledgeable, someone who can explain the ins and outs of the products that might best suit your needs.
A first time buyer will need a different loan than someone buying a $500,000 home.

To find best deals available you must trust your gut feelings and do your own homework. You may find various mortgage companies advertising via mailers, ads in newspapers, magazines and billboards. Pay attention and try contacting these companies. Additionally, to help reach your conclusion there are many websites on the Internet where you can get quotes. This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to compare. There are several sites that will give you three or four quotes.

Just remember there is more to the loan than the rate and the term. There will be fees and costs that you will be expected to pay at closing. Do not forget to compare the mortgage rate and enquire about hidden costs. These closing costs are outlined in the "good faith estimate." that you should get within three days of applying for the loan. It will list costs related to inspections, taxes, title insurance and other charges. You also should receive an information booklet, "Settlement Costs?a HUD Guide."

The crux of the story is to do your homework, research well before deciding on a particular company. Though it seems easy, it isn't. If it seems too easy you probably have made a mistake. Don?t Press The Easy Button

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Mortgage Finance-3 Hot Tips To Avoid Lowering Your Fico Score

Building a good credit score is a long term process. As they say a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. Beware of quick fixes. There are none except for the quick fix of getting into your wallet by way of a scam and there are some out there. Here are three sure fire tips to avoid lowering your FICO score.

The MR BIG of things to avoid is:

1. MISSING A PAYMENT Sure you knew that. But missing a single payment can undue years of good solid work in a heartbeat-by 100 points or more. If you have a record of being late it won't hurt as much as having a perfect payment record sad to say. AND if you are a day late with some companies it doesn't matter-you are still late. They can be ruthless.

Close behind #1 is:

2.100% UTILIZATION OF AVAILABLE CREDIT Fair Isaac AND Company FICO is looking for a low credit utilization percentage-the lower the better. So if you are maxing out your cards look for your score to take a tumble. Consider asking for a higher credit limit and make darn sure you don't use it (like my ex wife did). This has the same effect of paying off your cards and lowering that percentage. Cool eh?

And last of the hot tips to avoid a lower FICO score is:

3.DON'T TOSS THOSE OLD CARDS I made this huge mistake myself thinking it would help. WRONG! Instead of tossing those old cards use them occasionally-every 4-6 months for small purchases and pay it off immediately. This will keep your account active vs. inactive- a huge difference to Mr. FICO.

Follow these three tips and you will help avoid having your FICO score in the tank.

Jack Krohn is a leading free lance writer on Home Equity and Mortgage issues with over 35 articles to his credit. He is also the #1 author of Home Security Articles in the country according to Ezine Articles.

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