4 Tips to Avoid the Pitfalls of Loaning to your Best Friend

I’m sure that you heard the old adage never mix business with pleasure. Most people prefer to keep their personal and professional lives separate, particularly where money is involved. Poor business decisions or ventures can lead to a rupturing of a friendship and the same holds true in a money-lending situation. Many good friendships have been lost because money has been lent and then misspent or not repaid.

But what about situations when there is no one else to turn to? You’re desperate for money and your best friend offers their assistance. Can you afford to turn him or her down? Or what about the reverse – one of your closet friends comes to you with a financial problem and asks for your assistance because they have no other options? Would you feel right turning them away? How can you avoid falling into the pitfalls of mixing friendship and money as either the lender or the borrower? Here are a few tips on how to approach a loaning situation between friends.

Eliminate All Other Options

Before you accept money from a friend or offer money to a friend, make sure that there aren’t any other options you can pursue. Maybe one bank has turned you down, but have you really tried all of them? Is there another money lending companies that will work for your situation? Have you cut back your expenses to the absolute minimum or are there some non-essential items that you can do without? One of the best things to do is sit down and figure out a monthly budget. Write down the amount of money you have coming in and then subtract only those things that are absolutely essential for your survival. You might find more money that you thought you had just because you took the time to map out your monthly spending. The most important things to keep in mind is that borrowing from friends should be your last option, not your first. If you can get it from someone or somewhere else, then you should.

Treat it Like the Business Arrangement it is

What most people fail to do is treat this kind of loan like the business arrangement it is. You must outline in writing the amount being borrowed, the time frame for repayment and the amount of interest (if any) that will be included in the repayment. If you do not have a solid agreement like this in place, it is far too easy to get complacent about the situation.

Be Wise in Your Spending After Borrowing Money from a Friend

This may seem like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how much of a problem this can become. Most friends don’t mind lending the money and helping someone out, but it can be very aggravating to believe that money is being misspent. Put yourself in the lender’s position. Just say you lend money to your best friend, Sarah, to help her pay off her credit card debt. If after lending her the money, you see her spending money on non-essential items like cosmetics or shoes instead of increasing her payments back to you, wouldn’t you be a little upset?

If you’ve borrowed money from anyone – be it a bank or a friend – your first priority is to pay that money back. There will still be plenty of time for life’s little pleasures and luxuries once that debt is settled. And if your the lender, don’t let your frustration build up – make your feelings heard and let your friend know in the nicest way possible that you need your money back as soon as they can spare it.

Pay it back!

No matter how long it takes, you need to pay the money back. If it takes longer than you anticipated, then it is important to talk to your friend and explain the circumstances. Most people will understand if there are good reasons for the delay.

If there is a rupture or end to the friendship before all the money is paid back, it is still important that all of the money be returned. There is no way to salvage the friendship or your good name if you do not settle your debts.

4 Tips to Make You More Aware

Everyone wants to buy their own home and the most convenient way to do this in a “rush, rush world” like today, is by applying for a mortgage loan. The mortgage loan business is a big one. There are hundreds if not thousands of them trying to lure you in, but you have to beware and watch out for crooked mortgage companies. These crooked companies are out there and won’t care if your loose your home, your savings or even if you go bankrupt. They especially like to prey on the first time home buyer. These companies are looking out for themselves not you, so when you start your hunt for a mortgage make sure you don’t fall into their trap, no matter how seductive their deals may sound. Here are a few tips to help you point out a crooked and fraudulent mortgage company.

1. Be aware if the lender doesn’t give you a good faith estimate of what the closing cost will be. Under The Real Estates Settlement Act they must provide you with this information within three days once you have applied for the loan. An honest lender will give this to you without a problem as they have nothing to hide. Some of the really good lenders will even give you a good faith estimate on your pre–qualifying information. Also watch out for any company that won’t give you information on any of the costs up front, such as interest and other fees.

2. Beware if the lender says it is ok for you to lie about any information, especially about your income on a mortgage loan to increase your chances of approval. Any sort of lying on any loan form is classified as fraud and is a criminal act. Besides if a lender does encourage you to do such a thing, use your common sense, if they give you the leeway to do it, then they will probably have no problem committing fraudulent acts upon you.

3. Beware of interest rates that are amazingly low or incredibly high. Low interest rates can be very tempting, especially when they beat everyone else by two or three percent. You may think that this will save you money, but in the long run it will only cost you more because most loans with a low interest rate like these tend to increase significantly throughout the time line of the loan. People with a less than perfect credit rating usually fall needlessly victim to high interest rates that are usually two or three percent higher than everyone else. There are many places online that offer to check interest rates against your credit and can give you an accurate estimate of how much you should be paying.

4. Be aware if you feel pressured into applying for a mortgage loan that you don’t understand, can’t financially afford or if you are told that you are only going to get the loan through that certain company. If you do feel unsure of anything with a loan, ask them to explain it to you in detail or go to someone else who you can trust. You may want to speak with a lawyer and ask them to go through the loan with you. If you are being pressured to go with a certain company for a loan, then don’t do it. If they can offer you a loan then so too will other companies and without all of the pressure.

