{"id":251,"date":"2018-10-31T06:47:11","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T06:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/?p=251"},"modified":"2018-10-31T06:47:11","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T06:47:11","slug":"personal-finance-after-50-financing-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/uncategorized\/personal-finance-after-50-financing-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Finance After 50 &#8211; Financing Your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mentioned in the earlier posts, everyone of us wants to own a home; his\/ her dream home. Whether to Buy a house, which costs a very heavy amount Or to rent a house is a matter of personal perception and financial affordability. People are having different views and their own reasoning for and against this issue. But having your own home is definitely has lot many advantages, especially it gives a sense of security and a sense of pride to the owner. It also gives a sense of achievement as well as belongingness. In the long run, owning or buying a house may even cost less than renting. Therefore, in the advanced age, especially when you are nearing retirement, say about a decade away from that D-day, one must try to buy a house, if he has not done so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>\u00a0Financing Your Home<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> After you have considered all the relevant points like your financial health, figure out your timeline and compare the renting costs to owning costs, you need to confront the tough task of arranging the finance for your home. Buying a home is a huge investment, probably the most significant purchase of your life. It\u2019s not something you should do without preparation. Before you start on the road to home ownership, make sure you are ready. (Pl. refer Points for consideration in my last post on Real Estate). Some of the important steps, you must take, before you buy a house, are given below : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b> \u00a0Some Simple Steps To Buying A House<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><b>Step 1 &#8211; I<\/b><b><i>mprove Your Credit Score<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211; \u00a0A score of 700 to 720 will get you a good deal, and 750 and above will garner the best rates on the market. Better stop applying for new credit a year before you apply for a mortgage.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>\u00a0Step 2 : &#8211; Figure Out What You Can Afford<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : -For conventional loans, home expenses should not exceed 28 percent of your gross monthly income and for FHA loan, this limit is 31 percent.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><b>Step 3 : &#8211; \u00a0Save for Down Payment, closing Costs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211; Normally, the down payment terms vary between 3 to 20 percent of your loan amount. Your credit score and loan terms help determine how much you\u2019ll need to make the down payment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b> \u00a0Step 4 : &#8211; \u00a0Build a Healthy Savings Account<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211; \u00a0Building up your savings not just for your home, is very important. That money will also help pay for maintenance and repairs of the home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b> \u00a0Step 5 : &#8211; \u00a0Get Pre-approved For A Mortgage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ; &#8211; \u00a0Before you start house shopping, you should get your financing in place<\/span><b>. Better have everything in order<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You should get a mortgage pre-approval, before you buy your house<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0Step 6 : &#8211; \u00a0Buy A House You Like<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211; \u00a0To get a house that will make you happy, don\u2019t count on a quick purchase. Step back and make certain the house you\u2019re considering is one that will fit the needs of you and your family..<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><b>\u00a0Different Options For Home Financing<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ; &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0For financing the home, most of the people depend on Debt (unless you are independently wealthy). A mortgage loan from a bank or other sources makes up the difference between the amount of Down payment, you intend to make and the agreed upon price of the house.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>\u00a0\u00a0There are Two major types of mortgages<\/strong><\/span> : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>1 Fixed Rate Mortgage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8212; \u00a0This has interest rates that never ,ever changes and are usually issued for a 15 to 30 years period. The interest rate you pay the first month is the same rate you pay the last month. With a fixed rate mortgage, your monthly mortgage expenses is certain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2 Adjustable- Rate Mortgage (ARM)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211; \u00a0It carries an interest rate that varies over time. Thus, your monthly payment fluctuates. But the attraction of ARMs is the potential interest savings, when the interest rate drops. But when the rates rise and stay elevated, the adjustable loan can cost you more than a fixed-rate loan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b> \u00a0\u00a0Choosing Between Fixed And Adjustable Rates<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ; &#8212;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Before deciding which kind of mortgage&#8211; Fixed or Adjustable&#8211; you must consider the following : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How willing and able are you to take on financial risk ?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 How long do you plan to keep the mortgage?. With a duration of 15 to 30 years, Fixed interest rate may be better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><b>\u00a0HYBRID Loan<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">\u00a0: &#8211; \u00a0This combine features of both the Fixed -and- Adjustable rate mortgages. For example, the initial rate may hold constant for a period of three to five years- and then adjust once a year or every six months thereafter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>\u00a0\u00a0Find Funds To Boost your Down- Payment<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8212;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Many cities and states offer Down payment Assistance (DAP) for first- time home buyers. These programs can offer money as much as $75,000 to go toward your down payment. But some restrictions and conditions are imposed (you may check the details)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b> \u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\u00a0Understanding Other Lender Fees<\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8212;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Lenders, generally charge other up- front fees when processing your loan. You need to know these charges and compare different mortgages and determine how much completing your home purchase is going to cost you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>1 Application And Processing Fees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0: &#8211; \u00a0Most lenders charge several hundred dollars to complete your paperwork and to process it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><b> Credit Report <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: &#8211; \u00a0Many lenders charge a fee (about $50 to $75) for obtaining a copy of your credit report.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 <\/span><b>Appraisals :<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; \u00a0For most residential properties, the appraisal cost is typically several hundred dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 <\/span><b>Title And Escrow Charges<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211; \u00a0These are also charged by the lenders in addition to other fees\/ charges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b> \u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Beware Of Prepayment Penalties <\/span><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Avoid loans with prepayment penalties, You pay this charge, usually 2 to 3 percent of the loan amount, when you pay off your loan before you\u2019re supposed to. The only way to know whether a loan has a prepayment penalty is to ask. If the answer is Yes, find yourself another mortgage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b> \u00a0Avoiding The Down- payment Problems<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can generally qualify for the most favourable mortgage terms by making a down-payment of at least 20 percent of the purchase price. This will save money on interest. But many people don\u2019t have this amount ti make down payment of 20 percent or more. In such case, the following steps will help : &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Go on a spending diet. Cut back on your spending.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Consider lower priced properties, requiring less down- payment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Find partners- buy building in partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 Seek reduced down-payment financing. But have solid credit to qualify for such loans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 Get assistance from family. You can pay them an interest.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As mentioned in the earlier posts, everyone of us wants to own a home; his\/ her dream home. Whether to Buy a house, which costs a very heavy amount Or to rent a house is a matter of personal perception and financial affordability. People are having different views and their own reasoning for and against &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/uncategorized\/personal-finance-after-50-financing-your-home\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Personal Finance After 50 &#8211; Financing Your Home&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253,"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions\/253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.personalfinanceafterfifty.com\/retirementfinancialmanagement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}