Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Mortgage Advice, Pensions, Loans, Tax, Investments And Savings

Category: Finance, Mortgages.

Mortgage advice, pensions, loans, tax, investments and savings.



But this is clearly no new predicament. All a relative minefield for todays average person looking to secure the future for themselves and their offspring. Honey, Im pregnant- again- for the eigth time! Fine dear, let me count the spare camel, chickens bags of, sheep grain, limbs etc. Not the sort of welcome home many men wish to hear these days but imagine going back a few thousand years to that homecoming. I can swap for a bigger property!


From grain, tools and tobacco through to Cowrie shells from the Indian Ocean which were still used until recent times. Man has, since the beginning of time, found ways of dealing for profit and gain long before money was invented. Even today, within the households of the mind blowingly rich around the world, gold bullion is preferred as a tangible commodity. But they did modern day man a huge favour with the Code of Hammurabi- the first official laws regulating banking operations. The royal palaces and temples of ancient Mesopotamia may well have had no idea just what they were starting when they initially provided secure places for the safe keeping of commodities such as grain. Long gone are the days of hauling around shed loads of grain to buy a house with.


Hence, the fast growing popularisation of electronic banking. For the average person in need of protection from loan sharks gold bullion is not a realistic option and neither is hiding your hard earned savings under the mattress. With all our assets tied up in banks and building societies can we always be sure of getting the most from our money? This is where mortgage advisors and mortgage brokers come into their own. After all, they are all money making organisations out for their own interests ahead of the consumers. Recent years saw a huge upsurge in people wanting to jump on the investment bandwagon of buying to let. Banks have cashed in on this trend with a push of their mortgages for buy to let schemes.


Probably fuelled by a trend in TV programmes relating to property renovation and making people feel this get rich quick scheme was accessible to even the most inexperienced developer. However, according to the Council for Mortgage Lenders, UK house repossessions for 2006 totalled 17, 000- a massive 65% increase on the previous year. A wise decision for any prospective purchaser or investor is an independent mortgage advisor. So, are individual banks doing whats right for the consumer? Regulated to protect the consumer, they are able to advice on a much broader range of products that can be tailored to the individual. Mortgage advisors are there to find you the very best deals in mortgages- whether it be investment, pension or repayment, endowment. Although still working for a commission( no grain! ), they are not obliged to draw customers to one organisation or another.


They can advice on overpayment, payment holidays, underpayment, variable rates, discounted tracker and, fixed capped rates. They can even advice on the raising of finance for house boats, mobile homes or the more unusual property. All financial concerns can be discussed with your personal mortgage advisor, including the buy to let mortgage, for everyone from the commercial developer to the first time buyer, from self build project managers to those looking to re- mortgage or buy a second home. Your mortgage advisor will be able to help deal with problems such as CCJ s, bankruptcy and repossessions to get you back on that property ladder as well as imparting his vast financial advice of insurances, savings taxes and, pensions will writing. So, with that next child on the way, a retirement looming or an unexpected accident or illness there is no need to panic, or round up the wildlife, just get advice from a mortgage broker.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

No Business Can Be Formed Merely By Dreaming

Category: Finance, Mortgages.

There are people who want to take Hollywood by storm. Still others dream of starting their own ventures.



Others dream of making a mark in journalism. Starting a business is what some people aspire to do. The way to business success may be paved with many thorns. It may not be as easy as you think. But the young entrepreneur knows what he wants and is focused on his dream. That is where they should be. Henry David Thoreau famously said, "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost.


Now put the foundations under them. " Now there is a quotation that every rising business head can benefit from. A lot of work goes in to making that dream a reality. No business can be formed merely by dreaming. Every successful venture is built up on the foundations of hard work. Much time is spent in studying how similar businesses have begun. A lot of homework must be carried out before any business venture can be floated. Purchasing equipment, and building networks, finding employees are essential aspects that cannot be ignored.


However, before the business can start functioning, the entrepreneur has to find a suitable base of operations. Farming out functions to other people may also be an option that the business person should consider. Finding the perfect office may not be an easy job. To begin with, you will have to look at places which shall suit what you are trying to do. But this will be good practice for the future. Do you require the services of other people and organizations?


Are you looking at attracting new customers? If so, it would be advisable to look for an office which would be in proximity to those service providers. If that is your aim, you would have to look for a prime location in a desirable place. The next question that the entrepreneur has to ask is" Will my budget allow this? " For the budding entrepreneur, there will be money issues. You would also have to make sure that the area attracts the target audience that would be interested in your venture. Without another large source of income, the young business person with a dream may find it difficult to fund his dream. The business mortgage is truly a blessing for people looking to make inroads into the business world.


