Mortgage Security not That Costly
Forget everything you thought you knew about the benefits of taking a variable-rate mortgage instead of locking in for the long term.
A new study suggests the security of a five-year mortgage costs little or nothing beyond a riskier variable-rate mortgage, providing you get a jumbo-sized rate discount.
“Interest costs on discounted closed five-year mortgages have been close to, and often lower than, those of variable-rate mortgages since late 1996,” senior Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. economist Ali Manouchehri writes in the study.
Homeowners have made variable-rate mortgages hugely popular in the past few years in the belief that you can save on interest costs by pegging your mortgage rate to your lender’s prime lending rate. As the prime rises, or as has generally happened in the past few years, fallen, so goes your mortgage rate.
The prime rate at the major banks is now 4.5 per cent, while the posted five-year rate at the big banks is 6.15 per cent. In just one year, the variable-rate choice would save you about ,700 on monthly payments toward a 0,000 mortgage amortized over 25 years (assuming a level prime rate).
Historically, you would also have saved a lot. The CMHC study shows that five-year mortgages taken out from 1993 through 1998 would have cost anywhere from ,000 to ,000 in additional interest paid over the term of the loan (the example is based on a 0,000 mortgage amortized over 25 years).
The flaw with this analysis is that it doesn’t reflect real-world mortgage pricing. These days, very few people take out a mortgage without a sizable discount off the posted rates at major banks.
For that reason, the CMHC’s Mr. Manouchehri decided to compare discounted five-year mortgages with discounted variable-rate mortgages. Incidentally, five years is the most popular term by far for fixed-rate mortgages at about 59 per cent of the total.
The size of the discounts Mr. Manouchehri applied was based on the difference between posted major bank rates and the best deals available from other lenders. For five-year mortgages, he used a discount of 1.25 of a percentage point; for variable-rate mortgages, it was 0.4 of a point off prime.
For five-year mortgages taken out between 1993 and mid-1996, the five-year mortgage was costlier in terms of interest costs. Since then, however, variable-rate mortgages have generally been a little bit more expensive.
Obviously, there’s nothing in this study that decides the fixed-rate versus variable-rate debate once and for all.
In fact, the CMHC study may just confuse anyone who recalls some research done for Manulife Financial back in 2000 by York University finance professor Moshe Milevsky. His research found that the extra interest charged on a five-year mortgage would have cost ,000 on average between 1950 and 2000 for a 0,000 mortgage amortized over 15 years.
To make some sense of the variable-rate versus five-year question, let’s go back to the CMHC study.
It shows that five-year mortgages, discounted or otherwise, were especially bad choices for a three-year period starting in mid-1993. Rates were high for a while back then, but they subsequently fell.
You were a spectator to these rate declines if you were stuck in a five-year mortgage, while people in variable-rate mortgages would have benefited almost immediately.
It’s a different world now, though. Five-year mortgage rates are close to a 50-year low, which suggests they’re far more likely to rise over their term than fall.
So what’s the best choice here, variable-rate or five-year fixed rate? People who want to pay rock-bottom mortgage rates for as long as possible will probably still want a variable-rate mortgage. Remember, you can lock this sort of mortgage into a fixed term without penalty in most cases.
The case for the five-year term looks almost as strong, though. First, the CMHC study tells us there may not be a significant cost to locking your mortgage in for five years, and you might even save a little over a variable-rate mortgage.
Second, the likelihood of higher rates in the years to come would suggest that this is a good time to lock in.
If you had a variable-rate mortgage discounted to 4 per cent, the prime would have to go up by 0.85 of a percentage point to equal the current five-year rate. That’s not a lot of ground to cover in the span of 12 to 18 months when the economy is doing well.
Arguably, the variable-rate versus fixed-rate debate is all about risks and rewards. Right now, the five-year option offers much less risk, and almost as much reward.
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Leave a commentDan Rather Reports: Home Loans From Hell, “The Reagans”
America is facing a foreclosure tsunami — a quarter of all homeowners in America are delinquent on their mortgages. By the end of this year, foreclosure notices will have been sent to more than three million homes….and a second wave is predicted. The country’s largest mortgage servicers — banks who service home loans — have been battered in the headlines and on Capitol Hill for allegations of ‘robo-signing’ and using fraudulent documents to foreclose. But that could be the tip of the iceberg. A little-reported and little-understood aspect to the foreclosure crisis, claim consumer advocates, is that foreclosure is in fact very profitable for the banks. The banks dispute this, but we’ve been talking to homeowners across the country who say their servicers pushed them into foreclosure instead of modifying their loans. And the government-led effort to stop foreclosures could be making the problem worse. Dan Rather Reports airs Tuesdays at 8pm and 11pm ET.
