Choosing the Right Modular Builder

Refinance Mortgage Loans

If you have been turned down for a mortgage refinance, especially a cash out or debt consolidation refinance, because your lender says your credit score is under 500, there are a variety of new options and strategies available which can help you get the cash you need now to pay off your credit card debts, collection accounts, and other derogatory or poor credit accounts and improve your FICO credit score to the point where you can qualify for a low interest, fixed rate loan.

First, you may be wondering why the number 500 is such a big deal. A FICO credit score is a number from 300 to 850 which is meant to represent your reliability as a borrower, and takes into account how much credit has been extended to you, how much money you owe and whether or not you pay it on time. Banks like to tell us that 99% of people in the US have credit scores of 500 or higher, and use this as an excuse not to even bother lending to people with credit scores under the magic 500 FICO score. As far as they’re concerned, since only 1% of the population has a FICO below 500, they simply don’t have the time to design programs to help these people buy or refinance homes.  Learn more about USDA mortgage loan programs by visiting Loan Trust.

We’ve worked with dozens of people who have come to us with FICO scores below 500 over the years, and every one of them says the same thing. ìI just need help right now, and everyone I talk to keeps saying NOî. This is because until very recently, it was extremely difficult to get a loan if your credit score was 499 or less, and even today, only a few mortgage lenders, whether they’re banks or brokers, have the time or attention required to focus on the needs of what they think are a few unfortunate people. So until very recently, if your credit score was under 500, the only chance you had at refinancing or obtaining a home loan was if you went to a hard money lender.

If you’ve ever come across these individuals, you might not have been able to tell the difference between hard money or private mortgage lenders and a loan shark, and while that comparison is not entirely fair, it is to a certain extent accurate. Hard money lenders are small investors who lend only against the hard equity in your home, generally not more than 60% or 70% of the property value, the loans are generally short term, very high interest rate (12% to 15% or more), command huge upfront fees and closing costs, often up to 10% of the loan amount, and rarely if ever do they report your timely payments to your credit bureaus, making it harder to improve your credit. Why would anyone borrow money from a lender like this? In the past and even today, banks and other mortgage lenders have said no to sub 500 credit score mortgages or home loan refinances, and sometimes you just need the money that badly.

Many people have touted the benefits of credit repair services to prospective borrowers with scores under 500. The proposal often reads like this, first, give them a thousand dollars out of your pocket to fix your credit, which they will accomplish in six months, and then once your scores are over 500, they get a loan done for you. Of course never mind that $1,000 is a lot of money for most people with 700 credit scores, and very often a heck of a lot for an individual seeking a mortgage / refinance to consolidate debts. Add to that the fact that conventional credit repair takes too long for most people to wait without the extra cash to pay off bills that you get with a refinance, and you can see that credit repair by itself is not a very efficient proposition if what you really need is a refinance loan today. That’s not to say credit repair doesn’t work, it’s just that it doesn’t work very well for most people who are under 500 FICO seeking a debt consolidation, refinance or home purchase loan.

Over the years we’ve taken a harder look at the numbers, and it turns out that the banks and credit reporting agencies may have drastically underestimated the number of people in this country whose credit ratings are actually under 500 FICO. There are literally millions of people nationwide who fit into this category, and we have spoken with our share. What do we know? That most people with credit scores below 500 are hardworking, honest people whose credit is suffering from the realities of living and working in America today. As tight as our budgets are stretched in this country today, it only takes a very short term disability or unemployment to severely damage our credit scores. And some of us might have gotten in a little over our heads when we were younger, but in the years since we’ve been trying to get back on the road to good credit, and we’re sick of getting charged sky high interest rates every time we get a new credit card, apply for a car loan, or get denied for a bank loan and wind up calling on the aforementioned hard money / private mortgage lenders. We knew the banks had missed something. Our friends below 500 were not only more numerous than they had previously estimated, they were also more than some credit score, they were good people. Learn more about Fix and Flip Loans by visiting Loan Trust.

So we developed a strategy which we are sharing in the hopes that other borrowers under 500 can reap some of the benefits that our own clients have. We’ve helped borrowers with no money in the bank, $50,000 of bad debt, and sky high monthly payments driving them into the poor house get out of debt, get some money in their pockets and eventually achieve major financial improvement in a very short amount of time.

And how does it work? First, there are a few major, institutional lenders which have programs that allow us to arrange and refinance real mortgage loans at competitive interest rates for borrowers with credit scores under 500. These are real, federally and state regulated lenders, not private investor groups who will take your last dollar and send you on your way. Ask your mortgage broker about these programs, and if he doesn’t know what you’re talking about, get a new broker.

