Home Purchase | Home Sale | Mortgage Refinance | Residential and Commercial Leases
REAL ESTATE MATTERS
• Home Purchase
• Home Sale
• Mortgage Refinances
• Residential/Commercial Leases
The purchase or sale of real estate involves contractual obligations by the parties which are usually defined in the Agreement of Sale. Our office represents both Buyers and Sellers in the residential real estate market. We will review the Agreement of Sale and propose modifications, if necessary, to protect the interests of our client. We will also help with selection of a mortgage company, title insurance company, survey, termite and structural inspection when necessary. Our clients will be represented at the Real Estate Closing where we will explain the closing process to the client and handle unexpected emergencies.
Frequent Q&A
Q: Should I pay “points” on my mortgage”
A: Let’s define terms first. A point is 1 percent of the mortgage loan. On a $100,000 loan, one point would be $1,000. There are “origination” and “discount” points. Origination points ar sometimes charged for originating, or launching, your morgage. Discount points serve to lower your interest rate (and thus your payments) and are optional. The idea is that if you pay a little extra money at the beginning, you can pay less in the long run. The more points you pay, the lower interst rate you get.
Whether you should pay points depens on how long you expect to be in the house. The longer you expect to stay, the more worthwhile it can be to pay points. If you pay a few points and then sell your home after two years
you will have enjoyed lower monthly payments due to the lower interest rate but in just two years, the savings probably won’t have made up for the amount you paid in points. The general rule is that if you are pretty certain you will stay in your home at least 7 years, it begins to make sense to consider the benefits of paying points. Banks know that 7 years is the average length of time Americans remain in a property before moving, and that many more will refinance in that period of time. Thus the odds are in the banks favor to make money by offering points. If you do stay longer, however, you beat the odds and can start reaping more savings than simply a lower monthly payment.