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Posted in Home Loans | Airs, Allegations, Banks, Capitol Hill, Consumer Advocates, Dan Rather, Foreclosure Notices, Foreclosures, Fraudulent Documents, From, Headlines, Hell, Home, Home Loans, Led, Loans, Mortgage Servicers, Mortgages, Rather, Reagans, Reports, Second Wave, Tip Of The Iceberg, Tsunami | Leave a commentIncome, Credit & Home Loans: Buying a House : Savings vs Closing Costs When Buying a House
Compare cash savings to closing costs to determine how much house you can afford in this video on buying a home.Expert: Brett Staggs Bio: Brett Staggs has been working in the mortgage industry for the past 6 years. He has worked for a title company, a credit reporting company, and two major banks. Filmmaker: Dana Glover
Posted in Home Loans | 6 Years, Amp, Banks, Buying, Buying A Home, Buying A House, Buying House, Cash Savings, Closing, Closing Costs, Costs, Credit, Credit Loans, Credit Reporting, Dana Glover, Home, Home Expert, Home Loans, House, House Buying, Income, Loans, Mortgage Industry, Savings, Staggs, Title Company | 1 CommentBanks, Mortgages, Forgeries and Foreclosures
60 Minutes, CBS News, 4-3-2011 linda green forgery foreclosure mortgage, home house reo crime wall street bankers docx alpharetta georgia lps. assignment electronic registration system bac, wells fargo hsbc citi deutche us lender processing services.
Posted in Mortgages | 60 Minutes Cbs, Alpharetta Georgia, Banks, Cbs, Cbs News, Citi, Docx, Electronic Registration System, Foreclosure Mortgage, Foreclosures, Forgeries, Forgery, Hsbc, Linda Green, Lps, Mortgages, News 4, Processing Services, Reo, Wall Street, Wall Street Bankers, Wells Fargo | 6 CommentsBenefits of Renting Homes to Owing Homes
There are several benefits of renting homes than owning one. Buying a property brings along too many complicated procedures. However, if you are renting homes, you would have to follow some very simple methods that can help you to acquire the property, without having to invest time and effort on banks, mortgages, loans etc.
The basic idea of renting homes is to own some properties in the real estate without any major investment. People often choose this method just to ensure whether or not the chosen locality is good and friendly, before making a full commitment for purchasing it. The outlook of the overall rented homes makes them the next-to-perfect solution for most investors.
Most people try to find their perfect homes by renting homes initially. Renting homes to own has now become one of the most preferred choices for the novice interests in the current market of real estate. This method, is indeed, quite similar to that of the method used for renting vehicles, wherein vehicles are given on lease first, and if the person likes the vehicle during lease, he might choose to buy it. Similarly, renting homes also give you these advantages of checking whether or not you want to live in the house, in that locality, and if you are comfortable with the whole idea.
Renting homes does not involve any major payments to be made before purchase (as down payments) or for closing the rent. The agreement is signed between the buyer and landlord with all the terms and conditions clearly mentioned. It is only upon agreement of both the parties that the property will be rented.
Rent then Buy: Advantages, Disadvantages
Rent then buy or rent-to-own is one of the marketing strategies being applied by real estate brokers these days. It is a very engaging strategy since it allows the renter of the unit to have the option to buy the property afterwards. This transaction is also sometimes referred to as lease-to-own or a lease purchase. Rent then buy transactions are usually initiated by the renter the moment an option fee, usually amounting from 1% to 5% of the selling price of the house, has been paid. Afterwards, the renter of the unit pays for a certain amount of money representing the rent and an additional rent premium that is also charged to the purchase price. At the end of the term, the renter has the option to buy the property. If not, he loses the option fee and the additional rent premium that had been charged to the selling price of the unit. The advantage of rent then buy transactions is that it allows for lower cash out in the beginning of the transaction. For some buyers, the purpose of entering into this kind of transaction is to have the exclusive right to buy the house without the presence of banks or other financial institutions upfront. It is usually cheaper to rent than to buy a home directly. The buyer also has greater flexibility to rent a property first before buying it, giving the buyer the choice to buy the property or not in the end. With the rent then buy set up, your monthly overhead remains the same and is not affected by interest rates. Also, the repairs and maintenance of the house will not be your burden. The most significant advantage that this transaction offers is that you could secure a home immediately even with bad credit. The rent then buy transaction allows you to repair your bad credit standing while building up a better one to obtain financing. The disadvantage of a rent then buy transaction is mainly the financial risk. This arises in the event that the buyer decides not to exercise his right to purchase the property at the end of the lease period. The amount of purchase option as well as the additional rent premium will be forfeited upon the termination of the lease. Another disadvantage of this transaction is the unavailability of inventory to the buyer because most sellers need to liquidate immediately to purchase a new home. The rent then buy transaction offers advantages and disadvantages at both sides. The best way to treat it is to weigh which is more applicable to you as a buyer. The rent then buy transaction is a fast becoming the trend in real estate markets because of the flexibility and convenience it offers when it comes to cheaper charges and the allowance to buy the property afterwards. More people are looking for alternatives to buy their own homes. The rent then buy transaction allows for buyers to secure a home without a perfect credit history thus making it a more viable choice. This method is usually utilized by those who do not have enough money to pay for the down payment of a house or to secure a house in the traditional manner. Still, proper precaution is very important when entering into these kinds of transaction.
