What Is a Mortgage? Definition & Info

Because it minimizes the default risk on the loan, PMI also enables lenders to sell the loan to investors, who in turn can have some assurance that theirdebt investment will be paid back to them. PMI coverage can be dropped once the borrower has at least 20% equity in the home. The main factors determining your monthly mortgage payments are the size and term of the loan.

Mortgage loan

If you get behind on payments, the lender can take over your home in a process known as foreclosure. The lender then sells the home, often at an auction, to recoup its money. The original lender must be paid off in full before subsequent lenders receive any proceeds from a foreclosure sale.

Principal and interest

Once you know the size of the loan you need for your new home, a mortgage calculator is an easy way to compare mortgage types and various lenders. When you apply for a mortgage, your lender will review your information to make sure you meet their standards.

This gives borrowers assurance that by maintaining repayment the loan will be cleared at a specified date if the interest rate does not change. Some lenders and 3rd parties offer a bi-weekly mortgage payment program designed to accelerate the payoff of the loan. Similarly, a mortgage can be ended before its scheduled end by paying some or all of the remainder prematurely, called curtailment. Features of mortgage loans such as the size of the loan, maturity of the loan, interest rate, method of paying off the loan, and other characteristics can vary considerably.

Conforming loansare loans that adhere to a specific set of guidelines set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored entities (GSEs) that buy mortgages from the original lenders that issued them. Many mortgage lenders don’t want to keep loans they’ve issued for many years. Instead, they resell the loan to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or some other entity that buys mortgage debt.

The slightest change in your financial circumstances can potentially bury you under a mountain of debt. Instead, these payments will allow the borrower to pay only interest for a set amount of time.

Every lender has their own standards for who they’ll loan money to. Lenders must be careful to only choose qualified clients who are likely to repay their loans.

mortgage definition
  • Graduated payment mortgage loans have increasing costs over time and are geared to young borrowers who expect wage increases over time.
  • When interest rates are high relative to the rate on an existing seller’s loan, the buyer can consider assuming the seller’s mortgage.
  • A wraparound mortgage is a form of seller financing that can make it easier for a seller to sell a property.

Towards the end of the mortgage, payments are mostly for principal. In this way, the payment amount determined at outset is calculated to ensure the loan is repaid at a specified date in the future.

One is property insurance, which protects the home and its contents from fire, theft, and other disasters. The other is PMI, which is mandatory for people who buy a home with a down payment of less than 20% of the cost. This type of insurance protects the lender in the event the borrower is unable to repay the loan.

In addition, buying a home outright on $100,000 or less is nearly impossible in most parts of the country. Some lenders will allow you to use a personal loan as a down payment, but otherwise, you’ll have a hard time covering the costs of a purchase. Depending on the size of the loan and the prevailing practice in the country the term may be short (10 years) or long (50 years plus). Mortgage payments, which are typically made monthly, contain a repayment of the principal and an interest element. The amount going toward the principal in each payment varies throughout the term of the mortgage.

Fannie and Freddie (and many other mortgage buyers) won’t buy non-conforming loans that don’t adhere to established standards. For example, borrowers typically need credit scores of at least 640, and their total debt, including mortgage payments, can’t exceed about 43% of income. While it’s theoretically possible to take out a personal loan and use that towards a down payment to secure a larger loan, most lenders prohibit this. Personal loans have much higher interest rates and you’ll have to repay this loan while also making repayments on your mortgage.

Interest-only lifetime mortgage

After that, the borrower will need to make up for lost time by paying more principal than they would have had they begun with a traditional fixed rate mortgage. But they can be a decent option for first-time home buyers or individuals who are starting businesses or careers with only a little money at first. Like real-estate taxes, insurance payments are made with each mortgage payment and held in escrow until the bill is due. There are comparisons made in this process to level premium insurance. There are two types of insurance coverage that may be included in a mortgage payment.

A biweekly mortgage has payments made every two weeks instead of monthly. Mortgages are the most common option because they’re meant for real estate. You’ll have the choice between a few different options, including mortgages with fixed rates and other mortgages that change with the financial environment.

Size is the amount of money you borrow and the term is the length of time you have to pay it back. Generally, the longer your term, the lower your monthly payment.

What does mortgage really mean?

The word mortgage is derived from a Law French term used in Britain in the Middle Ages meaning “death pledge” and refers to the pledge ending (dying) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure.

Graduated payment mortgage loans have increasing costs over time and are geared to young borrowers who expect wage increases over time. When interest rates are high relative to the rate on an existing seller’s loan, the buyer can consider assuming the seller’s mortgage. A wraparound mortgage is a form of seller financing that can make it easier for a seller to sell a property.