Our experienced professionals are here to help you with your mortgage related product and service needs. At American Financial Services Inc we are here to:

• Broker your home loans
• Reduce your mortgage payments
• Negotiate financing issues
• Restore your good credit
• Build equity
• AND MUCH MORE!

American Financial Services Inc offers a variety of quality services to meet your individual needs. For more information please call us at 1-877-954-1313, or you can even apply online!

• Mortgage Products

Whether you are purchasing your first home or refinancing, our experts can find the right mortgage product for you.

• Foreclosure Assistance

If you are facing foreclosure you still have options available that may help STOP foreclosure and bankruptcy. Don’t delay. Get started with a consultation today.

• Lender Mediation

By negotiating better rates with your bank, our experts may be able to reduce your mortgage payments and save you thousands per year.

• Mortgage Audits

Is your mortgage fair and legal? Are you one of thousands of Americans who paid too much on their mortgages last year? We may be able to recover hundreds or even thousands of dollars for you. Our mortgage audit professionals can show you how.

• Coaching Center

The process of getting a loan, buying your first home, and dealing with credit issues can be very frustrating and confusing. Because American Financial Services Inc is committed to educating the consumer, we have created the Coaching Center which contains useful articles to help you better understand the process.

How does American Financial Services Inc help?

At American Financial Services Inc our first priority is always to provide you with personalized attention and outstanding customer service. Our goal is to educate consumers so they can take advantage of opportunities which may result in savings of thousands of dollars. Every consumer is different. The professionals at eLink Equity are committed to finding the right mortgage product for you.

We know your time is valuable. That is why we offer three convenient ways to apply – online, by phone, or in person.

We look forward to the opportunity to assist you.

Email

When you send us email we won`t keep or share your email address with anyone outside of eLink Equity.,
American Financial Services Inc staff, its contractors, and federal representatives necessary to respond to your question. We`ll only use your email address to respond to your requests for information.

If you sign up for one of our emailing lists, we`ll only send you the kinds of information you`ve requested. We won`t maintain your name on the list and won`t share your email address with anyone outside of eLink Equity staff American Financial Services Inc, its contractors, and federal representatives.

If you use our feature `email a friend`, we will use your email address only to let your friend know who sent the web address, so he or she can reply to you.

Information Collection

When you browse, read pages or download information on our website, we automatically gather and store certain technical information about your visit. This information never identifies who you are. The information we collect and store about your visit is listed below. This information is only used to help us make the site more useful for you. With this data we learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use.

We Collect:

1. The Internet domain (for example, `xcompany.com` if you use a private Internet access account, or `yourschool.edu` if you connect from a university`s domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our website;
2. The type of browser (e.g., Mozilla, Internet Explorer) and operating system (Windows, Unix) used to access our site;
3. The date and time you access our site;
4. The pages you visit; and
5. If you linked to our website from another website, the address of that website.

We use `cookies,` which are small amounts of text stored on your computer. That means we only store the cookie on your computer during that visit. So, if you are entering information for a business transaction, you won`t lose the information if you go to another site and come back during the visit. After you turn off your computer or stop using the internet, the cookie is erased.

Site Security

We monitor visits to the web site to identify any attempt to tamper with it.
When you submit personal information using our web site-for example, if you a service online-we have systems that make sure people outside of American Financial Services Inc cannot access your personal information.
We would only try to identify you personally when required to do so by a law enforcement investigation. Any information we collect for those investigations is destroyed according to federal guidelines.
Tampering with American Financial Services Inc`s web site is against the law. If anyone tries to tamper with it, they may be punished under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

Links to Other Sites

Our website has links to many other web sites. When you go to another site, you are subject to the privacy and security policies of that site. eLink Equity nor American Financial Services Inc cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided there.
Linking to a web site does not constitute an endorsement by %
COMPANY%, or any of its employees, of the sponsors of the site or the products presented on the site.

