Thursday, 26 January 2012

What Is a Mortgage Broker?

By Adriana Noton


If you're shopping around for a new home, you know the time is going to come when you have to apply for a mortgage. Many people look to get pre-approved before they even begin their search, but even then, they must still find the best mortgage rate and go through the process. For many people, dealing with banks or other lenders is daunting and unappealing, so they turn to mortgage brokers to help them along.

Mortgage brokers are essentially middlemen or liaisons between the prospective homeowner and the lender. Mortgage brokers know the industry intimately and work directly with both the lender and borrower to get the borrower approved at the most favorable mortgage rate. Mortgage brokers can be used if you're buying a home for the first time, or if it's time to refinance your current home.

Once the mortgage broker and borrower agree to work with each other, the mortgage broker will gather all the necessary information to proceed. Mortgage brokers need information like income, assets and debts to figure out your ability to get a mortgage for your home. Once you provide all the information that's required, you'll know if you qualify for a mortgage or not. Mortgage brokers know their job and will do their best for you, but they can't help you get a mortgage if the numbers just don't make sense. If the numbers do work out, the mortgage broker will give recommendations on the most logical loan amount, the mortgage type and other factors that are important to the deal. You'll still have the final say on the mortgage details, you'll just have some expert advice to help guide your decision.

After all the paperwork is figured out, mortgage brokers get to work finding the best possible mortgage rate and term for the borrower. This is the area where mortgage brokers earn their money, because they are able to shop around and have contacts and access to several different lending institutions. Not all mortgage brokers have access to all lenders, and the number will vary, but they will still get you farther along than you could get by yourself. Once the process is started, the mortgage broker will work with you until the deal is closed.

It's a mortgage broker's business to know where all the lowest mortgage rates are, and how to get them for each client. Hiring mortgage broker Toronto essentially takes a lot of the work and responsibility off your plate during an already complicated process. Mortgage brokers know what questions to ask and when, and they are skilled in the art of mortgage negotiation. You may not know if your bank is really offering you the lowest rate, but your mortgage broker will. In the end, saving money is the main reason to seek out mortgage brokers to find you a mortgage. Settling on a mortgage rate that's even a tiny bit higher than you could get will end up costing you thousands of extra dollars in the end.




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