Rent then buy or rent-to-own is one of the marketing strategies being applied by real estate brokers these days. It is a very engaging strategy since it allows the renter of the unit to have the option to buy the property afterwards. This transaction is also sometimes referred to as lease-to-own or a lease purchase.
Rent then buy transactions are usually initiated by the renter the moment an option fee, usually amounting from 1% to 5% of the selling price of the house, has been paid. Afterwards, the renter of the unit pays for a certain amount of money representing the rent and an additional rent premium that is also charged to the purchase price. At the end of the term, the renter has the option to buy the property. If not, he loses the option fee and the additional rent premium that had been charged to the selling price of the unit.
The advantage of rent then buy transactions is that it allows for lower cash out in the beginning of the transaction. For some buyers, the purpose of entering into this kind of transaction is to have the exclusive right to buy the house without the presence of banks or other financial institutions upfront. It is usually cheaper to rent than to buy a home directly. The buyer also has greater flexibility to rent a property first before buying it, giving the buyer the choice to buy the property or not in the end. With the rent then buy set up, your monthly overhead remains the same and is not affected by interest rates. Also, the repairs and maintenance of the house will not be your burden. The most significant advantage that this transaction offers is that you could secure a home immediately even with bad credit. The rent then buy transaction allows you to repair your bad credit standing while building up a better one to obtain financing.
The disadvantage of a rent then buy transaction is mainly the financial risk. This arises in the event that the buyer decides not to exercise his right to purchase the property at the end of the lease period. The amount of purchase option as well as the additional rent premium will be forfeited upon the termination of the lease. Another disadvantage of this transaction is the unavailability of inventory to the buyer because most sellers need to liquidate immediately to purchase a new home.
The rent then buy transaction offers advantages and disadvantages at both sides. The best way to treat it is to weigh which is more applicable to you as a buyer. The rent then buy transaction is a fast becoming the trend in real estate markets because of the flexibility and convenience it offers when it comes to cheaper charges and the allowance to buy the property afterwards. More people are looking for alternatives to buy their own homes. The rent then buy transaction allows for buyers to secure a home without a perfect credit history thus making it a more viable choice. This method is usually utilized by those who do not have enough money to pay for the down payment of a house or to secure a house in the traditional manner. Still, proper precaution is very important when entering into these kinds of transaction.
Posted in Renting | Advantage, Advantages, Advantages Disadvantages, Amount Of Money, Bad Credit, Banks, Buy House, Disadvantages, Financial Institutions, Financial Risk, Flexibility, Interest Rates, Lease Purchase, Marketing Strategies, Option Fee, Presence, Real Estate Brokers, rent, Rent Property, Renter | Leave a commentMOBILE HOME LOANS Miami
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Income, Credit & Home Loans: Buying a House : Private Mortgage House Insurance (PMI) Tips
Private mortgage insurance (PMI) tips & how it can determine how much house you can afford. Find out how in this video on buying a home.Expert: Brett Staggs Bio: Brett Staggs has been working in the mortgage industry for the past 6 years. He has worked for a title company, a credit reporting company, and two major banks. Filmmaker: Dana Glover
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Posted in Home Loans | 6 Years, Banks, Buying, Buying A Home, Buying A House, Credit, Credit Home Loans, Credit Loans, Credit Reporting, Dana Glover, Home, Home Expert, House, House Insurance, House Mortgage, Income, Insurance, Loans, Mortgage, Mortgage Industry, Mortgage Tips, Pmi Insurance, Pmi Mortgage, Private, Private Insurance, Private Mortgage Insurance, Staggs, Tips, Title Company | Leave a comment