Better Credit...Better Interest Rates

I was thinking about a past post I did and wanted to repost it. It was about how better credit translates into better interest rates. Check out the details below…


If a person with a 620 score gets a mortgage the interest rate will be around 4.6% with a payment of $765 and pay $126,000 worth of interest over the life of the loan versus a person who has a 720 with an interest rate of around 3.1% which calculates to a monthly payment of $647 and total interest paid over the life of the loan of about $83,000. This calculates to about $43,000 saved during that time. Now imagine if you took that extra savings and placed it in a Money Market account or a high-yielding savings account.

NUMBERS NEVER LIE

What do numbers really mean? There are all kinds of numbers. License plate numbers, numbers when we visit our favorite fast food restaurants, #5 or # 1 please. Gas stations have numbers can I get $20 on pump 7 and of course we all know about social security numbers. I have been thinking about our numbers a lot lately and here is what I came up with. I thought I would share them with you. Perhaps they mean something, perhaps they don't. Nevertheless numbers are all around us, from our shoes to our scales, they are there to give us a measure of where we are, where we are going and where we want to be. Below we've compiled some numbers of our results over the last four months.

68 new clients since June 1, 2013

90% completed (we expect to have these 10% completed within next 30 days) these were very large scale clean up's all with more than 40 items per bureau to dispute!

43 clients with a 780 FICO score on at least 1 credit bureau.

62 clients with a 750 FICO score on at least 2 credit bureaus.

68 clients with a 700 FICO score on all 3 credit bureaus.

We work directly on your behalf to update your credit profile to read accurately. 

We provide FULL services on a FULL 1 YEAR TERM assisting YOU AS A CLIENT in removing negative and inaccurate items from your credit report. 

Once you enter our program you will start seeing exciting results in the first 30 days. 

Most of our clients will be completed within the first 30 days! 

The faster we can get you completed the better for us!!

We will continue to work with you for 12 months if necessary; for NO ADDITIONAL FEE until we have your file complete. 

In MOST cases we can remove all disputed items within 30 days.

Contact us TODAY!

Blessings to you all today...

Day 4 "FYI DIY"

Perhaps up until this point you've been working alone. You've been tackling the task of getting your credit cleaned up. I suggest if you haven't by now, to enlist the help of your mortgage broker. 

Allow the mortgage broker to go ahead & pull your a trimerger or a full credit report from each of the three major credit bureau. The report may or may not be identical to the one you have access to. However the one thing you don't want to do is to wait until the last minute to allow your lender to pull your credit. You and your lender will have an opportunity to catch any item that may keep you from getting the house (or car) you desire.

Finally break down the results in to long-term & short term. The lender also may have access to Rapid Rescore or similar programs that will have your report and credit score updated within a day or two after you complete all credit boosting techniques. 

Day 2 "FYI DIY"

Make sure you double-check your report for minor errors. Particularly things that should have fallen off due to statue of limitations requirements, incorrect remaining balances and limits listed as lower than they are, and inconsistent paid off dates. 

A lot of consumers we polled believed that paying their bills on time was the most important factor that influenced their credit score. However that is not always the case, even if you pay your bills on time and have a maxed out credit account (loan, line or card) it will have an adverse affect on your credit. Consequently, if your credit report shows your balances as higher than they are in reality or your limits as lower than they actually are, this by itself can severely impact your credit score.  

There is a biblical saying that "the small foxes spoil the vineyard." In other words these seemingly minor items can have a major impact on your credit score. The truth is that they are all too common and commonly overlooked by consumers, who are looking to point the blame at the bureuas or some identity thief.  

Delinquencies should age entirely off your report after 7 years, and bankruptcies after 10.  The precise date of a short sale or foreclosure can actually be the deciding factor in your ability to qualify for a home loan - so make sure it is reported accurately. 

Life...

Life. It is what it is, a constant change of events, circumstances and situations. Raymond Feist said "Life is problems, Living is solving problems." In life there will be changes that occur but you must keep on living. Our goal is to help your transition through some of the changes that life throws your way, make them more manageable, less stressful and calculate your plan for recovery. Whether it was divorce, unemployment, foreclosure, whatever it might have been that swept the rug from under your feet financially; we may have a plan to help you get back on track. The first step is admitting that you need help. No this is not a 12 step program, however we do believe in being honest with yourself. Are you a bad money manager? Are you living above your means? Is fear holding you back? Second you must take action. If you never take action, absolutely nothing can change in your life. Third you must create a realistic plan to take back control over your life. There is nothing that can send you reeling backwards quicker than a poorly planned escape. We can assist you formulate a realistic plan that you can adhere to and commit to until your personal goals are accomplished. Last but not least you must make up in your mind that you are ready for change. You may ask, if I am honest, take action and create a plan, am I not already making a change mentally? No this is not always the case. You must make a paradigm shift that you will never go back. Whatever it is that caused you to go down this path, you will never go back down this path. Whether it’s a bad relationship, certain environment or addictive behaviors disguised as innocent pleasures, you can never go back down that road. We have all heard stories of people who make all of the afore mentioned changes but perhaps months, years or decades later are back in the same or worse predicament. You must never bring ANY of the negative stimuli with you into your new life. The ball is now in your court, it’s up to you to change. Change is indeed inevitable. You will either change for the good or the bad but I can assure you that you will change. The path you take is totally up to you.

