Thursday, September 6, 2007
For people considering buying a home for the first time, things can be a bit intimidating. You just have to keep in mind the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Benefits to Homeownership Outweigh Risks
There are many benefits to owning a home. Sure, there are the usual obstacles to get over. First, people don't want to put that much money into it, they'd rather just rent.
Also, they don't want to have to go through the lengthy process of buying the home and even searching for the right home in the first place. Then they don't want to have to go through the mortgage process and go into debt to get the home. While these are definitely disadvantages, the simple fact is that there are so many major advantages to owning a home that going through these steps ends up being well worth it.
The most notable benefit to owning a home is equity. Equity is the value of the home. When mortgaging a home, your initial equity is the down payment you made on the home. As you make additional payments, your stake in the equity of the home rises (since the lender owns the rest of the equity). However, it is also important to note that equity also rises when the value of the home rises. This equity is solely yours, the equity of the lender does not increase. That is why many California homeowners are sitting on gold mines.
This equity can be used for valuable things such as home equity loans and home equity lines of credit. These are low interest loans with the home used as collateral. Equity opens up many valuable new doors and is just one reason why owning a home is one of the best things you can ever do.
Another advantage is the tax savings. Every dollar of interest paid in the mortgage payments can be used as a tax write-off. This can be a very considerable amount, especially early on in the loan when the interest is front-loaded, and it can save you a lot of money in taxes.
Of course, it really comes down to the simple fact that you own a home. That home is yours and that with that comes a certain pride. Owning a home is one of the most important things you will ever do. Don't pass it up, don't choose to rent if you don't have to. There are just too many advantages of owning a home to pass up.
Dan Lewis is with Great Western Mortgage - providing San Diego home loans.
The Decision to Rent or Buy A Home
The pace of life can be so quick that we have a tendency to blow by important decisions. One such decision is the decision to rent or buy a home.
The Decision to Rent or Buy A Home
One of the biggest decisions people come to is the issue of renting versus buying. Really, it is an extremely tough choice to choose between the two. However, I once had an economics teacher who put it extremely well and puts the whole thing in perspective. His motto was, "Rent when you have to, buy when you can." This statement is only too true, and here is why.
Renting can be a big plus for certain people. People who are on the move, people who get relocated with their jobs and need to stay mobile, and also for people who just moved out of the house and have low income and no credit. In any of these situations, renting is definitely a good choice. Renting allows people who need to stay mobile the opportunity to do just that. They go month by month and aren't committed anywhere. Also, the paperwork required for renting is minute in comparison to that of buying and selling. In addition, those with low income and credit scores should also consider renting. Looking for a mortgage with low credit scores will be very difficult and even if you find one the interest will be unreasonable, not to mention the fact that even making the monthly payments can be unmanageable.
However, the benefits of buying, when able to, far outweigh those of renting. Sure, buying a house takes tons of paperwork and involves commitment to that house. But in the long run, owning a home is extremely important since your home is one of the biggest investments you can make. The key to this is home equity. Equity is essentially the value of the home. This equity almost always increases over time and can sometimes take huge leaps such as the recent price hikes of homes in California. These huge spikes drastically increase the price of the home and leave the homeowners with a lot of money right beneath their feet that is always available. Also, equity enables homeowners to pull out home equity loans that are based on the value of their homes and generally have reasonable interest rates.
Of course, this all depends on ability to buy. Having a good credit score, a good amount of money put away, and a good income are all incredibly important. A good credit score allows the person to obtain lower interest rates on mortgages, a good amount of savings allows a higher down payment, and a good income allows the person to make the payments. When this can be done, buying is definitely advised. Renting has its benefits, but buying is always better.
Dan Lewis is with Great Western Mortgage - providing San Diego mortgage services.
When To Start Seeking A Mortgage For A New Purchase
You have made the decision to buy a home and start looking at properties. Before you get rolling, you should start trying to find the best mortgage option for your situation.
When To Start Seeking A Mortgage For A New Purchase
Most people begin shopping for a mortgage at the last minute and settle for the first offer they get. This is an absolutely terrible thing to do. A house is one of the most important things you will ever be able to own and getting a mortgage on that house, or, more correctly, getting the best mortgage possible on that house is only too important. The only way you will be able to find that perfect mortgage is to shop around.
Obviously, this means that you should begin looking as soon as possible. Don't wait until the last minute to search for mortgage options, rather leave yourself as much time as possible to go through as many lenders as you can and see what each has to offer. Every lender is different and will provide different plans with different rates and different things tied to those mortgage plans. You need time to go through all of these different offers and sort out the good from the bad. If you don't have perfect credit, use a mortgage broker to find the best deal. This is all they do, so they can give you a huge head start.
If you wait until the last minute to find a mortgage you will be forced to settle on one early and can end up costing yourself tens of thousands of dollars in the long run. One percentage point of interest might seem like a small amount, but when that one percentage point is used on a mortgage of hundreds of thousands of dollars based over 20 to 30 years, that one percentage point can end up equaling tens of thousands of dollars! That money is all interest that is being paid to the lender. You have better uses for your money, don't allow a lender to take more from you than he has to. Shop around and find the lowest interest rate and best mortgage plan possible.
It is advised to begin shopping for a mortgage as soon as you decide that you might be interested in purchasing a home. You don't have to get too serious, but check out the major banks and lenders that you know of to start with. Lay some groundwork and get some feedback. Start making some goals of how much you will need and what sort of interest rate you want. It is highly advisable to get pre-approved for a loan if at all possible. Keep these things in mind and shop around to find the best plan possible.
Dan Lewis is with Great Western Mortgage - San Diego mortgage brokers.
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