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Monthly Archive

January 2009

January 30, 2009

Home or Investment Property Equity: Be Sure the Bank Gives You All that You Deserve

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 12:11 pm

Home equity is your own personal money machine. If you want financial freedom, a home equity loan is probably the best way to achieve it. You can pay down credit cards, pay off cars, both at high interest rates, or you can actually use your home equity to invest and build the money into a fortune. The biggest problem people run into with home equity is that they don’t have enough of it. Sometimes, the problem may be with your bank and not with your equity.

In order to know how much equity you have in your home, you must first know what you owe on your mortgage and then how much your home is worth. Here’s the secret to getting the most equity out of your home or investment property. Let’s say you own $100,000 on your home or investment property, and you believe it is valued at $150,000. If a bank will loan 90 percent of the value, they’ll give you $135,000 minus what you owe, or a $35,000 equity loan.

But wait just a minute. Let’s suppose the bank tells you that they believe your home is valued at $130,000. Now, they’ll give you a home equity loan of just $17,000 (117k minus the 100k that you owe). That’s a whopping 18k less than what you thought you were getting.

The answer? Educate your lender. This happened to me recently. The lender had my home valued at $15,000 less than I said it was. So, instead of giving up on my home equity loan, I simply educated the lender. I explained that I $25,000 in simple appreciation, based on the 4 percent that homes in my neighborhood receive. Then, I said I had $12,000 worth of improvements in the past two years. Finally, I asked for a complete appraisal, instead of the recent sales in the neighborhood that the bank was using. Now, this increased my closing costs a bit, but it was well worth it. In fact, a couple of days later, the lender called to inform me that the full appraisal came in $7,000 higher than the number I gave them. Now my equity loan was even bigger than I had originally hoped - 90 percent of 7k gave me an additional $6,300!

You see, our instinct is to always trust that the lenders and mortgage brokers know more than we do. In many cases, this is not true.

EzineArticles Expert Author Mark Barnes

Mark Barnes is an investment real estate and real estate finance expert. Get his free mortgage finance course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com. Mark is also the author of the new novel, The League, a shocking, sports-related conspiracy. Learn more about his suspense thriller at http://www.sportsnovels.com.

Securing a US Commercial Mortgage

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 11:19 am

What’s the most efficient way to secure a US Commercial Mortgage? Work with a mortgage broker who specializes in this area. If you’ve ever applied for a loan, you’re familiar with the mountain of paperwork you are required to complete during the process. The lender takes the applicant’s information, runs it thought their guidelines and formulas and after waiting many weeks, a decision is made to either approve or deny the loan. If approved, the transaction can proceed. If denied, the applicant has to begin the process all over again.

US commercial mortgage lenders use guidelines similar to those used when applying for a residential loan. The applicant must provide a good reason for needing the loan. The property must have an acceptable appraised value. The location of the property is also considered. The credit history of the applicant, including the financial condition of the business is thoroughly investigated. In addition, commercial mortgages require significant collateral to secure the loan. This can be in the form of business equipment or inventory, personal or other properties, heavy machinery, or any asset with a significant value.

But even the most carefully prepared and well-documented commercial mortgage applications can be declined. When this happens, the applicant has no other choice than to start the tedious commercial mortgage loan approval process over again. Weeks go by, opportunities are lost, and still the outcome remains unknown. How many times do you want to go through this process?

Most applicants agree the correct answer is only once. The way to achieve this goal is to work with an experienced and reputable US commercial mortgage broker. A broker takes your one completed commercial mortgage application and submits it to many different commercial lenders, all at the same time, which greatly increases your chances of approval and saves you a considerable amount of time.

A commercial mortgage broker works with these different lenders every day. The broker knows what each lender looks for in an application and sends your application to those with the best chances of approving your loan. This method is highly targeted. And, brokers only get paid when they successfully match applicant with lender. Their financial incentive is what motivates them. Best of all, the lender pays the broker’s fees, not the applicant.

