Equity and your Home

By Jackie Smith

When you are ready to purchase your new home, or are looking to refinance your current mortgage, it is important to shop around for the best rates available to you. There are numerous internet sites, available, that allow you to receive quotes from various mortgage lenders. While researching a mortgage on the internet, you will also want to compare the various fees that are associated with each offer. Sometimes you may find that the lender with the lowest quote, will actually end up costing you more when you add in all the additional fees.

Many of the lenders do not clearly disclose some of the additional fees that they attach to the mortgage offer, so you need to be cautious and do not jump into a offer because it is low. By moving to fast and not carefully reading all the information you may be responsible to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in unanticipated fees. By law, a mortgage lender is required to provide you with a good faith closing estimate, prior to you accepting the offer. The good faith estimate that you receive should be very close to costs that will be listed on you closing documents.

If you currently own a home, and are happy with the rate that you have then the only reason to refinance your mortgage is if you are in need of extra funds. It is wise, in this case, to research home equity rates, that make funds available to you for anticipated expenses. The funds that you receive from a home equity loan can be used for any number of reason, from purchasing a new car, to renovating your home. What you spend the funds on is your choice, but you should remember that you are mortgaging your home for this expense, and using up most of its equity by doing so.

Home equity lines of credit are becoming increasingly more difficult to acquire, due to the current economic climate in the country. The line of credit is similar to a credit card you can take out, using your home as collateral. Due to the trouble that the banks have been in though, the home equity lines of credit are almost non-existent now. The home equity loan is more common today, and is much easier to get.

No matter what type of loan you are interested in, there are some general requirements that you should be made aware of. Typically the lender will require you to have a certain level of home owners insurance on the house, to protect their investment in the case of any damage to the home. The lender will also want the appropriate legal documentation in place that assures them that if you fail to live up to the terms of the loan, or you are loosing your home for any other reason, that they will be paid back first. These are just standard procedures, and should not discourage you from applying for a loan if the situation requires it. - 29971

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