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

What Is a Real Estate Bubble? One definition for a real estate bubble is the fast increase in prices, usually driven by investors and speculators in major urban areas. Properties are ...

Sponsor sells interest to real estate investors in one property only. The total amount received from the equity investors is used by the sponsor to buy the property for the partnership. ...

A capitalized expenditure usually extending the useful life of a building or improving it in some manner over and above the original condition. In contrast, a maintenance or repair expense ...

Party that receives part or all of a construction job to do from the general contractor. ...

Document that must accompany a new issue of securities for a real estate company or partnership. It includes the same information in the registration statement, such as a list of directors ...

Action that is beyond that allowed legally. Examples are charging illegally high interest rate on mortgages and real estate exceeding the amount permissible by legal statute, and a real ...

Home inspector is the name the real estate industry calls the professional responsible for the close and thorough examination of a property. The home inspector usually is called upon ...

Individual with legal privileges and obligations. The legal term is sometimes used for a corporation. ...

Single mortgage or other encumbrance that covers more than one piece of real estate. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions