How To Choose A Mortgage Lender in 2023

If you can buy a house completely with cash, then finding a house would be your major concern, but if not, then also finding and choosing the best mortgage is your other concern.

Because you’ll most likely be paying back your mortgage over time, you must know how to choose a mortgage lender, and what mortgage loan should you secure, should it match your needs, and what you can repay? 

Borrowing money from a financial institution makes the transaction legally bound, and the amount repayable usually comes with a percentage of interest. 

What is a Mortgage? 

This is a special form of secured loan, where the purpose of the loan must be specified to the lender, to purchase assets that must be fixed (not moveable) property such as a house.

The assets are registered as the legal property of the borrower, but the lender can seize them if it does not satisfy them with how the repayment of the loan is conducted by the borrower. 

Once the loan is fully repaid, the lender loses this right of seizure and the assets are then deemed to be unencumbered. By knowing what it means, you should now probably know how to choose a mortgage lender. 

How Your Mortgage Is Being Calculated 

Before knowing how to choose a mortgage lender, you need to understand how your mortgage would be calculated. The components you need to consider for your mortgage payment are two; principal and interest.

Principal refers to only the loaned amount, while interest is an amount that is calculated as a percentage of the principal, this is the fee the lenders charge for having allowed you to borrow from them to repay over some time.

It requires you to pay your mortgage in monthly instalments, based on the amortization schedule arranged by the lender. 

Another factor to consider, which is involved in how your mortgage is being calculated is the annual percentage rate (APR), which assesses the total cost of a loan. APR includes the interest rate and other loan fees. 

There are two main parts of a mortgage; the principal amount and the interest charged on the principal amount, the government doesn’t serve as a mortgage lender, however it tries to issue a different mortgage to its citizens. 

Types of Mortgages 

There are six main types of mortgages, these are the conventional mortgage, the conforming mortgage, the non-conforming mortgage, the Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgage, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-insured mortgage, and finally the U.S. Department of Agriculture-insured mortgage.

These categories would give you the full knowledge on the best ways to go about how to choose a mortgage lender. 

Mortgages aren’t all the same, some are more stringent in their guidelines than others.

Some lenders require a high down payment of about 20-30% of the total purchase price, while some require a down payment as low as 3% of the purchase price. 

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are two government-sponsored enterprises that buy and sell most of the conventional mortgages in the U.S. 

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#1. Conventional Mortgages 

The major characteristic of a conventional mortgage loan is that this kind of loan is not backed by the federal government.

Borrowers with stable employment and income histories, good credit while possessing the ability to make a 3% down payment can usually qualify for a conventional loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, two government-sponsored enterprises that buy and sell most conventional mortgages in the United States. 

Although borrowers need to make a 20% down payment to escape needing private mortgage insurance (PMI).

However, some lenders still offer conventional loans with low down payment requirements and no PMI’s. 

#1. Conforming Mortgage Loans 

Limits that the federal government sets bound these types of loans. These limits differ by geographic area usually with a maximum limit. 

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) set the baseline conforming loan limit (CLL) for 2023 at $548,250 for single-unit properties. 

#2. Non-conforming Mortgage Loans 

Nonconforming loans are mortgage properties that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can’t sell or buy, because of the loan amount or underwriting guidelines.

Jumbo loans are loan amounts that have exceeded the limitations of the confronting loans. They are the most common type of non-conforming loans. 

Because of their risky nature, lenders ask for higher cash deposits from borrowers of up to 20-30%, besides the criteria of having good credit. 

#3. Government-Insured Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Loans 

First time low- and moderate-income earners who wish to buy a house usually turn to loans that are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), especially when they don’t qualify for a conventional loan. Borrowers can deposit as little as 3.5% of the home’s purchase price. 

The credit-score requirements of FHA loans are more relaxed than conventional loans.

Although, what the FHA does isn’t to lend money, but ensure loans to FHA-approved lenders.

The major setback to FHA loans is that all borrowers pay an annual upfront mortgage insurance premium (MIP) which insures the lender from the borrower’s default so long as the loan is due. 

They (FHA loans) are best for those that can’t seem to afford a reasonable down payment and for low-to-moderate-income borrowers that can’t secure a conventional loan.

An individual with a FICO score of as low as 500 can qualify for a 10% down payment and as low as 580 to qualify for a 3.5% down payment. 

#4. Government-Insured Veterans Affairs (VA) Loans 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) secures loans for qualified military service members, veterans and their spouses who desire to buy a home.

