I was just reading an excerpt that gave reasons why a person should rent instead of buying a home.   I agree with this statement to rent only for people first starting out in a new job or a new relationship.  But realistically renting is like throwing your money away because you see no return on the money you pay out every month. 

The United States tax policy rewards house buyers who borrow, not renters.  The “dream of homeownership” gives hope and the goal of a future endeavor.  When couples first wed they dream of starting a family and that dream of owning their first home.

 I find it amazing that anyone would suggest that people should rent instead of ever buying, he must be an investor making money off people who are renting.  It takes a special set of people to go out on the limb and purchase the property for others to rent.

 I would like to hear what your thoughts are on whether it is time to Rent or Purchase a home.  Whether you choose to rent or purchase a home I will be glad to assist you in your housing needs www.PattiMace.com.

The Senate passed the 700 Billion dollar Bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae today.  I am curious if everyone out there knows what these companies do and why the Government stepped in to help out.

First, to help clear some of the confusion, these two companies are mortgage guarantors.  Fannie Mae was created back in the Great Depression by Roosevelt’s administration to back loans by private banks in order to make homeownership more assesible.  Years later the government allowed Fannie Mae to be privately managed. Freddie Mac was created by the government to keep Fannie Mae from becoming to big.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee more than $5 trillion in mortgages, almost half of those in the United States, With many of the mortgages defaulting, the companies are, in effect, bankrupt.  These two companies are such a large part of our financial system that failure of one or both would be detrimental Nationally and Globally.

This takeover was put in place to protect us, the taxpayer. How, well the U.S. government will be creating more demand in the marketplace by buying Fannie and Freddie mortgage bonds, homeowners and buyers should start seeing lower mortgage rates.  This may become one of the best times to purchase or refinance your home.

I wanted to touch base on one of the major issues people deal with when trying to make a major purchase such as a home.  The interest rate you are quoted when purchasing a home is based on your credit score that is pulled from the 3 major Credit Reporting agencies. These agencies get this calculated information from different companies who lend credit and if paid on time it gives you a rating, the higher the better!  With help from Wikipedia I want to get the word out to individuals how important it is to try and maintain your credit.

Credit ratings are determined differently in each country, but the factors are similar, and may include:

• Payment record – a record of bills being overdue will lower the credit rating.
• Control of debt – Lenders want to see that borrowers are not living beyond their means. Experts estimate that non-mortgage credit payments each month should not exceed more than 15 percent of the borrower’s after tax income.
• Signs of responsibility and stability – Lenders perceive things such as longevity in the borrower’s home and job (at least two years) as signs of stability. Having a respected profession can improve a credit rating.
• Credit inquiries – An inquiry is a notation on a credit history file. There are several kinds of notations that may or may not have an adverse effect on the credit score. Soft pulls don’t affect the credit score and are characteristic of the following examples:

A credit bureau may sell a person’s contact information to an advertiser purchasing a list of people with similar characteristics, like homeowners with excellent credit. A creditor can check a person’s credit periodically. Or, a credit counseling agency, with the client’s permission, can obtain a client’s credit report with no adverse action. Each of the preceding examples are commonly referred to as a “soft” credit pull.

However “hard” credit inquiries are made by lenders. Lenders, when granted a permissible purpose by a borrower for the purposes of extending his credit, can check his credit history. Hard inquiries from lenders directly affect the borrower’s credit score. Keeping credit inquiries to a minimum can help a person’s credit rating. A lender may perceive many inquiries on a person’s report as a signal that the person is looking for loans and will possibly consider that person a poor credit risk.

• Credit cards that are not used – Although it is believed that having too many credit cards can have an adverse effect on a credit score, closing these lines of credit will not improve your score. The credit rating formula looks at the difference between the amount of credit a person has and the amount being used, so closing one or more accounts will reduce your total available credit. And the lower the percentage of available credit, the more the credit score will drop. The credit formula also factors in the length of time credit accounts have been open, so closing an account with several years of history is another avoidable credit mistake.

Consequences

The information in a credit report is sold by credit agencies to organizations that are considering whether to offer credit to individuals or companies. It is also available to other entities with a “permissible purpose.” The consequence of a negative credit rating is typically a reduction in the likelihood that a lender will approve an application for credit under favorable terms, if at all. Interest rates on loans are significantly affected by credit history—the higher the credit rating, the lower the interest while the lower the credit rating, the higher the interest. The increased interest is used to offset the higher rate of default within the low credit rating group of individuals.

In the United States, in certain cases, insurance, housing, and employment can also be denied based on a negative credit rating.

Note that is not the credit reporting agencies that decide whether a credit history is “adverse.” It is the individual lender or creditor which makes that decision, each lender has its own policy on what scores fall within their guidelines. The specific scores that fall within a lender’s guidelines is most often NOT disclosed to the applicant due to its nature as a trade secret. In the United States, a creditor is required to give a reason for denying credit to an applicant immediately and must also provide the name and address of the credit reporting agency who provided data that was used to make the decision.

Credit Bureaus

Several credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion .

I know that this is a lot of information to take in, but the lower the interest rate the more home you can purchase. I will let you absorb this information and then blog more on the various mortgage notes based on the interest rate.

If you have guestion email me at pattimace@sbcglobal.net.  Hope to see you subscribe to my blog at www.pattimace.com.

Chat again soon,

Patti