Mortgage Law in California

In Ojai, 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 Ojai, California

When trying to get a mortgage in Ojai, California, it's critical that you have a good credit history dating back as far as possible. The better your past record of paying back loans, the more likely a bank is to assume the risk of loaning you hundreds of thousands (or more) dollars to buy a house.

Most lenders will not issue a loan without a down payment. The down payment required will normally be measured as some relatively small percentage of the purchase price of the home. However, considering the prices involved, this could translate to a fairly large sum of money. Before taking out a mortgage, you should ensure that you have enough money saved up to make a down payment, and then some. This will show lenders that you are accountable with your money, and ensure that the down payment puts a minimal strain on you finances.

You should be mindful of your financial situation, and realistic about it, as well. It might be tempting to abuse credit, and buy a much more expensive home than you can afford. You should make every effort to resist this, and ensure that the price of the home you're buying is priced low enough that it won't result in prohibitive monthly payments on your mortgage. You need to decide how much it will cost per month to own your home, including taxes, maintenance, and mortgage payments. You should make sure that your monthly income exceeds these estimated expenses by a significant amount.

Once you're ready to close the deal, you will have to sign all of the mortgage and sale agreements. This essentially makes everything final, so it's necessary that you have a good understanding of every provision of the agreement long before you get to this point. This is definitely an area where surprises are not desirable.

Can a Ojai, California Real Estate Attorney help?

Because of the gravity of the decision to buy a house, and the complexity of some of the issues incorporated, it is never a bad idea to seek the help of an Ojai, California real estate attorney if you have any questions whatsoever.