Free Article HomeSubmit Article l Contact Us


How To Find The Lowest Rate Possible 
The quest is on! You’re in the market for a new home loan, a refinance, or a consolidation and you absolutely insist on finding the lowest rate possible! So what better place to do your research, then here on the internet, late at night, with your coffee in hand, and your family fast to sleep!

We’d like to help you on your quest, so here are 3 free tips that we think will speed up your journey, and move you to success:

1. Benchmarks

2. Comparisons

3. Apples and Oranges

1. Benchmarks:

You have to start somewhere. Define “low”? Let’s not lick our index fingers, and poke them in the wind to see what direction the storm is heading. If you want the lowest rate possible, you need to know what the market is doing right now, where it’s been historically, and what it might be doing over the short term long-haul (say over the next 3 to 6 months.)

1. Fortunately for you, there are TONS of resources available on the internet to do easy market research. Our website provides a Rate-Watch, for example, updated throughout the day, complete with graphs, charts, and specs on fixed rates, ARMS, Jumbo’s, and everything in between. But we aren’t the only site out there that provides free resources. Just go to your favorite search engine, and you’ll find a gazillion sites that would love to give you free market information.

2. What I suggest you do is primarily focus on the 30 year fixed rate, and find a graph demonstrating the TREND over the last 6 to 12 months. A picture is worth a thousand words. Also, check out the current fixed rate, and maybe even poke your eye at the APR for an adjustable rate mortgage, and perhaps check out two or three different resources online. Most of them should be extremely similar. This will encourage your confidence in your own growing knowledge about what’s going on out there.

3. What’s the news got to say about it? Our site provides a free Financial News watch for mortgages, auto loans, and breaking business stories, updated throughout the day. It’s no secret, of course, that news is abundant on the internet, and we aren’t the only free resource to provide this information. Go wherever you desire, but read an article or two, even if it’s just the first few paragraphs. What’s going on with the rates? What are the Feds doing? Any pundits out there talking about how things look, and what may be happening with interest rates? I swear, if you spend 5 minutes doing this, you’ll be as informed as the best of them, in terms of having a gestalt view on rates. You will know, with a high level of certainty, what “low” means, in the current world of mortgages and loans.

So take 20 minutes, and derive some benchmarks for yourself. Then, and only then, will you be in a position to gauge what the lowest possible rate truly is, and fully prepared to move forward with your important shopping trip.

2. Comparisons:

Every loan is different. Every lender is unique. Every borrower has his/her own, special, unique set of circumstances. In addition, there are thousands and thousands and thousands of lenders. The information is out there, but what you need is to focus on efficiency.

1. So the best way to sift through the deluge of thousands of lenders, with rates changing daily, and terms that may or may not be posted for all to see, is to use one of the many online services that provide this technology to you (for free.)

2. I won’t go into naming my favorites, or listing recommendations, or pointing out the ones that are the oldest, or the newest, or the fastest. That’s not the point of this article, and I believe in your ability to make good choices. What I will say, is that I believe in these services.

3. By providing very simple, brief, and concise information on a short form application, you will almost instantly be provided with 3 to 4 loan offers that match your needs and circumstances, from the thousands of lenders, rates, and offers that are collated and organized in the databases of these various loan search providers. I give that an A for efficiency, allowing you to spend your hard-earned time and resources on other more productive things.

4. Once provided with these loan offers, the process naturally, is to compare them. Compare them to the market. Compare them to each other. Compare them to different kinds of lending institutions. Compare their terms. Compare their locations. Compare their histories. And of course, compare their rates, and points, and Origination Fees, and everything else in between. Compare, Compare, Compare.

3. Apples and Oranges:

This may be a counterproductive question, given the nature of this article, but are you absolutely sure that RATE is all you’re concerned about? Is getting the LOWEST rate, truly the most important thing to consider, when diving into something as important, as a new mortgage?