But there are ways in which one can afford that ideal office. The business mortgage is perfect for those who would like to purchase office space. The repayment schedule is something that must be considered. The terms can be anywhere between five and thirty years. You could pay equal installments over a period of time or you could just pay the interest every month and a final bulk amount. Some mortgages require the borrower to invest in an endowment fund which would help in paying off the loan.


Many combinations of the above two modes are also possible. The serious entrepreneur would make it a point to look at a variety of options prior to making the final choice as to which would be the best option.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Many Sellers Will Not Even Accept An Offer Unless It Is Accompanied By A Lender S Letter

Category: Finance, Mortgages.

Most real estate purchases are bought with loans so getting a good faith estimate and pre- approval letter from your lender helps the process start off on the right foot.



It lists out the estimated closing costs, and interest rates, monthly payments for the loan program you are looking at getting. The good faith estimate, or GFE for short, is required by law to be provided by lenders when you are seeking a loan. The pre- approval letter is provided by lenders once they have run your credit and get your income/ debt information. There are also additional benefits to getting pre- approval and GFE before you even begin the property search. By getting the GFE and pre- approval letter, you can be confident that the loan will get processed with no surprises. For one, by discussing your debt to income ratio with your lender and obtaining the GFE, you can determine your maximum price.


You can find an area in your price range that fits your needs and narrow down your search. It helps to know the maximum sales price when shopping around so that you do not waste time and energy looking a over- priced properties, and also vice verse, you do not waste time and energy looking at under- priced properties. You also will determine your monthly payments with the GFE. If the monthly payments are higher than you wanted, then you can adjust your sales price to be lower. The monthly payments should include the property taxes, principle, insurance, and interest plus any private mortgage insurance( PMI) . Another reason to get your pre- approval and GFE before starting your home search is that you may find out some issues with your credit or financial situation that you could clean up before moving forward with a purchase.


And with a lower credit score, I would have gotten a worse interest rate on the loan. For example, the first time I bought a house, I found out that I had a$ 50 charge on my credit report from 3 years ago, which brought my credit score down. I say would have because I was able to pay off this collection and clear up the ding on my credit before going into the loan underwriting process. This helps with presenting offers and negotiating. Finally, by getting a pre- approval letter, you have proof for a seller that a lender has confidence in being able to fund the purchase on your behalf. Many sellers will not even accept an offer unless it is accompanied by a lender s letter. Also, if you happen to get into a multiple offer situation, your offer will be much stronger with a pre- approval letter.


Furthermore, if you do not have a letter, the seller may counter higher given that he feels he is taking on more risk that you may not be qualified for the loan amount.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Once You Do Find The Best Mortgage, Don' T Let It Go

Category: Finance, Mortgages.

Everybody loves a discount. Yes, it is easy to blame women for going crazy over sales at clothing stores.



Whenever there is a sale, we all rush to get ourselves those great deals. But then, everybody loves a real good bargain. It does feel great to be able to save a tidy sum of cash on an extravagance. When I picked up my new mobile phone on sale for a fraction of its market price, I was rejoicing for a whole week. The extra money can be used in so many other ways. Whether you are buying a yacht or a plasma TV or a state- of- the- art laptop, you would want to spend as little as possible, wouldn' t you? So when it comes to personal finance, why should we not look for bargains?


After all, everybody hates to have to pay up with large amounts of money. So why should it be any different when you are dealing with the person selling you mortgage? You would be ready and waiting to bargain with the real estate broker or the car or laptop salesman. Wouldn' t you still be on the lookout for the perfect mortgage deal to suit your specific requirements? After all, there are so many millions of loan and mortgage providers. You may think that finding a cheap mortgage is as hard as looking for a needle in a haystack. Search on the Internet for cheap loans and mortgages and you will be attacked by all sorts of brand names that you had never heard of.


However, you really should persist with your search for the cheapest loan. It is easy to lose hope at such times. If you are not doing all that well with your online searches, ask people who have recently taken out mortgages. And then you could go back with the new information and refresh your search. They would be able to give you better guidance. Remember, the more you know about what plans are available in the market, the easier it will be for you to help yourself find the ideal loan.


Competition is extremely fierce in the business of personal finance. Do not settle for anything until you have found the cheapest mortgage possible. That is your ultimate weapon. If you want to find the best mortgage, you have to sniff out the best discounts. If there is such fierce competition, there are going to be discounts. Once you do find the best mortgage, don' t let it go.