Posts Tagged ‘Annual Percentage Rate’

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Refinance Home Loan – Dos and Don’ts

April 13th, 2010



Lending companies need your business. If you are taking out a refinance home loan, check out what your current mortgage company can offer. Do not get a new loan from them unless they can offer you lower interest rates. On top of this notice, observe cautionary tips to get yourself a better deal on your new loan.

Getting A Refinance Home Loan

It is not always profitable to get a new loan with the same company if they cannot offer lower interest rates and they charge you more fees for the second loan.

Before getting a contract with a new lending company, know the following:

1. Is the service transferable?

2. Will you be going through the set up process anew?

3. Will you be paying another fee?

4. When will the current company forward the additional payments toward your refinance home loan?

5. Can you expect savings after the fees and costs involved in the new loan?

Traps to Avoid With a Refinance Home Loan

1. Do not get a new loan from your current company if they cannot offer lower interest rates like the other company. They may offer you a mortgage equivalent to your old loan in addition to your new loan contract.

2. Never drop a low interest rate loan for a higher interest loan. Look at the Annual Percentage Rate of the new loan. This should be lower than the rates stipulated in the previous loan. Consider also the insurance costs, closing cost, and other fees charged upfront. A lower monthly payment should not be enough enticement to get a refinance.

3. Avoid the offers of very low interest rates as these will balloon later to rates you cannot afford. Steer clear of variable rates that may sound attractive for the low interest rates charged during the early part of the loan.

4. Don’t fall for tax advantages offered for debt consolidation purposes. Review your personal tax position and analyze how this will be affected. Unless you diligently itemize your deductions, the tax write-off for your mortgage interest is useless.

5. Avoid spurious lending companies. You will know them by the suspiciously low rates they offer.

6. Don’t forget that you have three days to cancel your loan. This offers you the chance to get out of a loan that is disadvantageous to you. It is your house that is on the block, so be vigilant. Inform the lender that you have changed your mind before the deadline.

Payments to Prioritize If You Have A Refinance Home Loan

Be smart. Even if you have a refinance home loan to pay monthly, prioritize important payments to get yourself out of trouble.

Always be up to date with your Council Tax payments or you might end up in prison for this neglect. For your home and office, pay gas and electricity bills on time – suppliers can disconnect your lines anytime. If you are paying business rent and rates and insurance, give these your attention. When the tax month comes, pay your taxes diligently. Put your savings from your lower refinance home loan monthly payments towards your taxes without having to dig deeper into your funds.

Armed with these dos and don’ts you can check out the offers of the different lending companies.

By: Rony Walker

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Importance Of Interest Rate On Refinance Loans

March 9th, 2010



To simplify comparisons you should (on the many rates that may be thrown to you) concentrate on the APR. The Annual Percentage Rate will provide you with the best figure to know which loan is best for you. This figure takes into account not only the interest payable over the term of the loan but also any other related charges or fees. As such it’s the best measure for comparing the cost of borrowing from one lender to another.

Risk and Rate

Since refinance loans are secured loans, they carry rather low interest rates. However, your credit score will still modify the interest rate you’ll be charged for your loan. Thus, a good credit score applicant will get significantly lower interest rates than a bad one. Risk and rate are directly related and whenever you represent a higher risk, this is unavoidably translated into higher interest rates.

There are also other loan terms that modify the risk implied in the financial transaction and thus modify the interest rate you’ll have to pay for the refinance loan. Insurance, loan length, interest rate type, etc. are some examples of these terms. You can always discuss with the lender these subjects so as to get a competitive rate by modifying loan terms.

Different Loans, Different Rates

Different kinds of loans carry different rates. The interest rate charged for a 10 years home loan will be lower than the rate charged for a 20 years or 30 years home loan. Also, the interest rate charged for home loans with fixed rates tends to be higher than that of variable rate. However, variable rates can rise to new heights changing the original ratio.

Cash out refinance loans tend to carry higher rates than plain refinance loans. This is because the costs of cash out refinance loans include additional charges, more insurance, etc. It all adds up to the fact that the loan terms will determine the interest rate and that little variation on the loan terms can result in raises or reductions on the interest rate.

Huge Savings

Thus, the key to refinancing is to agree with the lender the loan terms in order to obtain a lower interest rate. This can be boosted by requesting a refinance home loan with a shorter loan length. The main benefit of refinancing is that by obtaining a lower interest rate you can get huge savings over the whole life of the loan.

For example: If you have an outstanding mortgage of $50,000 with 10 years more of repayment at an 8% APR, You’ll end up paying $40,000 on interests by the end of the loan term. If you refinance at a 7% APR, you’ll end up paying $35,000 on interests which represents savings of $5,000.

By: Kate Ross

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Home Mortgage Refinance Loan Costs – What You Can Reasonably Expect to Pay When Mortgage Refinancing

February 15th, 2010



If you are a homeowner considering mortgage refinancing, it is important to know what reasonable fees you can expect to pay. Comparison shopping for a home mortgage refinance loan will save you thousands of dollars if you know what reasonable rates and fees are. Here are several tips to help you avoid overpaying fees when taking out a home mortgage refinance loan.

Mortgage refinancing can save you thousands of dollars when done correctly. When comparison shopping for a home mortgage refinance loan, it is important to compare lender fees, closing costs, and interest rates using the Good Faith Estimate. Many financial advisors tell you to pick a mortgage based on the Annual Percentage Rate; however, the APR does not give you enough information to make an informed decision.

Home Mortgage Refinance Loan Origination Fees

Origination fees are paid to the Mortgage Company or broker that completes your home mortgage refinance loan. Your home mortgage refinance loan origination fees should not be higher than 1-1.5% for a home you live in. If you are refinancing an investment property you can expect your origination fees to run 2-2.5%.

Home Mortgage Refinance Loan Junk Fees

The next fee to locate on your Good Faith Estimate is the home mortgage refinance loan processing fee. Do not pay more than $400 for loan processing; anything more and the mortgage company is gouging you with the processing fee. Lastly, look for anything on the home mortgage refinance loan Good Faith Estimate that resembles a broker origination or courier fee, application fee, loan submission fee, or lock fees. These are mortgage company junk fees that you should never agree to pay.

You can learn more about home mortgage refinance loans and avoiding costly mistakes by registering for a free mortgage tutorial.

By: Louie Latour

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