Working with a commercial mortgage broker costs you, the applicant, nothing. Working with a broker frees up your time so you can get back to running your business. Working with a broker greatly increases your chances of getting your commercial loan approved fast. In fact, brokers often get approval from multiple lenders which puts applicants in a great position to bargain better loan terms. And best of all, brokers will handle these negotiations!

There are so many reasons why working with a US commercial mortgage broker makes sense. Yet it’s amazing how many applicants don’t take advantage of their services. You work hard at streamlining your business and cutting your operating costs so why not streamline your commercial loan approval process? For fast results, contact a US commercial mortgage broker today!

Author:- Commercial Mortgage and Bridging Finance specialists Commercial Lifeline.

Download our free Commercial Mortgage guides by visiting our Commercial Mortgage Guide page.

This article comes with reprint rights. You are free to reprint and distribute as you like. All that we ask is that you do not make any changes, that this resource text is include, and that the links above are intact.

January 26, 2009

Is your Network Security and User Access in the Right Balance?

Filed under: The Security Trail — @ 3:04 pm

The whole meaning of networking is to share programs, but granting others to access a computer device reveals an open window for those with foul motives, too. In the early days networks were quite secure because they were closed in systems, and to do any harm you had to get physical access to a server wired to the LAN. Remote access and Internet possibility to hook up has changed that. Broader availableness and less cost of broadband (DSL and cable) connections means that even home computers remain linked up to the Internet round-the-clock, which add the chances for hackers to gain access to computers.

Computer operating systems were originally planned for stand-alone computers only, not networked ones, and security was not an issue. When computer networking became known, applications and operating systems concentrated on easy accessibility rather than security. Because of this earlier focus on accessibility; security are now retrofitted into a lot of hardware systems. Modern operating systems such as Windows XP are planned with security in mind, but they still have to operate using conventional networking protocols, which can result in security problems.

Security versus access. The users want easy access to network resources. Administrators want to remain the network secure. These two goals are at odds, because access and security are always on conflicting ends of the scale; the more you have of one, the less you have of the other.

For business computer networks, the key is to hit a balance so that employees are not annoyed by security measures, while trying to maintain a level of protection that will keep unauthorized individuals from getting access.

Internal network security threats are those that come from within the organization, as opposed to those that come through the Internet. Internal threats include employees who on purpose attempt to nick data or bring in viruses or attacks on the computer network. Other internal threats are posed by outside employees (contract workers, janitorial services and people posing as utility company employees) who have physical access to the LAN computers. Though, many internal threats are unintended. Employees may install or use their own software or hardware for a private purpose, unaware that it poses a security threat to their computers and the complete network.

External security threats are those that come from outside the LAN, typically from the Internet. These threats are the ones we usually think of when we talk about hackers and computer network attacks. Such people can make use of flaws and characteristics of computer operating systems and software applications. They take advantage of the way various network communications protocols work to do a range of things, including the following:
Enter a system and access (read, copy, change or delete) its data.
Break down a system and harm or destroy operating system and application files so they do not work anymore.
Install virus and worms that can spread to other systems across the LAN.
Or use the system to start attacks against other systems or other network.

Huge amount of network security information on this site. Check it out. http://www.networksecurity.infostairs.com

January 25, 2009

Total Cost Of Credit vs Monthly Payments

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 1:04 am

I read a press release the other day which points to the fact we need to be very careful with our finances. The subject of the release was home mortgages. A company was announcing the availability of 40 year mortgages for its customers. The stated purpose was to lower the monthly payments to make buying a home more affordable.

Whenever I hear the phrase “more affordable”, I put my hand on my wallet because the attempt to empty it will begin any moment. Almostnever is that phrase used in relation to the total cost of financing. It isalways used in reference to the size of the monthly payment, as in this example.

