Bi-weekly Mortgages Versus Mortgage Accelerators

Bi-weekly mortgages are a good way of saving money on a home mortgage, but a mortgage accelerator is far more effective. Mortgage accelerator systems save far more money than bi-weekly systems.

Every month, most of your mortgage payment goes toward interest, and only a very small amount goes toward reducing the principal. If you could do something that would cause less of that monthly payment to go toward interest, more of it would go toward principal! Is this possible? YES!

How? Use a mortgage accelerator! It’s a method that makes more of your monthly payment go toward principal. If you think this means making bi-weekly mortgage payments, you’re wrong. Real mortgage accelerators don’t change your regular monthly payment but more of it goes toward principal, and less to interest. Basically, you’re earning money on your own mortgage!

Mortgage accelerators are misunderstood but don’t be put off. Not only do they work, but also, using one can cut the time it takes to pay off a 30 year loan to just 10 years, and save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Banks naturally don’t want you to know this and how much better it is than a bi-weekly mortgage. Actually, bi-weekly mortgages only save about 5 years.

The best mortgage accelerators use the “Australian method”, so-named because it was first used in Australia in the mid 1990’s. Since then, many people in countries around the world have used it with great success. Still, in the USA, it is not well-known. But don’t be put off because it really works and can save the average homeowner a fortune in mortgage interest.

There are several companies selling mortgage accelerators, and some of them charge thousands of dollars. Still, they are all based on the Australian model and so all will work, so you don’t have to spend more than a few hundred dollars.

One of the best values is the Mortgage Magic System.
The Mortgage Magic System lets you use the bank’s money to your own advantage.

Using this System, you will owe less money to the bank each month, and more of your monthly payment will go toward paying down your loan – in effect, making money on your mortgage.

Here’s how it works: you are going to use your regular income to offset your mortgage loan by having your income reduce your mortgage balance. For every dollar of income, you will owe a dollar less on your mortgage.

By using your regular income to offset your mortgage balance, you owe less on your loan. As a result, you owe less interest for the period! But you also need your income to pay bills and pay for my daily needs. No problem, because you have access to it anytime you need it to pay your bills.

If you’re excited about a system that is so much better than bi-weekly mortgages,there’s more. You see, if you can pay off your largest debt (your mortgage) in about 10 years, you’ll have all those extra years where your monthly discretionary income will increase by thousands of dollars each month. You’ll be able to quickly grow your retirement savings over those years, instead of paying all that money to the bank each month!

You think this sounds too good to be true, but it’s not, and there’s absolutely no risk of using a mortgage accelerator. So, if you want to save money on your mortgage with a bi-weekly mortgage system, use a mortgage accelerator instead.

Online Amortization Schedules

Online amortization schedule calculators are some of the best online available. They are web-based, so they do not need additional software or applications. Amortization schedules can be calculated immediately online on one of their web pages.

Ewmortgage.com is a mortgage advisor website that features a Java-based interactive amortization table (http://www.ewmortgage.com/mortgage/), and other mortgage-related applications such as APR/front end calculator, 5/25 and 7/23 balloon convertible mortgage calculator, car leasing payment calculator, monthly payment table generator, income qualification calculator, nominal and effective interest rate calculator, etc.

Realdata.com, real estate investment and development software developers, offers a web-based amortization utility (http://realdata.com/ds/amort2.shtml) and a Microsoft Excel version (http://realdata.com/ds/amort.xls) that can be downloaded for free. The web tool is Java-based so you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Calculators4mortgages.com also has a Java-based Amortization Schedule (http://www.calculators4mortgages.com/Calculators/Amortization-Schedule/amortization_schedule.html) that calculates the monthly payment of a specific loan and breaks down the amount of principal and interest paid over the term of the loan.

