Online is the place to visit if you need mortgage quotes. At many real estate sites on the Internet, you will find quote tools. The tools are easy to use. In addition, at the real estate sites you will find helpful information pertaining to loans, real estate agents, and other relevant information to help you decide on buying a home.

If you own your home, you can use the mortgage quotes to estimate your property tax and other specifics pertaining to your mortgage loan.

Mortgage quotes give you tools to check rates. Many of the quotes offered at the real estate sites are free to use, fast, to finish and you can compare rates. You have the option to compare mortgage rates for refinancing, purchasing a home, or finding home equity loans also.

Debt consolidation support is available at the real estate sites too. If you are struggling with debt, use the mortgage quotes to find a lender to give you a hand. If you are battling with debt, a debt consolidation loan may help you out.

You will also find refinancing programs at the real estate sites. You can use the site tools to compare price, rates, and to find an agent to help you get the best deals.

At the real estate sites, you have easy, quick access to calculators. The calculators enable you to estimate rates, compare loans, and so on. You can match lenders, find help with lowering your bills, and compare rates at hundreds of mortgage corporations.

The forms at the real estate sites are simple. You do not waste a lot of time trying to figure out what to do. Rather you just give a few details and click a tab and you have your quote in minutes.

At the real estate sites, you can find popular questions. Use these tools to find answers to common mortgage issues. In addition, some real estate sites give you access to your credit reports. You can view your credit reports to check your credit score before applying for a loan. This will give you an idea as to where you stand in the mortgage world.

When you use mortgage quotes at the real estate sites online, you can spare hassles, save time and money. In addition, when you find what you want, you can use this information and expend by exploring your mortgage options. Be sure to learn about the different types of loans, because some loans could lead to serious debt issues. Balloon loans for example are something you want to avoid.

If you are currently on the market for a new home, or you are looking to refinance your current mortgage, one of the most important things to you when shopping around for a home loan will be the mortgage interest rate.

Of course you will want your mortgage interest rate to be as low as possible, so take some time to shop around for the best deal.

Shopping around for the best mortgage interest rate is very important because you want to go with the best deal possible. Don’t just settle for the first lender you come across and go with whatever rate they may offer you.

By shopping around you can compare rates and products. The difference in one percentage point on an interest rate can mean thousands of dollars in savings over the course of a thirty-year mortgage.

Think of shopping around for a mortgage the same as shopping around for a new car.

When you are on the market for a new car, you visit two or three car dealerships, you speak with a few different sales people, you test drive a few different cars, than make your decision on the best car at the best price.

Treat the concept of shopping for a mortgage the same as you would if you were shopping for a car.

The mortgage industry is a very competitive one, and the mortgage companies are all too happy to compete for your business. The last thing a mortgage company wants is for you to give your business to their competition.

When shopping around, let the mortgage brokers or loan officers you are dealing with know that you are shopping around. By supplying them with this knowledge, they will understand the importance of coming back at you with the best deal they have to offer to make sure they secure your business.

Once you have a handful of loan officers make you their best offer, give your consideration to the one with the best rate and to the scenario that sounds the most reasonable.

Remember, once an offer is made to you, ask to see all of the particulars in writing. A verbal offer may sound great to you, but without the paperwork to back it up, it is worthless.

If you have decided to take the leap into home ownership or you are interested in refinancing your current mortgage, one of the first things you will need to do is track down a mortgage.

I honestly can’t tell you just how many mortgage companies there are in the United States, but I can tell you this, there are a lot of them.

Mortgage companies also come in a few different forms. You might recognize one as your local bank, but there are also wholesale lenders who use not only there own loan officers to originate mortgages, they will also use mortgage brokers. Than you have your retail lenders, who use only their own employed loan officers.

Because there are so many mortgage companies out there, the industry has become highly competitive.

So before you commit to the first lender you approach and start filling out applications, look again, and consider shopping around. Like I said, the mortgage industry is highly competitive, so let them fight over you.

You don’t have to go crazy when shopping for a lender.  No more than five inquiries should be your limit. Talk with them, find out what programs they have to offer, and at what rate. Ask about closing costs. Remember, closing costs should not exceed 5% of the total amount of the loan at the very most. (This does not include the down payment).

By shopping around, you will be able to get a feel for what is out there, and whatever lender offers you the best deal to fit your needs and your budget, should be your lender of choice.

The down fall to speaking with one lender is, you are limiting yourself too just their products and services, as well as their rates. How do you know you can’t get a better deal somewhere else? Most likely you can.

