Mortgage Payments Vs Rent Payments

by Max Hunter

There is an age-old debate on whether or not it makes more sense for people to rent or buy. Though it is hard to really understand why there is a debate at all. You will definitely hear arguments from both camps that appear logical but if you do a little digging you may find that some of the arguments are thin at best.

The simple fact of the matter is you are always better off making a mortgage payment over a rent payment if you can afford to do so. It is not uncommon for mortgage payments to actually be lower than many rent payments are. So the key is to understand an important, fundamental difference between making a rent payment and making a mortgage payment.

Rent payments are made on a monthly basis for the most part. That money gives you the right to live in the house or apartment for the specified period of time, typically one month. You receive no other tangible benefits from that rent payment. It does not improve your credit score, it does not produce equity, it simply gives you the ability to live in the residence.

A mortgage payment, first and foremost, also gives you the ability to remain in the residence, however, it does much more than just that. First, the mortgage payment helps you build equity in your home. Equity is the difference between what you owe on the property and what the property is worth. That equity can be used for many things including debt consolidation, home improvements, extra funds, etc. Equity becomes a powerful tool in your overall financial plan.

Mortgage payments also include interest payments which can be tax deductible, helping your overall bottom line at the end of the year. Rent is not tax deductible in most cases. Your mortgage payments will also help improve your credit score if you continue to make payments on time. Mortgage payments are tracked if your lender reports the loan, which most lenders typically do. Your overall financial outlook can improve dramatically with an increased credit score resulting from on-time mortgage payments.

Some will argue that you are tied down to a home if you buy it, while renting gives you more flexibility. Though it is important to remember that if you rent a residence you are typically obligated for a specific period of time, typically a year. If you own a home, however, you are able to sell and relocate any time you wish, or you can rent the residence and relocate any time you wish. This is an important and fundamental difference between the two. It is true, however, that how quickly you are able to sell your home will depend on the location, its value, its condition and the market at the time of the sale. You do have the flexibility, however, to sell anytime you find a willing and able buyer.

One time where renting may seem like a more logical choice than buying is if you are going to live in a particular area for only a short period of time. In order to determine if it makes sense to rent or buy in this type of situation you really need to analyze your overall financial plans. You need to get a full understanding of any and all costs associated with you buying the home, the likelihood you would be able to sell it or rent it when you were relocating from the area, etc. For some, even in a short term situation the better financial decision may be buying, especially if they are able to rent it and build equity on their tenant. This may, however, impede them buying a second home, though if they have adequate credit and income they may not have any problem buying the second residence as well.

It is difficult to come up with a scenario that makes renting the clear cut right decision. It seems in most situations buying, if an option for you is the better decision financially. Though consulting with a mortgage professional is the only real way to help determine these things as they can give you a clear understanding of what is and what is not possible for you. Your financial advisor can also assist you in making this decision.

Owning your own home has many non-financial benefits as well, however, only you can evaluate those. You know what is and what is not important for you. You know what obligations you are comfortable having and which you are not. The key is to evaluate your personal situation rather than listen to those who are convinced that one or the other is right for you.

Max Hunter is the author of many credit related articles. If you are looking for help with Home Loans or any type of credit issue please visit us at http://www.homeloanave.com

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Mortgage And Loan Products information... visit our site at http://www.mortgage-and-loan-info.com.

Mortgage Loans - Which One Is Right For Me?

by Dave Zwierecki

There seem to literally be thousands of mortgage programs out there so how do I know which one is best for me? Finding the right mortgage program to fit your needs and your financial goals can be difficult to do unless you are working with the 'right' mortgage professional and asking the 'right' questions.

Which mortgage program is right for me? This is a very common question asked by many consumers. There is no one answer fits all type response that can be given. Each and every individual person has their own specific financial situation and their own financial goals and dreams. With the number of mortgage programs out there to choose from being in the hundreds and maybe even the thousands, this can be a difficult decision trying to figure out what is going to be best for you. There are interest only loans, ARM loans, Pay Option ARM loans, balloons, fixed rate loans, extendable balloons, conventional loans, FHA loans, and many, many others to consider. Therefore, so what do I need to think about when choosing a loan program then?

