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	<title>Brandon Finance and Business Blog &#187; Real Estate and Mortgage</title>
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		<title>Ways to save money on your home loan</title>
		<link>http://www.imbrandon.com/investing-plan/ways-to-save-money-on-your-home-loan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.imbrandon.com/investing-plan/ways-to-save-money-on-your-home-loan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:19:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate and Mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amortization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amount of money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aspirations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[discrepancies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[enough money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extra money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[first few years]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foreclose house]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[getting a mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home loan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[household income]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interest rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage broker australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage brokers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[problem areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[professional consultant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rebates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ways to save money]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.imbrandon.com/?p=491</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most people would aspire to have a house they can call a home. There is nothing wrong with such aspirations; in fact it is a noble one. Typically when one is getting a house, it also means getting a mortgage from a mortgage broker. So here are some few tips you read to save you &#8230; </p><p><a class="more-link block-button" href="http://www.imbrandon.com/investing-plan/ways-to-save-money-on-your-home-loan/">Continue reading &#187;</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id='lw_context_ads'><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.imbrandon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mortgage3.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-166" title="mortgage3" src="http://www.imbrandon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/mortgage3-300x221.jpg" alt="mortgage3 300x221 Ways to save money on your home loan" width="300" height="221" /></a>Most people would aspire to have a house they can call a home. There is nothing wrong with such aspirations; in fact it is a noble one. Typically when one is getting a house, it also means getting a mortgage from a mortgage broker. So here are some few tips you read to save you money on your home loan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #1 – Before taking a mortgage from any of the mortgage brokers, it is best that you shop and compare interest rates and terms. This will save you tremendous amount of money in the long run. You can easily use the Internet in doing this. Simply log into a computer and go to you favorite search engine. Do a search on mortgage brokers by typing in “mortgage brokers”, and then add the place of your location. An example would be like - <a href="http://www.homeloanfinder.com.au/mortgage-broker/">mortgage broker Australia</a> or mortgage broker Brisbane.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #2 – Always check and double-check the terms that is in the mortgage agreement. It is best that you bring a professional consultant to check the papers for discrepancies or possible problem areas in the future. This will save you money by avoiding hidden fees that may come in after a certain number of years after the first few years of the loan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #3 – Calculate the monthly payments carefully. Make sure that your household income can pay the amortization with enough money to pay other expenses. Nothing can be more disastrous than a foreclose house because of inability to pay monthly payments.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #4 – You can save money from the home loan if you ask if there are rebates when it comes to early payments of your amortization cost. Some lenders do offer such incentive if you pay on time or before the specified date. These rebates may sometimes be small. But if you add them up in the long run, the money you will save would be significant.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #5 – If possible, try to budget a small amount of extra money for advanced payments of the home loan. This has several advantages. One you can pay off the debt quicker if you have saved up enough. This will also save you money from the interest since you will be paying it off sooner. Two, this money would also serve as a buffer in case of emergencies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #5 – Be aware of the market interest rate trends. If the interest rate of the market has fallen considerable, then refinancing you house may be an option that you should think about. Just be sure that the new financing rates will not take a toll on your new monthly amortization payments.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Tip #6 – Ask the members of the family to pitch in whatever or whenever they can to pay off the house loan as soon as possible. Everyone could make an agreement to put in a few portion of his or her income. Or someone could take new project or a second job for the same purpose. Owning a new house is a family affair that everyone should do his or her part. This will also bond the family closer and have the feeling of achieving something noteworthy.</p>
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		<title>How Much Home Can You Afford?</title>
		<link>http://www.imbrandon.com/real-estate-and-mortgage/how-much-home-can-you-afford-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.imbrandon.com/real-estate-and-mortgage/how-much-home-can-you-afford-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:21:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Real Estate and Mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affordable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[car loans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cash flow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[credit card debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt funds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt payments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt to income ratio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[earnings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance loan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[incomes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[initial question]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interest rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maximum mortgage payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personal debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[property finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ratios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rule of thumb]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[student loans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unsecured debt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.imbrandon.com/?p=344</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the time is right to purchase a household, the initial question you'll need to be able to answer is how of a residence you can afford. Knowing the answer to this query will permit you to focus your search on homes within the correct price range even prior to applying for a property finance &#8230; </p><p><a class="more-link block-button" href="http://www.imbrandon.com/real-estate-and-mortgage/how-much-home-can-you-afford-2/">Continue reading &#187;</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id='lw_context_ads'><p style="text-align: justify;">When the time is right to purchase a household, the initial question you'll need to be able to answer is how of a residence you can afford. Knowing the answer to this query will permit you to focus your search on homes within the correct price range even prior to applying for a property finance loan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Debt-to-Income Ratio</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The most important factor that lenders use as a rule of thumb for how much it is possible to borrow is the debt-to-income ratio. This ratio takes into account a mortgage payment plus your other personal personal debt that you are carrying for instance car loans, bank card credit card debt and student loans. The ratio is expressed in a percentage of how much of your earnings is being employed to make unsecured debt funds.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The typical guideline employed by most lenders is really a ratio of 36% as the upper limit. Ratios above this may well carry a higher interest rate or be denied altogether. Lenders also like to see that typically no extra than 28% be dedicated to all housing expenses.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Calculating Your Debt-to-Income Ratio</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The very first thing you'll need to do is decide your gross monthly cash flow. This is the earnings just before taxes and other bills are taken out. If you happen to be married and will probably be applying for the loan jointly you really should add together both incomes. Then take this number and multiply it by .36. For illustration, should you and your spouse have a combined gross monthly earnings of $7,000:<span id="more-344"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">$7,000 x .36 = $2,520</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This means that your complete monthly financial debt funds must be no more than $2,520, mortgage payment included.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The next step is to establish your complete non-mortgage financial debt funds which include month-to-month credit card or auto funds. For this instance we will assume your month to month debt payments come to $950. Computing the maximum mortgage payment:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">$2,520 - $950 = $1,570</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">From this instance we have determined that essentially the most residence it is possible to reasonably afford is one with a mortgage payment of $1,590 which would include property taxes, insurance and possibly private mortgage loan insurance.</p>
</div>
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		<title>Things to Consider Before Buying a Home</title>
		<link>http://www.imbrandon.com/real-estate-and-mortgage/things-to-consider-before-buying-a-home/</link>
		<comments>http://www.imbrandon.com/real-estate-and-mortgage/things-to-consider-before-buying-a-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:22:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate and Mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[basketball hoop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buying a home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fairness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[household]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[improvements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[instances]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landlord]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landscape]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage loan payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage principal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movie theater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[owning a home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[property taxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pros and cons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scenarios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[taking the plunge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tax burden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unfinished basement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unsecured debt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.imbrandon.com/?p=343</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For a lot of people today, proudly owning a home brings a sense of pride and freedom that can not be matched by renting. If you individual your own household, you aren’t bound by a landlord’s rules, and your monthly payments are in fact making fairness. Though shopping for a house may be the 1st &#8230; </p><p><a class="more-link block-button" href="http://www.imbrandon.com/real-estate-and-mortgage/things-to-consider-before-buying-a-home/">Continue reading &#187;</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id='lw_context_ads'><p style="text-align: justify;">For a lot of people today, proudly owning a home brings a sense of pride and freedom that can not be matched by renting. If you individual your own household, you aren’t bound by a landlord’s rules, and your monthly payments are in fact making fairness. Though shopping for a house may be the 1st step you bring toward building long-term wealth, it is vital to realize the pros and cons of residence ownership prior to taking the plunge.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Benefits of Owning a house</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Very first, let’s require a look at some in the benefits of acquiring a home. Probably the most obvious gain is the fact that it’s yours. You are able to paint your kitchen pink, change the landscape, install a basketball hoop, or turn your unfinished basement into a movie theater. Provided you work inside any making or zoning regulations, you may do practically anything you would like with your house.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">One more main profit of proudly owning a house is always that some of the monthly mortgage payment comes back to you within the form of fairness. Once you spend rent, you will never see any of that money again. On the other hand, part within your mortgage loan payment will partially be applied to the mortgage principal, which builds fairness.