Shop around for a mortgage the way you would shop around for a car. Look at a few of them at different dealerships, test drive them, discuss pricing with the sales person, than once you and the selling party have come to an agreement, make the purchase.

Buying or refinancing a home is not something you want to rush into. So take your time and educate yourself. Talk to people within the industry, shop around, than make an educated decision based on what best fits your needs.

You’ve decided to make the plunge and sell you home. More than a few people have innocently asked me, “What happens to my mortgage when I sell my home?”

What Happens to My Mortgage When I sell My Home

If you own a home, you undoubtedly are carrying a mortgage on it. A mortgage is simply a loan from a bank or financial institution for percentage of the value of the home, which you pay to the person you purchased the home from when you bought it. Depend on the type of mortgage you have, the amount due on the loan should have decreased during the time you lived in the home and made monthly payments.

When you go to sell your home, the simple question is what happens to the then due balance on the mortgage? The simple answer is the financial institution is going to be paid out of the proceeds of the sale before you see anything. As a result, it is critical that you calculate in the loan repayment amount when determining if it makes sense to sell a home. If you have a home worth $300,000 and owe $280,000 on the mortgage, you are going to realize little or no profit after the costs associated with the sale and probably shouldn’t sell it.

If you have plenty of equity built up in the home, your mortgage can still end up costing you more than you originally expected. Many modern mortgages have restrictive penalties built into them. These penalties are designed to encourage you to hold onto the home for a set period of time, usually a couple of years, so the bank can recover a certain amount of interest up front. Put another way, the bank is trying to lock in a certain amount of profit on the loan.

When it comes to these restrictive penalties, lending institutions get pretty creative. Many will include a penalty if you sell or refinance the property within the first two years of the loan period. The penalties can be anything from the equivalent of three months of payments to a preset amount or even a percentage of the loan. State law often influences these issues, so you need to read your mortgage loan documents closely.

Regardless, you mortgage is going to be paid off as part of the sales process. The exact amount will depend upon the nature of your loan.

Where do you find contractor? Ask for referrals from other investors. You can also go to Home Depot early in the morning where the contractors check out. Talk to the clerks about who are the regulars and talk to the contractors in line. Check out their work start to finish and their references. Home Depot is a great place to find a reasonable crew that works for builders.

Does the contractor need insurance? You need to make sure you or your contractor has two types of insurance.

The Two Types Are:

A. Workman’s Compensation Insurance: If you are doing a lot of rehabs, you will want to get a minimum workman’s compensation insurance. If your contractor has workman’s compensation insurance, you will want him to give you a copy of his insurance with you shown as an additional named insured. You then have proof of coverage. Even if you have a minimum policy covering you, you will still need the proof of coverage for your insurance carrier or you will be charged for their cost on your own policy. If you hire a contractor working by himself he can choose to exempt himself from workers compensation, but he needs to sign a form that you get from your insurance company.

B. Liability Insurance: Make sure again that you’re named as additional insured on your contractor’s policy or have your own policy. You should talk to insurance experts to determine the amount of coverage you need.

C. Builder’s Risk Insurance: You may want to check on getting builders risk insurance for other coverage on your equipment, tools, and etc.

How do you pay your contractor?

If you are dealing with new contractors that you don’t have a track record on, I recommend that you buy a small amount of materials and see that they get the materials to the job. Only pay for the work that gets done. The question you need to ask yourself is if the contractor walks from the job is there enough money to hire someone to finish the job. Even experienced investors, as well as new investors make the mistake of paying out too much on the job all the time. I have had Home Depot call me and tell me that my contractor is bringing materials back for cash refund. I have had great contractors who I have had a long relationship with me walk off the job. It is a must to hold back enough dollars to hire someone to finish the job. I don’t care how long you have worked with contractors you have to inspect the job before paying. If you don’t inspect the work, don’t get in the business. Consider placing a provision in your contract that final payment is contingent on passing a city certification inspection.

Should you have a contract with your rehab crew?

I say yes. At the end of this article is a sample contract. See your attorney for what you need in your contract.

Should you pull permits? Yes, Yes, Yes!!! The people I see who try to bypass the system and city inspectors just end up in trouble and end up doubling their cost. The short cut to getting the job done is to pay for the permits required.

The comments in shared personal experiences. They are not intended to be legal or accounting advice nor solutions. You should always consult with the appropriate professional when making decisions.

