Five Common Pitfalls When Getting A Home Mortgage

Owning a home is a lifetime dream for many. The best way of acquiring a loan is with the help of a home equity mortgage. You will also sometimes feel the requirement to get some finance by providing your home as collateral. There are some fine points to look before you sign up for a loan by providing your home as guarantee.

Pitfall number 1: Dealing with wrong people

You have heard enough of frauds and cheats. Financing your requirements with unscrupulous can cause you lose the equity you build up and your home as a whole. Don't talk finance with any party that asks you to claim more income than you actually have and to apply for higher amounts than you require. Such people are also likely to sign unfilled forms, not allow you to keep a copy of the documents you sign and most importantly put pressure on you to pay huge monthly payments than you could afford, usually at a later stage of loan approval.

Pitfall Number 2: Not Keeping a Good Credit Score While Applying for Home Equity Mortgage

Major credit purchases immediately before you apply for loan can affect your score. Not caring too much about your credit score for a long time can damage your credit scores and you will not be able to quickly build up the damage. Healthy credit score is always desirable to get lower interest on home mortgage too. However, succumbing to the pressure of the first lender that sites your average credit score as reason for higher interest is also a major pitfall you should avoid. If the credit score is affected due to inability to repay a credit due to illness or temporary loss of job, you can still shop around and negotiate your way to low interest home mortgage.

Pitfall Number 3: Allowing a lot of credit Companies Check your Credit Score

Equifax, TransUnion and Experian are the main credit rating agencies. Ordering your own credit score can cost you $ 40. Your credit score drops a little with each credit check by lending companies. If you shop around and allow all the companies to check your credit score, it can drop considerably, disqualifying you from lower interest mortgage. Allow only the company you zero in on for your financing requirements to check your credit score.

Pitfall Number 4: Holding Back Information about your Credit History from Your Broker

Once you choose to deal with a mortgage broker to find a good home equity mortgage, you must talk with him if you had any credit problems in the recent history. If you try to misguide the broker, you will be in a bad light to getting a mortgage. If you describe your situation well, chances are higher that he will find a low cost loan to you.

Pitfall Number 5: Overlooking Overages and giving up the power of negotiation

Overage is the difference between lowest available price for the mortgage and the higher price the buyer is willing to pay. Lenders or brokers can keep the whole of or a part of the difference as additional compensation. Ask your broker(s) how much he gets as compensation.

Copyright © 2006 Joel Teo. All rights reserved.