Part of the x3y community

Mortgage Amortization Schedule – Why it is Cleverly Set Up to Work Against You

I get this question all the time. If I have a good mortgage and pay bills on time, why should I even care about taking any further action with my mortgage?
Good question.

The way the bank charges you interest is sophisticated. You may not even realize you are paying more than you have to and this is not your fault.

Banks set up their system so that you end up spending more on your monthly mortgage repayment towards interest rather than principal in the early years. For example, if you have a $1,200 monthly repayment, it common to spend $1,100 in interest and $100 in principal.

You can go directly to bankrate.com and use their mortgage calculator to see how much you are paying in principal and interest each month.

However, did you know you can and have the right to change the situation in your favor each month?

You could end up spending $900 in interest and $300 to principal should you choose to with a little more applied towards your principal payment every other month.

Even an eagle-eye read-through of your bills and your mortgage statement each month will not catch this method.

There is a simple method that will allow you to allocate more of your mortgage principal to you mortgage balance rather than interest. The key is to use the mortgage acceleration method.

You set up a Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC) account and draw down just the right amount from your HELOC to pay off your mortgage. Once the mortgage balance is paid down to a certain limit the bank reallocates more of your monthly payment to principal rather than interest.

This may sound confusing but you can search Google on this and learn more about the mortgage acceleration programs

Staying on top of your mortgage finances can sometimes feel like a full-time job.

And most of us already have a lot to deal with. In times like this, it is easy to get tempted by promises to find quick fix solutions that will help you take control of your situation.

By: Neil Venketramen

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate · July 22nd, 2010 · Comments (0)

Florida Mortgage Loans FAQs

How do banks and brokers rate mortgage loans? Banks and brokers rate mortgage loans according to collateral, capacity to pay and credit. Collateral is the property that the borrower will pledge to the lender to secure a loan and this will be subject to seizure if terms are not met. Capacity to pay is the brokers ability to pay the loan and can be determined by the borrower’s income or employment. Credit is the borrower’s capacity to obtain good or bad credit. If all three factors are met and the property is of great value, then you will have no problem in getting a loan. If one is unsatisfactory among the three factors, then adjustments and new conditions will be set and these will be subject for approval.

Q. What is the difference between pre-qualifying and pre-approval?

A. Pre-qualification is usually made by a loan officer who has determined the dollar value that you may be approved for. But it is not a real commitment as the loan officer is not in a position to make a final approval. Pre-approval on the other hand is already a foot in the door because this means that your qualifications such as your credit history, employment, and income has been verified, allowing you to close a deal very quickly.

What is amortization?

This is the term used for the regular payments made in periodic installments for the principal and interest of the loan. Currently, loans can be amortized up to a 30-year period.

What are the closing costs?

Upon the closing of the mortgage, the borrower pays settlement costs or closing costs depending on the terms with the bank or the broker. These may involve origination fees, discount points, credit report, attorney services, appraisal, property survey, insurance, and so forth. Be sure that you are clear about these fees from the very beginning.

What documents are normally required for a mortgage?

Minimum requirements include driver’s license or any valid ID, tax returns or W-2 of the past two years, and recent paycheck for W-2 employees.

By: Josh Riverside

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Finance · March 2nd, 2009 · Comments (0)

Loan Amortization Schedules

An “amortization schedule,” in general, is a record of loan or mortgage payments. This record includes the payment number, date, amount, breakdown of principal and interest, and the remaining balance owed after the payment. An amortizing loan’s periodic repayments contain an amount designated for the reduction of the principal, so that the balance will eventually be reduced to zero. The time necessary for the balance to reach zero is calculated in an amortization schedule.

What is Fixed Rate Amortizing Loans?

The monthly payments for interest and principal remain consistent and never change in fixed rates. The monthly payments will typically be stable even if property taxes and homeowners insurance increase. In a fixed rate-amortizing loan, the interest rate remains fixed for the life of the loan. The monthly payments remain level for the life of the loan and are prearranged to pay off the loan at the end of the loan term. An example of a fixed rate loan is a 30-year mortgage that takes 22.5 years of level payments to pay half of the original loan amount.

Importance of Principal and Interest in Amortization Loans

The method in which the principal and interest are applied is very useful to understanding amortization loans. For example, in an amortization schedule, the majority of the payment applies to interest early in the loan, with a small amount applied to paying off the principal. As the loan matures and there is less principal remaining to be repaid, more of the payment is applied to repaying the principal since there is less interest owed to the lender. Only a small amount of interest is paid by the monthly payment by the end of the loan, and most of it applies to the principal.

By: Richard Romando

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Real Estate · July 13th, 2008 · Comments (0)

The Truth On Loan Amortization Calculator

The loan amortization calculator, creates the spreadsheets of principal, interest, and balances on each payment period, provides a big picture on how the mortgage will turn out. The mortgage payment covers the principal and interest. In the life of mortgage, the balance decreases as the borrower makes regular payment. Thus, the borrower sees for any chance of negative amortization. A negative amortization is a point in time when the payment is not enough to cover the principal and interest.

To a mortgage dictionary, the amortization means the repayment of mortgage thru installments of regular payments. And, the loan means the sum of money that lender lends to the borrower to be repaid on a specified period. It is also good to know principal, and interest rate which are use to calculate the mortgage payment. The principal means the face value of the mortgage, while the interest rate means percentage of the balance to be paid.

The biggest advantage of loan amortization calculator is to see the mortgage tax deduction. For each payment period, the calculator computes the mortgage interest. The mortgage interest tax deduction is one of the potent tax deductions for homeowners. For the latest news on mortgage interest tax deduction, you may want to refer to Internal Revenue Services (IRS).

Actually, the lender sends form 1098 to the borrower. The form shows the total mortgage interest for the entire year. The borrower places the total mortgage interest to Schedule A Form 1040 of the income tax return.

To qualify for the tax deduction, borrower must fill out Schedule A Form 1040, liable for the loan, and secures the debt. Only the actual borrower, who pays the mortgage and owns the home, can claim the tax deduction. To secure the debt, borrower can use mortgage, deed of trust, or land contract. The mortgage, deed of trust, or land contract ensures the repayment of debt in case of default of mortgage payment.

The mortgage interest of any home, that includes sleeping, toilet, and cooking facilities, qualifies for mortgage tax deduction. So, the house, condominium, cooperative, mobile home, house trailer, or boat house usually qualifies for tax deduction. Furthermore, the home is the first and second home of the borrower.

To conclude, the loan amortization calculator helps the potential mortgage borrower to see the overview of the life of the mortgage. Seeing the amortization schedule, the borrower can tell how he wants the loan to work. The amortization schedule even tells the mortgage interest tax deduction. For the complete information on mortgage interest tax deduction, you may want to consult IRS. The laws and regulations change all the time. Especially, there are talks of removing the mortgage interest tax deduction.

By: Dennis Estrada

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Finance · April 21st, 2008 · Comments (0)

Links

Tags

Categories

Archives