Is It Better To Use A Mortgage Broker

How Much Does It Cost To Use Their Services

Unlike loan officers that work for retail banks, mortgage brokers operate independently. As such, they need to be licensed. They obviously need to be paid for the services they offer, but where this payment comes from can either be from you, or the lender. Generally, the fees are more often paid by the lender who has agreed to extend you the loan. The fee charged is basically a small percentage of the entire loan amount, usually between 1% and 2%.

If you are responsible for paying this fee, the amount can either be paid up front, or can be incorporated into the loan payments. Mortgage brokers may offer no-cost loans by using a lender credit, which will essentially increase your interest rate, but get rid of any out-of-pocket costs.

All such fees must be clearly disclosed up front by the lender, and every fee will need to be itemized in detail and explained to you.

The Dodd-Frank Act was implemented recently to regulate how mortgage brokers get paid, and how such fees must be communicated with borrowers. Essentially, the Dodd-Frank Act dictates that mortgage brokers cannot charge hidden fees, or incorporate their payment into the interest rate of your loan. Brokers are also not permitted to get paid for directing you to an affiliated business, nor can they collect payment from both the borrower and the lender. Unless upfront fees were paid, your broker generally will not receive payment unless a deal is successfully closed.

What Do Loan Officers Do

A loan officer is usually an employee of an institutional bank, credit union or mortgage lender. They review financial documents and can recommend a loan for preapproval to an underwriter who works for a mortgage bank or lender.

A loan officer originates mortgage loans and there are two types: a licensed professional loan originator and a registered loan originator, Andrews said.

Licensed professional loan originators must take extra education, pass a national test and meet the licensing requirements of the states they do business in. Registered loan originators typically work for federally chartered institutions like banks and dont have to meet the same education and testing requirements as licensed MLOs.

Loan officers offer only the mortgage products of one financial institution. The lenders they work for lend the money, and youll typically make payments to the same company after closing.

Mortgage Broker Or Lender Which Is Better For You

Youre ready to apply for a mortgage loan and begin the hunt for your dream home. Now you have to decide between the two main providers of mortgage financing: mortgage brokers or mortgage lenders, the latter including both banks and other direct lenders.

The big difference between the two? Mortgage banks and non-bank direct lenders rely on their own money to fund their mortgages. When you apply for a mortgage loan at one of these lenders, you’ll work with that company’s employees, everyone from the loan officer who takes your application to the underwriters who verify that you can afford a monthly mortgage payment.

Mortgage brokers act a bit like insurance brokers. They don’t work with one company. Instead, they work with a wide range of wholesale lenders. This means they can offer you a greater number of loan products.

Whether you should work with a direct mortgage lender or a broker depends on your individual finances. But in general, if you have a solid credit score without any missed or late payments on your credit reports, you can expect to pay lower fees when working with a mortgage lender directly. If your credit is less-than-perfect, though, and you might need a bad-credit mortgage, a broker might be able to find a loan with a lower mortgage rate. And if youre struggling to qualify with a mortgage banker or non-bank lender, a broker, who works with several lenders, might be able to find an originator that will approve you.

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What Is A Mortgage Banker Vs Broker

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Accordingly, is it better to get a mortgage from a bank or broker?

While using a mortgage broker seems like it would save you money because they have access to many lenders and programs. When working with a Bank, that loan officer only have access to their own mortgage programs and mortgage rates. You could be getting a better deal with another Bank.

Additionally, is a loan officer the same as a mortgage broker? Mortgage brokers are licensed third parties who are paid to help people find mortgage lenders and make it through the application process. Mortgage loan officers are direct employees of those lenders whose job is to guide customers in selecting one of the lenders’ own mortgage options.

Moreover, what does a mortgage banker do?

Mortgage Banker Job Description. A Mortgage Banker is a loan officer who specializes in home mortgages. They spend their day meeting with potential clients and guiding current clients through the mortgage application process.

Is it good to use a mortgage broker?

Advantages of Using Mortgage BrokersThey are mortgage experts who provide different lenders, loan types and rates for buyers without upfront charges. They can offer loan and rate options that a traditional bank may not be able to. They help create your loan and close your homebuying transaction properly.

Better For Your Credit Score

A broker can make it possible for you to apply for several mortgages within a short time frame — a smart move from a credit-score standpoint.

