Mortgage Products: The Balloon Note

Ever been to watch the hot-air balloon in flight? It’s an absolute beautiful sight. What is the down side to the hot air balloon? Unless all the conditions are just right, the balloon can crash, causing a life-threatening situation. The balloon mortgage note, can affect the same result, you just don’t fall from the sky. You fall from the home. This article takes a look at the balloon mortgage note, and the situations it benefits, and the situations it does not.
Before you can discuss how well something does or does not work, you really should understand what it is. The balloon mortgage note allows you to borrow money to purchase a home, and establish an affordable monthly payment, often with a very good interest rate. The amortization of the amount borrowed may be for a 30 year term; however the life of the balloon mortgage generally does not exceed 72 or 84 months, 6 to 7 years. At the end of the balloon term, a huge “balloon payment” is due.
If you intend to sell your home within a 7 year period, the balloon note option is an excellent alternative that offers a lower monthly payment. But, what happens if you don’t sell the home? Well you either must come up with the balance of the note, or find an alternative mortgage product. The biggest problem that this situation creates is your ability to deal with the variables in the situation, when the balloon note matures.
At the time the note matures, if the interest rates are high, or if the real estate market is experiencing a slump, you may be forced to accept a higher interest rate, or produce a very big down payment with a new note. Either way, the conditions aren’t favorable for the homeowner.
What is the difference between the balloon note and the Adjustable Rate mortgage? Actually, quite a lot. The balloon note, of course we have discussed above. But we’ll hit the high spots once more: The balloon mortgage note allows you to borrow money to purchase a home, often with a very good interest rate; the life of the balloon mortgage generally does not exceed 6 to 7 years. At the end of the balloon term, a huge “balloon payment” is due. Well, with the ARM, your interest rate is fixed for a certain period of time, and at the end of that term, there is an agreed upon fixed rate mortgage that picks up the balance of the loan, with a previously agreed upon interest limit, and a fixed number of years. You see, with the ARM, there is more of an assurance provided to the homeowner that he or she will be eligible for a particular mortgage, with a set limit on the interest rate. Current market conditions have the put the rates for balloon notes and ARMs at the same level. So, there is really less reason to choose the balloon note.
Some of the balloon mortgages sold today, have an automatic rollover option; you need to be sure which type of balloon note you’re getting, and if the automatic rollover option is in effect. The automatic rollover does create the opportunity for a guaranteed renewal on the note; however the interest rate will not be geared to benefit the homeowner. Often, the interest rate is higher, and the homeowner has a new mortgage, but at a higher interest rate.
It really pays to shop around before you consider this option, especially with the vast product offerings that are available to most homeowners; there are usually better products, with better terms than the balloon note.
Balloon notes are generally more popular with rising interest rates, simply because they offer a better rate. But so do ARMs and they have less volatility than the balloon note. Unless I was absolutely positive that the home I was purchasing would be sold in less than 5 years, I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of a balloon note. I would suggest the safer alternative of the Adjustable rate mortgage.
However, balloons are more attractive, and quite popular than there more hum-drum counterparts, and they do offer more home for less money each month. Just remember, they are prone to exploding!