Account Creation and Removal

When you apply for service and use an email address and password, an account is automatically created for you. Although the you are not able to initiate removal of your account, American Financial Services Inc staff will be happy to assist you. Just call us at 1-877-954-1313 or email
us.

The website you are visiting is http://www.americanfinancialservicesinc.com, commonly known as American Financial Services Inc which is an authorized member of the eLink Equity Network. By using this site or its services, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

Terms of Use

American Financial Services Inc operates this Site to provide online access to information about eLink Equity and the products, services, and opportunities we provide (the “Service”). By accessing and using this Site, you agree to each of the terms and conditions set forth herein (“Terms of Use”). Additional terms and conditions applicable to specific areas of this Site or to particular content or transactions are also posted in particular areas of the Site and, together with these Terms of Use, govern your use of those areas, content or transactions. These Terms of Use, together with applicable additional terms and conditions, are referred to as this “Agreement.”

eLink Equity reserves the right to modify this Agreement at any time without giving you prior notice. Your use of the Site following any such modification constitutes your agreement to follow and be bound by the Agreement as modified. The last date these Terms of Use were revised is 10-10-2008.

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You may link to any part or page of this website including our Web Services as you see fit, after all, this is the world wide web and we encourage you to share our content with others in your personal network. You must, however, link only to a specific "web page" or service, you may not directly link to specific images or include files. Certain libraries are licensed under GPL/GNU/BSD or CC, you are free to copy those libraries from this site. Please see our credits page for more specific information on our use of open source software.

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BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH STATES, eLink Equity’S LIABILITY IS LIMITED AND WARRANTIES ARE EXCLUDED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BUT SHALL, IN NO EVENT, EXCEED $100.00.

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The 6% Solution
There is something called a seller concession that can save you money. It works like this: suppose you agree on the price of the house at, say, $200,000. You then ask the seller for a 6% seller concession. What this means is that you add (up to) 6% to the price of the house. That’s right, you’re now going to pay $212,000 for that house — but the seller is going to give you that $12,000 back when the sale takes place. You’re going to use that money to cover all of your closing costs.

If we pretend for a moment that those costs add up to precisely $12,000, then what you’ve done is folded those closing costs into the mortgage. Points, title search, recordation fees — all of the items that you’ll find listed in our closing costs” article, and most of which are not tax-deductible — have effectively been included in your mortgage. Since your mortgage interest is tax-deductible, these costs have effectively become tax write-offs.

In addition, you don’t have to come up with all that extra cash at settlement. Your down payment will be somewhat higher, (if you’re putting down 20%, then in the current example your down payment would be $42,400, versus $40,000) and, of course, your mor tgage payments will be higher, but it ends up saving you money.

The seller has no reason to refuse this — after all, the agreed-upon price is still the same.

What’s the catch? The catch is that the house has to appraise for the higher value. If the appraiser comes back and tells you that this house won’t appraise for higher than $200,000, you can’t do it.

Let’s look into this a little further. Say you buy the house for $200,000. Your $40,000 down payment leaves you needing a loan for $160,000. You get a 30-year loan at 8%. Your monthly payments for principal and interest are $1,174.

Now say you decide to use the 6% seller concession strategy. You buy this house for the price of $212,000. You put down 20%, and this leaves you needing a loan of $169,600. Your monthly payments will be $1,244, or $70 more per month. Is it worth it?

To begin with, many people aren’t going to feel an enormous difference between paying the extra $70 per month — not nearly as much as they would feel over having to fork out an extra $12,000 all at once. But what about the fact that you have to now pay this extra money over the course of 30 years? Well, over the course of 30 years you’re paying $25,200 more for that extra $12,000 ($70 more per month x 12 months in a year x 30 years = $25,200). However, remember that’s $12,000 less out of your pocket at the time of closing. If you take $12,000 and invest it at 10% (less than the market average has returned over the past 35 years) then your money will grow to over $200,000 (before taxes) at the end of 30 years. So, in this scenario, it’s well worth it.

Naturally you’ll want to run the numbers for your particular loan to see whether it would be worth it for you.