1. Sometimes, it’s nice to do business with your local bank. They’re right around the corner, they know you by name, and maybe you even get a Christmas card and sometimes, even a box of chocolate. They may charge a little more in rate, or their terms might be slightly less competitive, but usually, they’ll be up front about that, and what they’re selling isn’t the bottom-line so much, as the security of knowing who they are, and what kind of personable relationship you can count on over the next 30 years.

2. Sometimes, it’s nice to take advantage of your local credit union. Maybe you are a government employee, or you work for the electric company, or your business participates in a local, non-profit credit union. Credit Union customers tend to be loyal, and almost religiously in favor of going the route of the credit union for all financial needs. It’s a nice idea, that you own a part of the bank, and that you are borrowing from yourself, in a matter of speaking. So, perhaps the credit union can offer you competitive rates, but more importantly, this is always a good way to go if you’re seeking an alternative beyond private lending institutions.

3. Sometimes, it’s nice to borrow from the Big Mammas out there. There’s nothing like convenience. And if you’re into doing everything right out of your neighborhood grocery-store, then you should look into this as well. Rate isn’t everything. Convenience matters. Look, if you live a busy California lifestyle, then perhaps it’s more important to incorporate ease of doing business into your decision making process.

The point I’m trying to make, is that rate really isn’t everything, but it most certainly matters. So, I’m not persuading you against getting the lowest possible rate available, but I am encouraging you to do your homework, and check out all options before making a final decision.

We’ve enjoyed providing this information to you, and we wish you the best of luck in your pursuits. Remember to always seek out good advice from those you trust, and never turn your back on your own common sense.

Publisher’s Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author’s information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included.

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The author will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.

Author Info:

Tom Levine Copyright 2005, by http://www.loan-resource.org/">http://www.loan-resource.org/, This article is available in full format at: http://www.loan-resource.org/">http://www.loan-resource.org/article-lowest-rate-possible.htm, Tom Levine provides a solid, common sense approach to solving problems and answering questions relating to consumer loan products. His website seeks to provide free online resources for the consumer, including rate-watch, tips and articles, financial communication, news, and links to products and services. You can check out Tom's website here: http://www.loan-resource.org/">http://www.loan-resource.org/ info@loan-resource.org

 
30 Most Recent Articles :
A Disputed New Business:Virtual Property Exchange

In many ways, the in-game economy is similar to a real world economy - goods and services are traded to mutual advantage and are mediated in currencies(gold,platinum,credit,etc.). An online broker, who goes by the screen name Rolala, was not a fan of online games until his 15-year-old son be[ Read Article]

THE UNITED STATES, A Terrorist Nation

I love the United States of America, but I cannot tolerate the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. No I am not shouting at you, I am simply making a distinction, a difference that thirty-seven states of the union have noticed and moved to rectify. You see, AMERICA isn’t America anymore, nor does it in anyw[ Read Article]

Dollars and Sense

When I speak of the Federal Reserve and the fiat monetary system that controls our lives I feel as though my words are falling on deaf ears. I have the sense that the simplest conversations suggesting that change must be made invoke fear and condemnation from my fellow citizens. When will we tak[ Read Article]

Constitutionality

Is the 16th Amendment constitutional? Of course it is, the Supreme Court has made that as clear as it did the issue of slavery. But let us remember that it took the lives of more than 365,000 brave American men and the destruction of the Republic to wrest the matter from the courts and resolve the[ Read Article]

Five Secrets to Effective Pay-Per-Click Advertising

With so many companies swarming the World Wide Web with their products, how can you and your products and services stand out? Your ready answer would most likely be effective marketing. But how? How can you catch the eye of a surfer skimming carelessly through web pages? How can you keep the at[ Read Article]

How to Sell Bonds

If you want to make good money with banks, or any institution, Government and agency bonds are where it is at. Simply because all Government bonds and agencies are AAA rated, and banks can buy millions of dollars of any bond without incurring any credit risk. All banks own bonds of some sort, a[ Read Article]

Closing in the Car Business

The “P” Word. Closing is all about helping car customers make positive decisions. It is not about pressure or manipulation. Your customers need help overcoming the “P” word. Procrastination! Procrastination is natural when it comes to making a buying decision. Your customer is trying to avoid [ Read Article]

If You Build It They Will Come, or Will They?

