Which Mortgage Lender Should I Use

The Cons Of Navy Federal:

• Limited options for non-military mortgages no home equity loans, HELOCs, FHA loans, USDA loans, construction loans, or reverse mortgages
• You can only become a member of Navy Federal Credit Union if you or your family is affiliated with the military
• It has an NR in trustworthiness from the BBB because some previously closed customer complaints have been re-opened

The bottom line:Veterans United is a good option for several types of mortgages, but VA loans are its strongest products. It could also be a good fit if you have a poor or no credit score.

How Can Someone Know Whether They’re Financially Ready To Buy A Home

Lauryn Williams, CFP:

“You should have funds left over after everything is said and done as it pertains to purchasing the home. So if you don’t have an emergency fundplus a down payment, you’re probably not ready to purchase a home. Another thing I think about is credit card debt. While you can be approved for a mortgage with credit card debt and student loans and very little cash on hand, you put yourself in a very risky situation.”

Laura Grace Tarpley, Personal Finance Insider:

“You should be able to afford the extra costs that come with owning a home, like home repairs or lawn care. You didn’t have to budget for those things when you rented, because the landlord was responsible for maintenance.”

Banks As Mortgage Lenders

Banks are the standard mortgage lenders that make loans and put up the money that you need to buy a home. Approaching a bank will involve you proving your financial fitness and ability to take on the mortgage to qualify. After you jump through the banks hoops, the bank will then offer you a mortgage with terms and interest rates based on your resources and creditworthiness.

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Should I Use A Mortgage Lender Or A Bank

Katelyn BritoKatelyn Brito

Are you thinking about getting a mortgage, and you need to figure out, are you gonna get your mortgage with a big bank, or are you going to go to a direct mortgage lender?

Well, in this video, I’m gonna answer the question that we get all the time, which one’s better, what’s the difference, and what do we recommend, and why? So when you think of banks, you probably think about the big names that you hear all the time, Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, companies like that, and there are a lot of other smaller banks as well. But the point remains, the constant over all of these companies, the mortgage division in these companies really is not the profit driver for the company. These companies are making billions and billions of dollars a year. But the mortgage division, on average, makes up about 3% of these companies’ profits. So when you think about that, it’s such a small percentage of their profit, they normally aren’t always putting their best and their brightest people into the mortgage banking division.

Basic Concepts And Legal Regulation

According to Anglo-American property law, a mortgage occurs when an owner pledges his or her interest as security or collateral for a loan. Therefore, a mortgage is an encumbrance on the right to the property just as an easement would be, but because most mortgages occur as a condition for new loan money, the word mortgage has become the generic term for a loan secured by such real property.As with other types of loans, mortgages have an interest rate and are scheduled to amortize over a set period of time, typically 30 years. All types of real property can be, and usually are, secured with a mortgage and bear an interest rate that is supposed to reflect the lender’s risk.

Mortgage lending is the primary mechanism used in many countries to finance private ownership of residential and commercial property . Although the terminology and precise forms will differ from country to country, the basic components tend to be similar:

Many other specific characteristics are common to many markets, but the above are the essential features. Governments usually regulate many aspects of mortgage lending, either directly or indirectly , and often through state intervention . Other aspects that define a specific mortgage market may be regional, historical, or driven by specific characteristics of the legal or financial system.

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What Are My Estimated Closing Costs

Remember to factor in the various fees associated with buying a homeparticularly closing costs. Closing costs include loan origination fees, appraisal fees and attorney fees , to name a few. Your lender will provide you with a Loan Estimate showing the approximate costs of your loan so you can budget accordingly.

How Direct Lenders Work

Direct lenders including banks, credit unions, and online lenders use their own money to fund mortgages. And their loan officers, processors, and underwriters all work for the same company.

That means you can go right to thesource if you want a loan from a direct lender. For instance, if you want a homeloan from Rocket Mortgage, you can go directly to Rocket and fill out a loanapplication.

Loan officers serve as thebank or lenders sales force. They usually earn commissions for originatingmortgage loans, and the prices they charge may not be negotiable.