HSH Associates (http://www.hsh.com/calc-amort.html), a consumer loan information website, features an amortization calculator to generate an amortization schedule (by month or by year), as well the monthly payment for a mortgage paid either monthly or bi-weekly. It is also capable of demonstrating the effects of prepaying your mortgage on an irregular or regular basis. There is also a JavaScript version available.

Century21.com, a real estate website, lets you calculate amortization schedules and save, and email the result or amortization table. However, you need to register to use the save and email features. Registration also allows you to store your search criteria, file agent information and build a custom library. Entry method is standard such as loan amount, interest rate, loan term and monthly payment.

How Offset Mortgages Work for Fixed and Tracker Mortgages

For consumers who are looking to save money on their home loans, the first option is usually to opt for a home loan that offers the lowest interest rate. While this path works well for those that want to limit themselves to the standard products currently on the market, a home loan option that more and more people are considering is an offset mortgage. With these loans consumers offset the value of the loan with another investment, such as savings in a current a account. While offsetting was previously considered a niche product, with Bank of England interest rates currently so low, this product is gaining in popularity with more and more homebuyers. As a result, many lenders are now offering offset home loans that are increasingly competitive and also more affordable for the average homebuyer. This article will discuss what offset home loans are, and what their advantages and disadvantages are.

Offsetting

When consumers take out a standard loan on their property, they typically expect to pay a certain interest rate for the entire sum borrowed. So a 100,000 loan with an APR of five per cent will see the borrower paying 5,000 per year in interest on that loan. Offset loans, however, work a bit differently. With these loans, the borrower can still take out the same 100,000 loan, but he would then offset that loan with whatever savings he has, such as a current account or, in some cases, an Isa. As a result, he will no longer earn interest from his savings, but he will be able to reduce his interest payments on his offset mortgage. For example, that same borrower with a 100,000 loan who offsets it with 25,000 in savings would effectively only pay interest on 75,000 of the loan.

Advantages

Since current Bank of England interest rates are extremely low, most consumers are making even less than the rate of inflation on the savings they have in their current accounts. In contrast, interest rates on home loans are typically much higher than the Bank of England rate, meaning sacrificing the interest from savings for the sake of paying less in interest rates on a home loan makes financial sense for many people. Additionally, since the interest made on current accounts is taxable, homeowners will effectively be able to avoid paying tax on those savings by using that account to offset a home loan. Finally, in most instances monthly repayments are based on the total value of the loan, meaning that even though that same homeowner is only paying interest on 75,000 of a 100,000 loan, he will still be making repayments based on the full 100,000. As a result, he will in effect be able to pay down his loan faster.

Disadvantages

While an offset loan can be a great way to pay less in interest, it is not necessarily for everybody. As with standard home loans, offset loans are available as either fixed-rate or tracker mortgages. The difference, however, is that the interest rates are usually slightly higher for an offset loan than they would be for a standard loan. As a result, an offset loan is likely to work best for those who have a large amount of savings that they want to use as an offset. While many tracker mortgages, and even some fixed-rate loans, will offer attractive rates to begin with, it is important to keep in mind that these are typically introductory offers. Once that introductory period ends consumers could be stuck with an interest rate that is uncompetitive even with a large offset. Also, while consumers will still be able to access their savings, they need to be aware that if they withdraw money from their savings then the amount offset against their loan will likewise decrease. Finally, there are often additional restrictions, such as high minimum deposits and rules stipulating that the account that is being used to offset the loan must be held with the same lending institution that is offering the loan.

While offset home loans are not necessarily for everyone, consumers who have a large or even moderate amount of savings should be aware of them. In the past few years, these loans have become increasingly affordable and are now available to anyone that wants to make sure their money is working a little bit harder.

What Is An Adjustable Rate Mortgage Or Arm

Copyright 2006 Jason P Bertrand

An adjustable rate mortgage is a mortgage loan that is fixed for a set period of time and then adjusts based on the rates during the adjustment period. Some common adjustable rate mortgage loans terms are 1/1, 3/1, 5/1, 7/1, and 10/1. The first number in what appears to be a fraction is the amount of time the rate stays fixed. The second number is the amount of time between adjustments. For example a 5/1 Adjustable rate mortgage would stay fixed for 5 years and then adjust annually.