Note: there are certain rules under certain mortgages as to what the seller can actually pay for at closing. If you get $12,000 from the seller and all of your costs are $12,000, this does not necessarily mean that you won’t have to pay anything. Be sure to ask your lender which costs the seller may cover.

Assume an Existing Mortgage
One option is to assume the mortgage on the house you are buying. (That’s another way of saying you’ll take over the existing mortgage on the house, rather than getting a new one.) This is beneficial if, for example, the existing mortgage has a lower inte rest rate. You can also avoid some of the administrative costs of taking out a new loan. In order to assume a mortgage, it must be transferable, and you must be able to pay enough cash (or get a second mortgage) to cover the difference between the purchase price and the outstanding debt.

Seller Financing
“Seller financing” means that you can pay the seller directly over a period of time, rather than borrow money and pay at once. With a seller mortgage, you can often negotiate a better interest rate and avoid the various administrative fees charged by lending institutions. Seller financing can be attractive if for some reason you can’t qualify for a loan. More importantly, it enables you to avoid the dreaded mortgage insurance.

One circumstance in which such financing is available occurs when the seller has had difficulty in selling the house. If that’s the case, you’ll naturally want to know why. Also, sellers are not in the lending business. They tend to want a short-term mort gage — usually not longer than three years. After that time, you will have to get a mortgage from a regular lender and pay the seller in full.

There are other reasons why a seller might want to provide financing. It gives him a steady stream of income and return without having to pay capital gains tax. The seller also has collateral — the house. If the buyer defaults, then the seller can take the house back.

Play With the Points, Play With the Time

Yes! You see? Mortgages are just like basketball! Depending on the mortgage, the strength of your finances, and the interest rate environment, it might be to your advantage to pay off the interest or principal sooner than you might otherwise. Check out our calculators to find out if you should pay points or take out a 15-year mortgage instead of one for 30 years.

Pay Down the Principal
For a very long time, most of the money that you will pay to your mortgage company is going to go to interest payments. That means that you may be in your house for over 20 years before you own more of it than the bank does. But there’s a way to speed up the amount that you own. And why is that important (other than the obvious psychological benefits)? Because if you owe less to the bank, you will also owe them less interest. Click on over to our Foolish calculator to find out how it works and to see if it will work for you.

Be Your Own Best Advocate
Mortgage lenders must compete for your business. That means they will negotiate. Don’t assume that their published interest rates are final. Collect information on available interest rates and mortgage features from lenders in your area. Decide which features meet your needs. Be prepared to ask for better terms — a reduction of at least a quarter percent of the published interest rate is reasonable. You will be in a stronger negotiating position if your credit history is good.

Foreclosures in the U.S. today are at an all-time high.  If your home is in pre-foreclosure or foreclosure you have options!    

Your bank is not in the housing business and foreclosure is generally done when that is their only option to recover their money.  A foreclosure consultation with one of our specialists can help you negotiate with your lender to maintain your home AND your good credit rating. At American Financial Services Inc, you won’t be judged and we are on your side. Foreclosure is scary but you can’t keep doing what you have been doing, you may have noticed, that isn’t working. Call us today, toll free at 1-877-954-1313% or apply online, we will provide you with a no-obligation initial consultation and help you understand your options. We will never try to get between you and your home or the equity in it, furthermore, you have complete control throughout the entire process.

The Process is SIMPLE.

1. Complete an online assessment form which will be reviewed by a foreclosure specialist
2. Talk to a specialist that will help you determine your options and guide you towards the right help for your situation
3. If you choose, Proceed with our specialists who are committed to helping YOU save your home

What do you do?

There are many possible outcomes, all depending on your specific situation, by engaging us to help you with our foreclosure consultation, we may be able to:

1. Negotiate a solution to keep your home, deferring any late payments until later on, possibly the end of your loan
2. Help you find a buyer for your home - if you can’t afford the home, this may be your only solution, but it is much better than foreclosure
3. Nothing. Sometimes, its too little too late. But you have to try, don’t hesitate to call us, we can tell you, with no obligation if we think we can help you!

