Posts Tagged credit

Points, Closing Costs and Mortgage Rates, Oh My!

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loan shop sign
Image by TheTruthAbout… via Flickr

Thinking of buying or building that perfect home?  Before you sign on the dotted line do some research into home loan interest rates and do the necessary inspections. Maybe even a Pest Inspectorwill be needed.

Home loan interest rates combined with your individual financial status determines how much you can borrow.  This would have an impact on how much house you can buy.  Higher interest rates would mean you may have to settle for a bit smaller home than you originally had planned.

One of the things that you may consider to lower home loan interest rates is to consider if you are willing to pay points or not.  A point is 1% of the total loan amount.  It is the up front fee that would reduce your monthly interest rate and the total amount of interest over the length of the loan.  By paying points you are essentially buying your way to a better rate and trading between paying now vs. paying later.

Another factor to consider in regards to home loan interest rates length of loan.  A typical 30 year mortgage will have a higher interest rate than that of a 15 year mortgage.  The 30 year mortgage will have lower monthly payments but you would pay thousands of dollars more in interest rates over the life of the loan than that of a 15 year mortgage.

Also keep in mind your Closing Cost obligations, its best to get clarity on those with your lender at the beginning of the process.

One of the things I have benefited from in the purchase of a new home has been a New Home Warranty. A New Home Warranty helps cover typical repairs to plumbing, electrical and appliances. You never know when a furnace will go out!

When shopping around make sure you are looking at comparable points and rates amongst the different lenders. Do your homework, read, research, and compare. There are lots of credit programs out there, and finding the right one that fits you can be a daunting task. But, its worth it. Remember, a mortgage is a 20-30 year investment, make sure you have all the information you need to make a qualified decision.

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Tags: Add new tag, business, credit, Finance, Financial Services, Interest rate, Loan, Mortgage, Point

Good News 2010 Home Buying Tax Credit!

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If you thought you missed out on the First-time home buyers tax credit, you are wrong!  The federal government has extended the qualification period to first time home buyers from January 1, 2009 and before April 1 2010 (with closing to take place before July 1 2010).  Buying  a home for the first time, results in an $8,000 home buyer tax credit. For the purposes of claiming the tax credit, the purchase date is the date when closing occurs and the title to the property transfers to the home owner. If you and your spouse claim the credit on a joint return (both of you must meet the income and past ownership criteria to qualify), each spouse is treated as having been allowed half of the credit for purposes of repaying the credit. So the total amount claimable is still only $8000 (up to April 30th 2010).

More specifically,  the home buyers’ credit is available to qualified individuals who have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of up to $125,000, or $250,000 for couples, up from $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples under the original rules.

And not to exclude those current homeowners who are  looking for a replacement primary residence there is also a $6,500 home buying tax credit (up to $3,250 for a married individual filing separately) under the new “long-time resident” provision.

Here are the rules: you must have lived in the same principal residence for a five-consecutive year period during the eight-year period that ended on the date the replacement home is purchased. This new rule also only applies to homes purchased after Nov. 6th 2009.

The 2010 Home Buying Tax Credit won’t last long, you’ve only got a couple of months left to meet the requirements.  So, get out there and stimulate the economy and buy a home, after all home ownership is the American Dream!

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Tags: 2010 home buyer tax credit, buying a home, credit, home, home buyer, tax

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