The 106 Mortgage Secrets All Homebuyers Must Learn--But Lenders Don't Tell (Paperback)

by Gary W. Eldred (Author) "Most supposed experts in home buying and home finance give this advice: "Before you even begin to shop for a home, meet with a lender..." (more)
Key Phrases: housing cost ratio, loan rep, yon plan, Mortgage Secret, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
One of America’s top real estate authorities explains the inside secrets of the mortgage business

Each year, more than ten million American homebuyers, homeowners, and realty investors enter the mortgage arena to finance or refinance their homes and rental properties. And each year, millions of borrowers pay more than they have to. But you won’t be one of them with Gary Eldred’s 106 Mortgage Secrets All Homebuyers Must Learn–But Lenders Don’t Tell.

Eldred explains all of your mortgage options and gives you the inside information you need to make the most intelligent money-saving choices. He simplifies the complicated math of mortgage financing and tells you how to make sure your loan rep is being honest with you. He covers every aspect of the mortgage process and highlights the key criteria you should always consider when making your decision. With these 106 secrets, you’ll have the confidence and the knowledge to:

• Increase your borrowing power
• Get the lowest interest rate
• Understand ARMs
• Cut the cost of mortgage insurance
• Save big with seller financing, foreclosures, and REOs
• Perfect your credit profile
• Avoid getting taken by the fine print
• Get maximum return on your home investment

There’s no reason to get a good mortgage, when you can get the perfect one for you. Simple, concise, and comprehensive, this book covers everything mortgage hunters should know–especially the 106 secrets lenders don’t want to reveal.

From the Back Cover
One of America’s top real estate authorities explains the inside secrets of the mortgage business

Each year, more than ten million American homebuyers, homeowners, and realty investors enter the mortgage arena to finance or refinance their homes and rental properties. And each year, millions of borrowers pay more than they have to. But you won’t be one of them with Gary Eldred’s 106 Mortgage Secrets All Homebuyers Must Learn–But Lenders Don’t Tell.

Eldred explains all of your mortgage options and gives you the inside information you need to make the most intelligent money-saving choices. He simplifies the complicated math of mortgage financing and tells you how to make sure your loan rep is being honest with you. He covers every aspect of the mortgage process and highlights the key criteria you should always consider when making your decision. With these 106 secrets, you’ll have the confidence and the knowledge to:

• Increase your borrowing power
• Get the lowest interest rate
• Understand ARMs
• Cut the cost of mortgage insurance
• Save big with seller financing, foreclosures, and REOs
• Perfect your credit profile
• Avoid getting taken by the fine print
• Get maximum return on your home investment

There’s no reason to get a good mortgage, when you can get the perfect one for you. Simple, concise, and comprehensive, this book covers everything mortgage hunters should know–especially the 106 secrets lenders don’t want to reveal.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471263958
• ISBN-13: 978-0471263951
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No secrets...your lender HAS to tell you, January 22, 2004

By	B. Arthur "OaklandA" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is so bad on so many levels that it barely merits one star. I'll chip it the star on the basis of one chapter that may be informative.
First, the title. There are no secrets in this book. Most of this is information readily available with a minimum of research(Fannie Mae). As far as your lender not wanting you to know...many of the so-called "secrets" could cost a lender their license, fines or even jail if they don't disclose. Mr.Eldred should know that the information on the Good Faith Estimate has to be more accurate than he portrays.
Further, in regards to fees such as the Yield Spread Premium, if the lender is a bank or a correspondent lender they do not have to disclose those fees at all. Only mortgage brokers do, making theirs the most transparent transaction. Some of the other fees he references to aren't even within the scope of a lender to control (title fees, etc.).
Mr.Eldred's "hints" on how to "improve" your income and debt are borderline fraud. People DO go to jail for this. With automated underwriting there is very little room to push the issue of "compensating" factors as Eldred suggests.
This is a sensationalized rendering of how to get a mortgage. It's as if he took the examples of the worst 1% of lenders and applied them to the other 99%.
The chapter on ARM's is good in showing that there is usually a benefit to this product, with little of the risk imagined.
Overall, one would be much better off getting "The Mortgage Kit" by Thomas Steinmetz, now in it's 5th edition. Avoid the phony expose lure of this book.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding guide to financing, October 6, 2003

By	Mortgage Broker (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

I previously read Eldred's book,Investing In Real Estate.It's the best,comprehensive, and most sensible guide to investing that you'll find (read the reviews for youself). Likewise, this book on financing goes way beyond the other authors that I have read. (Sidenote: I cannot figure out what the Seattle reviewer is talking about, Mortgage Secrets deals exclusively with the ins and outs of financing techniques, saving money, cutting mortgage costs,and building equity faster. This book says nothing about using high leverage to get rich in real estate. As to infomercial hype, Eldred actually lambasts these gurus and warns how their "techniques" can lead the gullible to financial ruin. He even cautions strongly against home equity loans.) If you want to learn your financing options as well as the "tricks of the trade", you won't find a better book than this one. Although I'm in the business, I liked this book because a much more educated borrower gives us true professionals a stong advantage over our competition. Read Mortgage Secrets, then work with a broker who follows the insights that Eldred reveals. I'll make more money and you will get a better deal.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good presentation of concepts - lacks real world experience, January 28, 2004

By	D. Hillenbrand (Parker, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book provides a fairly comprehensive look at mortgages. Unfortunately, the author didn't seem to have the time or desire to have someone with real life experience in home financing review it before publication (there are no acknowledgements mentioned as I would expect in a book such as this). As a new loan officer, I read the book hoping to validate and improve my own understanding of the industry. What I found is that there are enough inconsistencies between the text and my experience that it places the entire book in doubt. For example, he leaves out a critical parameter when comparing ARMs - the initial adjustment cap.
I disagree with a prior comment relating the book infomercials - investing wisely in real estate has made many a person weathy and most of the ideas presented in the book should help increase your return on investment over time (no get quick rich scemes here).
I award 3 stars because there is a lot of good information in a easy-to-read format. A critical review would have made it much better and more reliable.