Archive for November, 2007

Will Lenders Approve Your Mortgage Loan?

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

While it is true that a great factor in the approval of your mortgage loan depends on you, there are other factors commonly considered by the lenders before they give you a thumbs up for your mortgage application.

1. Credit Report
The three major credit bureaus that can provide your credit report are Equifax, Transunion and Experian. According to statistics, errors are present in 40 percent of credit reports, that is why it is very important to examine the credit report for these errors may be included in your mortgage and you may get high interest rates or you may not get the mortgage at all.

2. Credit Cards
The mortgagors become suspicious of new credit cards or close accounts when applying for a mortgage.

3. Outstanding Loans
Repay all loans before applying for a mortgage, for this may affect the approval of your mortgage.

4. Revenue
It is recommended that you should not change jobs or leave your job before applying for a mortgage. A steady income will give you more points to get the mortgege.

5. Availability of Funds
Apart from from a deposit, you must take into account other expenses such as closing costs and make sure you do not purchase anything that could consume your available funds.

6. Advance Payment
Bigger downpayment will enable you to get a lower interest rates on the mortgage.

7. Interest Rate
Always remember that interest rates are changing continously. It is preferable to cponsider the lock-in waranty costs that tou still have the advantage should there be an increase in interest rates. This will determine how much you will pay each month.

8. Price Range
A lender will not approve a mortgage whose price you can not afford. From the assessment of your current financial situation and by determining your debt to income ratio, the lender can determine the price of your property.

9. The Lender
According to financial experts, it is not a good sign if a lender denies twenty percent of those who applied for a mortgage. You should know your lender and ask about the statistics on mortgage applications which they turned down and approved, for your insurance.

10. Honesty
Always be honest in filling out all information that the lender requires. This may cause disapproval of you loan. Beware of providing incorrect information for the lender may not be willing to work for you.

Is Credit Card Debt A Problem?

Monday, November 5th, 2007

How indispensable are credit cards to you? Today, credit cards are no longer considered as a luxury. In fact, they have become a necessity. The credit card industry is growing as many people are going for credit cards. Some people even own more than one credit card. Thus, credit card industry and credit card holders are faced with a big problem called “Credit Card Debt”.

Literally, credit cards are cards on which you can get a credit. It is a representation of the credit account that you hold with the credit card supplier or company.The payments you make using your credit card are actually what you borrowed that contribute towards your credit card debt. Your total credit card debt is the total amount you owe the credit card supplier or company. A monthly statement is sent to you. This is your credit card bill which reflects your total credit card debt. This credit card billing must be settled on a monthly basis on the due date to avoid late payment fee and interest charges. However, you may also have the option of making partial payment. If  in case you were not able to pay your credit card debt in full, the interest charges are added to it. When this happens, your credit card debt keeps on increasing. The reason for this is the high interest rates on credit card debt than on other kind of loans or borrowings. It is also important to know that the interest charges added on your credit card debt each month becomes a new balance, Therefore, if you continue making partial payments or no payments at all, the interest charges are calculated afresh on the new credit card debt, so you end up paying the interest on the last month’s interest, and your credit card debt accumulates rapidly which you find almost impossible to pay. This is the result of the vicious circle of credit card debt.