All right, so you invested your time and energy to build your organization a great new web site, but you are not getting quite the results you were hoping for. Few customers are visiting or interacting with you and rarely do you get prospects to contact you through the site. So what can you do to [ Read Article]

Confessions of a Yoga Teacher

The following are questions that Yoga teachers still need to answer, despite overwhelming evidence that Yoga is ?the mother of all health maintenance systems.? Mainstream thought is finally catching up, with the progress Yoga is making, but it has taken 5,000 years for us to get this far. Serio[ Read Article]

Vertical Creep in Search Results :: Should Organic Optimizers be Concerned?

I thought for this week I’d give a summary of some of the more interesting Search Engine Strategies sessions which are currently going on in New York City. I was at SES as a speaker last year in New York and I have to say, there is a wealth of information there even if some of it is contradict[ Read Article]

How to build link popularity fast and free

We all knew that back link or link popularity is a big factor to get good position in any search engines. But building link popularity some times really hard if you don't know how to do it. One of the hardest problem for new webmasters is to get back link to their newly stablis[ Read Article]

Does Chiropractic Care Really Make Sense?

The Role of Chiropractic in Treatment Beyond the Resolution of Symptoms Do you have the same nagging injury that never seems to go away? Are you suffering needlessly with pain? Are you fed up with taking painkillers? Do you want to find out what is causing your pain? If your answer is ‘ye[ Read Article]

The Economic Implications of Buying Drugs Online

Although the Internet is fairly new (at least to the mainstream) online shopping has grown by leaps and bounds. Now you can buy almost anything you need, from food to fishing equipment, right through your computer. Of course, this has meant that commerce has been forced to adapt to the changing co[ Read Article]

Manning and Manning-Can Either Brother Win the Big One?

It was just over a year ago, after the Colts lost to the Pats in their post-season contest, that Boomer Esiason said on national television, "I think maybe Peyton (Manning) is this generation's Dan Marino." Esiason went on to state that Manning "is a great football player, but he's not going to get[ Read Article]

Branding, Branding, Branding - MSN fails to keep it Straight

Sometimes you see promotions come along and you wonder: did they just do that? The current MSN promotion called msnsearchandwin is a prime example of this. Not only do they use “black hat” or at least “questionable” tactics on the site, but the messaging is inconsistent. In this article [ Read Article]

The New MSN Search Interface :: A positive change or the antithesis of transformation?

Now, instead of wide blue bars there are sleek silver-grey bars. Also, the top bar where the search box is became narrower. To me this makes the page seem less “closed in” and more visually appealing. I now feel as if I can trust the results more because they have more room. I’ve also noti[ Read Article]

Malta Holidays

With Malta visitor numbers static in recent years and facing new competiton from former Eastern Bloc countries offering cheap holidays, the recent announcement by the Maltese government that negotiations were at an advanced stage with two low cost airlines has[ Read Article]

Drug Rehab Treatment Centers as an Experience, not a Punishment

Choosing a drug rehab treatment center is a decision that calls for both negative and positive emotions. Nobody wants addiction to overtake their life to the point that rehab is the necessary step. However, the decision to go to one is something to look forward to, as it is the decision to rebui[ Read Article]

Some ways to improve your king content

There are thousands of articles, books and forum posts which showed that content is king in search engine optimization (SEO). In this article, you can find some ways that can help you improve this king content for your web site. * Content for people first, not for search engines - Some webmaste[ Read Article]

Aerosmith Just Keeps On Rockin’

