Mortgage Law in California

In San Bruno, California, a mortgage is a loan given to buy a particular 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. However, 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 expensive, 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 immediately (from the bank), with the buyer paying the bank back with interest, over a period of many years, in reasonable installments.

When you buy anything on credit, however, you are going to end up spending considerably 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.

But many home buyers think that a mortgage is worth the extra cost it imposes. After all, it wouldn't be possible for most people to buy homes if they had to pay for the whole thing up front.

Getting a Mortgage in San Bruno, California

When trying to get a mortgage in San Bruno, California, it's necessary 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.

The vast majority of lenders will require a down-payment before issuing a loan. This is some up-front payment that represents a percentage of the purchase price. You should ensure that you have enough money saved up to cover the down payment on a house, if you are considering buying one. This will prevent the down payment from straining your finances too much.

It's also necessary to be realistic about your financial situation when calculating monthly payments. Obviously, a more expensive house will result in higher mortgage payments. While buying a house on credit may tempt you to get something more expensive than you can really afford, you should resist this temptation. Having a big, expensive home won't count for much if you can't make the payments, and it gets foreclosed. You should make a reasonable accounting of the expenses associated with home ownership. This includes mortgage payments, property taxes, and others.

When you have researched the issues thoroughly, the time to complete the mortgage agreement. When this happens, the deal is pretty much final, and cannot be undone. Therefore, you should make sure you know exactly what you're getting into before you reach this point.

Can a San Bruno, California Real Estate Attorney help?

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