Hope for Homeowners in Distress

Many new homeowners are now finding themselves with a mortgage bill that is pricing them right out of their home. The U.S. government in partnership with the Home Ownership Preservation Foundation has established a new hotline, 1-800-995-HOPE, to help homeowners in distress. The partnership offers free counseling which will help you prioritize your spending and tell you about your rights. You can start the process with 955Hope.org for free! If you are a homeowner whose interest rates are due for an increase you may be eligible to refinance through the FHA, which is more likely to refinance a loan for a borrower with poor credit history than a traditional bank. If you have two years on the job let us see if we can get you qualified for help through the FHA. If not, our foreclosure consultation is perfect for you.

The President of the United States signed a housing relief bill in to law that provides a $7,500 tax credit to first time home buyers which he hopes will stimulate the real estate market by enticing new buyers in to the market. The new law also sets aside money to help up to 400,000 families that are struggling to make their home payments by canceling their current mortgage and allowing them to refinance at a lower, fixed rate.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. There are NO guarantees but our professionals have the experience that may be able to help you stop foreclosure
2. eLink Equity and American Financial Services Inc is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or investment advice or services and all information obtained via website, email, or other responses are for general information purposes only
3. The website owner(s) and our subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, agents, and employees specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence directly or indirectly of the use and application of any information you receive as a result of your use of this site
4. You agree to indemnify and hold us and our subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, agents, and employees harmless from any claim or demand resulting out of your use of any information you receive as a result of your use of this site
5. Consult with an attorney or financial advisor before acting on any information received

Get started with your personalized foreclosure consultation now!

It’s no surprise that real estate professionals have responded with new sales models. For example, in a limited service model, some brokers might offer to list a home in the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for a fee, while they hand off other aspects of the sale to the seller. This kind of arrangement can reduce the cost of selling the home, which in turn, can result in a lower purchase price. Other brokers might offer a menu of services from which the seller can choose. Some agents may be reluctant to deal with brokers who are using non-traditional sales models, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency that works for a competitive marketplace, says these new sales models for buying and selling a home mean more choices for consumers.

The FTC says that the more consumers know about the home buying process before they start looking � either for properties or real estate professionals to help in the search � the more time and energy they can save.

Agents and Brokers

Before you contact any real estate professional, it’s important to know the difference between brokers and agents. Real estate brokers are licensed professionals who help sellers and prospective buyers of homes, and often operate as part of a brokerage firm or franchise. Real estate agents are licensed professionals who work under the supervision of a licensed real estate broker. In return, the broker pays the agent a portion of the commission earned from the sale or purchase of the property.

In a typical home sale, there are two real estate pros: one who works with the seller � called the listing agent � and one who works with the buyer � called the selling agent. The listing agent generally shares the sales commission with the selling agent who finds the buyer for the home. But the seller pays both agents, usually from the proceeds of the sale. Depending on where you live, your agent may not have any obligation to keep the information you have shared confidential until you enter into a formal relationship. In fact, sometimes, your agent actually may be bound to represent the seller’s interests unless you establish a relationship where the agent represents your interests.

In most states, agents are required to disclose the type of relationship they have with you, and then, it’s up to you to decide whether you want them to represent you. Whether you meet an agent at an open house or get in touch with one on your own, be aware that they need to disclose important information about their business relationship with you. You can feel free to ask them about that.

Sales Commissions

The most common type of real estate commission is a percentage of the home’s sales price, an arrangement that benefits both the seller and the agent. As the buyer, you may not pay your agent directly, but the services of your agent are not �free.� Sellers may increase the sales price of their home to offset the cost of the commission, a situation that makes buyers responsible for bearing some of that cost.

Although the sales commission usually is spelled out in the listing agreement with the seller, you might consider trying to negotiate a reduction in your agent’s portion of the commission. In some states, agents can rebate some of their share of the sales commission to the buyer. But flexible commission rates may come with changing incentives. Asking the right questions up front will help you and your agent understand each other.