In addition, bank loan officers can only offerloan programs in their own portfolio, and that can limit the options availableto you.

For example, if a direct lender isnt approved to do zero-down USDA mortgages, its loan officers will never be able to offer you one. They might not even mention a USDA loan as an option even if youre eligible.

Banks can still be flexible withmortgage pricing, though.

Loan officers can offer the same mortgage at various price points, from no-closing-cost loans with higher rates, to loans with discount points that cost more upfront but have reduced interest rates.

When youre shopping with directlenders, its up to you to ask about the pricing options available andnegotiate the rate-and-fee structure you want.

Pros of mortgage banks

Here are the pluses of dealingwith a mortgage bank or direct lender.

Cons of mortgage banks

Also Check: Can I Prequalify For A Mortgage Online

How Much Can I Borrow To Buy A Home

When determining how much you can borrow, lenders will consider your income level compared with debt, your employment status and your credit history. Talk to a lender about getting prequalified for a mortgage before you start shopping for your new home.1 This can make the whole experience go more smoothly.

Mortgage Rates Where You Live

Mortgage or refinance rates depend on different factors, including where you live. To better understand what rates you may qualify for, including what the average mortgage or refinance rate is in your area, take a look at Credit Karmas mortgage rate marketplace and our latest state-specific guides.

About the author:

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Using A Mortgage Broker For A Mortgage

Mortgage brokers were very common in the early 2000s. During the subsequent housing crash, most mortgage brokers disappeared. I have noticed a few popping up again over the past year or so. A mortgage broker will function much like a mortgage lender.

The difference is mortgage brokers and are strictly a middleman. They do not underwrite in house and do not close with their funds. They lose a little bit of control over the underwriting and closing process.

In general, I would suggest going to a mortgage lender rather than a mortgage broker just for those reasons.

Online vs Local Lender

Regardless of whether you use a bank or a mortgage lender to finance your next mortgage use a lender that you can meet with in person. Of course its very tempting to do it all online.

At the end of the day, the teaser rates that many online national lenders advertise are just that. They are rates that are offered to only very few and not the rate you will probably be given. The national mortgage companies run on huge advertising budgets they work with many thousands of people knowing many will not close but a certain percentage will. You are just a number to them.

Large national lenders rely on advertising and huge numbers of borrowers calling. A local lender is more of a relationship based experience. Dont get baited by the online teaser rates.

Preferred Lender Pros And Cons

Going with a preferred lender could mean a faster timeline from when you sign a contract to when you get to the closing table. It could also mean saving money on your desired interior upgrades, like granite countertops or hardwood flooring, and your total cash to close.

However, those builder perks might have some strings attached. Perhaps the preferred lenders mortgage interest rate is higher than average or the origination fees cost more.

Look at the long term when youre considering the advantages and disadvantages of working with a preferred lender, said Pava Leyrer, chief operating officer at Northern Mortgage Services in Grandville, Mich.

Most plan on being there a while. So, what is the long-term cost going to be, and is that cost worth it? Leyrer asked.

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The Experts’ Advice On Choosing The Best Mortgage Lender

To help you learn more about homebuying, mortgages, and lenders, four experts weighed in:

• , mortgage broker, founder of Aragon Lending Team
• Laura Grace Tarpley, certified educator in personal finance, editor of banking and mortgage at Personal Finance Insider

Here’s what they had to say about mortgages.

Are There Income Requirements For Buying A House

There is no set dollar amount of income you need to have in order to buy a home. However, your income does play a significant role in how much home you can afford. Lenders look at all of your sources of income when they consider you for a loan, including commissions, military benefits, child support and more.

Ask your lender how much income you need to buy a home and which streams of income they consider when they calculate your total earning power. Finally, ask your lender what documents you need to give them to prove your income, such as W-2s, pay stubs, bank account information and more.

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Do I Need An Escrow Account

An escrow account is a type of neutral savings account that holds money for prepaid property taxes and insurance premiums. Escrow accounts, which are usually established during closing, are often required for government-backed loans and optional for conventional loans.