Let’s see what it really means. I did the math. A mortgage for a $100,000 home at 6% for 30 years would have a monthly payment
of about $600 for principal and interest. You would pay about
$216,000 over the life of the loan of which $116,000 would be
interest..

A mortgage on that same home for 40 years would be at 6.25%,
with a monthly payment of $565. The payments over the life of
the loan would total about $271,200 and $171,200 of the total
would be interest.

The forty year mortgage has a higher interest rate (usually
between.25 and .50 percent) because the lender has his
money at risk for a longer time (Lenders are well aware that
time is money. You should be as aware).

This higher rate coupled with the extra ten years of the loan, has the borrower paying 47% more interest, or $55,000 more over the life of the loan. Even with a lower payment that supposedly makes it more affordable to purchase that home. Sounds like a pretty good deal for the lender.

Another problem the borrower faces is building equity much
more slowly in the beginning of the loan. The extra interest
expense paid for the extended length of the loan prevents equity
from building up quickly. All of this for a monthly payment that is only $35 less.

You need to think in terms of overall cost and not just monthly
payments. The total cost is what you will give back to your
creditors. The focus on the monthly payment takes attention
away from the total amount to be repaid. You need to look at
this with any indebtedness, car payments, personal loans, credit cards: figure the total cost, not just what you pay each month.

You’ll begin to hear more about these loans I’m sure. Think long and hard before you lengthen your indebtedness. The goal is to become debt free and to do it as fast as possible. Advise your families and friends to do the same.

David Wilding works with indiviuals and groups to help them get rid of debt. For the past ten years he has attempted to change attitudes toward and acceptance of personal debt. Visit his website http://www.debtattack.com for more ideas, tools, and strategies to become debt free.

January 24, 2009

How Does a Mortgage Work

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 4:09 am

Almost anyone can get a mortgage so unless you have unbelievably bad credit you will have no problem getting a mortgage for your new home. If you have a few blemishes on your credit report you will still be able to get a home mortgage loan. You can find mortgages online and offline that can hook you up with a great mortgage no matter what your credit looks like.

If you have poor credit what you will have to find is a good subprime lender. If your credit score is under 620 you will have to get a subprime mortgage. You will find yourself in this category if you usually pay your bills late, the later you pay them the worse your credit score is going to be as a result. When you are talking to lenders about getting a mortgage they will not actually use the word subprime but that is what the mortgage will be. They have stopped using these sorts of words because they tend to scare customers away.

Getting a home mortgage loan is simple if you have excellent credit and even if you shop around you will not find that the rate vary that much. But if you do have bad credit then shopping around is a must. Rates can be very different from lender to lender. The reason for this is because all of these subprime lenders will decide what kind of risk you pose in a different manner. So if you have a low credit score then you absolutely have to shop around for the best possible rate.

The interest rate on a subprime loan is higher than that on a prime mortgage loan. Before a lender will give you a rate on a mortgage they will have to do risk assessment on you. This means that they will do what is called risk based pricing to come to a final rate for your loan. SO while your interest rate is higher from these lenders just how much higher will depend on several different factors. Such as the amount of down payment that you have, the size of the loan, your credit score and report and even the amount of money you have to pay each month towards your other debts.

You could also have to face some penalties if you decide to pay off the loan early. So down the road and your credit ahs improved if you then want to refinance the loan you will be hit with hefty fines. These loans may also have balloon payments. With a balloon payment you will have to pay the entire loan amount after only a few years all at one time. If you cannot do this you will then be forced to get a new loan to cover the first. And some loans will even have a combination of the above.

There are many shifty lenders out there that will take advantage of subprime borrowers. They will use the fact that you cannot get a good loan from some other lender against you in order to make more money off of you. Some common ways that these lenders act in a predatory manner are by having unbelievably high interest rates and fees. Some of these lenders will even lie to customers like you and tell them that their credit score is much worse than it really is in order to keep them from trying to get a better loan somewhere else.

