This article is hopefully going to explain many of the things people believe about mortgages that are actually false. For instance, they are often referred to as a Mortgage Home Loans but they aren't actually loans in the traditional sense of the word. There are three terms that you need to learn that are used: the first is mortgagor (the property owner), the mortgagee (the company that takes on the security for the property) and the mortgage (the contract to pay between the two). What this means is this document is a way for the property to be used to safeguard any potential problems with payment until the house is finally paid for.

Without mortgages being available, people and many businesses would not be able to afford the full asking price of a property if it was required they pay this amount upfront. Although this article is brief, below are points that will help more in the understanding of how this system operates. The problem arises because so many people refer to the buyer as the Borrower and the financier as The Lender which leads people to believe that the money has been loaned which is not the case. A lien is a means by which the mortgagor can purchase a home but it is the mortgagee that retains legal ownership until the arrangement between them has been completed (the debt is paid off).

The property you are buying does in fact become collateral for the finance that has been sought to pay for it and is the protection a mortgagee needs if he is going to continue financing house purchases. The lien (document) is normally recorded at the local courthouse in the public records section. The lien stays in force while the debt remains but the property is actually owned by the mortgagor. This situation may seem strange but in essence what it means is that the property is owned completely by the mortgagor and not the mortgagee who also does not have the title.

The only right that your mortgage gives to the mortgagee over your property is to sell it to recover funds in the case that you do not pay off your debt. If in the unfortunate event this happens, the process whereby the funds are reclaimed is called foreclosure. This is done in order for it to be considered legal; this type of foreclosure is referred to as a judicial foreclosure. This is only a short introduction as the subject is much more complex but this information should make this important issue much clearer.