Conventional Mortgage
A mortgage requiring a substantial down payment. It is usually only available to those having good credit, and has fixed monthly payments for the life of the loan. It usually has a 30 year period of fixed interest rates discharged on an amortized basis with equal monthly payments. The term conventional refers to a mortgage that is not FHA-insured or VA-guaranteed. Since there is no third person or entity to insure or guarantee the mortgage, the lender assumes full risk of default by the borrower. A lenders decision to make a conventional mortgage is usually dependent upon: (1) the value of the property being used to secure the debt and (2) the credit and income position of the borrower. As more and more conventional mortgages have been made, the loan to value ratio (relationship between the amount borrowed and the appraised value of the property) has continued to increase, even though most lenders still limit the amount they will lend to no more than 80% of value unless private mortgage insurance is carried. This down payment required is higher than with either VA or FHA loans. As the market price of residential real estate has continued to increase, a larger cash down payment has been required of the borrower, and thus many people have been eliminated from financing with a conventional mortgage. With both guaranteed and insured mortgages, people have been able to purchase real estate with a smaller cash down payment.
Popular Real Estate Terms
A binding arbitration is a way to solve disputes without going to court. An alternative to the more expensive and lengthy legal procedures, a binding arbitration is basically the process ...
A legal procedure to sell a mortgage property to the highest bidder in order to satisfy a mortgage claim from a mortgagee against the value o the property. A foreclosure sale can occur from ...
Series of sloping horizontal slats most frequently mounted in doors and windows permitting the passage of air while restricting vision and preventing rain from entering the building. ...
Language commonly used in a fee simple title conveyance. The significance is whether the title is clear and can be passed on to the purchaser's estate including all heirs and those who may ...
(1) The interest rate charged on a construction loan. (2) The rate at which construction loan progress payments are made. See also bridge loan; bullet mortgage; development loan. ...
person's behavior partly genetic and partly learned through experience over time. Some people have good personal traits while others have poor ones. ...
In everyday discourse, a merger defines the combination of two entities, be it real estate or two companies, into a single and legit one. We should make a difference between a merger and ...
Same as term financial institutions: Institutions acting as intermediaries between suppliers and users of money. The financial markets are where those wanting funds are matched with those ...
Interest rate on a loan that varies periodically based on some related measure. If interest rates are currently high and a prospective buyer of a home believes future interest rates will be ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.