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Best Deal
How do I get the best deal on a mortgage? What kind of questions should I be asking the mortgage broker?
My partner and I are first time home buyers. We have saved almost 20% of the property and both have secure well paying jobs. Unfortunately we do not know much about mortgages and want to get the best deal possible. Should we see more than on broker? Should we get our own mortgage quotes as well? Do we have to pay trailing commissions?
Hello, do as much research as you can - brokers are great if you don't have the time but if you do you are far more likely to understand what you're getting into and find the best and most suitable product for you. These days, it's so easy to get information from multiple banks - I'd recommend calling rather than going online as they can ask you questions about your specific situation and make recommendations, the information on the internet is onlyn broad.
You don't have to pay any commissions to brokers - this is all paid by the banks. They pay an upfront commission then an annual trailing commission for each year you have the loan with them.
With your substantial deposit as well as strong employment you are also in a good position to negotiate with the banks - don't be afraid to do this, you are stuck with this loan for a long time so spend the time now getting it right!
Be careful with what broker you choose - if you have to go with one only go with the mainstream broker companies (eg mortgage choice), there are some dodgy ones out there and lots who will just sign you up and then you'll never hear from them again. To be honest you'll often get the best deal going direct through the bank - they have more specific knowledge about their own policy/procedures whereas the brokers only have basic knowledge of maybe 10 - 20 different banks.
If you are borrowing over $250K, look for a package - this will involve an annual fee but the cost for this will substantially outweigh the costs saved in interest rates and fees on your home loan as well as all your other banking.
This site may help you to compare many mortgage companies at once http://easymortgageadvisor.blogspot.com/ fill the form and you can get a free quote from top banks, brokers and mortgage lenders
Good luck! Remember, the more research the better. Don't just trust one specialist - if you are fully educated and informed then you will be the best specialist on your particular financial situation.
Hope this help,
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| | Deal or No Deal - Nintendo DS $14.99 SynopsisIt is one of the most famous questions in all of television: Deal or No Deal? You've watched the show, now try your luck at this popular game show. The ladies have their briefcases ready all you have to do is choose correctly. The premise of the game is simple and entertaining. There are 26 briefcases in front of you, each containing a different amount of money. Open each case one at a time and try to find the one with the largest amount of money. It is your time in the spotlight, and you must answer the question that has taken America by storm: Deal or No Deal? |
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| | Deal or No Deal: Special Edition - Nintendo Wii $19.99 SynopsisIn this high-stakes game of bargaining and risk taking, there's only one question you have to ask yourself: Deal or No Deal? In one of 26 briefcases, the $1,000,000 resides and waits to be discovered. You've watched the show, now try your luck at choosing the correct case. The hostesses have their briefcases ready all you have to do is choose correctly. In Deal or No Deal: Special Edition, you'll experience the game like never before as freshly stylized visuals bring the set, characters and audience to life in your living room. The risk, excitement and unpredictability soar to new levels this time around, with surprising new gameplay scenarios and mini games to master. As you embark on your mission, the ever-energetic voice of host Howie Mandel will supply the commentary you just have to supply the right choice. With 26 briefcases in front of you, each containing a different amount of money ranging from $1 to $1,000,000, will you be able to eliminate the low amounts and come out on top? It's your time in the spotlight and you must answer the question that has taken America by storm: Deal or No Deal? |
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GET THE BEST DEAL WHEN BUYING A CAR, HOUSE, OR TIMESHARE
Where/How do I get the best deal when buying two motorcycles at the same time?
I'm planning to buy two motorcycles (Honda Rebel and Kawasaki Ninja), new, for Christmas. How do I go about getting the best deal? Does it make sense to buy them at the same time? At what place can I get the best deal at in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Do the bikes have to be a different brand? You will be better off buying them together, as the dealer will be able to write off part of the cost by moving more product, so by selling in volume he will be able to write off some of the cost to you. The Honda CBR RR bikes are very similar to the Ninja, and in my opinion are actually better bikes. Kawasakis are at the bottom of the supersport bike totem pole right now. If you are deadset on these two specific bikes, find a dealer near you that is both Honda and Kawasaki.
Christmas in the US is very different for many people. I grew up in the 1980s with a very traditional Christmas. We would set up a Christmas tree soon after Thanksgiving. The tree would very frequently be very large and heavily decorated with a lot of lights, glass ornaments, garland, tinsel, and an angel on top. Gifts would collect under the tree as Christmas got closer, but we knew “Santa” would bring a few more Christmas night. The TV news would track Santa on the weather radar. We would usually get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, we would get up early and open presents at home. After that, we would go to my grandmother’s house in Houston. Since we lived in a rural area, it was about an hour’s drive. At my grandmother’s house, there would be all my cousins, and we would have a Christmas dinner early in the afternoon after opening presents. The would be dozens of people there, the house would be packed. Because of the part of Texas I live in, we also didn’t have chimneys in most homes. Santa came in the back door for us
. Also, snow on Christmas almost never happens. I think it happened once in 1989 when I was 15 years old. Today, Christmas isn’t like that for me. I no longer believe in Christianity, and the family has grown much farther apart. I don’t have any reason to really participate, and I think there are a lot of people like me now. Christmas really costs too much money to celebrate in the US style. It literally forces a large number of people into debt. Often gifts are lavish and expensive. Some people feel they have to buy gifts for everyone they know. There is the day known as “Black Friday”, which is the day after Thanksgiving (the last Thursday in November, it’s another American holiday). That day stores nationwide have huge sales and open very early in anticipation of a buying frenzy. People line up at doors in freezing cold weather to get the best deals, and it is a madhouse. From that day until Christmas, retail stores are ridiculously busy. You cannot escape Christmas and Christian music this time of year either. It’s crazy.Despite all the talk about the “true meaning of christmas” that people like to talk about, it’s really just a shopping frenzy, and while many people still celebrate the kind of Christmas I remember from my childhood, even that was based as much on gifts as it was getting the whole family together. Many also have chosen to avoid the hassle of the holiday completely, as I’ve done now. However, if you have children, you really don’t have that choice as all of their friends will be getting a lot of gifts as well. Some children get so many gifts that they have to bag up the previous year’s gifts in huge garbage bags and throw them out! Just call me Scrooge. I think it is insane.