Nov
19
An intro to owning a duplex
Filed Under denver, mortgage, real estate | Leave a Comment
The Denver Post had an interesting read on owning a duplex called: Side by side:
Buying into a duplex is one way to afford a home without breaking the bank. But like any bargain, there are strings attached.
Buying into a duplex is one way to afford a home without breaking the bank.
But like any bargain, there are strings attached.
Duplex owners must compromise on repairs, maintenance and aesthetic issues with their co-owners.
And while both sides typically agree on the proper course of action, a harmonious relationship isn’t guaranteed.
While living in a duplex isn’t for everyone, getting a loan for a duplex or two-unit as your primary residence is no different (to terms and rates) than getting a condo, townhouse or even a single family residence. Moreover, if one of the units is rented, you can use the rent to qualify for the loan.
Jan
1
Why is my credit bad?
Filed Under mortgage | Leave a Comment
Your credit maybe considered bad and causing a low score for a number of reasons. While the are numerous reasons for bad credit some of the more common ones are as follows. You have numerous credit cards that are maxed out or close to the credit limit, you have unpaid judgments or collection accounts, you have 30 day lates showing on your payment history. All of these examples can cause severe drops in your credit score.
One area people overlook that can negatively impact their credit report is failing to honor mobile phone contracts. Cell phone companies give away free phones to customers who sign on with their services for a specified period of time, usually one to two years. Terminating subscription to the phone service before the expiration and failing to reimburse the phone carrier for the cost of the free phone is considered breaking the contract. Cell phone companies would then report to the credit bureaus and cause a blemish on the credit history. Such blemishes are not serious, but they nonetheless lower credit scores.
Credit scores generally range from about 350 to 850.
- 800+ = great credit
- 700-799 = good credit
- 600-699 = average credit
- 500-599 = bad credit
- under 500 = hard to get a loan at all
Your credit can be bad for a variety of reasons: Late payments High Account Balances Bankruptcy Collections Charge offs To minimize negative on your factors you will need to pay down balances, make payments on time, dispute incorrect information, and let the passing of time lessen the impact of past bad credit.
To many inquires at one time can affect your credit score.
If you credit score is low because of a high balance on a credit card transfer some of the balance to another card. Try not to open a new card because to do this can also reduce your score.
One reason why your credit may be bad is because of erroneous information reported on your credit report. This can happen to anyone and is actually quite common. This is one reason why you need to check your credit report out at least once per every 12 months. By checking you credit report for free you can keep an eye on your credit and make sure that you take care of any erroneous information when it happens, not when you are trying to apply for a loan and it comes as a surprise to everyone. Utilize your one free annual credit report each year to take a look over your credit to make sure everything looks well. There are many reasons as to why credit report errors can happen so make sure that if errors do happen to you that you rectify the situation immediately.
Maintaining high balances on your credit cards and other revolving debt negatively impacts your credit score. Paying down credit cards balances below the 70%, 50%, and 30% thresholds is a quick way to boost your credit score.
Paying down your credit card balances to around 30% will help your score. If you can, try to keep the balance at that level at all times. If you need to raise your score quickly, and don’t have the money to pay down your balances, you may request that your creditors increase your credit limit. This will in turn lower your balance in comparison to the limit. Only use this technique if you are responsible with your credit. Once your limit is increased, it may be tempting to go on a shopping spree. Know that if you do this, you will be in a much worse situation than when you started. Not only will you have more debt, but you will increase your ratio of balance to limit.
There are several ways to increase your credit. However the fundamental principle is the bills must be paid on time. This doesn’t mean by the due date. For the sake of your credit a payment must NEVER be more then 30 days late. If you are acquiring 30 day lates on your credit then your credit standing will deteriorate quickly. Judgments also hurt your credit even if you pay them.
It is also important to note that a credit score is a snapshot. Although it shows your payment history, length of credit, etc. having inaccurate (negative) information removed from your credit bureau report will immediately reflect an increase in your score.
If you do decide to pay off some of your credit cards, be sure to leave the cards open. The credit bureaus look favorably upon accounts that have been open for a substantial period of time, especially if they are showing a zero balance.
Remember that a credit score amounts to a prediction of how likely it will be that you go 60 days late or more on your mortgage in the next two years. One thing that will really lower this score is if you carry high balances on revolving debt and then start making a few of the payments late. This is the pattern of a consumer who is close to getting in trouble with debt.
Things that may go into a collection or judgment that will hurt you credit are; unpaid medical payments, unpaid utility payments, and unpaid cell phones or cable payments.