If you are considering buying a home, then you may be more than a little confused by all of the terms you hear about home loans. After all, lenders throw around words like fixed rate, balloon mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages without a thought. But if you aren't at least familiar with the basics—those terms can be pretty confusing!

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When applying for a bad credit mortgage loan, make sure you are current on your existing credit lines. You will want your current credit to be as good as possible.

Also, make sure to include all the income you have. If you have any equity in any stocks or other financial accounts, make sure to mention that to the broker as well.

The more money you can put down on the loan, the more likely it is that you can get approved. FHA loans usually only require 3-5% down. They are also usually open to working with people with credit problems.

Here’s a basic guide to the three most common types of home loans. Study it, and determine which one is right for you.

Fixed Rate Home Loan

If you are thinking about buying a home and staying in it until you pay it off, then you will probably want a fixed rate home loan. With this type of loan, you will be assigned a fixed interest rate, and then that rate will not change for the life of the loan. If interest rates skyrocket, yours will remain the same. On the other hand, if they plummet, you will likely be paying a higher rate. (You can always refinance in order to get a lower rate.)

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM)

The interest rate with this type of loan goes up and down with the market. In other words, if the interest rate is low, the rate on your home mortgage will be low, but if it's high, your loan interest rate will reflect it. And because the interest rate on a home mortgage loan affects the payments, you will never know from reporting period to reporting period what your monthly mortgage payments will be. This type of loan obviously isn't for everyone.

So, who might use an ARM? For starters, if you are purchasing a house for investment purposes and plan to sell it quickly, you might take advantage of low interest rates by getting this type of loan—particularly if it looks as if they may go lower. Another reason to use an ARM as a home loan is if you are buying a home in a time when interest rates are on the decline. You can take out an ARM, and then change it to a fixed loan once the interest rates bottom out.

Balloon Mortgage

With this type of loan, you will make monthly payments for a fixed amount of time, with a fixed interest rate. The difference is that at the end of the payment schedule, you will owe the unpaid balance in one lump sum. If you use a balloon mortgage, you will find that the interest rates are much lower than either a fixed rate mortgage or an ARM.

The obvious negative to this type of loan is that huge payment due at the end, but if you are planning to hold the house for a short period of time, then this might be the loan for you.

By understanding the various types of home loans that are available to you, you will be better prepared to make a decision that is just right for you and your family.

Here are our recommended sources for good mortgage lenders online:

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The average rate of interest on mortgage loans continues to fall and has been under 5 percent for almost all of this past year, with this recent round of rate cuts seen as the lowest for borrowers in years. The reason, many borrowers today have bad or at least less than perfect credit scores. Still a borrower with less then perfect credit an jump through a few hoops and get a fairly decen rate on a loan.