Ken Adams

KEN ADAMS, REALTOR

Ken Adams enjoys helping buyers and sellers in real estate, and has SOLD hundreds of Homes. He is a two time receipent of the Clarksville Association of Realtors "Award of Excellence", and is a member of Keller Williams Realty Associate Leadership Council. Ken has resided in the Clarksville Ft Campbell area for 9 years and has a valuable knowledge of Clarksville Real Estate and Homes. When Ken is not selling homes he enjoys time with his Family. Ken is active in his local church and charities. He believes in our children and has won numerous awards for his volunteer efforts. Ken's hobbies include fishing, hunting, playing tennis,and teaching tennis to underprivileged children, and last but not least spending time with his family. Ken has three children, Nathaniel 7, Luke 5, and Anna Marie, 1. Allow Ken to help you with your next move and you will not be disappointed.

Clarksville TN Homes for Sale

MEET THE KEN ADAMS TEAM

TENA WITHERSPOON, REALTOR

• Ken Adams

"Find your house with the click of a mouse"

Different types of home loans

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOANS

In today's market ther are more financing options than have ever been available before. From traditional mortgages to adjustable-rate and hybrid loans, there are financing packages designed to meet the needs of virtually anyone.

While the different choices may seem overwhelming at first, the overall goal is really quite simple: you want to find a loan that fits both your current financial situation and your future plans. Though this article discusses some of the more common loan types, you should spend time talking with different lenders before deciding on the right loan for your situation.

General categories of loans
Most loans fall into three major categories: fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, and hybrid loans that combine features of both.

• Fixed-rate mortgages
  As the name implies, a fixed-rate mortgage carries the same interest rate for the life of the loan. Traditionally, fixed-rate mortgages have been the most popular choice among homeowners, because the fixed monthly payment is easy to plan and budget for, and can help protect against inflation. Fixed-rate mortgages are most common in 30-year and 15-year terms, but recently more lenders have begun offering 20-year and 40-year loans.
  
  
• Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM)
  Adjustable-rate mortgages differ from fixed-rate mortgages in that the interest rate and monthly payment can change over the life of the loan. This is because the interest rate for an ARM is tied to an index (such as Treasury Securities) that may rise or fall over time. In order to protect against dramatic increases in the rate, ARM loans usually have caps that limit the rate from rising above a certain amount between adjustments (i.e. no more than 2 percent a year), as well as a ceiling on how much the rate can go up during the life of the loan (i.e. no more than 6 percent). With these protections and low introductory rates, ARM loans have become the most widely accepted alternative to fixed-rate mortgages.
  
  
• Hybrid loans
  Hybrid loans combine features of both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages. Typically, a hybrid loan may start with a fixed-rate for a certain length of time, and then later convert to an adjustable-rate mortgage. However, be sure to check with your lender and find out how much the rate may increase after the conversion, as some hybrid loans do not have interest rate caps for the first adjustment period.

Other hybrid loans may start with a fixed interest rate for several years, and then later change to another (usually higher) fixed interest rate for the remainder of the loan term. Lenders frequently charge a lower introductory interest rate for hybrid loans vs. a traditional fixed-rate mortgage, which makes hybrid loans attractive to homeowners who desire the stability of a fixed-rate, but only plan to stay in their properties for a short time.

Balloon payments
A balloon payment refers to a loan that has a large, final payment due at the end of the loan. For example, there are currently fixed-rate loans which allow homeowners to make payments based on a 30-year loan, even thought the entire balance of the loan may be due (the balloon payment) after 7 years. As with some hybrid loans, balloon loans may be attractive to homeowners who do not plan to stay in their house more than a short period of time.

Time as a factor in your loan choice
As has been discussed, the length of time you plan to own a property may have a strong influence on the type of loan you choose. For example, if you plan to stay in a home for 10 years or longer, a traditional fixed-rate mortgage may be your best bet. But if you plan on owning a home for a very short period (5 years or less), then the low introductory rate of an adjustable-rate mortgage may make the most financial sense. In general, ARMs have the lowest introductory interest rates, followed by hybrid loans, and then traditional fixed-rate mortgages.

FHA and VA loans
U.S. government loan programs such as those of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are designed to promote home ownership for people who might not otherwise be able to qualify for a conventional loan. Both FHA and VA loans have lower qualifying ratios than conventional loans, and often require smaller or no down payments.

Bear in mind, however, that FHA and VA loans are not issued by the government; rather, the loans are made by private lenders but insured by the U.S. government in case the borrower defaults. Remember too, that while any U.S. citizen may apply for a FHA loan, VA loans are only available to veterans or their spouses and certain government employees.