An adjustable rate mortgage generally offers a lower rate than a fixed rate loan initially; however, it could adjust to a higher rate than the initial fixed rate mortgage would have been. An Adjustable rate mortgage, also called an ARM, is very good for a person that knows specifically how long they will be living at a specific residence. In other words, a person who knows for a fact that they will be moving in four years would benefit from a 5/1 ARM because they would be moving out of that home and mortgage prior to the first adjustment period.

Adjustable rate mortgage loans also have an adjustment cap and a lifetime cap. For example a 5/1 arm could have an adjustment cap of 2% and a lifetime cap of 6%. So in a worst case scenario, a 5/1 Arm with a 2/9 cap and an initial rate of 5% would stay fixed at 5% for five years. At the five year mark the rate could adjust a maximum of 2% to 7%, after another year it could adjust 2% to 9% and after the next year could adjust to 11%. 11% would be the lifetime cap and therefore the adjustable rate mortgage could not increase any more. If the rates go down however, the rate could adjust lower after any given year.

There is however a floor rate which is the minimum rate the loan could ever achieve. In other words if the loan started at 5% and the floor rate was 4% the interest rate would never drop below 4%.

The difference between a fixed rate and adjustable rate mortgage is the fact that a fixed rate loan may start at 6.5% instead of 5% so for the first 5 years one would be receiving an interest rate 1.5% below that of a fixed.

Know What Happens Is Your Do Not Pay Your Mortgage

The different choices available to Canadians struggling to fulfill their financial mortgage obligations is determined mostly by what type of lending procedures are practiced in their province. Properties in Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island have mortgage agreements that initiate the primary recoupment process using the power of sale. In the provinces of Manitoba, Quebec, Alberts, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the courts supervise a Judicial sale to recover the money owed. Although it is referred to as a Mortgage Foreclosure in Nova Scotia, the method is essentially the same as a Judicial sale. In Ontario, both options are available to financial institutions who are facing delinquent payments.

The power of sale provision in the mortgage contract gives all those who sign the contract a personal liability on the loan and can be done without a court’s involvement. Fifteen days following the borrower’s notification of the mortgagee’s intention to enforce the power of sale, communications are sent to anyone with an interest in the home, such as statutory lien holders, advisors or claimants of any subsequent encumbrance. Timing is dependent on whether the power of sale agreement is contractual, giving the borrower 35 days to remit the full amount — or a statutory power of sale which allows the borrower 45 days to sell the property and pay the balance.

Lenders are not able to proceed with their collection until this redemption stage is completed. This gives the borrower a opportunity to sell the property on the open market and clear the mortgage in full from the proceeds. This allows the borrower a chance to liquidate the property on the open market and with the proceeds repay the lender in full. The conditions of power of sale demand that both parties attempt to get the largest possible selling price with a paper trail to prove it or face legal action. If you are unable to recuperate the full amount of the equity in your house, the legal action can be taken from the lender for the balance.

As the name implies, a Judicial sale demands that the mortgage holder apply to the court to be allowed to sell the property. The judge then mediates the discussions between the mortgage holder and mortgagee, assigns a timetable for a resolution and mediates any disagreements that arise. The emission of an order absolute by the courts relieves the mortgagor of needing to be accountable to the lender’s ability to reclaim the entire amount owed from the liquidation of the house. With an order absolute, any other lenders or second mortgages have to be compensated from the sale of the property by the primary mortgage holder.

The idea of both mortgage procedures — the power of sale and Judicial sale — is to allow the mortgagee a fair chance to keep their house by settling the overdue amount. If further money cannot be secured under this timeline, payment extensions can sometimes be discussed or a longer redemption period allowed before the home is given to the lender.