Mortgage

What is a mortgage? A mortgage is a type of loan, but your home or property is tied to the terms of the loan. A mortgage is considered a secured loan because your home or property is being used as collateral and the mortgage will be registered on title to your home. This means that if you fail to meet repayment requirements, the lender will have legal rights to claim and sell your property. This process is called foreclosure. A mortgage is used to purchase or refinance a new home or property and can also be used to access the equity in your current home for other purposes. Home purchases tend to be quite expensive, and most borrowers do not have all of the cash needed upfront for the purchase. Lenders determine whether to provide a mortgage through a financial background check, where they look at your credit score, income and your debt-to-income level among other factors. Lenders will also usually obtain an appraisal to determine the value of the property, because this will impact how much they can lend to you under the mortgage.