This article aims to take you through the process of how to choose a mortgage lender. So if you have been having trouble choosing a mortgage lender or you do not understand the types of mortgage and you want to know the right questions to ask. Sit back as I give you in-depth teaching on how to choose a mortgage lender while answering your questions.
Apart from making a decision on the home to buy and live in, choosing a mortgage lender is one of the important decisions you would also have to make. This is because the mortgage is a great determining factor in most payments concerning the home. It determines the interest rate, the fees you will pay and so much more.
Be that as it may, it is required that you carefully select a good mortgage lender. How then can that be done is the next most important question that comes to your lips.
The answer to that question is the reason why this article wants to teach you how to choose a mortgage lender. However, join me as I make you understand who a mortgage lender is.
Who Is A Mortgage Lender?
Let’s understand who a mortgage lender is before we move on to how to choose a mortgage lender.
Simply put, a mortgage lender is a financial institution or a bank that gives loans or underwrites home loans to customers. They work with laid-down guidelines that help to determine the ability of the customer to pay the loan. They help ascertain the creditworthiness of the borrower before the mortgage is given. The mortgage lender also stages its terms and conditions which include the interest rate, payment schedule, and all that before the mortgage is signed.
Learn the types of mortgage lenders to make your journey of how to choose a mortgage lender easier.
What Are The Types Of Mortgage Lenders?
Here I will show you the different types of mortgage lenders as we gradually delve towards how to choose a mortgage lender.
There are several types of Mortgage Lenders but here, I will briefly explain 4.
Direct Mortgage Lenders
Direct Mortgage Lenders consist of banks and credit unions. They are good for those who want to keep their finances in one place. They give mortgages to borrowers at low rates although it may take a long time to process and some of them do not give mortgages to people who are not their members.
Correspondent Lenders
Mortgage Brokers fall into this group. They originate and fund their loans after which they sell to big institutions. The big institutions then lend it out to borrowers.
Wholesale Lenders
These types of lenders work with mortgage brokers. They get the needed information concerning a mortgage from the broker and give it out to the borrower.
Hard Mortgage Lenders
These are private investors that give short-term loans secured by real estate. However, you must pay them weighing a short time.
How To Choose A Mortgage Lender
Although finding a mortgage lender can be easy, choosing the right one is a little difficult. The six steps below are guides on how to choose a mortgage lender.
Strengthen Your Credits
You Are required to meet certain credit and income criteria to increase your chances of getting a mortgage. This is to assure the mortgage company that you are capable of repaying their loans.
When your credit score is low, you will her higher interest rates. To fix your credit report, pay off your debt before moving to the next step on how to choose a mortgage lender.
Determine Your Budget.
Determining your budget is the second step of how to choose a mortgage lender. You have to make up your mind on how much you want to spend I the mortgage. This will go a long way to help you in the process of negotiation.
Understand Your Type Of Mortgage Options.
The third step on how to choose a mortgage is to understand the mortgage options. This involves getting acquainted with the types of mortgages. Understand each of them and decide in that which you want to go with
Compare Rates
After understanding the options, the next step is to compare the interest rate of several mortgages, especially their asking price. To do this, you can search for the best mortgage rates online. What you would get online is just an estimate to guide you in negotiation.
Get Pre-Approved
It is advisable to provide your information to more than one lender. This will increase your chances of getting pre-approval from more than one option. It is important to get pre-approved before you start looking at houses. This will help you bid against other buyers of the same property.
Getting Pre-approved shows that you are a serious buyer and a mortgage lender has done through your finances.
Read The Fine Print And Ask Questions
This is the last step on how to choose a mortgage lender. At this stage, ask for referrals and read reviews about them while you ask them important questions. Ask about the principal, interest rate, closing cost, loan origination fees, and every other transaction fee.
Read the entire fine print in your document. There you will see the exact finance terms such as who pays which closing cost, the items included in the home or not as well as other terms.
What Are the Most Important Questions To Ask When Choosing A Mortgage Lender?
Remember that in the last step of how to choose a mortgage lender explained above, asking questions was mentioned. There are no limitations on the questions to ask. However, asking the right question is important. I will quickly state 6 of such questions. They are
- What will be my fees and payments
- What type of mortgage terms do you offer? This could be a conventional fixed-rate mortgage, Adjustable Rate, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, Veteran Affairs (VA) loans, and so on.
- What Credit score do you require
- Do you offer a mortgage point?
- What is your interest rate and APR? Do you offer pre-approval?
- What will be my closing cost?
These and more are some of the questions to ask.
Things You Should Not Say To Your Mortgage Lender.
Apart from knowing how to choose a mortgage lender, the things you say also matter a lot. Here are some of the things that you shouldn’t say to a mortgage lender.
- What is a credit score? It is expected that you are familiar with credit scores and how to monitor them. Asking what it shows you are unserious
- I am getting a cash gift from my parents for the down payment.
- I am going to want this job soon.
- I love changing jobs annually
- How much can I borrow? This shows that you have not done your research.
What Should I Look Out For When Choosing A Mortgage Lender?
This is as important as how to choose a mortgage Lender. When choosing a mortgage lender lookout for some or all of the following.
- Does the Lender offer a competitive interest rate?
- Are the loan terms of the mortgage lender in sync with your needs?
- What are the types of origination, interest, and fees that you would pay?
- What are the types of mortgages he offers?
These are some of the things to look out for.
Conclusion
Knowing how to choose a mortgage lender is important in the journey of acquiring a mortgage.
The steps of how to choose a mortgage lender, what to ask, types of mortgage lenders, and others have been discussed so far in the article. I hope your doubt has been cleared and your questions answered.