Saturday, March 14, 2009 

Is The Home Equity Loan Game About to Explode?

The rapid increase in home values has proven to be as good as lottery winnings for homeowners in many areas. But look out - old tricks may no longer fool anyone.

The real estate boom has bailed out many folks who have been caught between higher bill payments and flat incomes. These homeowners have been able to tap their increased home equity to support a life style that they really could not afford. Home equity has provided the juice that has been keeping our national economy afloat.

Home equity loans have allowed home owners the chance to pull out cash that they then spent on new cars, furniture, vacations and other luxuries. Another boost to their life styles was generated when home owners refinanced using adjustable-rate mortgages that cut their monthly payments. They seemingly had more ready cash to spend.

Consumers who had buried themselves under a mountain of credit card debt have been able to evade foreclosure and bankruptcy by quickly selling their homes. With the proceeds from the sale they've been able to pay down at least some of their debts and gain some financial breathing room.

All that was yesterday! Take a close look at what's happening today. In many areas of the country real estate prices are flattening out and even beginning to decline in some areas. With little or no increase in home equity, or even vanishing equity, home owners may find themselves in a tight spot. They just won't have that reservoir of cash to fall back on.

Oh gosh, now it gets even worse. Because personal debt seems nearly out of control the federal government has mandated that credit card companies increase the minimum payment required on credit card debt. For many people that payment will now be twice what it has been in the past.

Wait, there's more! Energy prices are at an all time high and health care costs are zooming out of sight. A growing number of people are stretched thin and actually are spending more than they earn. People who are living on the financial edge could be in big trouble without any equity in their homes to use as emergency cash.

This bad news is good news for real estate investors who are looking to buy property just before foreclosure. Many homeowners pulled out all their equity (sometimes as much as 110% of their home's value!) and now values have declined and they are upside down... they owe more than they can sell the house for. They can't pay their debts and they can't find a buyer for their home. Ouch!

Smart investors know how to help these folks and make a little profit in the process. We are entering one of those rare times when the opportunity in preforeclosure real estate will be mind boggling.

Mark Walters explains the exciting opportunity in preforeclosure real estate investing at http://Foreclose.2freedom.com

 

Adverse Credit Remortgage: Refinance at Better Terms

Getting a remortgage with adverse credit is a daunting task and it is increasingly becoming a widespread problem in UK. An adverse credit remortgage is a type of mortgage, which is particularly used by people who have adverse remarks in their credit history.

Adverse credit ratings are rising as people are finding it difficult to repay the loans they took in order to remedy their financial exigencies. The credit ratings are remarks given by your previous creditors based on your repayment history. If you are punctual and prompt in repaying the installments they give you a positive remark and a negative rating incurs, if you miss their installments and are erratic in the repayment schedule.

Lenders are wary of this negative or adverse credit rating. They find it risky to lend any amount to such persons and reject their applications in most of the cases.

While, applying for an Adverse credit remortgage, the borrower has to face two kinds of situations. In the first case, although he has an adverse credit rating against him, he can offer something like a house or home equity as a collateral to the remortgage. In second case the borrower with the adverse credit history doesnt have anything to offer as collateral or the value of collateral is not adequate to guarantee the loan.

The lenders, if they find that they can get something as collateral for the remortgage offer, are prompt in lending as compared to a situation where they have to lend solely on the basis of creditworthiness of the borrower. The lenders are comfortable by the fact that if the borrower defaults in payments, they can repossess the collateral. Depending on the collateral and creditworthiness, lenders fix interest rates, lending amount and the repayment schedules.

Remortgaging involves changing the mortgage without changing the existing house or property. Adverse credit remortgage can be used for getting a better deal on mortgage from a different lender. It can also be used to get an improved deal on mortgage from the existing lender. Adverse credit remortgage may also be used to provide funds or to get a loan on the increased equity in home or property. They are very useful in consolidating existing debts from various sources into one single manageable loan. Emergency expenditures like the purchase of a car, a holiday, some reconstruction or medical bills can be funded by such remortgages.

Getting an adverse credit remortgage to finance these purchases is considered a wise option because remortgage offers lower interest rates and easy repayment options as compared to other methods of borrowing.

People with adverse credit should be very cautious while taking a remortgage. Mortgage lenders in UK are squeezing such people with higher interest rates and unreasonable terms and conditions.

Remortgaging involves many fees, which increase the cost of the process. There are early redemption penalties, re-appraisal of property, solicitor fees, office and conveyance charges, which have to be taken into consideration while taking an adverse credit remortgage. The fact that a borrower has an adverse credit rating makes the situation even worse for him. As the lending market in UK is very competitive the borrower is advised to shop around for lenders, which offer zero product fees, cashback, free basic property valuation and minimum fee for legal and other expenses. A good lender, who provides adverse credit remortgage will negotiate the best possible deal on prepayment penalties for its client. Finding such a lender is not easy but ultimately it will be worth the effort.

For most of us, if we have something to offer as collateral, getting an adverse credit remortgage will be quite easy. The new lender will ask for all the documents and complete the formalities. If everything goes smoothly, it wont take long to get an adverse credit remortgage.

Andrew baker has done his masters in finance from CPIT. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the residents of the UK.He works for the Secured loan web site uk finance world for any type of uk secured and unsecured loan please visit http://www.ukfinanceworld.co.uk