The typical strategy is a credit improvement strategy, where the goal is to take enough cash out of your home to pay off as many of your past due, high interest, or high payment debts as possible. We recommend taking a little extra cash from closing if possible, or to use some of the savings from your lower overall payments so that you can enter stage two of the strategy, which is third party credit repair. A good quality credit repair agency should cost less than 300 dollars overall and can clean up your credit and remove a lot of delinquencies and other items which are negatively impacting your credit. Combined with all the truly harmful items which you’ve paid off with your debt consolidation refinance, you should be able to improve your credit score by 50, 100 points or even more. I have seen a client go from a 485 FICO and $65K in combined credit card and auto loan debt and a total monthly payment of over $2800 to a 610 credit score and a payment of $1900 per month in less than 4 months. How did that payment get so low? Once their credit score went over 600, we were able to qualify them for a new mortgage at a low interest rate, because now our friends had good credit, and paid off the few remaining debts which they had by consolidating through refinance. Before the process, their average interest rate across all debts including home, cards and cars was nearly 22%, and afterwards, the average rate was under 9%.

We hope you find this information useful in reshaping your own financial future, and hope that you tune in for the next mortgage series of articles.

It’s summer and there is light all around us — we take it for granted till those dark winter months come together. The sheer lack of sun can be depressing. Every year we encounter this longing for summer,craving those long,bright days once we feel energetic and in a fantastic mood. The good thing is,we’ve again passed the longest day of 2015,but the good news is that the right artificial lighting in your workplace can help you through. Very good lighting creates pleasant working conditions in a functional and atmospheric way. Satisfaction and efficiency will improve if you be sure you have enough daylight ingestion and a well-lit office area. Artificial lighting that doesn’t just help you see,but also meets your biological lighting requirements,is the future of office lighting. Here are six light hacks to keep you healthy and awake through those dark winter days.

1 Create atmospheres where your thoughts can develop

We’re all attracted to light,and there isn’t any other medium that has as large an impact on our bodies and minds as light. Both daylight and artificial light play an integral role in our health and wellbeing. Increasingly,companies face the question of how they could improve staff wellbeing and create a lively,creative and motivating environment. The research indicates that in companies with a high standard of interior design,productivity can increase by up to 36 percent. Who would not like to see their efficiency skyrocket? Additionally,comprehensive research from the Light Right Consortium,arrived at the conclusion that light increases productivity. Only around 70 percent of the interviewees said that working at workstations with purely downward lighting was comfy. In comparison,91 per cent saw that a light atmosphere with direct/indirect light and a high quantity of vertical lit surfaces pleasing. Furthermore,if the desk lighting is individually controllable,people feel motivated and work with greater precision. TIP: Create a light atmosphere with direct and indirect lighting. Avoid having only downwards-directed illumination.

2 Light for people,not just jobs

Lighting is often just seen as a requirement to enable us to see,but actually it has many more qualities than the obvious ones. We should move away from just thinking of light for tasks and concentrate on producing light settings for people. Today,most people work inside,and spends almost the entire day indoors,in an unnaturally dark setting. Our light intake is responsible for feeling and sleeping well,and affects our productivity. When there is a shortage of natural light to help us tell the exact time of day,then our circadian rhythm (body clock) loses its speed,with tiredness and listlessness as a result. It’s a lot more than just lighting. It inspires,attracts,enables communication,sets a mood,and has psychological qualities. If this knowledge transcends to our built environment,pleasant atmospheres are made. Think of a visit to a theatre,a restaurant,or nightclub. These experiences are shaped by light. Very good lighting accentuates the mood and desirability of spaces,consequently leading to people’s sense of wellbeing. Every building and space expresses and communicates an identity,and sometimes also a corporate value. Good lighting should be a part of this,because what other element can enhance an atmosphere as much as lighting can? TIP: Create a Combination of different lighting. Use illumination that affirms a space’s individuality

3 From homo sapiens to homo officunus

In today’s world,we spend many hours working in biotopes — surroundings made by humans. Instead of trying to accommodate ourselves to our creations,we must adapt these biotopes to our requirements. Sufficient light is one of those needs. Here are a few tips: Take the biological quality of light into consideration. It affects our sleep-wake cycle and this has a large influence on our health and productivity. Adapt the light to the daytime and season,as well as to the individual needs of the user. Vertical surface lighting,rather on large wall surfaces,is vital to create a sense of space and depth. It also gives a visual resting point for the eyes and adds a pleasant atmosphere to the working environment. Too frequently,office surroundings are insufficiently lit,not only from the perspective of biological light needs but also from an architectural one,where the room feels smaller because of inadequate lighting. The chart below shows how office workers assessed their working environments — revealing which aspects are important to them and how satisfied they are with every facet. As you can see,lighting is rated the most important of all of the aspects mentioned,but there is loads of room for it to improve. TIP: Have a light for general lighting,a standing luminaire that uplights the ceiling and a desk light