For over three decades, Aerosmith have been one of rock's most revered and popular bands, crafting classic songs full of raw guitar runs and intensely energetic vocals. The band first reached fame in the 1970’s with a string of hits including "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way." During t[ Read Article]

Chicago Cubs Pitcher Mark Prior Re-signs

After many trips through the rumor mill, Mark Prior accepted the Chicago Cubs’ offer on January 27 to a one-year, $3.65 million contract. That is $900,000 more than the salary he would have earned under the contract he voided in November. Since Prior's definitive season in 2003 (18-6), he has cooled[ Read Article]

Social Networking - The Next Great Marketing Medium?

There has been a virtual explosion of social networking sites in the past couple of years. Even the big players like Google, Yahoo and MSN are getting into it. With so much interest in how social networks work, one begins to wonder if there is marketing potential within these social network[ Read Article]

How to choose paid directory for web site listing?

How to choose paid directory for web site listing? Search Engines are the major source of traffic for any website. High search engine ranking can boost number of your visitors and in turn leads to increase in sales. The best way to get top search engine placement is to improve link popularity [ Read Article]

Addiction Treatment Centers Using Experiential Therapies

Life is experience. Substance dependence overtakes a person’s ability to make her own decisions to experience life, and life is no longer actively participated in. Therefore, in overcoming addiction, it is vital to learn to re-experience life. This lesson helps a treatment center resident reint[ Read Article]

The DH: Making Life Tough for AL Pitchers

In 1973 Major League Baseball instituted three rules designed to lessen the power of pitchers and create more offense. One theory at work was that the game needed to be energized and that more hitting would create additional runs and excitement. Both the National and American Leagues lowered th[ Read Article]

Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way

Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way Almost everyone agrees; there is no more relaxing way to vacation than to take it to the beach. For the vacationer/traveler who hasn't considered a beach house rental before, they represent an affordable and fun family oriented alternative. There is an intell[ Read Article]

Malta Holidays and Hotels Buzzed by New Jets

With Malta visitor numbers static in recent years and facing new competiton from former Eastern Bloc countries offering cheap holidays, the recent announcement by the Maltese government that negotiations were at an advanced stage with two low cost airlines has sparked hopes that the island will see [ Read Article]

The Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs

If you’re like many Americans, the rising cost of prescription drugs may be costing you your health. In particular, seniors living on a fixed income with no insurance are finding it difficult to pay for necessary prescriptions out-of-pocket, and as a result, may be failing to receive the treatment[ Read Article]

Who's Tops in Hockey and Who's Not

The National Hockey League needs to do more to encourage better coverage of the hockey games. With so many other sports realizing national coverage, the NHL is sometimes forgotten. However, this year, there's a race for the Stanley Cup, and only one is set to win it. But which team will that be? [ Read Article]

The Danger Of Rounding Up Your Debts

Rounding up your debts is one of the biggest dangers to your financial position. It's also one of the easiest ways for your debts to get out of control. This way of thinking is best summed up by the following comment; ‘I already owe $27500 so what’s another $500. It takes my debt to a nice round [ Read Article]

 

World Top Stories :
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: 'Wake up America!'
Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio representative and two-time presidential candidate, roused the Democratic National Convention tonight with a fiery speech with the refrain: "Wake up America!" Later, Sen. Hillary Clinton planned to urge her supporters to rally behind Sen. Barack Obama. <p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/rss/cnn_topstories?a=jpRcKY"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/rss/cnn_topstories?i=jpRcKY" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?a=gzSZdK"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?i=gzSZdK" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?a=UuZ6tK"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?i=UuZ6tK" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?a=MS1Fkk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?i=MS1Fkk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?a=KnfDzK"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?i=KnfDzK" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?a=1s3mPk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/rss/cnn_topstories?i=1s3mPk" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~4/375664709" height="1" width="1"/>


 

Copyright © 2006 Realook.com All Rights Reserved.