Definition of "Mortgage loan"

A mortgage loan is nothing more than a real estate debt instrument. Acquiring a mortgage loan is the most common method of financing a home in America. The benefits are tremendous and the availability of it is dictated both by the risk the borrower presents to the lender, and the present moment of the country’s economy.

Here’s the play-by-play to better visualize the whole idea of a mortgage loan:

Jerry wants to buy a house that costs $200,000. But he doesn’t have 200k to spend at once - or he does but spending that amount of money will damage his cash flow. Because he doesn’t want to have a house but live miserably – plus, every new house comes with hidden costs…- he goes to a mortgage lender to ask for a mortgage loan.

The lender checks Jerry’s credit score and puts it against the price of the house to figure out if they are willing to take the risk on Jerry’s dream and financial health. If they are, then the mortgage loan is on. They will pay the $200,000 directly to the home seller and sign a contract with Jerry to allow him to move the home, that is “jointly owned” by the bank and Jerry. Now, every month, Jerry has to pay a certain amount of money combined with a specified (and agreed by contract) amount of interest that is deducted from the total amount. With every payment, Jerry acquires more equity to the home.

If everything goes along smoothly, Jerry pays the mortgage loan in its entirety, erases his debt, and the house becomes 100% his, thank you very much mortgage lender bye-bye.

However, if it doesn’t… big problems ahead.

A mortgage loan basically means that, as collateral, is the house itself. If something happens and Jerry defaults too much and fails to terminate his debt in a timely manner, the house goes in foreclosure and heads to auction so the lender can return its investment, and Jerry – having paid from 1% to 99%; doesn’t matter – loses everything.

Real Estate tip:

Here’s a great sort of mortgage loan: we will give you the best local real estate agents and you’ll give us… well, nothing because The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory® is 100% FREE! So I guess it’s not a mortgage loan after all, right? It’s just amazing. Yeah, we think so too. Enjoy!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Indicators reflecting future changes in economic conditions; referred to as the Composite Index of 11 Leading Indicators. This index indicates the direction of the economy in the next six ...

The reason a property appraisal is being made. The purpose of the appraisal is the first step in the appraisal process. The purpose of the appraisal should answer several questions: ...

Ability of the size of the land to accommodate the desired economic purpose. An example is having enough space to build a supermarket to meet the needs of the community. ...

Underground pit or tank used to store sewage. ...

You may have heard the term codicil in a conversation but might have yet to understand it entirely. What’s the codicil definition? “Codicil meaning” refers to a supplement ...

Individually owned lots and houses with community ownership of common areas. ...

Lender (such as a bank) that has the property of the borrower as collateral (security, lien). If the mortgage is not paid, the property may be sold to make payment on the outstanding ...

Building that is elaborately built with columns in a symmetrical way, generally with three floors and a gabled roof. ...

Large scale map of an urban area detailing land use. City plans are essential for projecting the growth, development, and redevelopment of the urban area. The major objective of a city plan ...

Popular Real Estate Questions