When seeking a mortgage loan, make sure that the contract does not differ from the original contract. Companies that ask for more signers, credit insurance, or prepayment penalty fees are probably looking for ways to make money off of you and don’t have your best interest in mind. In this case, you should take your business else where.

These are just some of the things you should look out for when mortgage loan hunting so you are not caught in a trap by a corrupt company. If you are ever in doubt, don’t use the company, as there are many more to choose from that will be happy to take your business and will offer you assistance with anything you are unsure of.

The world of mortgages can be very overwhelming when you first look at all of the options. There are so many terms, regulations, different fees, options, and different forms that it can become very confusing. But with a little understanding and research on exactly what mortgages are all about, you will find that it will be a lot easier to apply and get the home of your dreams. Below is some information on mortgages and some of the things that go along with them, like fees and terms, to help give you a little understanding on the subject.

Types of mortgages:

There are many types of mortgage options available. The three main types are fixed rate, convertible and special loans.

The fixed rate home loan in which you have options like:

30year loan – where you pay a fixed fee over the course of 30 years.

15 year loan – where you pay a fixed fee over the course of 15 years

Biweekly – where you pay your repayments every two weeks.

Adjustable rate mortgage or ARM – where you pay you variable amounts each repayment, they are based on the interest rate.

Convertible loans that include:

Hybrid and convertible ARM – where you can covert between a fixed rate or an ARM

Interest only loans – where you only pay the interest each payment until you are able to put down a lump sum.

Balloon loans – where you pay only the interest and at the end of the term you pay the total amount due all in one large payment.

Reverse mortgage – for equity rich seniors and don’t have to make any repayments until sale of the house.

Buy down loan – a loan that works on points to lower interest rates.

And the last category of loans is special loans:

FHA loan – for first home buyers and people with credit problems.

Veteran Affairs mortgage loan – only for people and widowers of the armed forces.

With all these mortgage options and more there will definitely be one that will suit your needs.

Fees:

There are many types of fees when it comes to mortgages, some of these fees and what they are for include:

Appraisal – where you pay for a person to do an appraisal on what your completed home’s value will be.

Organization – a fee that pays the lender and their workers for processing your application and other related duties.

Down payment – what you put down on a deposit on your home, this is usually about 1–20%

Closing costs – this pays for the transfer of your ownership of the home, this is usually 1-3% of your loans total but it can vary.

Other terms:

There are many other terms that you should know when going into the mortgage field. Below are some of them and what they mean.

Points – these are used to lower your interest rate and are usually done by a lump sum payment at the closing.

Good faith estimate – this is when you are given that total in amount of fees you will have to pay when it comes to the closing.

Loan locks – this is where you and the mortgage company or lender agree on a set interest rate at the beginning of the mortgage process, if you don’t lock your loan the interest rate can increase or decrease.

A truth in lending disclosure – this form gives you the complete cost of your loan in both a percentage and dollar form.

Pre qualifying – this is where you qualify for a loan before you actually go for one, it is a good way to review your financial status and lets you determine what amount of loan will suit your budget.

PITI – this means principle (amount of your loan), interest, taxes and insurance, all of these things are crucial to your mortgage and your repayments.

Escrow – this is where money and important information is held by a third party while two people are in a business transaction.

There is so much information you need to take in when you go into the world of mortgages but hopefully the above has given you a little bit of understanding of what it is all about. This should help you ease into the mortgage field a little easier. A financial professional or your lender will be happy to go through all the details with you when you are having trouble.

6 Steps to Pre-Qualification

People wanting to take a home mortgage loan are mortally afraid of being considered bankrupt barely a day or so after their home loan has been approved. If borrowers have a reputation of bankruptcy or foreclosure, it can mean bad credit loans in the mortgage business. Therefore, a borrower with such a history should not expect to get the same kind of home mortgage loan as a borrower with perfect credit.

Self Pre-Qualification

Credit Score: Before trying to get a home mortgage loan, borrowers should first see realistically just where they stand with their credit rating. Do they belong to the A, B, C or D grades where A stands for perfect credit; B for a bit of tarnished reputation; C fairly bad credit; and D for very bad credit? Scoring models also make a big difference to the borrower: Here, a near perfect score is about 800 with scores getting bad as you reach the 400 mark. Some of these go by names such as FICO, Beacon or Empirica and belong to major credit reporting agencies.

Loan-to-Value Ratio (LTV): Loan eligibility also takes into consideration the ratio between the amount of money borrowed on a home mortgage loan and the real value of the property being placed as collateral. To know the value of new purchases, as a borrower, you would have to consider the lower purchase price of the appraised value. If a home owner has lived on the property for about six months or a year, coupled with refinance, the appraised value can be used in the loan to value calculation. But this distinction can also present problems as when a home is bought a home worth $100,000 at an auction for a mere $60,000.00. Credit needed over the mortgage amount is usually made from a cash down payment. When the loan available due to limited LTV does not meet the requirements of the sale price of the house in question, family support usually helps.

