Sometimes timing is everything. If the best house for your family comes on the market and you do not have access to the loan you need, you might miss out. If you finally get access to the perfect loan and the house you want is off the market, you miss out again.
To make sure that you are ready when you find the perfect house, following this list of advice may help:
- Make sure to pay down all of your current debt if you can. The better your credit, the better the loan you can qualify for.
- Save as much for a down payment as possible. Many lenders ask for a down payment that is at least 3.5%.
- If you do not have the credit record you want, you can make up for the lower score with a larger down payment.
- Make sure that you check your credit score and spend time removing any errors.
- Create a chart so that you can compare mortgage rates as you shop around for different lenders. Creating home loans comparison charts will help you distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of your options.
- Check to see if you qualify for any special loans. For example, are you a first time home buyer?
- Ask for actual quotes that include all of the specific numbers for your exact loan. You don’t need examples, you need specifics from the entire list of mortgage lenders you are considering.
- Check to see if you can qualify for a 15 year loan. While the rates for 30 year loans are attractive, a 15 year loan can eliminate your mortgage payments sooner.
- Interest rates for home loans change often. When you find one that you are interested in, make sure you lock it in.
- Experts suggest that when you combine your mortgage payment with the rest of your debt, the total should be no more than 36% of your monthly income.
- Find out if there are any penalties for paying off your loan early.
Every list of mortgage lenders needs to include local lending institutions and reputable national firms. This diverse combination will help you make sure that you are exploring all of the possible mortgage options. The national firms will give you the chance to be sure that the local firms are competitive on rates. The local lenders will offer the option of a more personal touch.
Getting a list of home mortgage lenders online is another possible starting point. This process of searching online mortgage lenders will allow you to safely learn about the mortgage process if this is your first home mortgage.
To get the lowest rate and the quickest mortgage approval, borrowers need to depend on the top list of mortgage lenders. Otherwise, they risk paying interest rates that are too high and possibly paying penalties that are too strict.