Here’s why: Each time a lender pulls your credit history to determine whether you’re a viable loan candidate, that counts as a hard inquiry on your credit score, which can bring that number down a little. A single hard inquiry won’t do much damage, but multiple hard inquiries could hurt your credit score a lot more. If you apply for multiple mortgages within a short period — generally 30 to 45 days — all of those hard inquiries count as a single inquiry, thereby preserving your credit score. Without the help of a broker, you might struggle to get all your applications in quickly enough to avoid the hit.

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Questions To Ask Your Mortgage Broker

Ask questions. Lots of them. For example:

• Do you offer loans from a range of different lenders? What sort of lenders do you work with? What kind of lenders can’t you access?
• How do you get paid for the advice you’re giving me? Does this differ between lenders?
• Why did you recommend this loan to me? Why is this loan in my best interests?
• What fees will I have to pay when taking out this loan?
• What features come with this loan? Can you show me how they work?
• How do the fees and features of this loan affect how much the loan will cost me?
• Can you show me a couple more options, including one with the lowest cost?
• What is the threshold for lender’s mortgage insurance and how can I avoid it?

Mortgage Brokers Aren’t Right For Every Home Buyer

My case may be unique, or it might not.

I personally don’t know anyone else who’s ever used a mortgage broker to buy a home.

My broker dropped the ball big time, more than once. That doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing would happen to you if you were to go through a broker.

But it’s important do some research before you choose a broker over working with a mortgage lender directly.

Specifically, consider:

• What the broker charges and how they get paid. If you’re going to pay a fee for their help, it’s better to know that up front.
• The types of lenders the broker works with. The broader their lender network, the more variety you might have when it comes to loan options.
• How responsive they are to your initial communications. My broker was actually pretty good about answering emails quickly, even if they weren’t always that helpful when they did.
• What the broker’s actually going to do for you. Are they going to submit your loan paperwork? Field questions from the lender? Choose a closing attorney? Again, these are things that are good to know up front?
• The broker’s overall reputation. This is where I dropped the ball. I didn’t read any online reviews before I committed to working with the lender. If I had, my home buying experience might have been way different.

Also, remember to do your own comparison shopping when it comes to interest rates.

Even though a broker is supposed to help you find the best rate, it doesn’t hurt to see for yourself what’s out there.

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Where Can I Find Free Mortgage Advice

While brokers can charge hundreds of pounds to advise on choosing a mortgage, the good news for homeowners is that some are free.

This is the case with the emerging breed of online mortgage brokers.

The latest company to join this cohort is savings app Moneybox, which launched a mortgage advice service earlier this month to its quarter of a million Lifetime Isa customers. Its new service is integrated into the app so that people can get a mortgage in principle through their mobile phone.

Moneybox mortgage advisers have access to 12,000 products and give free advice over the phone or through a chat service.

Online mortgage brokers like Trussle, Habito and L& C are also free and have access to thousands of mortgages, including exclusive deals. Earlier this month, Habito launched its own range of long-term fixed-rate mortgages which are only available through its broker service.

Is A Mortgage Broker Right For Me

You can save time by using a mortgage broker it can take hours to apply for preapproval with different lenders, then there’s the back-and-forth communication involved in underwriting the loan and ensuring the transaction stays on track. A mortgage broker can save you the hassle of managing that process.

But when choosing any lender whether through a broker or directly you’ll want to pay attention to lender fees. Specifically, ask what fees will appear on Page 2 of your Loan Estimate form in the Loan Costs section under “A: Origination Charges.”

Then, take the Loan Estimate you receive from each lender, place them side by side and compare your interest rate and all of the fees and closing costs.

That head-to-head comparison among different options is the best way to make the right choice in one of the largest purchases in your life.

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What Are Mortgage Broker Fees

Mortgage brokers are typically paid a commission by the lender. In some cases, mortgage broker fees are the borrower’s responsibility. It’s important to understand exactly who is responsible for paying your mortgage broker.

The good news is that mortgage brokers are required to disclose their fees up front there can’t be any surprises.

If the mortgage broker is paid by the lender, their fee is paid when customers sign a mortgager. The typical fee paid by a lender is 0.50% to 2.75% of your loan amount.

Broker Missed A Key Step

The biggest mark against the broker came on the day of closing.

I was literally sitting in the closing attorney’s parking lot, about to walk in when I got an email from the lender.

The broker was supposed to have passed on contact info for a couple of my freelance clients so the lender could verify my self-employment. Only they didn’t.

So on the day of closing, the lender emailed me directly to let me know they weren’t going to fund my loan until they spoke to someone I freelanced for.