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Since your house can turn out to be an asset, you also have the possible to create money if you can promote it for extra than you originally paid. In some scenarios, this profit might even be tax-free. In addition, you might be able to tap into the fairness of your home although still living in it in order to make improvements or consolidate unsecured debt.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, let’s not forget that there may also be extra tax benefits from owning a house. In several instances, the mortgage attention and property taxes you spend are deductible, which means you will be lowering your overall tax burden.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Disadvantages of Possessing a house<span id="more-343"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Even though you will discover a lot of positive elements to shopping for a home, let’s not overlook the prospective drawbacks as well. Do you don't forget a time when a key appliance in your apartment broke down? You probably just had to call your front office or landlord and they had been out to fix or replace it at no cost to you within a matter of hours or days. If you very own your individual household, there may perhaps be many unexpected repair and maintenance costs which you otherwise wouldn’t have in the event you had been renting.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A different thing to take into account could be the prospective to really shed cash on the home. Even though over time genuine estate has typically gone up in value, you can find times when the actual estate market stays comparatively flat or actually declines. Depending on the expenses associated with the sale plus the actual amount you promote the house for, you could lose funds.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Finally, shopping for a home is really a long-term proposition. After you rent, you may well only be bound to a month-to-month or annual lease, so picking up and moving may be carried out on fairly short notice. As soon as you buy a home, it isn’t as easy to just pick up and move. You've a significant financial obligation, along with the method of selling a home may well take many months to complete.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So, when you are purchasing a house, consider the time to fully grasp the rewards and drawbacks, and make sure you're doing it for that correct reasons.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ascertain How Very much Home You can Manage to pay for</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you might have decided that getting a home is proper for you, the initially step is to ascertain what you are able to pay for. One particular with the frequent recommendations to use could be the debt-to-income ratio. Most lenders suggest that your total debt-to-income ratio really should not exceed 36%, and your mortgage loan credit card debt alone really should be much less than 28% of the month-to-month revenue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To calculate your individual debt-to-income ratio, first add up your complete monthly gross profits. Once you have that figure, multiply it by 36%, or .36. This amount may be the maximum quantity of monthly unsecured debt funds you should have, including your property finance loan.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Next, add up all of one's present month to month non-mortgage credit card debt payments and subtract it from the previous complete you just calculated. This range will give you an approximate maximum property finance loan payment you can find the money for. Ideally, this quantity ought to be 28% or much less of the regular monthly profits.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Even with these recommendations, it really is crucial to bear in mind that your private circumstance will ultimately dictate what it is possible to genuinely find the money for, so bring all factors of the scenario into consideration.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Discovering the right Home loan</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After you may have determined how much home you'll be able to afford, it's time to shop for the correct mortgage. Since you're likely to be financing a loan for hundreds of thousands of dollars, it really is crucial that you just make a smart decision. A negative property finance loan can substantially affect your finances more than time.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The good news is the fact that there's a sort of mortgage available for nearly every predicament. The poor news is the fact that selecting the wrong 1 can expense you tens of 1000's of dollars in curiosity more than the expression in the mortgage. Essentially the most widespread loans come in two styles: fixed and adjustable curiosity fee loans.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A fixed attention loan will supply stability for you. The interest pace won’t alter for that life of the loan, so your funds remain stable. One gain having a fixed pace mortgage is always that if interest rates go up, you continue to pay your same decrease price. Around the other hand, if prices go down, you might be paying much more than the current fee, though it may perhaps be possible to refinance for a lower charge.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">With an adjustable rate loan, you sacrifice some with the stability in payments for that capability from the home finance loan to adjust with prevailing interest rates. When interest rates are going down, this is is often to your profit. But when charges are increasing, you are able to come across yourself with a higher month-to-month payment.</p>
</div>
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		<title>Juggling Time for Find an Angel Investor</title>
		<link>http://www.imbrandon.com/credit-and-debt/juggling-time-for-find-an-angel-investor/</link>
		<comments>http://www.imbrandon.com/credit-and-debt/juggling-time-for-find-an-angel-investor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 15:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Guidance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Info]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Learning Center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Credit and Debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debt Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forex And Trading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate and Mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxation Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[4 months]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accounts receivables]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angel group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angel investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angel investors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business building]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business plan writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business team]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[group states]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intense level]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investor money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[juggling