If you're new to buying a home and don't have the time to read an encyclopedia on mortgages, this is the article for you. We'll go over some basic mortgage terms and concepts to get you started.
Deciding to buy a home and obtain a mortgage is a serious decision with significant responsibilities. Not only must you spend money upfront to obtain your loan, you'll be entering (or increasing) your debt. You'll also be responsible to pay a large monthly payment. Hence it is important that you choose wisely what loan to get and where to get it.
You're mortgage education should start with some basic explanations that will help you understand and pick your loan: closing costs, APR, rate, monthly payment, ARM, fixed, and of course, mortgage.
First, what is a mortgage? A mortgage is a loan used to either purchase a property or to pay off an existing mortgage loan. The property itself becomes the collateral. In other words, if the borrower defaults on the mortgage, then the mortgage owner has legal claim to the house and can take possession of it.
The rate is the percentage that is used to determine the amount of interest you'll pay over the life of the loan. Interest is basically your cost for borrowing money. The interest rate can remain constant throughout the loan term. In this case, the loan is considered "fixed rate". If the rate can change after a specified period (such as after one year or after five years), then the loan is considered an adjustable rate mortgage or ARM.
Besides interest, there are additional costs associated with obtaining a home loan. These could include fees for underwriting, the application, checking your credit history and scores, having the property's value appraised, loan origination, title search and insurance, etc. Together, these fees are called "closing costs".
While the interest rate is an important number, by itself it is insufficient for comparing lenders. This is because lenders and brokers can charge different fees, making a loan from Lender A actually less expensive than from Lender B, even though it has a higher interest rate. In order to help provide a number that can be compared across lenders, the government has regulated that closing costs be added to the loan amount to determine what is known as the Annual Percentage Rate or APR.
The total monthly payment, also known as PITI, is another important measurement to consider when choosing a loan. The PITI includes principal (P), interest (I), property taxes (T), hazard or homeowner's insurance and mortgage insurance (the second "I"), and HOA dues. When mortgage insurance is taken into account, loans with a higher interest rate might actually have a lower monthly payment than loans with lower interest rates.
