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The decision to mortgage house does not in any way show that you are not emotionally attached to your house. On the other hand, it was your concern for the house that restrained you from selling it. As compared to the sale of house, mortgage is a much better option. You continue holding the house and living there for as many years as you want.
The only problem however is that the loan provider has kept lien on home to himself, and keeps using it as a stick to exhibit what can be the consequences of being irregular on the mortgage repayments. In the worst of circumstances, when the borrower has not repaid the mortgage, the loan provider has the right to repossess home.
What can the borrower do in such circumstances? There is not much to do once the loan provider has made up his mind to repossess home. Recovering home from the loan provider in such cases will be much more costly.
A more effective solution to the problem would be to go by the rules. Continue paying as much has been decided between you and the loan provider, and try to be disciplined in repayments.
This isn't as difficult a solution as most of us will think. The following illustration would make things clearer. For a person who earns a monthly income of ₤100, it will be difficult to pay ₤30 at a time. However, when he is required to pay ₤1 over a period of 30 months, it will be relatively easier. The monthly installment method of repaying mortgages uses the same concept. The borrower will be required to pay a monthly installment every month. This goes towards amortising the mortgage balance over the specified term.
There are other methods for paying off the mortgage too. Among the alternative methods, interest only mortgage repayment is the most important. An interest only mortgage repayment method allows borrower to pay only interest on the mortgage. Thus, at the end of the term the balance remaining unpaid is the amount actually taken. How the balance of the mortgage will be repaid at the end of the term will further categorise mortgages into pension mortgage and endowment mortgage.
Pension mortgage employs the pension for disbursing the unpaid mortgage balance. Normally 25% of the pension is available tax-free to every borrower. Pension is the result of contribution of the employer and the employees over the work life of the borrower. Thus, utilizing pension for repaying mortgage will not be much burdensome to the borrower.
Endowment method of paying off mortgages will utilize the amount saved by borrower in an endowment policy over a period. Since, the endowment policy will be invested in shares and stocks; there are chances of the endowment fund growing profitably. Similarly, there are chances of the endowment fund not faring properly and resulting in loss to the borrower.
Mortgages are commonly classified into three, depending on the borrower and the purpose for which it is being used. A first time buyer mortgage is for the borrowers who are buying house for the first time. Mortgage terms may differ for this kind of borrowers in order to incorporate the relative weakness of their finances. These borrowers become eligible for discounted rates of interest.
Another classification of mortgages is buy to let mortgage. Buy to let mortgage, as the name suggests will be for borrowers who already have a home and they want to use the new home for letting out on hire. A distinct feature of this type of mortgage is that the borrower will pay monthly installment through the rental received.
Finally, there are council right to buy mortgages. Council right to buy mortgage are for the people who have been living as council tenants. They have got an opportunity to buy the council home. Because of the lack of personal resources, they use the council right to buy mortgage.
Because of the home serving as collateral, interest rate is at an all time low on mortgages. Always seek a mortgage from prestigious loan providers in the UK. The quality of the mortgage deals arranged by them is excellent. Also, there is no fear of several additions to the mortgage in the form of extra fees.
We have always stressed on the need for good decision making on mortgages. Good decision making ensures that mortgage is safely repaid and the worst fear of losing home on repossession never comes true.
While a person drawing a fixed salary every month finds it easy to repay loan in fixed monthly instalments, those with a fluctuating income will find it otherwise. In order to tap the potential of the latter group, which principally consists of self employed people and people whose income is largely contributed by commissions, flexible mortgages have cropped up.
A fluctuating income makes the case of these people inappropriate for regular mortgages because of two reasons. Firstly, lenders would not prefer a borrower with fluctuating income. Secondly, the borrower with such an income structure would himself find it difficult to make timely payments.
Flexible repayments, payment as and when you like, and the option to repay the whole of the loan at the time you want, are some of the qualities that flexible mortgages in the UK are characterised with.
Before you perceive this as the ultimate freedom, let us remind you that not all good things come for free. This aptly holds in case of flexible mortgages. The rate of interest charged on flexible mortgages is higher than the interest charged on the regular mortgages.
In spite of a higher rate of interest, the popularity of flexible mortgages in the UK sees no decline. Until the time an alternative to flexible mortgage comes, self-employed people will continue using it. The advantages of flexible mortgages have overshadowed its drawbacks.
Flexibility of repayments forms one of the most important advantages of flexible mortgages. As against the traditional mortgages where borrowers are required to pay a fixed instalment every month, flexible mortgages are easy on repayment rules. Consequently, in a month when the resources are not enough or when the borrower is incapable to make repayments at the normal rate because of loss, lesser repayments will be required. Similarly, when the borrower is in the capacity to pay more than what is required, he can make an overpayment. Paying less also means paying nothing. This is actually true though hard to believe. Payment holidays form one of the prime attractions of flexible mortgages. During a payment holiday the borrowers gets exemption from making payments altogether. The exemptions will depend on the borrowers regularity in the previous months and if sufficient balance of the loan has been overpaid.
Next in the list of advantages, is the facility to draw as many times from the amount paid. Thus, flexible mortgages have the provision to allow borrowers to draw from the amount that they have already paid. This again requires the borrower to have made enough repayments before the use of this facility is made. While this creates a constant source of funds for the borrowers, it also increases the length of period for which the mortgage will continue and the interest burden.
Since there is a constant change in the balance that is remaining to be paid, charging interest annually or monthly would be costlier for the borrower. The third advantage of flexible mortgage deals with an ingenious way to lessen the interest burden. Interest in flexible mortgages is calculated daily. The daily calculation of interest ensures that periods in which the balance unpaid is less because of overpayment does not lose on the interest.
The list of advantages does not end here. Premature settlement of accounts is a facility that is singly available in flexible mortgages. Unless otherwise stated, mortgagees will charge a premature payment penalty. Flexible mortgages, on the other hand, allow borrowers to repay the mortgage before it is due without any penalties. A borrower who wants to escape the high interest rate will find this clause in their favour. A loan taken to meet an occasional deficit in finance will be paid as soon as the borrower receives the necessary resources.
Depending on the credit status a borrower enjoys, he will get flexible mortgages accordingly. The application procedure of the flexible mortgage is very similar to the regular loans and mortgages. Online applications and online processing helps in accelerating the pace of approval of flexible mortgages.