Important questions to ask yourself
Think about the following questions first and then speak to one of our Mortgage Experts. Armed with the answers to the following, you’ll be happier with the end result.
Have you realistically calculated the down payment you can afford?
Don’t forget to factor in mortgage closing costs, and the escrow deposit for property insurance and taxes. We can get you a mortgage with as low as a 3.5% down payment.
Do you want the lowest interest rate, the lowest closing costs, or the lowest monthly payment?
Quite frankly, it is virtually impossible to get all three, even in today’s all-time low rates. Think about what’s most important to you and communicate it plainly to your Mortgage Expert.
How many years do you expect to own the house you are buying?
Are you sure about that? Add a buffer of 1-2 years to this number if you’re unsure. If this final number is 7 years or less, an adjustable mortgage where the rate is fixed for 5-7 years could make sense for you. Adjustable mortgages or ARMs have a bad rap because unscrupulous mortgage companies previously mis-sold these. The truth is, if you make an educated and informed decision, ARMs can save you a lot of money. They offer the security of an initial fixed rate period and the benefit of much lower payments than a 30 year fixed mortgage.
Do you want to get Pre-approved?
Do this once you’re seriously started searching for a properly. This is not just a simple pre-qualification. It involves a credit review, a careful study of your documents, and a sophisticated automated underwriting process which ensures your loan meets guidelines for approval, even before you apply for a mortgage. Armed with a no-commitment preapproval letter through us, you would be better placed to negotiate with a seller or his agent.
What's the maximum monthly payment you're comfortable with?
Ignore your initial instinct to go for the option that provides the lowest monthly payment. Calculate your overall monthly obligations and decide what the maximum payment you can afford or are comfortable with. If a 20 year fixed or a 15 year fixed mortgage is in this range, that could make more sense for you than a mortgage which provides the lowest payment.
Would you like to use Seller Concessions to reduce your out of pocket expenses in the mortgage?
It might be tempting to do so, but remember that you’re paying for the Seller Concession in the form of a higher purchase price for the property. Ask your real estate agent about this.
Would you like to buy the interest rate down?
- Paying more fees is sometimes smarter. By paying extra points, you not only get tax benefits on the extra fees, but it will also reduce your interest rate and monthly payment. Typically, one discount aka buy-down point (1% of loan amount) will reduce your interest rate anywhere from 0.25% to 0.375%. On a longer term mortgage like the 30 year, this could mean tremendous savings in interest payment over the life of the loan.
- Do a break-even analysis. Once you get a quote on discount points, divide the cost of buy-down quoted to you by the amount your monthly payment reduces by due to the buy down. This gives you the number of months it will take you to recover your cost of buying down the interest rate. This number should be less than the time you plan to spend in your current house.
4 Reasons why once you work with us, you won't go elsewhere
- No hidden fees. No surprises. Ever.
- We meet deadlines.We use the latest technology such as electronic signing (E-Sign) and paperless processing to ensure minimum effort on your part and speedy processing on ours.
- We’ll tell you what you don’t want to hear, when required. Our regard for your financial well being won’t allow us to compromise on telling you what you need to know. If this means we occasionally lose new business to less scrupulous competitors who make unrealistic promises, so be it.
- Two-third of our business is from repeat customers and referrals. We’ll make you happy.