Choosing Real Estate-Related Services

Buying a home is a big financial commitment � very likely, the biggest financial investment most people make. If you choose to work with a real estate professional, finding someone who understands what you are looking for and how much you can afford to spend is critical. Ask friends, family members, neighbors, or co-workers who have bought or sold recently for recommendations. Interview several agents about their experience, style, and market knowledge. Expect an agent to be professional: to return your phone calls promptly, to be organized, to listen to your preferences, and to communicate clearly. Here are some questions you may want to ask:

• How many homes have you sold in the past year? How many in the neighborhood I’m interested in?
• Can you provide a list of references?
• Are you willing to represent only my interests? Do you have any obligations to the seller?
• What is the commission you are interested in? Are you willing to negotiate that? Will you accept a lower commission?
• How many homes are you prepared to show me? Where will you look for these?
• Will you show me homes that offer lower commission rates? Homes offered by non-traditional brokers? Homes that are For Sale By Owner?

Once you sign your purchase agreement, your agent may recommend companies for financing, inspections, moving, insurance, and other related services. It may be convenient for you to use these providers, but it isn’t required. Shopping for these services is just like shopping for any services: Compare prices and ask for references before you make your choices.

Go to www.ftc.gov/realestate for more information about buying a home and a glossary of real estate terms. The FTC works to ensure a competitive marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid fraudulent, deceptive, and anticompetitive business practices. To file a complaint or to get information on many more consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov, or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (342-4357).

The core of this dream is based on owning a home. Since your house is likely to be the largest financial obligation you’ll ever have, mortgages were created to assist you in paying for it. A mortgage loan is simply a long-term loan given by a bank or other lending institution that is secured by a specific piece of real estate. If you fail to make timely payments, the lender can repossess the property.

Because houses tend to be expensive - as are the loans to pay for them - banks allow you to repay them over extended periods of time, known as the “term”. Terms can range anywhere from between 10 to 30 years. Shorter terms may have lower interest rates than their comparable long-term brothers. However, longer-term loans may offer the advantage of having lower monthly payments, because you’re taking more time to pay off the debt.

In the old days, a nearby savings and loan might lend you money to purchase your home if it had enough cash lying around from its deposits. Nowadays, the money for home loans primarily comes from three major institutions: The Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae; the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (known as Freddie Mac); and the Government National Mortgage Association (known as Ginnie Mae). The bank that holds your loan is responsible primarily for “servicing” it.

When you have a mortgage loan, your monthly payment will generally include the following:

• An amount for the principal amount of the balance
• An amount for interest owed on that balance
• Real estate taxes
• Homeowner’s insurance

Home mortgage interest rates come in several varieties. With a “fixed rate mortgage loan,” the rate and your monthly payment remains the same for the life of the loan. With an “adjustable rate mortgage loan,” the interest rate changes based on a specified index. As a result, your monthly payment amount will fluctuate.

Mortgage loans come in a variety of types, including conventional, non-conventional, fixed and variable-rate, home equity loans, interest-only and reverse mortgages. If you haven’t aready, apply for a loan online now!

When you purchased your home, chances are you took out a home loan and your lender took a security interest in the property. In the event that you cannot make your mortgage payments, this security interest gives your lender the right to foreclose–auction off your house and keep the proceeds in order to recover its investment. And, if your property cannot be sold for what is owed, a deficiency judgment could be pursued against you. Both a foreclosure and a deficiency judgment could seriously affect your ability to qualify for credit in the future.

If you are facing the possibility of foreclosure, you know how frightening this situation can be. But now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to explore your options. But before we do that, take a moment to answer these questions.

• Are you unable to make your house payments because of a temporary financial setback?

  or

• Are your mortgage payments too much for you to handle, even in good times?

If your situation is temporary, there are things you can do to ward off foreclosure and get back on your feet. On the other hand, if you’re in over your head you need to acknowledge that fact and realize that giving up the house may be the best thing for you. That does not mean you should just sit back and let the foreclosure happen. But you should not try to hold on to it.

