If you are buying a home you will be meeting with a lot of people in a lot of occupations before you have completed your purchase. Once you see the home you want to buy you will contact the realtor who is selling the home. If you are wise you will contact a realtor to represent you. You will then talk to a mortgage company representative who will take you through the process of borrowing money to finance the home. When the time comes to close on the property you will go to the title company, usually with your realtor, and sign the papers that give you ownership of the property. You will need to have proof of fire insurance, or hazard insurance, when you go to close on the property or before. This will protect you and the lender if the house should experience a casualty. Let’s look at the responsibility of you and the responsibility of the lender.
The lender is responsible for telling you the amount of the payoff on the note so that you will purchase enough coverage to pay off the mortgage in the event of a casualty that destroys the property completely. The lender will be listed in the policy under a clause that offers mortgage rights. This means that the lender’s note will be satisfied first when the proceeds of the insurance policy are paid. Even though you are the owner and responsible party for the insurance, you have the policy so that the lender’s interests are secured.
Is Mortgage Insurance Mandatory? The borrower is responsible for finding out from the lender the requirements for coverage and then meeting with the insurance agent to obtain the coverage. As a general rule the lender will ask that you insure the home for replacement cost. This means that if the home is totally destroyed the insurance company will provide enough to rebuild the home for occupancy. Sometimes the lender will specifically ask that the policy cover a little more than the replacement cost because as you pay on the home the home’s value may increase. Your home may appraise for a higher amount a few years after you own the property. Therefore, the replacement cost of the house would be more than it was at the time of the purchase of the insurance and the property.
Fire is not the only casualty that can destroy a home. There are floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes to name a few of the risks. The lender may require that your insurance cover a broad area of disaster and not just fire.
Remember you are the owner of the policy. The lender will not be able to cancel the policy. You are or the insurer is the only ones who can cancel the policy. As long as you are making timely payments, your coverage should remain in effect. If your insurer cancels your policy for any reason or you allow the policy to lapse from non-payment, the lender will demand and enforce your purchase of replacement insurance for the lapsed policy.You and the agent will negotiate the deductible for the policy at the time of sale. A borrower will typically choose a deductible that is higher than the minimum because as the deductible increases, the payment decreases. Be sure that you know what your lender requires. The lender may specify the deductible amount. In that case, you will be required to pay for that insurance rate. If you do not buy the coverage a lot of time’s the lender will do so and bill you for the product.
Is Mortgage Protection Insurance Worth It? The effective date of the policy will probably be set by your lender. The lender will tell you when escrow close is and will require that you have proof of insurance at that time. If you have a loan and you have insurance on the note already, you will have to have coverage until the final payment is made on the note. If the policy expires you will have to make sure that it is renewed or replaced without a lapse in coverage. If you have not negotiated and put into place an insurance policy by the required date, the lender will delay the close of escrow until you do have proof. If you continue to delay purchase of the policy your lender may refuse to lend money on the house. If your lender continues with the close and is willing to lend you the money, the lender will obtain the required insurance and you will be billed for the coverage. It is in your own best interest to obtain your own insurance. You will be able to negotiate the best terms of coverage and choose the deductible within the guidelines the lender sets forth. You are the one who can get the best price for your money.
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