Dangers of Foreclosures Pt 4

The bank will do little to assist you. I know this may seem like a moot point but you would be surprised the number of buyers who overlook or under value this portion of the deal. Your offer and the likely discounted list price (discounted from similar comps nearby) should already account for the risk you're taking on an "as is" property. They won't provide a disclosure about a leaky faucet, or the broken closet door upstairs.

When buying a home, the contract makes certain provisions which will allow you to have an inspection, so get the biggest and best inspection available. Also inquire about an old inspection report, review that prior to making your offer.

If you are familiar with the buying process, don't expect any of the standard processes and procedures to be followed by the bank. The bank will have its own contract that protects its interests. This contract will be followed by dozens of pages protecting the bank from future lawsuits, referring to the sale as "as-is" and putting nearly all the burden on you, the buyer. In some states, if the bank requires the buyer to use a particular title company, then the bank would be required to pay the buyer's premium on the title insurance. This could translate into huge savings for the buyer. Whatever you do keep your eyes open and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Dangers of Foreclosures Pt 3

Yesterday we touched on this subject very briefly. That is when you position yourself to purchase a foreclosure it may not be all as it seems on face value. A lot of your more expensive homes may be effected by this more than the lesser priced homes. This is due to the high-end appliances, fixtures and amenities used to build these homes. More often than not previous homeowners are blamed for the vandalism to these homes, however opportunistic vagrants are usually to blame for the damage.

Conversely, when homeowners are to blame it is usually due to resentment and unsuccessful attempts to keep the property. The previous homeowners usually have some form of emotional attachment to the property. They usually have looked at several homes before deciding on this one, took in to account their own careers, children's future and neighborhood suitability. Then we bring into the fact that they have to give this all up in a moments notice. They have invested time, money and dreams into this property and now they have to move.

This can cause some serious separation anxiety and disgust towards the lender. Consequently since they can do no harm physically against the mortgage company then they decide to take it out on the property. Ultimately, this will hurt the home's value and somebody will have to pay to replace and repair the damage that has been inflicted. Nevertheless, your goal is to ensure that you are not stuck with the bill, if you are make sure to include this in your negotiations and mention it to your broker.

Dangers of Foreclosures Pt. 2

Three letters you should become familiar with if you are in the market to purchase foreclosures, R-E-O. REO stands for "real estate owned." REO properties are owned by the bank after going through the foreclosure process.

Typically in a REO sale, there aren't any disclosures. Basicslly the seller is not there to disclose the in's and out's about the property. This includes but is not limited to pre existing issues about the property that may need repairing and/or replacing all the way to particular neighborhood association restrictions.

Make sure with your agent to learn as much as you can about the home and the neighborhood. If the property sold in the past five years, your agent may be able to obtain past disclosures or obtain city records. Also make sure to always double-check your title work.

Dangers of Foreclosures

Times have changed, a lot of people are still facing financial shortfalls. There was a time when people were so concerned about their image they would do anything to keep that image up. Allowing your home to foreclose & walking away from a mortgage was something that was almost unheard. When people do have their property foreclose they sometimes decide to take out their anger & frustration against the mortgage company by inflicting physical damage on the property itself.

Many realtors are pushing their clients toward foreclosed properties. However there are some challenges to purchasing them and some red flags to look for before deciding to purchase one.

1. Don't expect to make friends.

When you are purchasing a foreclosure then you are dealing directly with the bank. It's strictly business for the bank, they don't care about how good a neighborhood it is to raise your kids or about the school PTA. Nevertheless that could be a good thing because the bank is not in the real estate business. They want to move the property as quick as possible but they want to maximize their profits in the process.

Because you're dealing with a bank, not an individual homeowner, be prepared to wait for a few days, if not weeks, for a response. For the most part, the bank's agent doesn't even show the contract, the pre-approval letter, or any of the offer pieces to the bank. Instead, the bank's agent inputs the data into a website or piece of software. Remember for the bank, they are like Jerry Maguire "Show Them The Money."

Rebound Shopping

Rebound Shopping
by Tonya Foster

Didn't get what you want for Christmas? Passed up on buying that item that was a little too expensive to by someone else something? Then you may be susceptible to rebound shopping.

We may have heard the term rebound as it relates to basketball. It is when one player shoots the ball and misses a shot, then another player catches the ball as it comes off the rim before any of the other players has a chance to grab it.

Perhaps we may be more familiar with rebound relationships. This is where an individual is in a very meaniful relationship then that relationship ends then another person hops quickly back into another relationship without properly healing emotionally.

In both of the previously mentioned scenarios the latter happens quickly usually without much thought. This happens everyday to consumers, especially the week after Christmas. According to retail industry of http://www.about.com 43% percent of people planned to make a purchase on December 26th and 47% of U.S. consumers said they would be doing more shopping in the week between Christmas and New Year's.

The danger is that this behavior can cause consumers to go even deeper into debt than what they already did before Christmas. This is further complicated by after Christmas sales offered by retailers with promises of never before seen savings. Coupled with "holiday euphoria" this further complicates budgeting and planning for the upcoming year, often resulting in this continuous cycle year after year.

Plan to make a budget to avoid repeating the same steps this upcoming year, also check with your bank to see if they offer Christmas Club savings accounts. These accounts allow you to save a set amount each month to reach a predetermined year end goal. Whatever you decide make sure you take time to think about the consequences of your purchases both immediate and future.