Mortgages For Dummies, 3rd Edition

This easy-to-understand, objective, and jargon-free guide helps you fine-tune your finances, figure out what you can afford, and improve your credit score before you go mortgage shopping. You’ll get familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of fixed- and adjustable-rate mortgages, 15- and 30-year loans, and conforming and jumbo packages. You also get help finding and working with reputable professionals, comparing programs, and securing terms you can live with. Discover how to:

• Match your mortgage to your financial goals
• Qualify for a mortgage even when money is tight
• Find the right loan for you
• Choose the best lender/broker
• Negotiate the best terms
• Calculate your costs and payments
• Understand and complete all paperwork
• Refinance an existing mortgage
• Understand and consider special situation loans
• Explore reverse mortgages and other options
• Decipher amortization tables and comparison worksheets
• Use the Internet wisely when mortgage shopping

Now, more than ever, you need clear, reliable information that helps you get the mortgage you need at a price you can afford. You need Mortgages For Dummies, 3^rd Edition!

"Mortgages For Dummies" begins by asking the reader to evaluate how large of a mortgage he/she can afford. Tyson and Brown discuss budgeting, which is something many people will already know. The authors point out that in addition to covering your basic expenses, such as food and water, you must also allow for your other financial goals, such as retirement planning. Only through budgeting will you get a handle on how large of a mortgage you really can afford. Obviously, you don't want to wind up with mortgage payments you can't pay!

Lenders have separate evaluations of how much you can afford. Tyson and Brown suggest that lenders will expect your monthly housing expenses and repayment of non-housing debt to total no more than about 36% of your monthly income. And, your total housing expense probably shouldn't exceed 28% of your monthly, pretax income.

Tyson and Brown suggest not making an overly large down payment, "if it depletes your emergency financial cushion." And, don't accept a bigger mortgage than you think you can afford just because the banks say you can afford it!

If possible, you probably want at least a 20% down payment on your home. Lenders borrowing to people with less than 20% equity have found that there is an increased risk of default. Because of this, Tyson and Brown explain new homeowners with less than 20% equity in their homes will need to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). PMI can cost hundreds of dollars a year. PMI benefits the borrower, not the homeowner. Tyson and Brown suggest that as soon as you have 20% or more equity in your home, you should eliminate PMI.

Another option is to have the government insure or guarantee your loan. Mortgages For DummiesTM mentions FHA, VA, and FmHA government-guaranteed loans.

Chapter 3, Fathoming the Fundamentals, was one of my favorite chapters. The chapter does a good job explaining the secondary loan market and the purpose of the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA, or Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC, or Freddie Mac).

"Mortgages For Dummies" discusses the difference between conforming and non-conforming mortages. Tyson and Brown write: "This delicious tidbit of information can save you big bucks. Conventional mortgages that fall within Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's loan limits are referred to as conforming mortgages. Mortgages that exceed the maximum permissible loan amounts are either called jumbo loans or nonconforming loans. ... You pay dearly for nonconformity."

"Mortgages For Dummies" goes on to give the money-saving tip: "If you find yourself slightly over Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's limit, don't despair. You can either buy a slightly less expensive home or increase your cash down payment juuuuuuuust enough to bring your mortgage amount under the conforming loan limit." The "juuuuuuust enough" isn't my typo, although I probably got the number of u's wrong. It's Dummies' humor.

Today, "Mortgages For Dummies" Chapter 9, Refinancing Your Mortgage, will be popular. Tyson and Brown provide an example showing how quickly your refinancing will breakeven. They give us "Refinancing's Magic Formula" to calculate if you should refinance.

"Mortgages For Dummies" doesn't formally introduce the annual percentage rate or APR, and I believe this is a critical oversight. (The book does mention APR in its glossary). So, you might be quoted 7.2% and not realize this rate doesn't take into consideration points and fees you will pay, i.e. it's not the APR. Suppose your current mortgage rate is 8% (APR), you might quickly calculate that you save (neglecting tax effects) 8 - 7.2 = 0.8% on the principal loan amount. This would be incorrect, because your actual APR would likely be higher than 7.2% due to the added fees. You really need to distinguish between the fee-inclusive rate and the fee-exclusive rate you might be quoted.

Overall, I think reading "Mortgages For Dummies" is useful for people who are buying their first home or considering refinancing an existing home. Enough dollars at stake that you should pursue all information on the topic and become an informed consumer, even if you need to tolerate some siiiiily jokes.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor"


Just what the doctor ordered   May 11, 1999
39 out of 40 found this review helpful

Excellent, plain English explanation of the various mortgages and how to choose one that best fits your situation. Also details how to shop and negotiate the best deal...with all the hype about shopping on the internet, that excellent chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I learned a lot about "creative financing" techniques like 80-10-10 loans that I knew nothing about before picking up a book. I've tried other mortgage books and found them to be dull and not to the point. This book was a joy to read and left me thinking clearly!


Extremely helpful in getting our mortgage   October 2, 2003
kennancat (Orlando, FL United States)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I read this book shortly before we signed to build a home, and I can't say how helpful it has been. Knowing how mortgages work (especially ARMs) and the right questions to ask has definitely changed the treatment we have received from various mortgage companies. We ended up going with our builder for financing and after dealing with them, I get the impression that a lot of people DON'T read up on mortgages and just take whatever is offered. Don't just trust the mortgage companies to give you the best deal - read this first and arm yourself for negotiating!


The best book of its kind on the market   December 27, 2001
15 out of 17 found this review helpful

Excellent book. This book is well-written, concise, and articulates the essentials of mortgages succintly and with real-life examples.

As a serious first-time home buyer and real-estate investor, I needed to develop a fundamental understanding of the different types of mortgages available on the market and what is best suited for me and my financial goals.

This book classifies all mortgages into its 2 basic types, and explains benchmark mortagage financing options as well as the more exotic or creative types of financing available.

Easy to read, fun to read and you'll get a lot out of it.


Do not go Home buying without reading this first !!!!!   May 4, 2003
Diego Caban (San Juan, PR)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

This book has done a great job in explaining and putting in simple, understandable words all the mortgage techicals and jargon. The mortage offical that originated my loan application was amazed at how much i knew about the matter (if she only knew). Seriously, if you want to get the deal that benefits you the most, then get this book and save hundreds and maybe thousands on closing costs and interest rates during the life of your loan. It will only cost you $16.99 and some little time to read and understand. Hope your have a great deal!!!