How Much House Can You Afford?
by: Syd Johnson

Your mortgage calculator says: probably a lot less than your mortgage banker says you can.
Sometimes you can qualify for a loan but you should not accept it. Why? The monthly payments are more than you can afford. There are lots of laws in place at the state and federal level to protect customers against predatory lending, but there are still many customers around who will find that six months to a year into their loan they might have to give up their house. They cannot afford the upkeep, insurance and mortgage payments. More

Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights
by: Syd Johnson

This bill of rights was laid out by Franklin Raines, president of Fannie Mae on January 15, 2000. The Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights is a pledge of $2 trillion over 10 years to help consumers gain access to home ownership. It also includes an "Open Book" approach to underwriting where customers can see all of the factors that go into evaluating their creditworthiness and the process of applying for a home loan. More

Choose Wisely-A Comparison of Mortgage Brokers And Banks
by: Kevin Onizuk

Mortgage Brokers Do The Work So You Dont Have To.
My career in the mortgage industry has provided me with many opportunities to work with both mortgage brokers and banks. I believe mortgage brokers are great tools for consumers in search of the best financing options available. A mortgage broker differs from a bank representative in some important ways. The broker can shop and find the best deal for a homebuyer or refinancing deal. The bank only sells its own products. The mortgage broker takes one application and one credit report and utilizes all of the resources to find the best rate and mortgage program available. In my role as the mortgage broker I am an expert working hard specifically for the consumer. More

Find the best Mortgage Rate for you
by: Kent Clarke

Most people tend to take out a mortgage, then forget about it. The monthly payments go out from their accounts every month, but they probably couldn't tell you what the interest rate was if you asked! This is slack financial policy - it is easy to make sure you always have the best mortgage rate, and therefore pay the least interest. And believe me, over the years, even a fraction of a percent reduction in interest rates means big savings! More

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