Some of the main factors that you will want to consider when choosing which mortgage loan is right for you are: how long will you live in your home, do you have any children attending college currently or within the next few years, is this a starter home, will you have a pre-payment penalty, are you expecting any new family members to be added to your family, how much do you have in liquid assets, are you self-employed or do you work for someone, how much longer until you plan on retiring, do you have enough money for retirement, do you have many other financial obligations besides a mortgage, do you own any other property, and many, many others. Answering these questions, or at least thinking about them before you are ready to finance a home mortgage loan can help to greatly improve your chances of finding the right mortgage loan to meet your demands.

A fixed rate mortgage is always going to provide the most stability in the long run, however since most Americans sell or refinance every 4.6 years a fixed rate does not always make the most sense. An ARM loan can provide a cheaper payment and a lower interest rate upfront for a certain number of years, but there is a lot more risk involved obtaining an ARM loan because of the uncertainty of what will happen after the fixed rate period expires on the ARM. Interest only loans are good for real estate investors and consumers who need the flexibility of being able to make only the interest portion of the monthly payments. Pay Option ARM loans can be a great way to maximize cash flow, especially for self-employed and commissioned borrowers. However, Pay Option ARM loans can incur negative amortization, which is when your balance increases instead of decreases. There are a lot of items that you need to make sure that you understand before entering into a Pay Option ARM loan. FHA loans are usually better for homebuyers, especially first time who may not have the best credit or the best overall financial situation.

Thus, find a good mortgage professional and keep him or her for the rest of your days. The more you work with one person the more familiar they will be with your situation and be able to understand where you are coming from and where you want to go. This will help to insure that you find the proper mortgage loan for your situation.

Dave Zwierecki is a licensed mortgage professional with First Security Financial Services and has over 10 years of experience in the credit and mortgage lending fields. For more information, or to learn more, please visit: http://www.gofirstsecurity.com or for more information on mortgage loan programs visit: http://www.nomoneydown123.com/Florida/mortgage_programs.htm

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Mortgage And Loan Products information... visit our site at http://www.mortgage-and-loan-info.com.

100% Shared Ownership Mortgages

by Joe Kocsis

As UK house prices have escalated out of the reach of the first time buyer many people have had to resort to moving into rented accommodation to get a roof over their heads. An Englishman's home is his castle and with the average UK mortgage now being in excess of £197,000, it is now an extremely expensive commodity and the dream of owning your home is looking bleak for the first time buyer.

The truth is that house prices have outstripped incomes and as a result affordability has become a big, big problem. All is not lost, so, what are the alternatives and how could you become that homeowner?

Let us look at some alternatives that could be considered: -

* Shared ownership
* Parent guarantee schemes
* Buying with friends
* Shared equity schemes

Shared Ownership

If you are unable to buy a property outright on the open market, then shared ownership is the ideal solution for you. Shared Ownership is a part buy, part rent scheme, which enables purchasers to buy a home in stages. Purchasers can buy an initial share between 25% and 75% of the value of the property and pay a subsidised rent on the remaining value of the property. Shared ownership properties can be provided by housing associations, housing trusts and local authorities. These organisations try be as flexible as possible with regards to the initial share purchased, but this may be as much as 50% of the market value at some of their developments.

A service charge will normally be payable to cover the cost of communal maintenance. The service charges payable can remain the same whatever percentage you own of your home and continues to be payable should you purchase your home outright where possible. You will need to have sufficient savings to cover the initial cost of home ownership: legal fees and stamp duty for example. You will need to be able to meet the costs of rent, mortgage, service charges and other associated outgoings.

As your income increases, you can buy further shares of your home until you could own 100% of the value and no longer share the ownership with the housing association or trust. The greater the percentage you own, the lower the percentage on which you pay rent. However, if you do not wish to buy more shares in the property, you do not have to. Obviously, the more you own, the less you pay in rent. And, if you can buy your home outright in the future, then no rent will be payable.

100% Shared Ownership Mortgages

Having found the shared ownership house of your dreams a good whole of market mortgage broker should then be employed to find the best and cheapest mortgage. Careful searches can reveal 100% shared ownership mortgages that will not require a deposit, even if you have an adverse credit history.

