Customer Reviews

Mortgage Confidential: What You Need to Know That Your Lender Won't Tell You

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Author David Reed has done it again! I read his first book, Mortgages 101 and like it so much that I bought this one without any deliberation. I have been reading his column in Realty Times for years, and always enjoyed them.
In a clear, concise, easy to read manner, the author has set forth in simple and easy to understand terms the truth about mortgages and mortgage lending. Everything is explained, such as where mortgage money comes from, to how Annual Percentage Rate is determined to shopping for a loan and (hopefully) avoiding some "junk" fees. Also included is the commonly misunderstood diferrences between a Bank, a Mortgage Bank, and a Mortgage Broker. All this ads up to a great book to read for the consumer who is shopping for a mortgage loan. Details too numerous to explain here, but you won't regret buying this book, if you are eithar purchasing a home or refinancing. The "confidential" part of the title is the stuff Loan Agents know, and he has made it available to the reader.

One very miniscule flaw I picked up, with perhaps no relevance, is on page 150: It states that rate caps protect you, "even if they go into the 20% range as they did in the late 1980s." I think he meant the early 1980s. A time we'd all like to forget...

Another interesting thing I picked up was that he did address the once popular pick-a-payment loan, which I like in certain circumstances and he has disdained in his column. They do work well for some people in some situations, and I was glad to see him recognize that (page 159), although he does advise to people to avoid them. Glad to see a slight concession.

This is a highly informative book, which doesn't include a lot of math (the only math, really, is easy to understand graphics), which makes it the best book on the market to easily understand the whole process of lending- being a consumer or loan officer. Good job on this book Mr. Reed! Buy this book--you won't regret it...

This is a well-written easy-to-follow book that keeps you glued to it. The only small criticisms I have are that the book really should have a bullet-point summary at the end of each chapter so readers can refer to for practical use. There is so much to remember that as written, it is not in a format enabling one to use in the real world unless you memorize everything.

Also, the book would have been more useful if it were written a few years ago. Now and in the future, some of the secrets exposed will not be applicable due to the expected overhaul of this corrupt and abusive industry. However, many things won't change. Even still, these changes will take several years. Therefore, this book is a must-read if you plan to get a mortgage. If I could, I would give it a 9 of 10 stars (instead of 4 of 5). Overall, well done. We need more books exposing the corruption and deceit by industries in America.

David Reed's MORTGAGE CONFIDENTIAL: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT YOUR LENDER WON'T TELL YOU tells everything a lender won't about what they really look for in an application before approving a loan, and is a pick for any solid real estate collection and for any who would understand the loan process. From qualifications for different size loans to avoiding scams and maximizing chances for loan approval, MORTGAGE CONFIDENTIAL is an invaluable guide.

The books use plain everyday English and is very well put together. As a complete novice in the world of mortgage, I got a much better and clearer view from it than I was expecting. If you are a first time homebuyer, it's gold. I have a much better handle on what to expect and what to avoid as I head into the mortgage market. This is, by far, the best of the three books I have read on mortgages.

I wish I had seen that all the top-listed reviews here are from 2007. This book was always considered goofy since many of the things the author says are "confidential" were either information everyone could know and were not being held back from, or were not true at least in my state. But it was a good place to start for customers wishing to understand what is really going on from a business point of view. There are a lot of interesting tidbits for novices about how rates are determined, etc. In 2011, however, much of the information about getting a mortgage or refinancing is useless after the changes in regulation.

The reason I'm giving this one star is because the book is now "copyright 2011" so I thought it was overhauled before it came out. Well, that copyright is misleading since it is not current and in some places, I found it completely incorrect. I would not recommend this book in the current state to anyone.

Many of the stuff that is in this book is already mentioned in Mortgages 101. Although the title has some slightly exaggerated tone, but nonetheless, I would encourage readers to at least check it out at a local library. After all, there aren't that many mortgage resources compared to Wall Street stock market books.

OK, I do mortgages and have been working for as in mortgages for 14 years.

I work for a big bank now.

Looking over what he wrote online, there's some great info, simply written for consumers in this book.

That said, ALSO READ OTHER BOOKS. Most of the info looks good. Some of it is a bit off the mark. Just read this along with others and you will be a much better educated consumer.

With this one admonishment, I would also add, there are no texts I've seen myself that are stand-alone, all encompassing and accurate.

I'd read a good review of this book before buying it, but I was surprised at how much useful information is in the book - highly recommended even if you think that you're pretty knowledgeable about mortgages.

this book has been quite helpful to me as a Financial Consultant in helping clients understand the "language" in the RESPA docs.

This is the second review I have done on this book. My first was never posted....hmmmm....I wonder why?
I am a loan officer. I bought this to see exactly what Reed was filling the general public's head with. Most of the book is geared toward a hatred and distrust of Mortgage Professionals.He tells you just enough to be dangerous, but not enough to really know what's going on. He actually says that the Realtor is looking out for the clients best interest. Holy COW. What a bunch of crap...... Many of the real estate agents I have worked with are dishonest and fake. I have always tried to be honest an fair to all of my clients.... Usually the loan officer is stuck with saving the deal on a trumped up value the realtor has provided or one of the many other idiotic things that they do. How about laying the blame where it belongs. This book is filled with "dirty little secrets" Nothing you can't find on the internet. Not only that you'll have every bit of a hard time getting a realtor to disclose how much they make from a transaction. ......Many times two or three times what the loan officer makes. We have to disclose every cent.... This guy is a clown. Buy mortgages for dummies; at least there's no bias there.