Mortgage Law in California

In Placer County, California, a mortgage is a loan given to purchase a certain piece of property - usually a house - with the property being purchased with the loan serving as collateral for that same loan.

Getting a mortgage is a big decision. Nonetheless, if you have decided to buy a house, and determined that you can afford it, a mortgage is probably your best bet. Real estate is very, very expensive. So costly, in fact, that it would be impossible for almost anyone to buy a home if they had to pay the full price up front. A mortgage allows the seller to get paid quickly (from the bank), with the buyer paying the bank back with interest, over a period of many years, in reasonable installments.

When you buy something on credit, however, you are going to end up spending substantially more than the purchase price, because you have to pay interest. Obviously, a lender couldn't stay in business if it didn't charge interest on loans, this would cause it to (at best) break even on every loan it issued.

Nonetheless, to many people, this extra cost is worth it. After all, without mortgages, few people would ever be able to buy homes, if paying out of pocket is the only alternative.

Getting a Mortgage in Placer County, California

If you want to get a mortgage in Placer County, California, it's necessary that you have a well-established history of good credit. Credit ratings are used by lenders to estimate how risky a prospect a borrower is. If you have good credit, you'll have a much better shot at getting a mortgage with a reasonably low interest rate. If you have bad credit, you might be unable to get a loan at all, and if you do, the interest rate will be much higher, to account for the higher risk.

Many banks or other lending institutions will need a down payment before issuing a mortgage. While it is normally not a huge sum of money, it's often considerable, and represents a percentage of the purchase price. It's important that you have more than enough money saved up and set aside to make this down payment. This will make the process much less stressful, since it should prevent the payment from putting too much of a dent in your budget.

You also need to be realistic about your budget. The fact that you're buying a house that you don't have to instantly pay for can tempt some people into taking on more debt than they can take. You need to make a full accounting of what the house is likely to cost, including the cost of the mortgage payments, property taxes, repairs and maintenance, and other fees.

Once this is in order, it will be time to finish the credit agreement. When this happens, there is no going back. Therefore, make sure you are perfectly clear about each and every term of the mortgage agreement, knowing your rights and obligations.

Can a Placer County, California Real Estate Attorney help?

Taking out a mortgage and buying a home isn't a trivial matter, and might be the most important financial decision a person makes. A seasoned Placer County, California real estate attorney can ensure that this goes as smoothly as possible.