Finding the right mortgage is a very important financial decision in life as it is more often than not the largest single expenditure in people's lives! People will often search the supermarkets shelves for bargains choosing products for the sake of a 1p or 2p saving per item and there's nothing wrong with that; I do it all the time.

Our parents teach us to be frugal with money in our up bringing and we sometimes become animals of habit throughout our lives. Through the generations, inflation has seen prices increase ten fold and who would have thought years ago that the price of a loaf would touch the £1 figure.

The same can be said about UK property, as the housing market has exploded and the average mortgage has gone way above the £197,000 figure. This is before we align our currency and interest rate with the euro. Ireland has seen a massive explosion in property prices in the post years of joining the euro and it is now an extremely expensive place to buy property.

Consider this as a normal mathematical comparison. A 2% saving on a £100,000 mortgage works out at £2,000 per year and assuming that this saving can be made every year by remortgaging and moving the mortgage to another lender, it equates to an astronomical £50,000 saving over the normal mortgage term of 25 years. It just doesn't make sense to be putting an extra £40 per week into a lenders pockets when they already make billions of £££'s net profit per year.

Most of us have all experienced hard times at some stage in our lives and received letters from banks telling us that they are going to charge us £27 for bouncing a cheque or non payment of a direct debit or standing order. Now is the time to hit back and take some of that money back from them by taking advantage of the discounts that they have to offer to borrowers.

So, if there is massive saving around like that, why do people not remortgage more often?

Surveys conducted by lenders have identified that some people are just not aware, whilst others have said that they just could not be bothered. Some people have stated that the mortgage market is just too complicated.

Well, the range of UK mortgages has increased dramatically over the past few years. Although this increase in mortgage types has added complexity, it has also introduced fierce competition, which has in turn resulted in the availability of some very attractive mortgage products for the customer. With over 10,000 mortgage products to choose from, how do we ensure that we get the best mortgage and remortgage rates?

Employing the services of a whole of market mortgage broker (the equivalent of a supermarket) can pay dividends here, as they have sophisticated computer software to narrow down the best rates for buying with friends, shared equity schemes, parent guarantee schemes and 100% shared ownership mortgages.

Joe Kocsis has over twenty years of experience in the UK Financial Services Industry. Follow this link http://www.mortgages2.co.uk for further information.

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Mortgage And Loan Products information... visit our site at http://www.mortgage-and-loan-info.com.

Say ‘Adios’ To Your Landlord By Buying Your Own Home

by Bruce Taylor

Possessing your own home is the biggest American dream. When you’re manically cleaning the lounge room in time for your next rent inspection, having to put up with your landlord’s love of lime green rug and generally stuck in a rent rut, it can seem like just that: a dream.

Feel like you don’t have any economies? Think about how much are you going to pay for rent every month and you’ll soon realise that this amount could be going towards your mortgage repayments, instead of making your landlord wealthier.

Having your own home may be the doubled investment you ever make -and it’s one that can bring enormous benefits.

If all the people except you seems be climbing the property ladder, maybe it’s time for you to take this chance and live the dream. Find out how easy it actually is to move towards buying your own home and say ‘adios’ to your landlord forever.

For a start, any increases in holding values in your area mean more equity for you – it’s just like automatically adding to a savings account. You can also from the tax deductions for home loan interest and property taxes, which means you could make substantial tax savings.

On top of the financial benefits, imagine the sense of personal compensation that comes with owning your own home. You could be the king or queen of your own home. No more furnishings to other people’s tastes, rent inspections or limits to how many painting hooks you can have on the walls.

Then you can enlist the help of a mortgage broker or manager to find out the best home debt and repayment schedule for your requirements. The amount you can take for a home depends on your income, savings, financial commitments (such as credit cards and motorcar payments), living expenses, your credit history and the value of the property you would like to buy.

The best location to start is to find a respectable financial broker. They can go through your options and aid you to understand what kind of financial engagement you are able to make. You can find out about the government’s First Home Owners Grant and how you can put this to use in getting your place.

With a host of experts by your side, explore your selections for fulfilling the great Canadian dream and you could sack your landlord and be choosing your own carpet, curtains and kitchen sooner than you think.

Do you need help getting the best home loan deal possible? Visit out site today.
Provided By: Real Estate

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Mortgage And Loan Products information... visit our site at http://www.mortgage-and-loan-info.com.