Why Would You Use A Mortgage Broker?

With the global economy in a current recession, mortgage rates have been at all time lows. Many people get a little confused when they start looking for a lender about the differences between a mortgage broker and a regular bank. This article is designed to help you understand the differences and to also understand the benefits of using a mortgage broker over a regular bank.

A mortgage broker is an independently owned company that brokers out lending rates. What this means is that large banks like Bank of American and Wells Fargo give offer wholesale rates to brokers because they know brokers will pick the lowest rate available to offer to their clients. The rates that mortgage brokers are offered are much lower than the rates you would get going to a traditional bank that only offers their own rates and does not offer rates from the competition. What this means is that you could get a cheaper rate from Wells Fargo through a mortgage broker than by walking into a Wells Fargo bank.

As you can see the biggest benefit by using a mortgage broker is that your interest rate will be lower than by using a regular bank to do your home mortgage. The other benefit is that if you use a broker, they usually have in house underwriters which can work with you if you have special needs. What we mean by this is that sometimes if you are self employed, regular banks can require some pretty hefty conditions that are very hard to meet. Broker requirements are usually a little bit more lax and don't require as much documentation.

The only con to using a broker, if you consider it a con, is that closing costs are just a little bit more expensive. However, it is worth bringing in another thousand dollars worth to closing if your interest rate is a full point lower than the competition. With the rate difference you will be saving tens of thousands of dollars over the next 30 years if you do a 30 year home mortgage loan.

If you are in the market to buy a home or refinance your existing home mortgage, we would absolutely recommend using a mortgage broker. It will save you a lot of money in the long run, and in today's economy, saving money is extremely important.

George Pettit is a journalist and president of Mortgage Brokers Brisbane Group (MBBG). He is often writing about home loans, refinancing, debt consolidation and similar popular topics.