Conventional loans
A conventional loan is simply a loan offered by a traditional private lender. They may be fixed-rate, adjustable, hybrid or other types. While conventional loans may be harder to qualify for than government-backed loans, they often require less paperwork and typically do not have a maximum allowable amount.

How do Mortgage Payments Work?

HOW DO MORTGAGE PAYMENTS WORK?

Excluding property taxes and insurance, a traditional fixed-rate mortgage payment consist of two parts: (1) interest on the loan and (2) payment towards the principal, or unpaid balance of the loan.

Many people are surprised to learn, however, that the amount you pay towards interest and principal varies dramatically over time. This is because mortgage loans work in such a way that the early payments are primarily in interest, and the later payments are primarily towards the principal.

In the beginning... you pay interest
To help calculate monthly payments for loans based on different interest rates, lenders long ago developed what are known as "amortization tables." These tables also make it fairly easy to calculate how much money of each payment is interest, and how much goes towards the principal balance.

For example, let's calculate the principle and interest for the very first monthly payment of a 30-year, $100,000 mortgage loan at 7.5 percent interest. According to the amortization tables, the monthly payment on this loan is fixed at $699.21.

The first step is to calculate the annual interest by multiplying $100,000 x .075 (7.5 %). This equals $7,500, which we then divide by 12 (for the number of months in a year), which equals $625.

If you subtract $625 from the monthly payment of $699.21, we see that:

• $625 of the first payment is interest
• $74.21 of the first payment goes towards the principal

Next, if we subtract $74.21 (the first principal payment) from the $100,000 of the loan, we come up with a new unpaid principal balance of $99,925.79. To determine the next month's principal and interest payments, we just repeat the steps already described.

Thus, we now multiply the new principal balance (99,925.79) times the interest rate (7.5%) to get an annual interest payment of $7,494.43. Divided by 12, this equals $624.54. So during the second month's payment:

• $624.54 is interest
• $74.67 goes towards the principal.

Note: In Canada, payments are compounded semi-annually instead of monthly.

Equity
As you can see from the above example, even though you pay a lot of interest up front, you're also slowly paying down the overall debt. This is known as building equity. Thus, even if you sell a house before the loan is paid in full, you only have to pay off the unpaid principal balance--the difference between the sales price and the unpaid principle is your equity.

In order to build equity faster--as well as save money on interest payments--some homeowners choose loans with faster repayment schedules (such as a 15-year loan).

Time versus savings
To help illustrate how this works, consider our previous example of a $100,000 loan at 7.5 percent interest. The monthly payment is around $700, which over 30 years adds up to $252,000. In other words, over the life of the loan you would pay $152,000 just in interest.

With the aggressive repayment schedule of a 15-year loan, however, the monthly payment jumps to $927-for a total of $166,860 over the life of the loan. Obviously, the monthly payments are more than they would be for a 30-year mortgage, but over the life of the loan you would save more than $85,000 in interest.

Bear in mind that shorter term loans are not the right answer for everyone, so make sure to ask your lender or real estate agent about what loan makes the best sense for your individual situation

Ken Adams, "Find your house with the click of a mouse"
Keller Williams
2271 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.
Clarksville, TN 37040
Fax: 931-648-8500
Office: 931-245-7438

Hello and thank you for visiting!!! It is my goal as your full service real estate agent specializing in the Clarksville, Cheatham Co., Stewart Co., Houston Co., and Robertson Co. areas, to provide you with superior service at all times. My local expertise and extensive real estate experience will benefit you whether you are buying or selling a home at this time, a returning client checking out the many homeowner resources I offer, or just beginning your research on your new home or neighborhood. Please feel free to browse this site as you will find many helpful tools to assist you in your buying or selling process. "My promise to you is to work diligently to meet your expectations and needs" For more services or to become a preferred client, just email or contact me to see how I can help make your dreams come true.

Buying a home? I look forward to helping you select the home of your dreams by taking time to listen to your needs and desires, as well as providing you with timely service that you deserve.

Selling a home? My real estate expertise and many effective marketing programs will give you the exposure and edge you need to sell your home quickly for top dollar. Just contact me and I will show you how my services will "give you the upper hand" in selling your home.

Returning Client? I appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve you and hope you take advantage of the valuable resources I provide. Come back, you are always welcome.

I consider this community an excellent place to reside and would love to share with you my enthusiasm for the many neighborhoods that encompass it. I pride myself on providing unparalleled service and look forward to developing a long-term relationship with you. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss how I can best assist you with your real estate needs.

Sincerely,

Ken Adams