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What can a bad credit cost you?
By: Debt Samaritans
Your credit score is not merely a three digit number; it is a snapshot of your creditworthiness. It can affect everything from whether you qualify for a loan, an apartment lease to whether an employer hires you or not. If you are marked as having bad credit, you will be having a real tough time in obtaining loans and even if you do, pay a higher interest rate than someone with good credit. So, settle in and check out the consequences of having a bad credit.
Buying a home with bad credit
In case of a mortgage loan, the cost of bad credit is the most evident one. A poor credit can really hurt your dream of purchasing that dream house. A bad credit doesn’t mean that you would be turned down for a loan but you will have to certainly pay a higher price for the dream house. For instance, if you have a credit score of 710 and above then you will have lenders running after you to offer you loan at favorable interest. A score in the range of 620-700 can also fetch you some good deals on mortgages. But if your score is in the range of 560 to 619 then it would cost you some hundred or thousands of extra dollars to get approved for the loan. Given below is a table that will illustrate how your score can influence the interest rate on a $200,000 mortgage paid over 30 years.
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What Comprises Your Credit Score
In the simplest terms your credit score is your credit history calculated in figures. There are many methods which can be used to calculate your credit score but the most common method is the FICO. FICO was developed by the Fair Isaac Company and is the preferred method used by most lending companies. Your credit score determines whether a lender will approve your application or not or whether a lender will give you less rates on your payments or not.
Credit scores or FICO scores generally range form a low of 340 to a high of 850. Ideally, you should aim for a score of at least 700 or more. If you get a score of 600 and below, creditors will likely consider you as a high risk borrower.
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Foreclosures: Tips and Warnings
First of all, you need to be aware that a mortgage lender can foreclose your home for two reasons. The first one is defaulting on your payments. Generally, lenders will issue a Notice of Default if you miss three mortgage payments consecutively. Another possible ground for foreclosure would be a violation on a major regulation or policy of the lender.
What You Can Do
However, in most cases, the reason for a home foreclosure is due to a default in payments. For some home owners, they waited too long before taking any appropriate action that would have prevented foreclosure of their property. If you currently have a mortgage loan, it is important to be constantly aware of your payments. If for some reason, you miss one of your payments, speak with your lender right away and inform them the cause of your delay. Don’t wait until the second or third delay on your payment or for a Notice of Default before taking the initiative to contact your lender.
Even if it’s just a single payment that you missed, it would be to your advantage if you talk with your lender right away. This is especially true if you know that there is risk that you might not keep up with your monthly mortgage for the coming months. You may have been sick and cannot go to work, or you might have needed the money for an emergency or you might have been laid off from work. In case, it will not help if you just stay quiet or attempt to hide from your creditors.
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Stop Foreclosure! Know What To Do
Stop Foreclosure! Is it possible? Yes, you can stop foreclosure if you take the appropriate actions immediately. Consider the following steps you can do to stop lenders from foreclosing your home:
Call your lender right away and request to speak with someone from the Loss Mitigation Department. This is the department that particularly handles foreclosure properties. Explain why you have missed on your monthly payments especially if you’ve been through difficult circumstances.
Know your options. Usually, you may request for some options to stop foreclosure. One option would be to ask for Forbearance. This is where your lender can waive some fees on your debts to help you keep up with the payment.
Another option would be Loan Modification. A Loan Modification is much like Loan Refinancing but instead of going through the re-application process, your lender can grant you a new loan without re-applying. This can save you money from application costs and it greatly speeds up the loan processing.
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Junk Fees: How To Avoid It When You Buy Your House
Surveys on mortgage loan borrowers show that most Americans are paying more than the actual costs of their homes. Additional fees or what are called “junk fees” burden most home owners on their home loans.
If you will not go out of your way and do your research, lenders will not give you any discount. Lenders are good at offering low rates at the start just to get you to sign up but once you’re in, they can impose unreasonable costs on your loan at closing time. Here are some tips to avoid unnecessary mortgage fees:
Compare all fees, not just interest. To avoid paying mortgage junk fees, don’t just compare interest rates of each lender. Instead, compare all the fees involved in the loan, including initiation fee, administrative fees, processing fees, closing fees, etc.
How much exactly?
Don’t just accept an offer if you’re being told that you will not have to pay anything except for some “processing fees.” Clear up how much exactly will the “processing fees” cost you. Instead of just verbal reassurances that you will not be paying for anything way out your budget, insist that you be given a documented copy of all costs that you will be paying at the closing. However, make sure that the copy of the final billing costs will be handed to you days before the actual closing date. This will give you enough time to study the costs you will be paying.
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Home Loan after Bankruptcy - Is it Possible?
After the crisis of bad credit and filing for bankruptcy, perhaps you may feel intimidated of starting up new transactions. For instance, you may feel disheartened about purchasing a new home because of your bad credit history. However, even if you have a record of bankruptcy in your credit report, there is still a chance to make a new start.
Today, there are mortgage companies who are willing to grant home loan approvals for those who filed for bankruptcy in the past. Tough competition among lending companies in the market drives these lenders to give special home loan packages for those who have been through bankruptcy. As long you have been discharged from your debts, you can go right ahead and submit that home loan application.
Will Lenders Accept Your Application?
Lenders are not merely taking chances. After all, your home property will be used as a security for your loan so there’s really not much risk involved. If you’re done filing Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 of bankruptcy, you can call a lending company and ask about your chances of getting an approval.
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The Keys to a Happy Retirement
Retirement is something that most people look forward to. The chance to take a break, to have all the time for yourself, to enjoy life after many years of hard work is indeed a very inviting prospect. However, financial instability makes the future of retirement a little bleak.
The Bleak Reality of Retirement
For many retirees, having an investment and savings can make a big difference when retirement arrives. In fact, recent surveys show that retirees today are only counting on their personal savings for support. Although the government gives Social Security, not all companies or employers provide traditional pensions for their employees. According to the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, in 2003 there were only 19% of workers who have traditional pensions to support them. This percentage continues to decline as more and more employers cut back pension plans for their employees.
Faced with this reality, it is clearly important to make the necessary preparations early in life to have reliable personal savings in the future. Investing in insurance, dividend-paying stocks, government bonds, corporate bonds, real estate, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), immediate fixed annuities and retirement plans are great options on saving funds. This way, a retiree can have assurance that he will have the financial support he can rely on with or without a traditional pension.
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