Another predatory act is to try to get customers to refinance on a regular basis. They will tell you that you will be saving money but in actuality all you are doing is paying them more money in closing and other costly fees. They then rolled these new fees into the amount that you owe. Some lenders even go so far as to give home loans to people that they know will not be able to pay them off. By doing this they can then foreclose on the home and sell it off for their own profit.

Before you meet with any lenders you need to find your own credit score. This will keep you from being mislead by lenders. Then do some serious mortgage shopping in order to find the lowest possible interest rte. This is the way to save on your home mortgage.

Martin Lukac - EzineArticles Expert Author

Martin Lukac, represents http://www.RateEmpire.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies! Visit http://www.RateEmpire.com today

January 23, 2009

Understanding Mortgage Points

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 12:17 pm

When a mortgage broker asks a borrower to pay points, he or she is asking for a lending fee expressed as a percentage of the value of the loan. For example, two points on a deal worth $100,000 works out to $2,000.

Sometimes, a lender may require the borrower to pay “origination points” on a mortgage. This fee allows the lender to recover many of their costs sooner in the deal rather than waiting to recoup them as part of interest payments. Many lenders use origination points to advertise lower interest rates to potential home buyers. Though their interest margin is thinner, these institutions improve their cash flow by pulling in these profits on the front end of the loan.

Along the same lines, a lender may offer a borrower the chance to pay “discount points” to qualify for a greatly reduced interest rate on a new mortgage. In these deals, the customer can pay an extra percentage point or two of the loan’s value as an upfront investment. In return, the lender agrees to knock the interest rate down by a quarter of a percent or more. Though the borrower surrenders more cash at closing, they enjoy tremendous savings over the life of the loan.

In this hyper-competitive, internet-fueled mortgage market, a handful of innovative lenders have experimented with “rebate points.” They work very much like discount points, but in reverse. Cash-poor borrowers who want to purchase a home with little or no money down can receive a rebate of a percentage of the home’s value. In exchange, they agree to accept a higher interest rate or a prepayment penalty. Though these deals work against the customer’s long-term interests, they provide a valid solution for many prospective home buyers without the liquid capital needed to close the deal on a conventional mortgage.

Whenever dealing with points, borrowers should weigh all their available options to understand the best long-term deal for their situation. Home buyers with the ability to afford a large down payment and closing costs will usually benefit from paying discount points. Customers with spotty credit histories may have to lump origination points to a lender that’s willing to run a manual underwriting review on their case.

Kevin Adelsberg is a writer for FasteMortgage.com. For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about mortgages, please visit us at http://www.FasteMortgage.com

January 22, 2009

Finding the Right Commercial Mortgage Broker

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 5:18 pm

Make no mistake, there’s a lot involved in getting a mortgage loan. For a potential borrower, finding the right broker is paramount, so they can take care of the loan details, and you can concentrate on moving forward with your new investment. To help you prepare in your search for the right broker, here is an overview of the commercial loan mortgage process.

First, determine how much you can borrow. This includes a few different things, such as the amount of monthly payment that you can afford. Also, depending on your unique credit and employment history, income and debt, and goals, you can estimate how much a lender will loan you.

Second, you should try to pre-qualify for your loan. Your lender should spend time finding the right loan that fits you and your investment.

Be prepared to provide information about your loan request and investment. For example, if you are looking for an apartment loan, you will need to provide information or descriptions about borrower (you) and financial information, the financing request, location information, property information and issues, and tenant information.

When you apply for the loan, make sure your lender will assess and approve your loan quickly, so you are not left in the dark about your investment future. Your lender should specialize in commercial loans, instead of residential, so they are aware of your specific needs.

Visit Security National Capital to learn more about commercial mortgage brokers.

Michael Southard is the Vice President of Security National Capital.