Ask your lender if you need an escrow account. If youre required to have one, ask what options you have for paying for shortages and whether you can get a refund if you overpay. And, make sure you find out how much money youll need to hold in escrow.

A Final Word Of Warning

Many mortgage loans are sold after closing. Don’t assume that your loan will remain at that bank if you choose a bank out of loyalty because you maintain accounts there.

At the time of writing, Elizabeth Weintraub, CalBRE #00697006, is a Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate in Sacramento, California.

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Do You Offer A Mortgage Rate Lock

A mortgage rate lock is an agreement between you and your lender that says your interest rate will stay the same until closing, regardless of market movements. Rate locks are important because they keep your loan costs predictable. When you get a rate lock, you dont have to stress about finding a home immediately, because you know that your interest rate wont increase.

Ask your lender about rate locks and how long theyre valid. Also, find out about current market rates and whether you should lock your rate. Some lenders will drop your interest rate if market rates decrease after you lock your rate, so be sure to check with your mortgage lender.

Take the first step toward the right mortgage.

Apply online for expert recommendations with real interest rates and payments.

What Time Frame Can I Expect With A Private Loan

Approval usually takes place within 1 week of application and can be as soon as a couple of days. The processing of the loan and the release of funding takes around 2-3 weeks.

Private mortgage lenders want their clients to be able to transfer on to a prime lender within a year to 18 months. They deal in fast financing and therefore need to be able to collect their return on investment within the specified time. Therefore, a private lender will try to help the client move on to a prime lender, which is also in the clients best interest.

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Interest And Partial Principal

In the U.S. a partial amortization or balloon loan is one where the amount of monthly payments due are calculated over a certain term, but the outstanding balance on the principal is due at some point short of that term. In the UK, a partial repayment mortgage is quite common, especially where the original mortgage was investment-backed.

So What Should You Do

The bottom line is that no matter how good the deal from the builders lender seems, you should definitely shop around for your mortgage. It is important to keep in mind that you are free to get your mortgage from whatever lender you like and the builder cannot legally force you into using their lender.

Sometimes the incentives offered by the builder and the convenience of using their lender makes it an easy decision. In other cases you might find that the builders lender is offering you a costlier deal and you can do better elsewhere and pay for those incentives yourself with the savings.

The only way to properly compare the incentives the builder might be offering with the extra charges their lender might be building into your loan is to get an outside opinion from another lender.

The more options you have to compare, the more qualified you will be to make the best decision for your individual situation.

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Pros Of Using A Mortgage Broker

What Type Of Mortgage Can I Get With Bad Credit

While some lenders make conventional loans to home buyers with bad credit, you will often secure more affordable financing if you get a poor credit mortgage insured by a government agency. These mortgages not only have relaxed credit requirements but also require lower down payments than most conventional mortgages do.

There are three primary options for government-backed loans that could be available to borrowers looking for bad credit mortgage loans.

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Bank Of America: Nmls#399802

Min. Credit Score

Min. Down Payment

Bank of America offers down payments as low as 3% through its Affordable Loan Solution mortgage program.

National / Regional

Why we like it

Good for: first-time home buyers looking for low-down-payment options and existing customers who may get a discount on fees.

Pros

• Allows borrowers to apply entirely online.

• Offers down payment and closing cost assistance programs.

• May give existing customers a discount on mortgage lender origination fees.

Cons

Reasons Not To Work With The Builders Lender

On the other hand, working with a builder and lender that have an existing relationship can expose you to being taken advantage of if you are not careful and diligent in your research.

There are many cases where the cost of those great incentives the builder offers is offset by a number of factors the lender builds into your loan. This could come in the form of higher interest rates or higher fees in your closing costs.

Depending on how big your mortgage is, paying just an extra half percent on your mortgage over the next 30 years could easily offset the cost of that $10,000 upgrade the builder is offering, so keep a close eye on rates and fees when doing your mortgage shopping.

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