The borrowers can access 100% of the loan amount with no required down payment. Other benefits include a better interest rate and no need for PMI or MIP. 

VA loans however require a funding fee, a percentage of the loan amount that helps offset the cost to taxpayers. The funding fee varies depending on your military service category and loan amount. 

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#5. Government-Insured U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Loans 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) helps individuals from rural areas across the whole country access loans so they can become homeowners. The loans are accessible with little or no down payments, so long as the properties meet the USDA’s eligibility rules. 

USDA loans are idle for homebuyers with little money saved for a down payment and wouldn’t qualify for a conventional loan, while also living in one of the eligible rural areas. 

When considering the rates of lenders, one needs to know how to choose a mortgage lender with regards their rates, these are some rates of lenders one should look out for: 

#2. Fixed-Rate Mortgages 

Should you plan to live in your current house for long, a fixed-rate mortgage might be what you’ll consider.

Some terms governing a fixed-rate mortgage include how long it’ll take for repayment, which is an important factor used by a lender to price your loan and the interest. 

As the name signifies, fixed-rate loans have a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan, which mostly lasts from 10 to 30 years. 

However, should you want to own your home faster and can afford to pay a higher monthly payment, opt for a short-term fixed-rate loan (say 15 or 20 years) as this would help you save off time and interest payments. You’ll also build equity in your home much faster. 

If you decide to go for a shorter fixed-term mortgage, this means monthly payments will be higher as compared with a longer-term loan.

To choose a mortgage lender, Work the numbers to make sure that it sits well with your budget to pay higher, after considering other long-term goals. 

#3. Adjustable-Rate Mortgages 

Adjustable-rate mortgages are mortgages with rates that would favour you if you plan to sell the house in the ‘near’ future.

ARM’s have a stable rate for a certain period of up to 10 years, after the expiration, the rates fluctuate subject to market conditions.

The loan then becomes quite riskier should you become unable to meet up to current market rates. 

For clarification, some ARM products have a rating matrix that can project the amount you likely wouldn’t exceed in a specific month.

Given that opportunity, one should always work the numbers and make sure that it is something his/her budget can handle should there be an increase.  

ARMs could be a conceivable option should you plan to not stay in the house beyond the initial fixed-rate period or deep down you plan to refinance the loan before it resets.

This is because interest rates for ARMs are mostly lower than the fixed rates in the early years of repayment, there’s a chance that you might save a couple of thousands of dollars on payments during your initial years of the ownership of the house 

But it is not always advisable to count on your plan to sell your home or refinance the mortgage before the ARM rate resets, this is because of the uncertain market conditions and your financial standings might change. 

Are you new to the mortgage thing and would want to know how to choose a mortgage lender or any help given to new times? 

First-Time Help Programs 

States and local housing authorities sponsor some programs that try to offer help, especially to first-time buyers. A lot of these programs are available based on the buyers’ income or financial needs.

These programs save the first-time borrowers a sizeable amount of money on closing costs, as most of the assistance comes as down payment grants. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) lists first-time homebuyer programs by state. Select your state and then choose “Homebuying Assistance” to find the program nearest you. 

It is illegal for Mortgage lenders to discriminate. Should you feel like it has discriminated you against based on religion, marital status, sex, race, national origin, age, use of public assistance, or disability, then there are legal steps you can take to voice out. 

One such step is to file a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or with the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

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Mortgages for First-Time Buyers 

All the loan programs are accessible to all kinds of home buyers, be it your first or tenth, many individuals wrongly think FHA loans are only available to first-time buyers, so long as the buyer hasn’t owned a primary residence for a minimum of three years that lead to the purchase of the home.   

Because mortgage lenders can help you analyze your finances, which would help you determine the best loan products available, it should well acquaint you with the state of your finances.

Mortgage lenders can also be of help to better understand the qualification requirements, which for many people are complex. 

A supportive lender or mortgage broker may also give you homework targeted areas of your finances to improve to put you in the strongest position possible to get a mortgage and buy a home. 

Take away Message 

It doesn’t matter what type of loan you plan to settle for, what you need to do first is to check your credit report and know your position.

According to the law, you’re entitled to a free credit report yearly from all the three main reporting bureaus through annualcreditreport.com. 

How to choose a mortgage lender should be determined by what shape your credit is in, and how far behind you are on any previous debt before you can decide on the mortgage lender you want to choose.

Furthermore, protecting your credit report from errors and other suspicious marks is important, and considering using one of the best credit monitoring services currently available would do you a great service. 

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