Mortgage Law in Oregon

Mortgages are a certain type of secured loan, where the security is the piece of property bought with the loan. In Clackamas County, Oregon, most mortgages are taken out to buy houses. The seller of the house is paid by the bank, and the buyer, in exchange, agrees to pay the bank back in installments, with interest. If they refuse to make these payments, the bank can seize the house.

Mortgages are useful because they authorize a person to buy a house, or other larger piece of real estate, without having to pay the complete price up front. Most people, obviously, don't have that kind of money on hand. Thankfully, many find it manageable to make monthly payments on the mortgage, plus interest, over a period of many years.

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.

But various 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 Clackamas County, Oregon

When trying to get a mortgage in Clackamas County, Oregon, 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 confirm that you have enough money saved up to cover the down payment on a house, if you are considering buying one. This will keep the down payment from straining your finances too much.

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 everything is in order, it comes time to complete the mortgage agreement. Once this is signed, there is normally no going back, so you should make sure that you understand every single term in this long-term agreement.

Can a Clackamas County, Oregon Real Estate Attorney help?

For many, buying a home is one of the most critical financial decisions they ever make. Therefore, it would help almost anyone to have a competent Clackamas County, Oregon real estate attorney help them along the way.