A “point” is one percent of the loan amount, typically paid in cash to the lender as a fee. So, if your loan is $300,000, one “point” equals $3,000 paid to the lender. There are several different kinds of points. There are “discount points,” where every point you pay lowers your interest rate by a certain amount. Learn more about points and what they mean for your loan.
Refinance Or Ask Mortgage Lender For Interest Rate Change
When you apply for a mortgage loan you may decide to lock in the interest rate early on. As your closing date approaches the going interest rate for mortgages of your type may change. What can you do if the interest rate available at the time of your closing is lower than the rate that you locked in? You can either close on that loan and start the refinance process right away or you can ask your mortgage lender to lower the rate on the loan you're about to get.
Watching Your Credit History
Credit Watch is a service from Equifax, one of the nation's three major credit reporting bureaus. For about $50 per year, Credit Watch will notify you any time there is a change to your credit history, whether a creditor changes names, or if an account is opened or closed. If you have already been the victim of identity theft, Equifax, Experian, and Trans-Union will put a special hold on your credit history, which requires creditors to contact you personally before issuing credit in your name.
Mortgage Loan Decisions Include Points
When you're applying for a mortgage loan or refinancing a mortgage loan you'll face many decisions. Mortgage loan decisions include what type of loan you want: an adjustable rate mortgage or a fixed rate mortgage. In addition you can choose whether to lock your loan rate right away or to float the rate. When you apply for a mortgage you can also think about paying points to reduce the interest rate on the loan.
Good Credit Score Helps You Get Better Mortgage Loan
Having a good credit score is crucial to getting a good interest rate on a car loan, a home mortgage loan or other loan. Whenever you apply for a loan, the creditor will check your credit report. Having too many creditors check your credit report or score within a month may result in your credit score dropping. When you're shopping for mortgage loan financing credit bureaus will give you 30 days to have unlimited checks of your credit.