January 21, 2009

Record Two-Way Conversations With Digital Voice Recorders

Filed under: The Security Trail — @ 6:07 pm

There are various types of digital voice recorders available for recording both two-way telephone conversations and personal on-site conversations. Both can be done covertly if that is what the situation calls for. One way to handle the telephone data recording is with a simple PC phone recorder, you can plug your phone jack into it and by using your PC recorder, tap into all of the telephone calls that you need to, and you can save and replay your calls whenever you need to.

But let’s say that you need to record a conversation on the sly, or you simply want to record music or MP3 music files, but you don’t want to haul around a bulky device to do it. There are attractive, digital voice recorders that are fully functional watches that may be just the thing you are looking for. You can also record reminders to yourself and notes and play it all back using stereo earphones or a window media player.

Maybe you are looking for small digital voice recorders to take care of monitoring those important phone calls you need to keep track of. There is a very nice 7-1/2″ by 5″ by 2″ telephone recorder with caller ID that can do the job efficiently, and on slow speed, you can record over five hours on a single standard C-120 cassette. It features a time and date stamp using an internal clock and has both voice activation and silent operation that records your inbound and outbound calls.

To purchase Spy Products and Surveillance Products Read other related articles on our Spy products blog

Do you have the plan to get a new boat and require 10000 euro

Filed under: Finance Web, Getting Credit, Loans — @ 3:39 pm

This is the reason why now you really need to inquire and calculate if you can have a credit loan at a proficient percent interest rate. At present you can inquire rates quickly at websites and experience if there are possible sneaky traps you should be aware of. 15.1 percent rate of interest may seem so equitable but will it stay ceaseless after you have to pay back your loan. It makes no difference if you live in Hollywood Florida or in Minot North Dakota a solid online examination will redeem you often a lot of disorder. Be burnished today to check up if you have a super deal or if you don’t with the moneylender that offers you a money loan. A merchant bank in Knoxville Tennessee or so may have a total different actual loan rate for a 22500 dollar credit loan then a bank in Hutchinson Kansas and that makes a big clear difference in your yearly costs.

Translated in Dutch: Woon je in Pijnacker-Nootdorp of Leeuwarderadeel en heb je BKR codering. Lenen met een BKR registratie is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Koop een nieuwe caravan met meteen geldproblemen verhelpen, 148163 euro is geen obstakel om te financieren. Van Delfzijl tot Veldhoven, financieren met een BKR registratie kan hier altijd.

Many of the banks wil show you a rate that looks just but feels disadvantageously or so after a period of time. Investigate to see if the bank who is willing to give you a bank loan is ok.

January 19, 2009

2ND Mortgage Loan - What You Need to Know

Filed under: Uncategorized — @ 9:13 pm

A 2nd mortgage is popular method of borrowing a lump sum against the value of your home. Here are the basics of this type of home equity loan.

A home equity loan or second mortgage is an additional loan secured by your home. The second mortgage is considered “subordinate” to your primary mortgage; if you default on either loan the 1st mortgage will be paid off by the sale of your home. Any remaining proceeds from the sale will be applied to the second mortgage.

Second mortgages typically come with higher interest rates because there is more risk for the lender. You may be required to pay closing costs and points in order to qualify for the loan.

Second mortgages are paid in a lump sum and generally come with fixed interest rates. This fixed interest rate is an advantage over a home equity line of credit which comes with a variable interest rate.

A second mortgage may be a good idea for homeowners needing a specific sum of money. The added security of a fixed interest rate makes this option more attractive than a home equity line of credit in many cases. To learn more about your home equity options and how to avoid costly mistakes, register for a free mortgage guidebook.

Louie Latour - EzineArticles Expert Author

To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

Louie Latour is a mortgage professional and the owner of RefiAdvisor.com, a mortgage resource site offering a free gift for homeowners: “Mortgage Refinancing - What You Need to Know.” This guidebook helps homeowners avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lending practices.

Claim your free guidebook today at: http://www.refiadvisor.com

Minneapolis Mortgage Refinance

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