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1. Conforming Loans – The loans comply with requirements set down by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government sponsored entities that buy and sell loans from mortgage lenders. These entities put strict caps on the loans they will buy, with single-family homes having a mortgage cap in the range of $360,000. With the booming real estate market, many areas such as San Diego do not come close to fitting into the conforming loan market since homes average in the $600,000 range.

2. Non-Conforming Loans – Known as “Jumbo Loans”, these mortgages are written for loans that exceed the $360,000 cap mentioned previously. They tend to have slightly higher interest rates, but are readily available.

3. Bad Credit Loans – In the mortgage industry, mortgage brokers often refer to a borrower's “paper.” This paper refers to people with less than stellar credit. “B” paper refers to relatively small problems, while “D” paper refers to bigger issues such as bankruptcy filings. The worse your paper, the more you can expect to pay in interest, points and down payment amounts. You need to carefully determine whether paying these extra penalties makes financial sense.

Interest Rates

With each of the above loans, you'll have an option of going with a fixed interest rate or an adjustable rate. Fixed interest rates simply set a definitive interest rate that will be charged over the length of the loan. Adjustable rates typically start at a figure lower than fixed rates, but can be moved up to reflect changes in the cost of borrowing money. In many ways, you are betting whether interest rates will increase in the future.

For a great majority of people, basic mortgage loan options still suffice when it comes to borrowing money. Don't fret if you have problems qualifying for these loans. There are many other options on the market these days.

Getting rid of the mortgage early is something that many home owners in the UK aspire to achieve. Being free of the principal financial debt in most people's lives at the earliest stage possible offers financial security and peace of mind for later on in life. Paying off the mortgage early is no pipe dream though. In 2003, the average age of outright home ownership was 56, by 2004 the average age had fallen dramatically to just 48!

How home owners pay off their mortgages early

The secret to paying your mortgage off early lies in choosing the right type of home loan, and this is where flexible mortgage loans and offset mortgage loans step in.

Flexible mortgage loans, as their name suggests, offer flexible mortgage repayment terms where overpayment of mortgage is allowed by the home owner without incurring a penalty. Some flexible mortgage loans allow overpayment of a limited amount, such as 10% of the mortgage value, while other flexible home mortgage loans cater for unlimited overpayment by the home owner.

The advantage of flexible home mortgage loans is that as well as allowing you to overpay, you can also underpay, so taking a 'payment holiday' if finances become a little thin. Underpayment is of course subject to the terms of the mortgage, and will normally only be allowed if it amounts to less than the funds that have been overpaid.

Overpayment via flexible home mortgage loans means that you get to reduce your mortgage capital as well as pay off interest accrued on the capital each month. For each successive month that you make an overpayment the amount of interest paid on the overall mortgage is therefore reduced. An overpayment of just £65 on an £80,000 mortgage with the interest rate at 6.0%, will see mortgage loans paid off 5 years early, amounting to a total saving of some £15,000.

Offset home mortgage loans

Offset home mortgage loans were unveiled to the home owner in 1998, and have gained a great deal of respect from home owners since that time. Offset mortgage loans help to pay off a mortgage early by using what is known as a 'sweeper' system. Providing that the home owner has their current and/or savings account with the mortgage loans provider, their available balance is 'swept' across to their mortgage account each day to offset/reduce the amount of mortgage capital subjected to interest.

To illustrate the advantages of offset mortgage loans, take a mortgage of £100,000 and a balance of £10,000 in your current account and/or savings account. Instead of the interest rate being applied to the £100,000 every day or every month, the interest rate would be applied to your mortgage balance less the balance in your current account / savings account. This means that interest would only be applied to £90,000 of your mortgage, effectively making 10% of your mortgage interest-free!

Today's real estate market is a volatile one; prices are at record levels and Interest rates are favorable, but foreclosures are increasing. Wages haven't kept up with home prices and some buyers who had to stretch to find a way to obtain a mortgage in the first place are having trouble making their payments. Usually, if a buyer cannot meet his or her mortgage obligation, the lender forecloses, taking the home and leaving the buyer without a place to live and a tarnished credit record. If you are having problems paying your mortgage, can you avoid this scenario?

Depending on your type of mortgage and your lender, you may have other options. Most lenders, wary of rising foreclosure rates, would rather work out some sort of solution than take your home. Lenders are in the business of lending money, not selling houses, and the process of foreclosure is a tedious one that most institutions would rather avoid. The first thing you should do if you find yourself with a problem making your payments is to call your lender and discuss the matter with them. The sooner you contact them, the more likely you are to work out a solution that's agreeable to both of you.

Here are a few possible options for buyers who are having temporary cash flow problems:

# Your lender may agree to temporarily suspend payments until you are able to resume paying them. Alternatively, your lender may be willing to restructure or refinance your loan.

# If your loan is insured by the department Housing and Urban Development or the FHA, you may be eligible for a one-time payment to bring your mortgage payments up to date. For details, contact the HUD or FHA directly.

# You may be able to sell your home to pay off your loan. This is clearly not the first choice for many homeowners, but it is a better option than losing your home outright. Rising real estate prices during the last few years have left many homeowners with a lot of equity. You may be able to sell your home for more than you owe, which will relieve your debt and leave you with some cash left over.

# Your lender may be willing to simply take the home back, rather than force you out of it. You lose the house, but your credit rating will not likely suffer.

These are just a few choices that may be available to you. Your lender may offer other solutions, as well, so don't' hesitate to call them if you find yourself in financial trouble. It is far better to contact the lender and tell them of your problems than to have them call you and ask, “Where is our money?” Be forthright and tell them that you want to work something out, and you may find a solution that allows you to keep your home. It never hurts to ask.

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