Refinancing Your Florida Mortgage
March 28, 2008 on 4:34 am | In Finance | No CommentsAre you refinancing your mortgage and want to get the lowest mortgage rates? There are several things you should know about the rate quotes you receive before refinancing to avoid paying too much. The quotes you get from your broker and on the Internet include commission based markup that drives up your payment by hundreds of dollars each month. Here is what you need to know about this unnecessary markup to avoid paying too much for your next mortgage.
Watch Out For Yield Spread Premium
The markup of your mortgage rate for a commission is known as Yield Spread Premium. It is simply a percent of your mortgage that is created when you lock and close your loan with above market rates. This percentage is paid to your mortgage company or broker as an incentive for overcharging you.
Yield Spread Premium in a Typical Mortgage Loan
In this example imagine you’re refinancing your Florida mortgage for $350,000 at a rate of six and a half percent. Your mortgage broker charges you a fee of one percent for their part in your loan which amounts to $3,500. What the mortgage broker doesn’t tell you is that the lender approved you for a 6% rate and they’ve marked it up to get a bonus from the lender. You’re stuck paying higher than market interest rates and the broker walks way with $7,000 from the lender as a bonus.
How Does This Cost You Money?
Suppose you refinance your home with a fixed rate mortgage with a 30 year term length. The mortgage your broker told you that you qualified for at 6.5 percent would give you payment of $2,200 per month. If you got the mortgage you qualified for at 6.0% your payment would only be $2,090. That’s a savings of $1,320 per year all because your mortgage broker took advantage of your situation!
When refinancing your mortgage it is possible to avoid this markup of your mortgage rate and get wholesale rates for your home loan. You can do this and pay only a fee of one percent to your mortgage broker. Spend a few hours researching mortgage loans and Yield Spread Premium and you’ll save thousands of dollars on your next home loan.
Getting the Best Auto Insurance Requires Comparison
March 28, 2008 on 3:17 am | In Finance | No CommentsComparison-shopping for automobile insurance reveals varied premiums depending on the company chosen and discounts that can help reduce premiums. A clean driving record and certain safety features add to premium reductions. Anti-theft devices and airbags can make a difference in the premium offered.
Some companies will also charge different premiums based on age or your location. You need to do your homework to find a good deal.
Before deciding on an automobile policy, be sure to understand what you want. Do you want both collision and liability? Are you looking for a safe driver discount? How much of a deductible do you want to pay? Do you want to pay premiums each month or annually? All of these questions may help in reducing the cost of your premium. Different features can raise or lower your insurance costs.
An increased deductible can save quite a bit of money. Insurance companies will quote a $500 deductible or a $250 deductible as a standard deductible. Increasing the deductible to $1,000 can save quite a bit of money. The deductible is the amount paid out of pocket in the event your car is stolen or involved in an accident.
If you have an older car, you may want to eliminate collision insurance. This is the amount that it costs to replace your car. In some cases, you are paying more for insurance than the car is worth.
Another way to get a good deal on your automobile insurance is to get a discounted rate with either several cars on one policy or also by having your home insured by the same company. Even if you do not own a home, you can get renting insurance and still save money if you opt for the same company with your car insurance. By purchasing several different policies, you can usually get a sizable discount.
Age and gender have a lot to do with your automobile insurance costs. This is not something that you can do much about. Younger individuals are better off to be insured as a secondary driver on a vehicle rather than a primary driver. Some cut rate companies have good deals for younger people who drive. However, you should be wary about the amount of coverage.
Checking rates every six months may help you find better rates. Don’t be complacent with your policy and premiums. Always watch for the best deals. Some companies offer low rates with minimal coverage. Most important, understand what you are buying.
Wall Stickers For Home Improvement and Interior Design
March 28, 2008 on 3:08 am | In Home Accessories | No CommentsWall decals and wall stickers are a great idea and unique way to dress up any interior decorating and design project. You can find wall decals on just about any subject and if they are of a favorite movie star or sports idol you can often find life size versions. When searching take into account that they may be referred to as wall stickers or vinyl decals. Most can easily be removed and placed elsewhere in a room if you want to change things up or rearrange furniture or even repaint a room a different color.
Vinyl wall decals because they are easy to remove are great for the renter and landlord. They remove easy because they adhere with static cling. So when you move they should leave no trace on the wall or surface they were applied to. This is why they are great for interior decorating design.
Wall stickers and decals come in many designs, colors, shapes and themes that is why they are so popular. Some of the more popular wall decals for say a nursery are alphabet wall stickers and train wall decals. You will also find that comic book hero’s, cartoon characters and movie characters are also very popular design themes and are often available on the Internet.
Full size vinyl wall stickers of foreign and American movie idols and teen idols can make for an interesting room design project. If you have a music room wall decals of favorite rock stars or music related decals can add that special touch.
If your a sports fan you can often find your favorite player sports wall decals. Life size decals of your favorite players in action or any sport such as football, baseball, basketball, snowboarding even Nascar. If you have a sports themed room or basement this is often the way to go. Most of your life size decals can be found on the Internet and many vendors offer free shipping.
When getting creative in interior home design you need to do something a little different. When having a special event or party at home really consider more than your traditional balloons, streamers and confetti. Implement wall stickers into the design of your party or get together and you will get compliments.
With all the available designs out there for wall decals you can even find glow in the dark stick ons. Some of the more interesting ones are of stars and planets and children often think these are cool. They blend in on normal lighting and glow at night for several minutes.
Vinyl wall stickers give you unlimited ways to decorate a room or space in your home. They are easy to apply and easy to remove. This is why they are increasingly becoming popular for interior design projects.