They are hard to find but the answer is YES. There is a home loan refinance program that can dramatically reduce the amount a homeowner owes on the balance of their home loan(s) – as long as the homeowner meets a few criteria discussed at the end of this article. This is NOT a loan modification that simply offers a temporary reduction in the interest rate and monthly payment. Using a Note Repurchase Program or Loan Balance Reduction Program, homeowners who find themselves owing more than their home is worth can literally shave up to hundreds of thousands of dollars off their existing loan(s) balance which results in a small instant equity position and a large monthly savings from lower mortgage payments. As if this wasn’t enough good news, the homeowners credit score is NOT negatively affected by this program.

Here is how it works. The company that is handling the Loan Balance Reduction, usually a team of lawyers and real estate professionals, will group a portfolio of existing notes of their clients from a particular lender, Bank ABC, and present the bank with an all-cash, take it or leave it, offer to purchase the entire portfolio of notes at a significant discount to current market value. If accepted, and I’ll explain why the banks are often willing to do this, the investor then turns around and underwrites a loan back to the original homeowner at 90% of CURRENT APPRAISED value. The homeowner has now repurchased their home for under present market value, saving a bunch of money from a lower mortgage amount AND monthly payment!

Now why would any bank in their right mind take so much less than what is owed to them? The answer is simple. Liquidity. Banks today need cash to lend (this is their business) and are required to have certain cash reserve levels by The Federal Reserve to stay in business. By removing a non-performing asset from their books it frees up cash that the bank can immediately turn around and use in their business activities. Rather than risk the increasing probability of having to foreclose and own these non-performing assets in a year or two, many banks are willing to take the immediate cash infusion.

Who qualifies for this program? In order to take advantage of this program a homeowner (including investment properties 1-4 units) must have a Loan-to-Value ratio of AT LEAST 125%. Meaning the total amount owed for all loans on the property must exceed the present value of the home by 25% or more. Secondly, the homeowner must have an income source and a debt-to-income ratio of 50% or less (based on the new lower mortgage payment!). The process takes approximately 2-3 months to complete and ALL credit quality qualifies, you can even be in the Notice of Default or Trustee Sale phase and be able to take advantage of this program.

If you meet the criteria listed above and would like more information about a Loan Balance Reduction Program, please visit me online at http://www.PrincipalReduction.us

Charlie Kartchner, Lic Broker, Principal Reduction Specialist http://www.PrincipalReduction.us
 
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When Is The Right Time To Refinance?

One of the great mysteries of our time concerns the matter of when to refinance. It used to be that borrowers would refinance only when rates fell by 2 full percentage points, a standard which makes no sense in today’s marketplace.

Now you can refinance quickly at almost any time: No less important, refinancing no longer takes a ton of cash.

It was in June 2003 when mortgage rates hit a low not seen in decades: 5.21 percent according to Freddie Mac. In the first quarter of 2006 rates are roughly 1.25 percent higher, a big difference in terms of monthly payments.

Refinancing when rates are falling is easy to understand, but why refinance when rates are rising?

The answer works like this: Some borrowers should refinance in full, some should refinance in part and some should not refinance at all. The trick is to know which option best meets your needs.

If you were fortunate enough to finance or refinance with a fixed-rate mortgage in the summer of 2003 or thereabouts you certainly want to hold onto such debt for as long as it makes sense. However, there are situations where even borrowers with loans at great rates should look at refinancing options.

Cashing-Out

According to the National Association of Realtors, a typical home cost $165,400 in 2003. As of January 2006, that same home was worth $211,000 — an increase of $45,600.

Growing home values tell us two things: First, if you want to refinance you likely have far more equity then even a few years ago. Second, that additional equity means you can get a lot of cash from your home without touching your current loan. This is great news if you have low-rate financing you don’t want to touch.

Go back to that 2003 home. Imagine it was bought with 5 percent down. That means a $165,400 house was financed with $8,270 in cash and a first mortgage worth $157,130. At 5.5 percent interest, two years later the loan balance has been reduced to $152,585. If the house is worth $211,000 today then the available equity is roughly $58,415.

You could get cash out of the house by getting a new loan for $211,000. However, if you refinanced for $211,000 it means the old loan would be paid off and replaced by a new loan at a higher rate. That’s not good.

The better choice is this: Get a fixed-rate second loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC), a form of financing which usually involves an adjustable interest rate. Such additional financing leaves the first loan in place and untouched. By getting a second mortgage you hold on to the old loan and its low rate plus you get additional cash.

The other attraction of second mortgage loans is that they are often available with little or no cash out of pocket. This is not to say such loans are “free” or nearly free, instead what happens is that the lender pays most or all closing costs.

In exchange for closing help the mortgage lender charges a somewhat higher rate. In addition, loans that require little or no cash up front often have a pre-payment penalty. If the loan is refinanced with another lender or the property is sold within two or three years then a penalty may be due. Ask lenders for specifics.

Safeguarding the Future

It may be that your current financing has a low interest rate or a small monthly payment — for the moment. But borrowers with interest-only loans, option or flexible ARMs, or loans that convert from a fixed rate to an adjustable-rate mortgage after three to five years should be checked for potential payment shock.

