Make a list: Spend some time taking stock of the kinds of maintenance and improvement projects you'd like to begin. A well-considered list will help you to set reachable goals.
Assess your skills: Make sure that you carefully consider which projects you are fully capable of completing. For example, unless you have sufficient experience with electrical, plumbing or construction work, you should probably leave those tasks to the professionals.
Establish priorities: Which projects are most important to you? Which projects will be the most costly? Which is more important: timeliness, quality or cost? Before beginning any do-it-yourself project, it is always wise to determine specific goals and priorities so that you are fully prepared when it comes time to begin.
Create a budget: For each project that you want to complete, make certain that you have a firm budget in place. Allowing for unexpected circumstances (such as errors or the need for additional materials) in your budget will keep you from overspending.
One step at a time: When it's time to begin, remember to pace yourself! Rome wasn't built in a day, and your new garden terrace will take time as well. Complete one task at a time, and soon you'll feel the wonderful sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that doing-it-yourself can bring
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
How Much House Can You Afford?
There are a number of factors that can contribute to the affordability of a house and, as a potential homebuyer, it's important that you know what type of mortgage payments are within your budget.
Debt-To-Income Ratio
As a homebuyer, your first consideration will be the amount of your monthly mortgage payments. If you owe a lot of debt, lenders may consider you to be a high credit risk, which makes debt-to-income ratio a leading factor in determining how much of a house you can afford.
Most lenders will discount any loans that you will have paid off within one year when determining how much of a home you can afford. As a general rule, your mortgage payment should not exceed 25-30 percent of your monthly take-home pay.
Loan Term
Although you will end up paying more interest in the long run, you will find that you can afford a more expensive house if you request a loan term of 25-30 years, compared to a shorter term of 15 years.
Interest Rates
When you look at an interest rate, all you see is a number. Hopefully, it's a single digit that's comparable with current market rates. Most homebuyers already know that their interest rate affects their monthly payment which, in turn, is determined by the borrower's income. Lower interest rates mean that you can afford a larger principal loan amount, which means a more expensive house.
Credit History
Because your past credit history will play a large role in determining your interest rates, it will also impact the affordability of a house. For instance, a buyer who pays six percent interest will save a considerable amount of money over a buyer who pays eight percent interest on their home loan. It may not seem like much now but, when averaged over time, the savings could be tremendous.
Down Payment Amount
Believe it or not, the amount of your down payment will not only show the lender how serious you are about buying a home, but it will also affect your ability to afford a particular house. For instance, if you were to qualify for a home loan of $200,000, but your dream home was currently listed for $250,000, a down payment in the amount of $50,000 would get you into the home.
The above scenario is just an example, but it does show how a down payment can affect the price of the home that you are able to afford. Some lenders may only require a five percent down payment, but you are free to pay as much above that as you wish. A larger down payment can also reduce the principal loan amount, which thereby reduces the monthly mortgage payments.
Debt-To-Income Ratio
As a homebuyer, your first consideration will be the amount of your monthly mortgage payments. If you owe a lot of debt, lenders may consider you to be a high credit risk, which makes debt-to-income ratio a leading factor in determining how much of a house you can afford.
Most lenders will discount any loans that you will have paid off within one year when determining how much of a home you can afford. As a general rule, your mortgage payment should not exceed 25-30 percent of your monthly take-home pay.
Loan Term
Although you will end up paying more interest in the long run, you will find that you can afford a more expensive house if you request a loan term of 25-30 years, compared to a shorter term of 15 years.
Interest Rates
When you look at an interest rate, all you see is a number. Hopefully, it's a single digit that's comparable with current market rates. Most homebuyers already know that their interest rate affects their monthly payment which, in turn, is determined by the borrower's income. Lower interest rates mean that you can afford a larger principal loan amount, which means a more expensive house.
Credit History
Because your past credit history will play a large role in determining your interest rates, it will also impact the affordability of a house. For instance, a buyer who pays six percent interest will save a considerable amount of money over a buyer who pays eight percent interest on their home loan. It may not seem like much now but, when averaged over time, the savings could be tremendous.
Down Payment Amount
Believe it or not, the amount of your down payment will not only show the lender how serious you are about buying a home, but it will also affect your ability to afford a particular house. For instance, if you were to qualify for a home loan of $200,000, but your dream home was currently listed for $250,000, a down payment in the amount of $50,000 would get you into the home.
The above scenario is just an example, but it does show how a down payment can affect the price of the home that you are able to afford. Some lenders may only require a five percent down payment, but you are free to pay as much above that as you wish. A larger down payment can also reduce the principal loan amount, which thereby reduces the monthly mortgage payments.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Four Types of Mortgage Lenders for Your Home Loan
One of the least understood aspects of Nevada County home loans is the different types of lenders. Many people assume they have to get a home loan from a traditional savings and loan. Not so. There are many different types of lenders.
Here are the main types of mortgage lenders and how they function:
Mortgage Bankers: Mortgage bankers are loan originators that operate with the sole objective to sell the loan they create to another source. Even though they will sell the loan they must have the ability to finance the loan in the first place and hold it until it is sold.
Mortgage Brokers: This type of lender does not originate loans for your Nevada County home, they prepare the paperwork to submit to multiple lending institutions and get offers they will present to you to choose from. Their offers may come from any of the other types of mortgage lenders.
Banks and Savings & Loans: These are the most common traditional sources of mortgage loans. They use the backing of their depositors to fund mortgages. In turn, they use the money paid by borrowers to repay the depositors’ interest for allowing them to use the money as an investment.
Credit Unions: Credit Unions operate in largely the same way a bank or savings and loan does by using money from a pool of depositors to finance investments in the form of mortgages and other types of loans. The difference is that most credit unions are operated out of a collective pool of closely associated people generally through a work place or professional organization.
If you’d like help determining the best type of mortgage lender for your Nevada County home purchase, give me a call today at 530-913-2019 or email me at teresaprock@hotmail.com.
Keyword/Tag: Nevada County home
Links:
Type of mortgage lenders
http://www.mortgageloan.com/understanding-different-types-mortgage-lenders
Mortgage brokers
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-mortgage-broker.htm
Credit Unions
http://www.creditunionsonline.com
Here are the main types of mortgage lenders and how they function:
Mortgage Bankers: Mortgage bankers are loan originators that operate with the sole objective to sell the loan they create to another source. Even though they will sell the loan they must have the ability to finance the loan in the first place and hold it until it is sold.
Mortgage Brokers: This type of lender does not originate loans for your Nevada County home, they prepare the paperwork to submit to multiple lending institutions and get offers they will present to you to choose from. Their offers may come from any of the other types of mortgage lenders.
Banks and Savings & Loans: These are the most common traditional sources of mortgage loans. They use the backing of their depositors to fund mortgages. In turn, they use the money paid by borrowers to repay the depositors’ interest for allowing them to use the money as an investment.
Credit Unions: Credit Unions operate in largely the same way a bank or savings and loan does by using money from a pool of depositors to finance investments in the form of mortgages and other types of loans. The difference is that most credit unions are operated out of a collective pool of closely associated people generally through a work place or professional organization.
If you’d like help determining the best type of mortgage lender for your Nevada County home purchase, give me a call today at 530-913-2019 or email me at teresaprock@hotmail.com.
Keyword/Tag: Nevada County home
Links:
Type of mortgage lenders
http://www.mortgageloan.com/understanding-different-types-mortgage-lenders
Mortgage brokers
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-mortgage-broker.htm
Credit Unions
http://www.creditunionsonline.com
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