Question: Can they foreclose on your home if you are in default on your home equity loan but current on your primary mortgage?

Answer: If you are current on your first mortgage and become delinquent on your home equity loan (which is a form of second mortgage), the second mortgage lender has the legal right to foreclose on your house and property. However, it may not do so because of economic reasons, which I will discuss below.

Here is the good news: Lenders do not like to foreclose on mortgages because foreclosure offers a poor economic return. Lenders foreclose only as a way of limiting losses on a defaulted loan.
Generally speaking, when homeowners get behind on mortgage payments, lenders will work with them to bring the loan current. To do so, however, the owner must stay in communication with the lender and be honest about the financial situation.

Let us first define reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is a type of loan available to older homeowners. It enables them to convert the equity in their home to cash in order to finance living expenses. Whether it be for home improvement or for health care. Payments are then made by the lender to the homeowner.
Continue reading Are reverse mortgages different than home equity loans?

With the market experiencing a supply glut of homes, fixed-rate mortgages are now experiencing historically low interest rates. Here are some tips to getting the best possible home mortgage available. Just remember to keep a good credit score.

Here are some tips to help you get the best possible loan.

(1) Watch your rate.

The closer you are to closing on a home mortgage deal you have keep tracking your interest rates which continue to fluctuate. If the rate for the deal you are making suddenly goes up with no reasonable explanation you may have to find another lender for a mortgage even if you may have to push back your date of purchase by several days.

(2) Get preapproved, not prequalified.

The loan with the lowest rate and fees that are less than a thousand dollars are usually the best deal for people looking for a home mortgage. It pays to get a pre-approval for these loans. This usually entails filling out an application that details your income, savings and personal debt. It will be checked against your credit report and if it passes their tests, you can get the preapproval letter with how much you can borrow for your home mortgage.

This is much better than getting prequalified because prequalification does not include your credit score. In this manner, you get an idea of what problems you may encounter when getting a mortgage and what rates you can expect. But Should I Refinance Home

(3) Get the best rates

Fixed-rate loans now are so cheap there’s no point in looking for something else. It’s just a matter of shopping around to find out what is the best rate you can get for your home mortgage. You can do this by doing some aggressive research online, asking your friends or agent and joining credit unions.

With the market the way it is now, it shouldn’t be so hard to find a home mortgage to your advantage.

A second mortgage typically refers to a secured loan (or mortgage) that is subordinate to another loan against the same property.

In real estate, a property can have multiple loans or liens against it. The loan which is registered with county or city registry first is called the first mortgage or first position trust deed. The lien registered second is called the second mortgage. A property can have a third or even fourth mortgage, but those are rarer.
Continue reading What lenders will look for when taking a second mortgage