time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[key financial ratios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[necessary time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales revenues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sba office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thin air]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time frame]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[top notch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vital functions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.imbrandon.com/?p=246</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Enlist Support: Are you physically and mentally prepared for this intense level of activity? Enlist the support of your business team and family to help you through this challenge of finding an angel investor for your small business. You can't do it all alone, accept it, and use the resources around you. Be Realistic: Don't &#8230; </p><p><a class="more-link block-button" href="http://www.imbrandon.com/credit-and-debt/juggling-time-for-find-an-angel-investor/">Continue reading &#187;</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id='lw_context_ads'><li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Enlist Support:</strong> Are you physically and mentally prepared for this intense level of activity? Enlist the support of your business team and family to help you through this challenge of finding an angel investor for your small business. You can't do it all alone, accept it, and use the resources around you.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Be Realistic:</strong> Don't expect an angel investor to appear out of thin air. It will take time. "You have to plan on a six month process, it can happen in 4 months but ideally six months. I think you have to realize it will take 25% of your time looking for people. You have to find the right source, people who invest in your type of business at your stage. And it's really important you are referred into the angel group," states Barry Moltz. Work with a manageable timetable. Focus more on finding the right angel for your company rather than any angel investor.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Make a List:</strong> Take the time to plan out the next 6 months of business. List all your plans, from marketing and operations to employee hiring. Determine the business building tasks you mustn't let go. Look for opportunities to take less urgent and non-revenue generating tasks to move them to another time frame. Perhaps when your angel investor searching is over.<span id="more-246"></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Work Your Business Plan:</strong>An angel investors isn't in the business of advising you on your business plan. Spend the necessary time to make your business plan top notch before your make your rounds. This will save time reducing rewrites and losing a possible angel investor.
<p>There are plenty of sources available on helping you build a great business plan. If you are totally limited, hire the help of a business plan writer or work with your local SCORE or SBA office.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Monitor Vital Functions:</strong> The health of your company is critical during the search for angel investor money. Keep a vigilant watch on key financial ratios, sales revenues, accounts receivables, and any other metric important to your business.</li>
</div>
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		<title>Buying vs Renting a Home</title>
		<link>http://www.imbrandon.com/credit-and-debt/buying-vs-renting-a-home/</link>
		<comments>http://www.imbrandon.com/credit-and-debt/buying-vs-renting-a-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:36:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit and Debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate and Mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxation Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[credit report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt payments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt ratio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt ratios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fico score]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foreclosure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[high ratio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[home ownership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interest rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jeopardy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[late payments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[midtown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage payments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piti payment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate agents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relocation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renting a home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unemployment compensation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.imbrandon.com/?p=202</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Words you will hear few real estate agents mutter: Not everybody should own a home! Some people aren't cut out for home ownership, for a variety of reasons. Are you one of those who should rent and not buy? Here are some ways to tell. Bad Credit Report Does your credit report tank? If your FICO score &#8230; </p><p><a class="more-link block-button" href="http://www.imbrandon.com/credit-and-debt/buying-vs-renting-a-home/">Continue reading &#187;</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id='lw_context_ads'><p style="text-align: justify;">Words you will hear few real estate agents mutter: <em>Not everybody should own a home!</em> Some people aren't cut out for home ownership, for a variety of reasons. Are you one of those who should rent and not buy? Here are some ways to tell.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Bad Credit Report</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Does your credit report tank? If your FICO score is below 620, you're not going to receive a good interest rate for a loan and, in fact, that kind of score could dump you into the hands of apredatory lender. Not a good sign.</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>If you want to buy with bad credit, you should work on fixing it before applying for a loan.</li>
<li>Four late payments is enough to disqualify you from obtaining a loan.</li>
<li>You can order your credit report free online.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>High Debt Ratios</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Lenders consider two ratios: front-end and back-end. The front-end is your mortgage payment, plus taxes and insurance divided by your monthly salary. The back-end adds your monthly debt payments to your PITI payment before dividing that total figure by your salary. A 50% debt ratio is a high ratio. A high debt ratio means you may not qualify for the loan. If you should find an unscrupulous lender that is willing to fund such a loan, you may not be able to afford to feed yourself, even if you eat dirt.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Job Instability or Relocation</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">How secure is your job? A high-rolling Sacramento buyer purchased a home in Midtown. His mortgage payments were $3,500 a month, which was a lot for a 25-year-old. However, that payment was affordable while this guy was earning an annual $120,000 salary. But when he lost his job, he also lost his home to foreclosure.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><strong>Is Your Job in Jeopardy?</strong><br />
