Archive for April, 2009

The benefits of zero interest

Monday, April 20th, 2009

by Liam Mickelson

There is a myth running around that is as big as Bigfoot himself concerning zero interest credit cards. And yes Virginia just like there is a Santa Claus there too is such a thing as an interest free credit card. There are countless numbers of credit cards out there that offer zero interest on their cards, most will offer this for a time period of anywhere from three months to as long as a year. However before you get too excited and start charging your new card into submission be aware that some cards do have stipulations attached to the no interest so make sure you read all of the fine print.

The credit card industry is extremely competitive and will do almost anything for your business. Be sure to do your homework, research each potential credit card and know what your zero interest pertains to; if it’s on balance transfers only or new purchases. What happens after the introductory period if you don’t pay off the transferred amount? Will there be a retroactive interest charge? Does the zero interest become null is you make a late payment? These are questions that you need to know before making your decision and becoming a consumer of that card.

Traditionally these types of zero interest credit card offers are reserved for those consumers with excellent credit and high credit scores. However, with the state of the current economy there are more of zero interest credit offers for consumers with poor credit. But proceed cautiously, don’t get roped into a credit card that makes an offer of zero interest but charges high application fee’s or monthly maintenance and annual fees, it defeats your intention of paying only what you charge.

Programs such as zero interest are one of the best ways to get out of debt and back onto a stable financial track. Consumers are unaware of these programs for the most part. The most familiar “buy now pay later” programs are typically appliance and furniture stores. Zero interest credit cards work similarly to the store programs. You pay only for what you’ve purchased, thus potentially saving you hundreds of dollars each year.

After you have established an account with the credit card company you’ve chosen, then one way to continue to avoid paying interest is to transfer your balance at the end of your introductory zero interest period to another zero interest card. If you keep this cycle going; you will never pay interest ever! The only downfall is you need to pay attention to when your zero interest period ends and make the transfer in plenty of time to avoid getting hit with any interest fees. There are ways to trigger reminders.

Use a professional online credit card service. This service performs all the work in locating the right card for you and what your goals are in a zero interest program; these services also have the capability to send you a reminder when your zero interest introductory period is about to end. Not only have they done the work for you, they also offer online applications and processing. Credit made simple!

In today’s financial time no one can afford to throw away money, every little effort can make the difference in spending and saving. Utilizing zero interest credit cards effectively can save you money and only cost you a little time.

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How To Prevent Foreclosure

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

by Frank Milstone

Whenever you read a general article about mortgages the term foreclosure is oftentimes accompanying it. The United States is in a recession and millions are feeling the unemployment woes. Many American households are being destroyed because of foreclosures on mortgages. The ongoing word is this mortgage crisis is predicted to get a lot worse before we begin to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Many powerful banks stand behind our trusted mortgages, Wells-Fargo, Chase, and Capitol One just to name a few. Mortgage is described in Webster’s dictionary as the pledging of property to a creditor as collateral or security for the payment of a debt.Relatively speaking, your home is simply your collateral to the loan you were given to obtain it. With having to pay back to the bank, there are legal litigations that have to be filed. The litigations state that if you default for a consecutive period of time the bank can then take ownership over your property. There are a few things we can do to cease the foreclosure on our own property. We can choose to refinance, apply for a reverse mortgage, or a loan modification.

Most people choose to refinance their home versus any other option. Millions of people refinance their property aspiring to get a lower yearly interest rate. For instance, say your mortgage was $600.00 dollars and you were paying 12% in interest your payment would actually be $672.00 dollars per month. With doing a refinance on your mortgage you could drop that percentage of interest lower, say to 3% which would leave you paying $618.00 per month. This sounds pretty crazy, how an interest rate can make so much of a difference. In the long run you will save more money on interest and be applying more to your principal.

Are you at least 62 years old, own your home, and have a low mortgage balance remaining on the home you reside in? Reverse mortgage will probably be the best avenue you can take. Reverse mortgages allow homeowners to change equity in their homes over to cash and pay off their mortgage all together. Reverse mortgage is another version of a loan however, and the money will be gathered from your estate if you were to die or move. A concern about reverse mortgage is it increases the debt you have on your home, equity pretty much dissipates, and the upfront cost can put a huge dent in your pocketbook.

The newest hero to the current mortgage foreclosure situation is loan medications. Loan modifications find you an affordable mortgage payment for your financial situation. Loan modifications eliminate the spending and hours of reapplying for another loan by simply changing the terms of your existing mortgage. In order to be considered for a loan modification you have to provide proof of a financial hardship, be 3 or more payments delinquent on your mortgage, and have not filed bankruptcy. Applying is simple as well; you just go to the lender or primary service that owns your mortgage.

There are several solutions to solving your mortgage issues. Whichever one suites you is worth a try, if it will provide your family with a stable home environment. With the economy in shambles, no one really knows what more is to come. The welfare of yourself and your family is at risk.

