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In times gone by, there hasn’t been a specific type of mortgage known as a ‘first time buyer mortgage’. But, as property prices have raised so much in the UK over the last five years, leaving first time buyers out of the market, mortgage lenders have had to come up with some new and creative ways of lending to help people onto the first rung of the property ladder.

Ten years ago, first time buyer mortgages were easily calculated by simply multiplying your annual salary by two and a half. Nowadays it’s a lot more complicated than that!

Now there are hundreds of lenders offering thousands of first mortgages – all vying for your first time buyer mortgage business. Along with the competitive situation there are a great number of first time buyer mortgage deals to be had!

So, how should you go about deciding on your first mortgage?

If you have time and are fairly numerate, it’s possible to research the offering in magazines and on-line. You can compare first time buyer mortgages in terms of their promotional offers, costs, interest rates, fees, pay-back terms and how much the lenders might lend.

There are an enormous number of variables to consider. For that reason, consulting a mortgage broker or advisor can offer significant financial benefits. It is important to seek appropriate first time buyer mortgage advice. Probably of all the different types of mortgages, 1st time buyer mortgages offer the most variables – as the area has become more competitive.

Mortgage brokers or mortgage advisors who are independent will have access to and knowledge of all the mortgages on the market. They will not only know the differences between the lenders – how responsive they are, how flexible, how generous, but they will be up to date with the rates and offers. They will probably also be able to sell you other relevant ancillary products like life and property insurance should you need them.

When seeking first time buyer mortgage advice, you will find that many first time buyer mortgage advisors and brokers offer a free consultation, taking their earnings from the commission they earn when they sell a mortgage. Others will charge, possibly up to £800 for a consultation. You always have the right to ask how they are being paid.

Plenty of first mortgage information is readily available and in the public domain, in magazines or on the internet. If you want your mortgage broker to advise on a particular range of products that they feel suit your circumstances you will need to actively approve this. Offering mortgage advice is governed by the Financial Services Act and has to be carried out according to very strict guidelines and rules.

The main differences between mortgages are how much they cost and how you are charged. There can be quite a difference!

The main way in which the mortgage lender charges you for the loan is through interest payments. The interest charged is based upon the interest rates set by the Bank of England.

There are two main types of first time mortgages. The difference is determined on whether you pay for the interest and also pay back the loan, or just pay the interest on the loan. It’s a big difference that really needs to be understood when you are considering your 1st mortgage.

A repayment mortgage is one where you pay off part of the loan as well as interest on that loan every month. At the end of the term of the mortgage, usually between 25 and 35 years, you will have paid off the interest on the loan and you will have paid off the loan. The property will be yours.

With an interest only mortgage, you only pay the interest each month on the loan. Thus you are paying less out each month for your mortgage. You must be aware that at the end of the term, whilst you might have paid off the interest on the mortgage, you will still owe all the money to the value of the mortgage. With an interest only mortgage you will need to find some other way (typically some sort of policy) to pay off the mortgage if you want to own your home at the end of the term.

When you add up the interest you will pay on your mortgage you may be shocked to see what an enormous sum it is. There are ways of reducing it, the main one being by shortening the mortgage term when you are able to pay more into the mortgage each month. From two or three years after you take out your first mortgage, you should look into remortgaging.

There are also many other variables like fixed, tracker, discounted, variable, capped, offset – your first time buyer mortgage advisor will be able to help you choose between all the different 1st mortgages.

With the property crisis for first time buyers, the lenders have launched a number of first time buyer mortgages designed to help out. They often mean unconventional ownership options which will become more widely used as time goes by.

We have put together a list of popular first time buyer mortgages:

Guarantor mortgages: parents guarantee to pay your mortgage payments if you can’t.

Cash-back mortgages: purchase the house and receive a lump sum from the lender to pay some costs like stamp duty and furnishings.

Mortgages based on parents’ residual borrowing capacity: borrow more because your parents can help you with the payments.

Family offset mortgages: your family’s savings interest is offset against your mortgage interest.

Graduate and professional mortgages: bigger mortgages are offered to those who are dammed to have careers where salaires are expected to rise quickly.

Shared ownership mortgages: own part of a property, pay rent to the co-owner (usually a housing association) and get a shared ownership mortgage out for the part you are buying.