Is your company laying off? Could you be fired and, if so, how hard would it be to get another job right away? Unemployment compensation is rarely enough to cover mortgage payments.<span id="more-202"></span></li>
<li><strong>Relocation.</strong><br />
Are you likely to be transferred to another city within the next two to three years? If you had to sell due to a job transfer, your property would need to appreciate at least 10% to cover the cost of selling; otherwise, you would lose money on the sale. When you buy a home, you should plan to stay put for a while.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Maintenance Issues</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">All homes require upkeep and maintenance. Not everybody has the where-with-all, much less the desire, to tackle home repair projects. In addition, many first-time home buyers can not afford to hire a professional to fix things that break. Experts suggest you set aside 5% of the purchase price to cover maintenance and repairs when you buy a home.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>When Renting Costs Considerably Less</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If your mortgage payment would be triple the amount (or more) you would pay for rent, it might not make financial sense for you to buy. For example, if it would cost you $2,000 a month to rent what would cost you $6,000 per month to own, does it make sense to pay $48,000 a year more to own a home?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you are in a 30% tax bracket, you might not come close to recouping the difference you paid. Say your deductible expenses are $5,000 a month; 30% of that is only $1,500, which would be your true tax savings per month. Would you spend $6,000 to save $1,500? For more information, please consult a tax accountant or CPA.</p>
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		<title>Finding the Right Mortgage</title>
		<link>http://www.imbrandon.com/investing-plan/finding-the-right-mortgage/</link>
		<comments>http://www.imbrandon.com/investing-plan/finding-the-right-mortgage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:36:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investing Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate and Mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxation Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adjustable interest rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adjustable rate loan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bad news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[benefit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[current rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fixed interest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fixed rate loan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hundreds of thousands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interest loan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interest rate loans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interest rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magic number]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[private mortgage insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[right]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[right mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[smart decision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tens of thousands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thousands of dollars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional mortgage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twenty percent]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.imbrandon.com/?p=198</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Finding the Right Mortgage After you have determined how much home you can afford, it is time to shop for the right mortgage. Since you are likely to be financing a loan for hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is crucial that you make a smart decision. A bad mortgage can significantly affect your finances &#8230; </p><p><a class="more-link block-button" href="http://www.imbrandon.com/investing-plan/finding-the-right-mortgage/">Continue reading &#187;</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id='lw_context_ads'><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Finding the Right Mortgage</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After you have determined how much home you can afford, it is time to shop for the right mortgage. Since you are likely to be financing a loan for hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is crucial that you make a smart decision. A bad mortgage can significantly affect your finances over time.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The good news is that there is a type of mortgage available for almost every situation. The bad news is that choosing the wrong one can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in interest over the term of the loan. The most common loans come in two styles: fixed and adjustable interest rate loans.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A fixed interest loan will provide stability for you. The interest rate won’t change for the life of the loan, so your payments remain stable. One benefit with a fixed rate loan is that if interest rates go up, you continue to pay your same lower rate. On the other hand, if rates go down, you may be paying more than the current rate, although it may be possible to refinance for a lower rate.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">With an adjustable rate loan, you sacrifice some of the stability in payments for the ability of the mortgage to adjust with prevailing interest rates. When interest rates are going down, this is can be to your benefit. But when rates are increasing, you can find yourself with a higher monthly payment.<span id="more-198"></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">The Down Payment</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In addition to understanding what type of loan to look for, you should consider the down payment. In a traditional mortgage, you would provide a down payment of twenty percent or more of the price of the home. Twenty percent is the magic number because for most lenders, this is the amount of equity they require so that you can avoid paying PMI, or Private Mortgage Insurance.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When you are unable to put twenty percent down, the lender generally requires that you also pay the PMI premium, which can be anywhere from twenty dollars to a few hundred dollars each month. When shopping for a mortgage, take this into consideration and ask if there are alternatives to paying PMI if you will be unable to come up with the full down payment.</p>
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