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[C1335]Current Prime Mortgage Rate

by Carrie Reeder, Car

Compare Lenders

The number one way to lower your interest rates on your sub-prime mortgage is to compare lenders before you apply. It sounds so simple, but too many homebuyers skip this step, costing them thousands.

Plan on taking at least a day to explore your options. The easiest way to look at financing packages is to request quotes online. While you are requesting quotes, take a look at conventional lenders as well. They often offer good rates and terms for those with adverse credit histories.

Pick An ARM

Adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) offer lower rates and are easier to qualify for than fixed rate mortgages. The drawback is that ARM rates can increase over the years. But if you are planning to move soon or just want to buy a home, then an ARM probably is your best choice.

You can also convert your ARM when your credit score improves. As property prices increase and your equity builds, you will also be able to get better terms in the future.

Increase Your Down Payment

By increasing your down payment, you can knock off up to a percentage point. Zero or little down financing is great for those short on cash, but rates are significantly higher. Ideally, you want to put down 25% to get the best rates. Just leave enough cash reserves to financing moving expenses.

Pay A Point Or Two

Points paid upfront can also lower your interest rate. You want to be sure though that you recoup the upfront costs. If you plan to move or refinance in a couple of years, you will not see the savings of lower rates.

You may also find that your money would be better spent on increasing your down payment than on paying points. With this type of decision, you will want to do some math with a mortgage calculator.

Bulk Up Cash Reserves

By increasing your cash reserves, you can also improve your credit score to qualify you for lower rates. Take advantage of tax refunds or cash bonuses by putting them into your savings. Lenders look at saving accounts, money markets, and CDs as cash reserves, not stocks or other volatile assets.

"If you’ve been paying attention to the real estate market over the last couple of years, you’ve probably heard the term “sub-prime mortgage bust". You might even have a vague idea that this is a current real estate problem which is causing problems in the American economy. And if you’re just the average person out there in the world, you might not need to know any more about the sub-prime mortgage bust. But if you’re a home owner who borrowed money on a sub-prime mortgage or a person currently interested in purchasing any sort of real estate, you should know more about this issue.

First things first. To understand what occurred in the sub-prime mortgage bust,you have to know what a sub-prime mortgage is. Basically, when there are borrowers who can not qualify for regular home loans because of their poor credit, they can apply to get a sub-prime mortgage loan. There are different types of sub-prime mortgage loans including interest-only, choose-your-monthly payment and fixed-to-variable-rate loans but they are all loans made to borrowers who don’t qualify for prime rates and so must get sub-prime rates on these.

Unfortunately, while this can be a great idea for buyers who make good payments on their loans, there are inherent problems with the sub-prime mortgage plan. The main problem is that people with poor credit histories often have poor credit habits and therefore end up not being able to maintain the payments on their sub-prime mortgage. This leads to bankruptcy cases and foreclosures of the home.

And we’ve recently found out that when this happens on a large scale, it can cause negative effects in the stock market, the real estate market and the American economy. The sub-prime mortgage bust started at the end of 2006 and has been an ongoing problem. Although there are many details to what happened and individual cases to consider, the basic story is that hundreds of thousands of people who had sub-prime mortgage loans defaulted on those loans which caused their lenders to file for bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy cases filed by these lenders ultimately affected the stock market. One of the most significant cases was the closing of New Century Financial Corporation which was one of the largest sub-prime mortgage lenders in the market. When this company and others like it filed for bankruptcy, the market began to crash. This has had a ripple effect on related markets including the national real estate market and the overall economy. Okay, but so how does all of this affect you?

In most cases, sub-prime mortgage lending problems aren’t going to affect you directly as a home buyer. However, you should be aware of the bust in order to make sure that you don’t become a victim of it. You should also stay on top of the trends that it is causing in the real estate market to make sure that you’re buying isn’t affected. Besides, it’s an important topic today and you’ll want to be able to discuss it when it comes up. No one looks good when they’re left in the dark."

Article Source : Pg. 257

About Author

Both Carrie Reeder & Kinan Beck are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Carrie Reeder has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Mortgage and Finances. Carrie Reeder is the owner of , an informational website about various types of loans. View her recommended lenders for. Carrie Reeder's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.

Kinan Beck has sinced written about articles on various topics from Real Estate, computers and the internet and Real Estate. Kinan Beck is the Broker and co-owner of One Source Realty in Austin Texas. Visit Kinan’s Guide, visit his. Kinan Beck's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.