I immediately reached out to the broker, who shifted the blame to the lender.

Once I got done angry crying, I emailed one of my clients to see if they could help me out. They did, and a few hours later, I was able to finally close on the loan.

Sure:

It all worked out in the end.

But altogether, it took nearly five months and over 150 emails to the broker to get there — none of which I’d anticipated.

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What Can Go Wrong

• There can be delays with your .
• The credit assessor can misinterpret your because they dont understand your income.
• The bank may question prior loans that youve applied for.
• Your file can be handed over to someone else without clear communication.
• They sometimes even lose entire mortgage applications!

Why You Should Use A Mortgage Broker

Hiring a mortgage brokeris one of the simplest parts of the home buying process, and yet, according to a survey by the Mortgage Professionals Association of Canada, 39% of first-time home buyers have a poor understanding of what brokers do and their role in the mortgage process. Once brokers services are explained, the likelihood of respondents to use one jump from 36% to 59% . If you dont know about the role that mortgage brokers play in the process of getting a mortgage, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table. Here are seven reasons why you should use a mortgage broker even if youve never heard of them before.

The most obvious reason that people choose to obtain a mortgage through a mortgage broker is that brokers have access to multiple rates and lenders. Because of this, mortgage brokers have access to rates that may not always be advertised widely, and can be significantly lower than those advertised by banks or credit unions.

Many lenders rates and mortgages can only be accessed through a mortgage broker. Brokers can also vet lenders and negotiate on behalf of the buyer, and experienced brokers have relationships with these lenders, as well as the banks. Ignoring these lenders and choosing to get a mortgage with a bank can mean choosing harsher prepayment penalties for breaking your mortgage as well as a higher interest rate, which can cost buyers thousands upon thousands of dollars over the life of their mortgage.

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Other Than Rates Why Should I Use A Mortgage Broker

In addition to rates, because mortgage-based financing is the broker’s primary business, he or she has developed expertise in what type of mortgage financing each lender prefers to pursue. This kind of knowledge not only results in the most favourable rates for each project, but often whether a project is funded at all.

The Pros Of Using A Mortgage Broker

Mortgage brokers are licensed professionals.

Mortgage brokers are licensed professionals and experts in their industry. While they must operate within certain guidelines, they are also knowledgeable enough to navigate the mortgage process and anticipate any issues with getting funding that may arise.

You can also have peace of mind that youre in good hands since professional licensure is required to hold this position.

Mortgage brokers have access to a vast network of lenders.

Whether you have a quirky financial situation that could require a ton of back and forth with lenders or are the perfect candidate, most mortgage brokers can find the best loan product for you.

Unlike loan officers who work for a specific bank, mortgage brokers have access to many lenders and direct contacts with those lenders that they work with on a consistent basis.

So, chances are they can jump through the hurdles much quicker than you could. And when youre dealing with tough underwriters, it pays to have a connected professional on your side to help you get approved.

Mortgage brokers handle the entire mortgage process from start to finish.

From submitting the initial mortgage application to working with lenders to get the loan closed, the mortgage broker has you covered. All you have to do is gather all the necessary paperwork in a timely manner and respond promptly to any additional questions or requests to get the loan funded in a jiffy.

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How To Find A Mortgage Broker

There are scores of mortgage brokers to choose from, so here are some tips to help you narrow down your search:

• Ask for referrals from relatives, friends, and your real estate agent.
• Check their affiliation with Professional associations, like the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.
• Analyze customer reviews to see if theyre reputable.
• Confirm fees since commissions vary across the board.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau.

Some Lenders Do Not Work With Mortgage Brokers

This is an increasing trend since 2008, as some lenders are finding that broker-originated mortgages were more likely to go into default than those sourced through direct lending. By working through a broker, you may not have access to these lenders, some of whom may be able to offer you better mortgage terms than you can get through the broker.

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A Broker May Save You Legwork

Mortgage brokers have regular contact with a wide variety of lenders, some of whom you may not even know about. A broker also can steer you away from certain lenders with onerous payment terms buried in their mortgage contracts.

That said, it is beneficial to do some research of your own before meeting with a broker. An easy way to quickly get a sense of the average rates available for the type of mortgage you’re applying for is to search rates online, then use a mortgage calculator. Tools like this will let you compare rates easily and provide you with extra knowledge when assessing a mortgage broker’s credibility.

Mortgage Banker Vs Broker Comparative Table

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