Mortgage Products: The Fixed Rate Mortgage

In order to understand the theory behind the fixed rate mortgage, you have to understand the mindset of the mortgage banker and the mortgage borrower of thirty or forty years ago. The Great Depression left a tremendous impression on the minds of this country, so much so, that one of the popular mortgage products of the turn of the century, the interest only loan, was shelved, never to be heard from again. Not until the recent explosion in real estate prices and the mortgage industries efforts to accommodate home buyers of all types has there been such mortgage variety.
The trend after the depression, through post-war America, and really until the late 1990s was the fixed rate mortgage. That’s the type of mortgage the bank offered, and the public generally didn’t consider anything else. Why did so many individuals, as well as banking institutions popularize the fixed rate mortgage? This loan type, more than any other product available, was a security blanket for the banker, and the homeowner.
The banker, offering the mortgage loan, was assured of a 20% down payment and a secure monthly payment with a fixed interest rate that would benefit the bank. The homeowner received a set monthly payment amount that was affordable, and a fixed number of years to repay the loan, usually 20 or 30.
Since interest rates weren’t fluctuating then, as now, and real estate prices were fairly predictable, this was a win-win situation for everybody. Then came the extremely high interest rates of the 80s, and suddenly bankers were locked into mortgage with a fixed interest of only 7 or 8 percent. It is at this juncture that the lending institutions and the mortgage companies began to re-think the fixed rate mortgage. Maybe adjustable rate mortgages were better suited for such a fluctuating market; they could then reassess the interest rate if the rates skyrocketed. This wasn’t something the homeowner was in favor of using, but really what choice do you have? And usually, at some point, the rate will swing in the other direction. That’s exactly what happened during the late 90s and early part of 2000.
Since 2001, interest only loans, 125’s and ARMs have grown in popularity; on average, the interest only segment of the market is now around 30%. That’s an increase from 3% in 2001. The market has never before experienced the variety now available for mortgage products, but never before have we experienced the growth in real estate prices and lowered interest rates that we have seen in the last 5 years.
The beauty of all this growth, the fixed rate mortgage is like the little engine that could. It’s still around, still chugging up the hill, and still getting the job done. Statistically, many homeowners never payout their mortgage; they either sell their home or they refinance before the mortgage completes. This may be true, but for many of the homeowners I questioned, their home purchase was for the purpose of establishing a permanent residence, one in which to retire and live out their lives. That makes the good old standard 20 year Fixed Rate Mortgage look really good, even the 30 is still around (although not quite as appealing).
While there are places in this country that the real estate market has really boomed, and the real estate prices are soaring, there are still many that have not felt any effect, and for whom the appraisal prices of the 90s are still good today. When you consider the trade-off for the adjusting interest rate, the flexibility of paying interest only, and the borrowing power of the 125, it’s hard to imagine that they are still homeowners who wish to use the fixed rate mortgage. That’s because, however you’re not looking at the entire picture. Many of these homeowners have experienced at least one job layoff. Many of the baby boomers that bought houses 10 or 15 years ago were getting ready for retirement, and many of the homeowners live on fixed budgets. The purpose in purchasing a home for the vast majority of these homeowners was to provide for themselves a secure, paid for place to live. These homeowners aren’t interest in how to invest the equity of their home, nor are they interested in the other options they could exercise when investing their mortgage payment elsewhere. They’re simple interested in paying for their home, and the fixed rate mortgage is the slow and steady payment that will accomplish this task.

Mortgage Products: The Interest Only Loan

Many of today’s consumers are financing their homes with interest only loans. Not very many of those consumers are aware that some of the grandparents, or great-grandparents also financed their homes with an interest only loan. I myself wasn’t aware that this type of loan existed prior to the mortgage market of today. But, we weren’t the first to use the interest only concept. During the Roaring 20s, many of middle-America’s citizens chose to finance their homes with interest only loans.
Why did they not remain popular, and does this tell us anything about the market of today? Well, let’s take a moment to examine the interest only loan of the 20s compared to the loan of today, and maybe we can become better educated shoppers.
The interest only loan of the 20s was a pure product. This means that the mortgages were interest only for the life of the loan. At the end of the mortgage period, nothing had been paid against the principal. Only the interest payments against the principal borrowed had been paid. This worked really well until the crash of the stock market and the Depression. At this point, many of the families that had lived in homes paying only the interest due were forced from their homes when there was no money and no jobs. Many lending institutions were left with foreclosed mortgages, and no cash. The traditional lending institutions at this point, simply shelved the interest only loan, in favor of more equitable lending; in other words, they preferred to loan money for a mortgage that would build equity. This gave the homeowner something comparable to savings, and the banker a lower outstanding mortgage balance.
That is a lesson we should carry forth when lending today, and using the interest only option. Most of the products offered today do carry a limit for the term of the interest only element. Generally, if the loan is a 30 year loan, no more than half can be used towards the interest only option. At least someone has exercised some level of judgment in providing for a cap, or limit to the interest only term.
In today’s society, everything we see encourages instant gratification, and home mortgages are no different. Instead of sending a message that says, if you want more house, you need more money, we send the message that it’s ok to borrow beyond your means. Now, in all fairness, there are some mortgage shoppers that fit the description of the candidate for the interest only loan. Investors, and candidates who do not intend to keep a home for longer than 5 years, do benefit from the interest only loan option. But for the typical homeowner, the interest only mortgage only prolongs the equity building process, and may often put the borrower in a situation where he or she cannot actually afford the payment when the principal and interest period begin.
Thanks to the booming real estate market, the interest only loan option, and the expansion of the mortgage product market, the increase in purchasing power has enabled many prospective homeowners to actually make a dream a reality. But at some point, the market will cease to boom, and the mortgage market will cease to expand. Will the consumer that purchased the interest only loan be able to afford the consequences, should the home suddenly not be worth the original loan amount? Let’s hope for the sake of the unwary homeowner, this is a situation we do not soon encounter. And, for the most part, I don’t believe we’ll see this any time soon. Thanks to the natural disasters along the gulf coast, and the continued demand for real estate and building materials, the housing prices we’re currently experiencing, along with the growth we’ve seen for the past couple of years, should continue at the same rate.
There are other, more stable loan products available, but these products don’t provide the kind of return for the mortgage lender that the interest only loans do. They also don’t pose the risk the interest only loans pose. The interest rates, however, are very competitive on these loans, and I don’t’ look for the general public to decide in favor of safety over savings. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Free Car Insurance Quotes - Compare and Save!
Looking for the best deal on your homeowner insurance? Find it here with one simple form. Fast, secure and easy!