Extended term mortgages: start out with a repayment term of up to 40 years. It makes the monthly payments more affordable but you would pay a lot more interest overall if you didn’t shorten the term at some point.

High Loan-to Value mortgages: lenders might lend up to 130% of the value of the property. You start with negative equity but all your costs will be covered. These mortgages are only available to the rare few.

Joint mortgages: you team up with a friend or family member to borrow more, share the costs but have joint mortgage payment liability.

‘Renting a room’ mortgages: if there’s a spare room in the house, the rental revenue is taken into account when deciding how much to lend to you.

Rent to Buy mortgages: the amount of monthly rent you’ve been paying is taken as the account. It demonstrates affordability.

Shared appreciation mortgages: in exchange for a mortgage and an additional cheap ‘equity loan’ with which to buy a first home, you would have to give up some of the increase in value of your property to the lender when you sell it.

There are now so many options, the best thing to do is to seek first time buyer mortgage advice.

Choosing a residential mortgage in today’s market can seem like a daunting task. The borrower can be faced with a myriad of choices. Each lending institution presents their respective claims to the enquiring borrower in an attempt to entice them to use their residential mortgage product. Each one assures the borrower that their product is the best residential mortgage that they can get.

This is not always the case. Terms for residential mortgages can vary widely between lending institutions, even for those with bad or less than perfect credit. There is also often latitude in interest rates for residential mortgages, depending again upon the lending institution and what terms the borrower is looking for.

Here are some of the considerations for borrowers looking for a residential mortgage: A loan for no more than 80% of the appraised value or purchase price of the property (whichever is less) is a conventional residential mortgage. The remaining 20% required for a purchase is referred to as the down payment and comes from your own resources. If you have to borrow more than 80% of the money you need, you’ll be applying for what is called a high-ratio residential mortgage. If you are self-employed or don’t have verifiable income, most traditional lending institutions won’t go over 75% on a conventional residential mortgage.

If high ratio, the residential mortgage must then be insured by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Genworth Financial Canada (Genworth), or AIG. The fee that the insurer will charge for this insurance will depend on the amount you are borrowing and the percentage of your own down payment. Whethor or not you are self-employed and have verifiable income or if you have a bad credit history will also determine the amount the insurer will charge. Typical fees range from 1.00% to 7% of the principal amount of your residential mortgage.

With a fixed-rate residential mortgage, your interest rate will not change throughout the entire term of your mortgage. The benefit of this is that you’ll always know exactly how much your payments will be and how much of your mortgage will be paid off at the end of your term. With a variable-rate residential mortgage, your rate will be set in relation to the prime rate at the beginning of each month. The interest rate may vary from month to month (although your payment remains the same). Historically, variable-rate residential mortgages have tended to cost less than fixed-rate residential mortgages when interest rates are fairly stable. You can potentially pay off your residential mortgage faster with a variable rate residential mortgage.

The term of a residential mortgage is the length of the current mortgage agreement. A residential mortgage typically has a term of six months to 10 years. Usually, the shorter the term, the lower the interest rate. Two years or less equals a short-term mortgage. Three years or more is usually a long term mortgage. Short-term mortgages are appropriate for buyers who believe interest rates will drop at renewal time. Long-term mortgages are suitable when current rates are reasonable and borrowers want the security of budgeting for the future. The key to choosing between short and long terms is to feel comfortable with your mortgage payments.

After a term expires, the balance of the principal owing on the mortgage can be repaid, or a new mortgage agreement can be established at the then-current interest rates. Open mortgages can be paid off at any time without penalty and are usually negotiated for a very short term. Homeowners who are planning to sell in the near future or those who want the flexibility to make large, lump-sum payments before maturity will find this type of residential mortgage helpful. Closed mortgages are commitments for specific terms. If you pay off the mortgage balance before the maturity date, you will pay a penalty for breaking the term. The good news is, refinancing a residential mortgage for a lower rate or more attractive terms can often offset any penalty incurred by breaking the term.

Residential mortgages are available through banks, mortgage companies and private lenders. Mortgage rates vary widely. Traditional banks offer some very low rates. However, due to their restrictive lending criteria, they are prevented from providing residential mortgages in many instances. Previous bankruptcy, bruised credit (bad or less than perfect credit), or even owning multiple properties can make it difficult or even impossible to obtain residential mortgages through traditional banks.