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Mortgage Brokers Clarified

Saturday, April 18th, 2009
by Janet Avanche

What are mortgage brokers? What do they do and why should I seek the advice of one? In this article we will clear up the confusion that surrounds mortgage brokers and what they do.

Mortgage Brokers: Simply put, mortgage brokers act as agents for different mortgage lenders (not unlike insurance agents may act as agents for insurance organizations). A broker may act as an agent for several lending institutions (such as: banks, trusts, a credit union and other mortgage/investment organizations, companies and corporations). There are times where a mortgage broker may act on behalf one lender, however rare, this typically happens when the broker is able to procure better rates and perhaps better pay.

What mortgage brokers can do for you: Heres some of the services your mortgage broker can do for you: They can qualify you for your mortgage and have it approved in a day or less, offer advice and an unbiased opinion on mortgage types and other related products, go through a multitude of lenders in a fraction of the time it would take anyone else to get you the best rates and hopefully a good deal as well.

Info You Need To Provide: You are going to have to give your mortgage broker some of your personal information so they can get the best quotes from the lending institutions they work with. Information youll have to provide includes: Total income and net worth, they will need to pull your credit report, amount of down deposit and your amount of debts.

After You Submit Your Application Once youve submitted your application and the mortgage broker has had a chance to review it, they will contact the lenders that offer the type of mortgage youre looking for and negotiate for the best possible deal and rates.

Using mortgage brokers can save you both time and money. For more information regarding mortgages see the TopMortgagesFinder.

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Benefits of Having a Mortgage Broker

Friday, April 17th, 2009
by Janet Avanche

Many people are unclear of what mortgage brokers are and what they do. This article will clarify what brokers are. Lets take a closer look into the benefits of brokers and the services they provide.

Brokers and What They Do: Brokers are not unlike any other kind of agent. They scout and search through their channels of different lenders for deals on mortgage rates. They typically work with a broad range of mortgage lenders and lending institutions. They also offer professional advice and counseling.

Services offered by Mortgage Brokers: Mortgage brokers can help you with a number of time consuming and stressful tasks related to mortgage shopping, including: prequalification and approval, research and advice on the best and current mortgages, getting you the best rates for your home loan, negotiating with lenders on your behalf, professional counseling etc.

What Information Your Broker Has to Have: Since your broker will be contacting different lending institutions on your behalf they will need to know the following in order to get an accurate quote: Credit abstract, the amount that you can put down, how much you make, how much you owe and your total worth.

The Next Step: One of the many benefits of working with a good mortgage broker is the speed in which everything is one and processed. Once everything is filled out your broker will be able to start looking for lenders the best rate. Typically this can be accomplished with in the same day.

Good luck with your mortgage, for more information and advice on mortgages visit TopMortgagesFinder. Thank you.

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How to Buy Cash Flow Notes – Banker says…”No Notes Here!”

Thursday, April 16th, 2009
by Dean Engle

A Common Hurdle When Learning How to Buy Cash Flow Notes

When you are looking for non performing notes, you will most likely run into this common hurdle. I wanted to take the time to share it with you.

It’s my guess that you have been calling numerous banks in an attempt to look for notes to buy.

A number of these banks have probably responded to you in the same way. They are sayting that they either don’t have any non performing notes or that they don’t sell notes.

When one hears these objections, should we accept them as the truth or just blow by them and try other contacts?

Your Two Responses to the Question: Can I Buy Cash Flow Notes?”

Let’s review to the 2 possible situations you will be get:

1. We do not sell real estate notes.

2. Sorry, we do not have any non performing notes.

The first statment I might believe, but the second? No way.

If someone is telling you that they don’t sell non performing notes, I would say that their statement is about 25% correct. Maybe.

On the otherhand, if they are telling you that they don’t have any non performing notes, the likelihood that they are pulling your chain is about 99.9%.

What do you do? Find someone else to call at the bank.

Learning How to Buy Cash Flow Notes…How to Find Contacts

You can try contacting the CFO directly at the bank or you can use the corporate HQ number and ask for the head of secondary marketing. Then try to contact loss mitigation.

Always keep in mind that you can solve a problem in many ways. Don’t get discouraged when you are turned away, don’t let the first door shut stop you in your note buying pursuit.

How to Buy Cash Flow Notes – Will’s Tip on Finding Contacts

I want to share with you a tip that one of my students, Will, has shared with me. A tip on finding contacts, follow these steps.

1. http://www.thomas-law.com and select mortgage banker licenses

2. From there you can select the state and click on the link that says “mortgage lending division”

3. Click on the licensee records link

4. Select 82 licensed mortgage bankers

It’s that simple, now you have the principal contact info and emails for all your bank contacts! You can use this tool for all 50 state and start buying some cash flow notes!

Make your own success.

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