Posts Tagged ‘Personal Finance’

Equity Release Schemes Can Generate Cash Today

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

The equity you have in your home is determined by the market value it has minus any secured debts you have on it such as an outstanding mortgage. An equity release scheme lets you get some of this equity in cash without the need to meet an ongoing monthly payment, and allows you to +still reside there. They come in two basic types.

The two types of equity release schemes are home reversion plans and lifetime mortgages. In both cases there is a minimum age for taking advantage of them. How old can depend on the company you end up working with but it is generally over 55 years of age, in some cases older.

In a home reversion plan, all or part of your home is sold to an individual or company. The cash is usually paid out in one lump sum. You are then able to continue living in the home as a tenant for free or, sometimes, for a very nominal fee. Your residence can continue until your death or until you move. The amount you will receive depends on your age as well as other factors such as the value of your property.

Lifetime mortgages come in several variations. With this type, you retain ownership of your home. Money is borrowed against the equity you have in your own and you keep paying your mortgage.

One type of lifetime mortgage plan is the Roll-up Plan. The money can be paid out in either a regular monthly payment or as a lump sum, and sometimes as a mixture of the two. Interest will accrue on the loan but is not paid until such time as the home is sold, either upon your death or your moving out.

The interest will accrue on the loan and all prior interest so when you take the loan in a lump sum, it adds up fast. With the drawdown version of this plan, the money is taken out in smaller regular payments or only as needed. This way, the debt does not grow as quickly.

Another variation is the interest-only mortgage. Here you take a lump sump payment but make monthly interest payments. The amount of the loan is paid off upon selling the home. However, keep in mind that if the interest rate is variable you might pay a lot more in the future. This is difficult if you only make a fixed amount each month.

With an interest only lifetime mortgage it can be possible to agree at outset a defined length of time that interest will be payable for, before the loan reverts to having the interest roll up against the loan. This is often considered by those below the age of 60 – 65 who are still able to afford the interest payments in the short term, but wish to have the security of fixing their lifetime mortgage rate now.

Home income plans pay off a lump sum which is then used for purchasing an annuity. This gives you a regular income, part of which is used to pay the interest rate each month. The rest can be used at your discretion. When your home is sold, the original loan is paid off. It is best to use this plan when you are older than just following retirement.

You have a lot you should consider before considering equity release. Make sure you understand all the factors. Getting professional advice can be a really smart move before you commit to something if you are not sure you understand.

An equity release allows home owners access to equity in the form of cash without having to sell or move out of their homes. We have got the inside information on lifetime mortgage


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    What Is The Present Condition Of The USA Mortgage Market?

    Sunday, March 7th, 2010

    The prevailing Economic recession is not new to everyone and the United States is currently facing a hard financial time, with its real estate markets tumbling down with no sight of hope. People started to lose their homes all over the US, when the market initially started to tumble down. The manpower of the bank utilised in order to process mortgages were wasted because of the pre closure of mortgaged properties and the banks were flooded with closures already. Investors and banks started to purchase the houses which were auctioned at such low prices.

    Initially, money was tight. Lenders, gun-shy from the recent spate of defaults, were reluctant to lend money to anyone who couldn’t prove their solvency with large down payments, documented assets, and demonstrably stable and substantial incomes. But the government’s guarantees gave the lenders courage, loans thus became easier to obtain, and so the banks were able to list their foreclosed properties with real estate brokers and, ultimately, found buyers.

    Attractive loan packages combined with easy repayment of mortgage amount, with very little or no down payment changed the financial situation drastically, with lots of properties being offered by banks with much lower value than the actual market and also with lower interest rates.

    As loans become easier to obtain, real estate investors can buy from realtors through the MLS, actually walking through the properties instead of buying at auction, often sight unseen. This makes the transaction more comfortable for investors, and, since the banks are still eager to sell, whether at auction or through the MLS, prices remain very attractive.

    As far as the Mortgage market is concerned, it is hoped to be back again, in fact to its way to top in the next two years. Very high profits are expected for people who have been lucky enough to buy properties in such low cost with low interest rates during this recession time.

    Things are still indigestible all over, riffraff are still trailing jobs and many homes are being sited on the mart cornerstone but there are options to meliorate crowd from behind their homes and the qualification has bounteous the trial it takes to yield a sliver lay on in these case. If at all perhaps refinancing is the primo way to get urge in goods, for those who are struggling with a rose-colored dinero merited to horsepower give or ruffled appraise can see a thundering inadequacy in their reason to breathing in the lean-to with refinancing to the drop tariff that are now untaken.

    Because of this, money lending market has again seen its rise with lenders ready to extend attractive loan packages again and because of the Governments help, banks now see a reduction in the pre closure of mortgages, which brings a sigh of relief to people, as they have started to feel more optimistic about the real estate future and are ready to start buying properties again. Making huge profits in the real estate industry seems easy now.

    Graham McKenzie is the content coordinator for a leading South African leading Home loans and Bond Origination portal which provides access to Nedbank Home loans.

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