Hard money residential mortgages are available through private lenders. Unlike traditional banks, private lenders have more flexible lending criteria. Also known as hard money lenders, private residential mortgage companies focus more on a clear method of repayment and the current value of a property rather than looking exclusively on your personal financial package, which may indicate bad credit.

Private lenders are often able to fund a residential mortgage if there is a clear picture of how the loan will be paid back. When determining whether to fund a residential mortgage, private lenders will often look at the ratio of income to expenses. Unless a borrower has repeated defaults and bankruptcies, private lenders are not as concerned if the borrower has bad or less than perfect credit.

When applying for a residential mortgage, be prepared to provide your residential mortgage company, be it a bank or a hard money private residential mortgage lender, with the following:

- A completed standard residential mortgage loan application, which includes a personal balance sheet
- A description of the use of proceeds of the residential mortgage you are seeking (strictly refinance, debt consolidation, home improvements, etc.)
- A description of the property
- The current value/purchase price of the property
- An estimate of the property’s value after improvements, if any
- For a hard money loan, provide an exit strategy for the residential mortgage
- Will you refinance this mortgage with a traditional bank after making improvements or alterations to the existing property or some other scenario?

Owners considering a residential mortgage refinance will find many unique loan programs. Specialists of commercial and residential mortgage refinancing offer some of the best loan options available, most of which your local bank simply does not have. Refinancing your residential mortgage is not an act exclusively reserved for the time your residential mortgage matures. There are some great reasons for refinancing your residential mortgage prior to this. If you have selected a private hard money lender who is a good match for your loan scenario, you will be able to speak directly with the decision makers, avoiding the ‘run around’ that so many hard money borrowers fall prey to. You are told that your loan is going through, only to hear the next day that the lender has elected not to take on your hard money loan and now your loan is on another desk in yet another private lender’s office – or worse, on the desk of another broker who may know a broker who knows a lender who may want to fund your loan. Sometimes, the choice of direct lender is based more on the commission the broker will get than on your best interests.

By working with a private hard money lender, you can avoid the ‘run-around’ and may be able to close more rapidly. After all, no one knows your situation like you do, no one can explain any extenuating circumstances better than you can, and no one is as committed to your hard money loan as you are.

The advantage of working with a mortgage broker is also clear: a seasoned, well-informed, honest mortgage broker will have the knowledge of and direct access to the private hard money lenders in Ontario, Canada, and the United States. A mortgage broker will know where your loan has the best fit. A good mortgage broker will help you ‘package’ your loan to your best advantage, helping you determine how much to expect based on the equity in your property, how soon you need to close the deal, and more. A good mortgage broker will be able to assist you through the lengthy application process and submit your loan request to the best privatelenders for your situation. More often than not, working with a mortgage broker will save time. By representing you and presenting your loan request to the best private lenders, it often makes the transaction run more smoothly and take less time than if you were to take on this task yourself. This often saves you time and trouble in the long run and be well worth the cost of using a mortgage broker.

Understanding what mortgages are and how they work can be mystifying for first-time homebuyers faced with the need to get financing to purchase their first home. Technically, the type of mortgage that home buyers use to get a loan to purchase a home is a contractual instrument that gives the lender, known as the “mortgagee”, an interest and certain rights in the property purchased by the borrower, or “mortgagor” (When it comes time for you to read and review the documents setting out your mortgage, the easy way to keep the terms straight is to remember that the “e” that ends “mortgagee” is the same “e” at the beginning of “lender”, while the “or” at the end of “mortgagor” is the same “or” at the beginning of “borrower”.)

Like many legal terms, such as lien or trespass, the word “mortgage” has its origins in the Law French that heralds back to the beginning of British (and American) common law. A “mortgage” – from the French “morte”, meaning death – was known as a “death pledge”. That is, when the debt was repaid the interest and rights of the mortgagee or lender in the borrower’s land or property expires, or dies. The mortgagor then has clear title without any rights, interests or “encumberances” remaining with the mortgagee.

Amortization, Interest Rate and Term

There are three main terms that will apply to all mortgages – the amortization period, the interest rate, and the term of the mortgage. The “amortization period” is the total amount of time (usually expressed in years) which it will take for the mortgagor to pay off his or her mortgage given the terms of the mortgage. The most typical amortization period when an individual is purchasing a home is 25 years, although longer amortization periods of up to 40 years have become more common and commercially available.