A Sample of Contract I Have Used:

INDEPENDENT REHAB CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT

This agreement is entered into this day of _________________________. 20 , in the city of ___________________, State of Michigan between ____________________, (owner) of 17177 Laurel Park N, Ste. 265, Livonia, MI 48152 and:

Contractor: ________________________________________________________

Contractor is a Corp. ( ), Ltd Liab Co. ( ) Partnership ( ) Sole Proprietorship ( )

Street Address: ____________________________________________________

City, State, and Zip: ___________________________MI___________________

Phone: ( ) ___________________ Fax: ( ) _________________________

Pager: ( ) ____________________ Cell Phone: ( ) ____________________

Emp. Fed. Tax ID No (EIN):_________________ Soc. Sec. No._____________

Contactor License No (s):__________________ Type of License: ____________

Person authorized to sign and bind Contractor: ____________________________

1. Schedule: The Contractor agrees to commence work on: __________________, 20 . The Contractor agrees to complete all work by: ______________________, 20 , subject to excusable delays such as strikes, unavailability of building supplies or acts of nature. Owner reserves the right to cancel this agreement and Contractor agrees to forfeit the balance of money due under contract if work is not completed by this date. The contract herein shall be void at the option of Owner, if contractor does not commence work within ___________________________ (____________) days from the date of the signing of this contract.

2. Scope of Work: Contractor agrees to provide the following described labor, materials and construction in accordance with plans and specifications as may be referred to herein on the following described property:

(A) Address of work site: ___________________________________________________

(B) Description of work (Describe Labor, materials and Equipment to be furnished. Attach additional pages, estimates, and work sheets if necessary. ___________________________________________________________

Other Special Provisions:__________________________________________________

The Contractor’s supervisor/project coordinator of this project shall be designated agent for the Contactor. The name of the person is: ___________________________________

3. The Contractor agrees to perform this work in a workmanlike manner and to comply with applicable building and construction codes for residential and commercial structures. The Contractor warrants that his work will conform with such codes and pass any governmental inspections. (If any plans or specifications are part of his job, they are to be attached and made part of this contract).

4. Price: Owner agrees to pay to the contractor for the satisfactory performance of the contractor’s work subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement:

Total Contract amount: _________________________.

Initial Payment Amount: _________________Payable on _________________.

Extra work, if any, will be priced as agreed.

Payments will be made only on satisfactorily completed work based on progress inspections done by Owner’s approved supervisors. Contractor has the responsibility of arranging time for inspections. All check requests must be submitted by Wednesday proceeding for Friday payments. Should work not be performed to Owner’s satisfaction and /or accordance with the codes and standards in paragraph #2, Owner will retain a sufficient amount to complete the work as a final payment until the contractor brings the job up to code and/or Owner’s satisfaction.

5. The following is prohibited unless agreed to in writing and signed by Owner and Contractor: extra services and work, deviation of the work as specified herein, or assignment or subcontracting of the work to be performed.

6. The Contractor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Owner of the property from any liability or claims arising directly or indirectly from the Contractor’s work under this contract whether due to Contractor, its employees, workers, and agents or any other person hired by the contractor. (This includes Construction (including mechanics and materials) liens). Contractor agrees to pay all fees and costs incurred in defense of Owner and or Owner. Contractor specifically agrees to assume and pay any liens that shall be filed by its sub-contractors.

7. The Contractor agrees to obtain and pay for: Workers Disability Compensation Insurance, Personal liability Insurance, Errors and Omissions and/or contractual Insurance, Public Liability Insurance, and any other Insurance or Bond coverage, or submit appropriate waivers which may be necessary or required by Owner, the municipality and/or State of Michigan. Copies of such documents, binders, declaration sheet, proofs, or waivers will be presented to Owner before commencing work.

8. The Contractor agrees to pay and withhold where required all federal, state and local taxes on the money earned from Owner for itself or its employees and to file all proper tax returns. Owner will not withhold any sums for any sums for any taxes due Contractor. Contractor’s relationship to the Corporation shall be that of an independent contractor and not of an officer, employee, or agent of Owner. No partnership, joint venture, or similar relationship is created by this Agreement. The Corporation shall have no liability to Contractor except to pay its compensation under this contract.

9. Building permits will be pulled by: _______________________. Costs will be paid by: __________________________. City certificates will be obtained by: ___________

_________________________________.

10. No modification of this contract will be effective unless it’s in writing and is signed by both parties hereto. This contract binds and benefits both parties, assigns, personal representatives and any successors. Time is of the essence of this Contract. This document, including any attachments, is the entire agreement between parties. The laws of the State of Michigan govern this Contract.

This is a legal contract. If there is anything you do not understand about this contract or the language, DO NOT sign it. It is recommended that you consult with a legal or tax advisor of your choice. It is assumed by you signing this contract that you have either consulted with your advisors or have decided not to do so.