Only you know the answers to these important questions but our agents can help you decide what to do with the answers. Don’t delay, let us help you today.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The light at the end of the subprime tunnel seems a long way off, but some lenders are trying to get there without losing too many customers.

A flood of hybrid adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) comes up for reset this fall - peaking in October with more than $50 billion due, with more delinquencies than ever expected. Foreclosures could explode, which would hurt everyone on the food chain: Borrowers lose their homes; lenders lose their payments; local governments lose tax base; and neighborhoods lose resiliency.

Rather than head straight to foreclosure though, many lenders are finding ways to help troubled borrowers — although assistance is still less than universal.

"Servicers are beginning to understand that they’re better off renegotiating," said Bruce Dorpalen, director of housing development for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN), a non-profit community development group. Their average loss on a foreclosure for a lender is now $58,000, he said.

Lenders are beefing up mortgage mitigation departments and instructing staffs to offer more concessions, according to Vicki Vidal, Senior Director of Government Affairs for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Many of the concessions have been around for years, but they’re now getting more play.

The first is a simple forbearance. Lenders allow delinquent borrowers to repay arrears later.

Say a borrower has a one-time money drain, like a large hospital bill. If he’s $2,400 behind, the lender will accept an extra $200 a month for the next 12 months. Or, it can tack the $2,400 on the end of the loan, either as a one-time payment or as extra months of bills.

Forbearance is less useful for borrowers facing hybrid ARM resets. They may have fallen behind after their initial "teaser rates" expired, and their payments jumped. Forbearance can’t help because the new payments are simply unaffordable.

Lenders can modify the mortgage, however, by changing the loan’s length or its interest rate; they can even switch it to a fixed-rate loan from an ARM, all of which lower payments. Borrowers who’ve demonstrated good credit by keeping current with their bills during lower rate years are the likeliest candidates.

Another mitigation option is open only to delinquent borrowers with mortgages issued and insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). They may be eligible for partial claim payments, one-time payoffs from the FHA’s insurance fund that wipe out arrears.

Other foreclosure prevention options may help save borrowers’ credit, but they don’t keep them from losing their homes.

A deed in lieu of foreclosure has owners signing their deeds over to lenders, allowing them to walk away without obligation. You lose the house, but it doesn’t appear as a foreclosure on your credit report.

Lenders can also encourage "short sales," third-party transactions in which new buyers offer less than the mortgage debt in exchange for properties. The practice has been around, but whats new, according to Vidal, "is that companies are looking more closely at how deep they can go."

In the past, a substantial difference between the loan balance and the third-party offer would derail a short sale. But with prices falling and inventories growing, lenders are more willing to accept lower short-sale prices.

Even before emergency efforts are needed, lenders are taking new steps to keep borrowers out of trouble. Many are joining non-profit agencies, such as ACORN and NeighborWorks to reach out to risky borrowers.

Doug Robinson, a spokesman for NeighborWorks, said, "Lenders, like Countrywide in particular, have stepped up their borrower outreach efforts. They want to contact borrowers before the problem grows unsolvable."

Amy Schur, ACORN’s national campaign director, said her organization is working with 35 mortgage servicers on a home ownership preservation initiative. Partners include the biggest names in mortgage lending: Nationwide Investors Mortgage, Countrywide, Citibank, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase.

"it’s a case-by-case system where we all work very hard to get the best outcome for home owners," she said. In some cases, lenders have even forgiven arrears and just allowed borrowers to resume payments.

Counseling often focuses on lifestyle changes: helping a borrower figure out how to cut back on unnecessary or wasteful spending. That’s sometimes enough to free up sufficient cash for the mortgage payment.

Some lenders are even hiring employment specialists to find new jobs for clients, according to Vidal.

The biggest hurdle, however, is simple communication. According to NeighborWorks, nearly 50 percent of all owners of foreclosed properties never once talked to their lenders before losing their home. If they had, the outcomes may have been different.