4 Get the best spot in the house

Are you based at a co-working space? And is there a flexible desk coverage? Choosing the ideal spot in the house can go a long way. Pick a place with a great deal of daylight. It’s recommended that around three percent daylight reaches a person’s working area. However,in most offices this is not the case. Daylight provides an emotional quality to a space and the possibility to look out is an additional bonus. If you can,choose a spot near the window. But make sure there is sun shading to stop harsh reflections on your computer screen. About 80 percent of allinformation is taken in through our eyes. Unlike sticks and cones,these cells do not contribute directly to our sight; they’re nevertheless light dependent and help to regulate our circadian rhythm. So light is not just a requirement for viewing,but is also an important zeitgeber (timer) and a regulator for our bodies. Unfortunately,we often don’t get the light intake we actually need,especially during the darker period of the year,resulting in the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — a type of depression associated with a lack of light. It leaves people feeling moody and lacking energy. Most people who suffer from SAD benefit from bright light therapy. In a workplace setting,light treatment makes people feel more alert and energized. It’s found that an illumination that goes up to 2000 lux at the working place in the morning and the day,reduces the physiological reaction of stress and provides an energising effect to the body. In comparison,most working areas are lit to a standard 500 lux. If you want to check the quantity of lux at your desk, download a lux meter program. It’s not very precise,but it gives you an idea on how little light we actually have inside. Not only is a higher quantity of lighting required,but also the colour temperature of the light plays a role. At noon the sky’s colour is a very cool 10000K but at sunset it is a far warmer 2000K. Additionally light should reflect indirectly into the eyes from large surfaces,such as walls and ceilings. TIP: Try to grab enough daylight at any time of the year. Go outside for a break,get off a stop earlier from the subway and walk the rest of the way to the workplace. You should have at least half an hour of daylight a day

6 Light,java,action!

A deadline and stilla great deal of work beforehand,no time to sleep! As light can disrupt your sleeping routine,it can also boost your own activity. In case you have alreadyfollowed the above-mentioned advice for mutually successful lighting than you are already on the right path. If you need to pull an all-nighter,increase the light intensity and also the quantity of bluish white light in the room. Almost done with your work? Change the setting to warm,low-intensity lighting,which will calm you down. You might also have experienced that if you work late on a computer or pill it is difficult to sleep afterwards. The reason for this is the high blue content of the backlit screens. Blue light at night triggers an out-of-phase circadian rhythm,and is a health hazard. So use this light hack consciously. There are some applications you can install that correlate the display’s brightness and colour,to the daylight of where you are. F.lux,for instance,works on most systems,or the Twilight program reduces the quantity of blue light on your own Android phone. TIP: Have different lamp types and colour temperatures at your working area. Warm light sources at your desk could be combined with general and indirect lighting with different colour temperatures,for example 3500K and 5000K.

Kids around the ages of 7 and 8 yrs. of age often show warning signs of orthodontic problems such as crowding of the teeth, too much space between the teeth, jaw growth problems, protruding (buck) teeth, and bad bites.  These problems can be inherited, caused by injury to the mouth, early or late loss of baby teeth, and even thumb-sucking habits.  Oh… and don’t forget breathing problems caused by allergies and enlarged tonsils and adenoids.

Correcting the growth of jaws and certain bite problems helps make room for permanent teeth and realign jaws while kids are growing and would not normally have a chance of coming in correctly if left unattended.  In the past, before all the permanent teeth erupted, kids wore bulky retainers, braces on few permanent teeth that easily broke, and uncomfortable appliances that irritated lips and cheeks.  Now, however, there is a new alternative available to parents and kids to make early orthodontic care easier and much more comfortable with Invisalign First.

What is Invisalign First?

It is the next generation of Invisalign products which allows children who are still growing to avoid traditional metal braces and retainers just like teens and adults.  Invisalign First is designed to gradually expand the jawline of a growing child by the first master trained Invisalign First orthodontist such as Dr. Sepi Torkan who specializes in early Invisalign. and completed the many hours of training required to treat kids with their many early orthodontic challenges.   

orthodontic care is only available for growing children. For adults and teens who are seeking dental corrections, alternative treatment products are available, such as Invisalign Full, Invisalign Teen, and Invisalign Express.

How does it Work?

Invisalign First works by expanding and contouring your child’s jawline and/or dental arch expansion by changing your child’s teeth over time to increase the width of their dental arch.

1. Treatment starts with a consultation to determine if your child is eligible for Invisalign First.
2. If approved, [doctor name] can begin taking pictures, x-rays, and impressions of your child’s teeth that same day. Then everything is sent to an Invisalign lab where a custom Invisalign First aligner or tray, will be made for your child.
3. It will take a few weeks until the custom aligner is ready. Once the aligner is ready, your child will be scheduled to come back for [doctor name] to fit the aligner to your child’s smile.
4. Over time the device will move your child’s teeth as prescribed and new retainers will be needed for the following phases of treatment.
5. Depending on your child’s needs, he or she may require a full pair of aligners or just one aligner. Certain teeth may require attachments to be placed on their surface. These attachments will help direct pressure to the necessary teeth requiring movement.