|
|
|
A Qualified Mortgage Consultant Can Help Boost Credit Scores
Consumers interested in purchasing or refinancing a home will pay an interest rate based on current market conditions and their ability to pay back the loan. The borrower’s income and debt ratios are taken into consideration by the lender, as well...
Comprehending a Credit Report
Obtaining a credit report is an excellent way to begin taking control of your financial future. It's recommended that you review your credit report once a year, not only to be aware of your standing with creditors but to also keep abreast of...
Consumer Action: Putting The “Freeze” On Credit Files
In the wake of 40 million MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express accounts recently being breached, consumers and legislators are scrambling for ways to protect their personal and financial information from being hijacked and used...
How Customer Friendly is Your Credit Policy?
It's a classic mistake for business owners. They start a business that is focused on their product and not on the credit end of their business.
Luckily, a popular new book by Michelle Dunn makes it easy to solve this problem. The book, Become the...
What is a Credit Card?
A credit card allows you to buy things even though you might not have the money to pay for it right away. The company that gave you the card lets you spend up to an agreed sum and then makes additional money available to you as you pay off what...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
How Can A Qualified Mortgage Consultant Help Boost Your Credit Score?
How Can A Qualified Mortgage Consultant Help Boost Your Credit Score?
By Jansen Drake, CMS
1st Metropolitan Mortgage
Marietta, GA – Consumers interested in purchasing or refinancing a home will pay an interest rate based on current market conditions and their ability to pay back the loan. The borrower’s income and debt ratios are taken into consideration by the lender, as well as the predictability factor provided by credit scoring. It’s important to have a mortgage professional in your corner that has a keen eye for solutions to improving credit scores in an effort to get the best interest rate possible.
Interest rates associated with various loan programs are broken down into schedules based on credit score ratings. While each lender has its own guidelines, it’s safe to assume that as the consumer’s credit score goes down, interest rates will go up.
A borrower with an outstanding credit rating will get what is called an A-paper loan. This type of borrower is rewarded with a lower interest rate because they have a proven track record of using credit sensibly and paying their bills on time.
Loans designed for consumers with less-than-perfect credit – sometimes referred to as “sub-prime” – can range anywhere from A-minus, B-paper, C-paper or D-paper loans.
If you have already taken out a mortgage loan with a higher interest rate because your credit score was a little under par, you will really appreciate the value in doing a little work to improve your credit score. Refinancing from a D-paper loan to a B-paper classification can save literally thousands of dollars in financing fees over time, even though the B-paper loan is still considered sub-prime.
A qualified mortgage consultant will guide you through the nuances of the process of improving your credit score to refinance and save money. First and foremost, he or she will want to review the terms of the existing mortgage loan to determine if you have a pre-payment penalty clause written into your contract. In general terms, that means that if you sell the home or try to
refinance before the pre-payment penalty expires and you have not already paid off 20 percent of the original loan amount, you will most likely have to pay a 3 percent fee back to the lender to compensate for the high risk and high costs incurred to provide that financing.
Next, you should obtain free copies of your credit reports from www.annualcreditreport.com and start working on improving the credit score six months prior to the expiration date on your existing pre-payment penalty.
There are five factors that make up the credit score and your mortgage consultant can coach you through some basic strategies to improve your credit score. This means very conservative use of credit cards, paying off debt as much as possible and not applying for additional credit cards unless you will benefit from such action. You will want to verify that negative items you have paid off are being removed from your credit report, and that good credit history is being reported to all three bureaus. You’ll also want to dispute any errors that appear on your credit reports and seek to have those removed entirely.
Once your credit score improves, it’s time to refinance at a better interest rate. Your mortgage professional should look for a program that carries no more than a two-year prepayment penalty so you can continue to refinance as your credit score increases. You can repeat this process until you reach A-paper status and secure the best interest rate available.
This is a strategy that also works well for first time home buyers who do not have enough credit history under their belt to get an A-paper loan at the time of purchase. The important thing is to work with a mortgage consultant who can give you a roadmap to follow and a strategy for success in building personal wealth.
About the Author
Jansen Drake is affiliated with 1st Metropolitan Mortgage, A Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee 15506. For free consultation and a copy of The Certified Guide to Credit Scoring ,call Jansen at 678-388-1755 or go to www.catquickloans.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|