 MyMagazinesBusiness

Personalized Jewelry & Custom Engravable Jewelry
14K White or Yellow Gold Small Heart Photo Engraved Pendant at PicturesOnGold.com
Picture on Jewelery
Mother's Day jewelry
Custom Engraved Photo Jewelry
Design Your Own Ring
Religious Jewelry

Upload or E-mail your digital photographs to have your photos
lasered on 14K Gold or Sterling Silver Jewelry at PicturesOnGold.com

Locket Jewelry
14k Gold Filled Lockets
18K Gold Photo Lockets Jewelry
Photo Engraved Jewelry
Sports Numbers & Charms

Gold Religious Jewelry & Religious Medals
Unique Logo Jewelry
Silver and Gold Medical ID Bracelets Jewelry
Monogram Jewelry
Hershey Kiss Jewelry
Walt Disney Jewelry
Monogram Initial Jewelry

Home & Garden Fountains
Garden Fountains

Direct Garden Decor; Garden & Indoor Fountains

Mortgage Products: The Jumbo Loan

Jumbo loans are an investment tool they’re not for the average borrower. Or so we thought. Today, however, thanks to the boom in real estate prices, and the ever declining value of the dollar, more and more average consumers are applying for these jumbo loans, and using them to finance a home purchase.
The most typical area to see the home prices rising to a level that makes a jumbo loan necessary is in your resort area housing. Many of these homes have escalated tremendously in price over the last couple of years, and the loan needs have risen to all time highs. The jumbo loan has now become a real mortgage product, not just an investing tool.
Before we get too deep into the real estate market, and the use of the jumbo loan, perhaps we’d better define the jumbo loan and the consequences of financing your mortgage in this manner.
The jumbo loan is a loan amount that exceeds $359,651. In fact, this is the defining characteristic of the jumbo loan. The other “baggage”, if you will, that often accompanies these loans, is the large amount of paper work, higher private mortgage insurance, and the higher interest rate. It might also be interesting to know, that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the two largest mortgage buyers in existence today, usually establish these limits, and dictate to many lending companies exactly what they will buy, and how. It should not need to be mentioned that these loans present a bigger risk than the other, traditional loan needs, and therefore must meet some rigorous requirements.
Now, having explained the definition of the jumbo loan, it deserves to be said that there are alternatives to avoid this type of loan, and still secure the funding you need to purchase a home, without using all your life’s savings to do so.
The jumbo loan can be broken down into a first and second mortgage, negating the need for a jumbo loan, and cutting through all the extra paperwork and interest expense. But, that’s another discussion. Another option homeowners have for avoiding the jumbo loan trap is to simply put enough down on the home to keep the amount financed below a certain level.
To further explain the role Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae play in the determination of the jumbo loan limits and expense, you need to understand how the mortgage market actually works, and the role these two companies play in that process. Today, if a mortgage company loans you money to purchase a home, you sign a waiver that states that you understand that your loan may be sold to another servicer. They should simply have you sign a form that says you know your loan is going to be sold; who is it? Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The mortgage companies find it necessary to resell your mortgage, in order to make another one. So, quite naturally, they must abide by the rules established through the buying companies. Jumbo loans can prove quite risky, so Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae don’t even purchase these types of mortgages. For the mortgage companies that do, there are set limits, and they require more information, larger proven income levels and adequate private mortgage insurance to assure that the home won’t go into foreclosure and auction.
In some areas of the country, there have been increases in the jumbo loan limits, simply because the housing market and home prices are so high, every home purchased would be a jumbo loan, if the limits weren’t extended. Most of these areas are resort homes, vacation homes, and property is scarce.
What is happening today, however, is the growing segment of the population that really needs the jumbo loan financing in order to buy their home; not make a business investment. What does this say about our real estate market, and the value of the property? Our real estate prices are increasing at an astonishing rate, and right along with that, is the increase in products being offered by the mortgage lenders, therefore, it only stands to reason that we would see an increase in the jumbo loan market. The current estimate for the jumbo loan market is generally around 15%; that is still a pretty large hunk of the mortgage market.