The “amortization period” is not to be confused with the “term” of a mortgage. Most usually a mortgage agreement will be for a specific number of years, but for less than the full amortization period. Formerly, the longest term available for mortgage financing was five years, However, some longer term mortgages of up to ten or even twenty-five years have now become available from some commercial lenders.

The difficulty with longer term mortgages, for both mortgagor and mortgagee (borrower and lender), is determining what is a fair and reasonable interest rate to be charged on the mortgage over the duration of such a long period of time. Interest rates fluctuate over time, and forecasting interest costs over an extended period is exceedingly difficult.

The interest rate is the percentage of interest that a lender will charge on an annual basis for the mortgage loan. On a $100,000 mortgage loan, a 5% interest rate would mean that the borrower is paying $5,000 per year in interest.

Mortgages payments are most often made in equal installments paid on a monthly basis over the term of the mortgage. Each monthly payment will go first towards paying the interest on the mortgage loan, and then towards paying off the principal, or outstanding balance, of the loan according to a fixed formula. As the principal of the loan is reduced, less money is owed in interest and consequently more of each payment goes towards paying off the interest.

Each mortgage payment is thus a blended payment, consisting of both an interest payment and a payment towards the mortgage principal. Because the principal amount (and thus the money owing under the mortgage) is reduced over time. the first payments during the term of the mortgage will go mostly towards paying interest, while a greater proportion of principal will be paid off in payments made at the end of the mortgage term.

Fixed-Rate and Variable-Rate Mortgages

Mortgages are also distinguished on the basis of how the interest rate is set. There are two main types of mortgages a fixed-rate mortgage and an open-rate or variable rate mortgage. Under a fixed-rate mortgage, the interest rate is specified for the entire term of the mortgage. Under an open-rate or variable mortgage, the interest rate will vary based on market conditions, usually specified in terms of the mortgagor bank or trust company’s prime lending rate.

Whether to choose a fixed-rate or variable rate mortgage is one of the biggest decisions facing the first-time homebuyer, and anyone seeking mortgage financing. If interest rates are relatively low historically speaking, the interest rates that fixed-rate mortgages are offered at will be higher than the rate offered for a variable rate mortgage. Here the bank or other lender assumes that rates are likely to go up, and charges a higher interest rate for a fixed-rate mortgage to assume that risk.

When interest rates are relatively high – say 9% to 10% – fixed-rate mortgages are typically offered at a lower rate than is being offered for variable rate mortgages. Here, the borrower is assuming the risk that interest rates will not go down from historically high levels. Consequently he or she can usually borrow money at a better fixed-rate than variable rate.

Open Mortgages versus Closed Mortgages

The other significant differentiation between mortgage types that will be of great interest to first time homebuyers is whether their mortgage is an open mortgage or a closed mortgage. An open mortgage can typically be paid off without penalty at any time durng the term of the mortgage without penalty. Under a closed mortgage, on the other hand, there will be a sometimes quite significant monetary penalty for paying off the mortgage before the term of the mortgage expires (although, a closed mortgage may allow for periodic lump sum payments that will go directly towards paying off the principal of the mortgage).

Open mortgages are most often preferable where the homebuyer wants to avoid being locked into his or her mortgage arrangements, thinks interest rates may decrease during the mortgage term or thinks he or she may be selling the mortgaged property before the expiration of the mortgage’s term. Closed mortgages are usually preferable where the homebuyer is operating on a tight budget and needs the security of knowing that mortgage payments will be unaffected by rising interest rates.

Refinancing

Following the expiration of the initial mortgage term, the remaining principal that is outstanding on the mortgage will have to be paid to the lender. This will usually entail refinancing a mortgage for a new term with the same or a different lender. Again, on refinancing the principle variables will be the amortization period, the interest rate and the term of the refinancing. The same considerations will also apply: fixed-rate versus variable rate, open mortgage versus closed mortgage.

Importantly, refinancing may also be available during the term of your mortgage. As your home’s principal is paid off your home equity – or the difference between what is owed on a home and its market value – increases. Mortgage refinancing is also generally available that will enable you to access that home equity through a second mortgage or line of credit secured against the equity in your home, even during the term of your first mortgage.

Your realtor, financial advisor or an independent mortgage broker should be able and willing to walk you through the different mortgages that are available to you, so that you can determine the mortgage product that is right for your circumstances – whether you are purchasing your first home or refinancing.