Debt-to-Income Ratio: You can calculate the debt-to-income ratio by adding all the borrower’s debt payments, including the home mortgage loan applied for and any other such as car loans, consumer debt, credit cards etc. Now, divide this number by the net cash available each month for the borrower’s living expenses and his debt. Lenders would not prefer this figure to exceed 40%.

Affordability: Having all these calculations at your fingertips, you should be able to judge your borrower’s affordability and exactly where he falls in the credit rating system for a home mortgage loan.

Pointers for home mortgage loan borrowers:

Points for good credit borrowers: If a borrower has a history of bad credit, lenders will charge him more points and higher rates of interest since it is a risk for a lender to deal with such a person. But borrowers on home mortgage loans with a good credit history should not enter into a loan agreement where they are forced to pay points based on a bad credit loan. After all, if a borrower has worked hard to earn good credit, he deserves the benefits.

Pricing for bad credit borrowers:

To have bad credit often means coughing up a higher rate of interest and origination fees on a home mortgage loan. Usually, points can come to the borrower in several avatars—origination fees, discount fees, broker fees or yield spread premium. Points on a loan refer to a fee that is about one percent of the loan amount. So, borrowers with good credit may often pay nothing while those with bad credit will have to pay four or five points. Sometimes, unwary customers have been asked to pay up to 10 points—something highly unwarranted. In fact, should this happen to you or anyone you know, he should consider it a red flag that someone is trying to cheat him. Of course, the mortgage broker will explain this by saying he can provide a loan where no one else will take the risk.

In such cases, finding a lender willing to help out with credit may take a little longer for the borrower but if he is diligent enough about his search, the home mortgage loan will finally materialize the way he wants it.

6 Common Mortgage Scams

Scams are abundant in the world today and seem to be seeping into every facet of business, and mortgage loans are no exception. Most scams in the mortgage field tend to prey home buyers and owners who aren’t overly educated in the area. So here we will have a look at how some of these mortgage scams work and their outcomes so you know to be aware of them and do not fall into their trap.

Internet and Phone Scams:

These scams are usually by advertising low interest mortgage loan rates in the news paper or on the internet and even sometimes under a trusted company names. The way this works is by having people who are seeking a mortgage loan replying to an ad, either by phone or by internet forms. They then ask for your personal information like your account numbers and your social security number. These loans are instantly approved and the borrower usually goes on to faxing documents and sending wire transfer payments without ever meeting the lender in person. Usually the result of these scams is that you lose your money, have no loan and your personal information is either sold or your identity is then stolen.

Refinancing Loans Scams:

There are quite a few refinancing loan scams out there, many times these are focused toward the borrower who is in need of money. Usually you are left in greater debt and even have the possibility of losing your home. Some of these types of scams are:

Equity Stripping Scams

These scams usually arise when your mortgage lender approaches you and tries talking you into taking out a loan, because you need the money. They usually know that you can not afford the repayments but will encourage you to do so anyway, even if it means dodging up some of the loans forms so it will get approved. The reason they do this ‘encouraging’ while knowing you can not afford it, is to foreclose on your house as soon as you miss a payment.

Loan Flipping Scams

These scams are usually done after you have been paying your mortgage off for a while and the loan lender approaches you to refinance your loan, telling you that you can have a little bit of extra cash in your pocket. Once you have accepted, a few months later the lender will approach you again, this time offering another refinancing deal so you can get even more cash. This may sound good at first, but in the end you are paying more for your loan, are getting charged extra fees, points and even a prepayment penalty as well as a higher interest rate. Usually the more times you are talked into refinancing, the more you’re getting in over your head in the payments and the closer the possibility will be of losing your home.

Balloon Payment Scam

This scam is usually done when you no longer can keep up with the payments on your mortgage and you are approached by the lender with the offer of refinancing. They will tell you, if you refinance, you will pay less on your monthly repayments. Most times the reason for the lower repayments is that you are only paying the interest on the loan and after the term is up you have to pay the whole loan in one lump sum or balloon payment. This usually leads to you being unable to pay the whole loan on the due date and this leads to foreclosure and the loss of your home.

Mortgage Elimination Scams:

These scams are usually pin pointed at home owners who are having a hard time repaying their mortgage. Ads are often used in this type of scam, enticing home owners to hire this particular mortgage company and be rid of all mortgage payments. Usually what happens is that you pay out a fee to get the ball rolling on your mortgage elimination, then process a heap of fraud forms against the lender and file phony loan applications. Usually the only outcome is that you are making matters worse and even committing criminal acts, without even knowing it, as well as many other factors that come into it.

There are numerous other scams out there in the mortgage field, always be aware of who you are loaning through and your loan agreements.

The best way to prevent being a victim of a mortgage scam is by using your common sense. Apply in person at a company you know you can trust. Don’t take on more than you can chew. If you need to refinance your loan make sure that you know exactly what and how much you will be paying and how much your loan will be after all new charges have been added. Never believe in anything that seems too good to be true, because most times it probably is.