In other words, a 5/1 ARM may have allowed you to acquire a property that has appreciated in value — a property that could not be financed at the time with a fixed-rate loan. Because you could get the loan you could get the property. In turn, because the value of most homes has risen substantially in the past five years, getting that 5/1 ARM a few years ago has greatly increased your net worth.

But the loan which was terrific a few years ago, the loan that was the right financing at the time, may soon become overly expensive if rates go higher. In such circumstances, refinancing now to a fixed-rate loan can be the smart move to defend your finances.

Consider a $300,000 two-step ARM made a few years ago. There’s a 5.5 percent start rate that lasts for five years then the loan converts into a one-year ARM for the remaining 25 years of the loan term.

The monthly cost for this loan during the first five years is $1,703.37 for principal and interest. In year six, let’s say the new rate is 6.50 percent and the mortgage balance has been reduced to $276,949.78. The new monthly payment for principal and interest will be $1,869.98.

Is the higher monthly cost a problem? If your income has risen over five years, then no. But what if rates go higher than 6.5 percent? At 7.5 percent — not a high rate by the standards of the past 25 years — the monthly payment will be $2,046.63 for principal and interest. Insurance and taxes are extra, of course.

Like cars, loans are bright and shiny when new but they can become outmoded over time. At the very least, it’s appropriate to see if the loan that worked so well a few years ago is the right loan for today — or for tomorrow.

You might consider an investment property loan if you are finding it difficult to make the payments on your rental or investment properties. This is especially true if your ARM has made it hard for you to afford your monthly payments or if your property value is less than your loan balance. Before consulting a lender, consider the points in this article.

While most of the government assistance programs are aimed at homeowners, there are also some programs for investors. Banks don’t want to foreclose on properties any more than you want your property foreclosed, so they offer options of loan modification for investors as well as homeowner. Modifications might include extending the length of the loan, reducing the interest rate, or other options aimed toward reducing your monthly mortgage payment.

The first thing you’ll want to provide to your lender is an estimate of your property’s market value. If your loan on the property is higher than the value of your property, you will be more likely to get approved for loan modification. Be prepared to show your lender why you’re having difficulty meeting your existing loan terms. Are your renters having trouble paying you? Be sure to explain your situation in detail to your bank.

Prepare thoroughly for your meeting with your lender by preparing the documentation they will need to review. Prepare updated versions of your financial statement, budget, list of tenants and rental income, etc. Pay close attention to detail to the information you provide in your application and supplemental documents as any false information, whether intentional or not, will not be well received.

For detailed facts and essential tips about how you can get approved for a Loan Modification, visit this simple, easy to understand loan modification guide and resource: Home Loan Modifications

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/mortgage-articles/options-for-investment-properties-under-loan-modification-1200257.html

How Do I Know Whether or Not I Will End Up Saving Money When Refinancing My Home Loan?

To save money, you must live in your house longer than the “break-even period” – the period over which the interest savings just cover the refinance expenses. Visit Here http://debt-restructuring-help.blogspot.com

The larger the spread between the new interest rate and the rate on your existing loan, the shorter the break-even period. The more it cost to get the new loan, the longer the break-even period.

But be careful. The break-even period is not the cost of the new loan divided by the decrease in the monthly mortgage expense. This broadly used rule of thumb is a misapplication of the principle that when explaining something to the buyer one should “keep it simple.” Simple is fine, except for when it is wrong.

The rule of thumb does not permit for the difference in how rapidly you pay off the new loan as opposed to the old one. Let us say that in 1996 you took out an 11% 30-year fixed rate loan, which now has a $100,000 balance and 21 years to run. You refinance into a 7% 15-year loan at a fee of $3,750.

Monthly expense on the old loan = $1019

Monthly expense on the new loan = $899

Reduction in monthly expense = $120

$3750 divided by $120 = 31 months

The rule of thumb say that you break-even in 31 months. But, because of the shorter term and lower rate on the new loan, in 31 months you would owe $7,041 less than you would have owed on the old loan. So, the rule of thumb in this case critically overstate the break-even period. Taking account of difference in the loan balance, you would actually be in advance of the game in 12 months, as showed below:

Savings in monthly expense: $120 for 12 months = $1440

Plus lower loan balance in month 12: $2620

Equals total saving from refinance: $4060

Less refinance cost: $3750

Equals net gain: $310

Next think about the case where an 11% loan taken out in 1996 was for 15 years, and now has only 6 years to run, while you plan to refinance into a 30-year loan. With the lasting term shorter on the old loan and longer on the new one, the difference in monthly expense rises to $1238. Using the rule of thumb the $3750 cost would be recovered in only 3 months. But this fail to consider the slower loan repayment on the new loan. Taking account of the slower repayment, you do not really come out in advance until 14 months out.

The rule of thumb (dividing the upfront cost by the decrease in mortgage expenses) approximates the true break-even period only if the term on your new loan is close to the unexpired term on your old loan. In other circumstances it can lead you critically off course.Visit Here http://debt-restructuring-help.blogspot.com

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