Points can be confusing for anyone who isn’t a mortgage or lending expert. This is why most people overlook the option of paying points on their Ohio refinance loan. The problem is, they also miss out on the opportunity to save money over the life of their loan. The information below can help you determine whether or not you should pay points on your refinance.
What are Points?
There are two different types of points that can be paid with an Ohio refinance loan: origination points and discount points. Origination points are required to pay for part of the closing costs and are paid to the originating lender. Discount points are optional points that can be paid to lower your interest rate. One point is equal to one percent of the loan. Paying these points does not change the amount you borrow, but it does buy down the rate used to calculate your monthly mortgage payments.
Reasons to Pay Points
If you have the money to pay discount points, there is no good reason not to do it. Interest rates on 30-year Ohio home refinance loans currently average 5.77 percent. For each point you pay, you lower your interest rate by approximately a quarter of an interest point. If you would be paying 5.77 percent, paying 2 discount points can lower your interest rate to 5.27 percent. This will in turn lower your monthly payments, as well as the total cost of the loan.
Reasons Not to Pay Points
If you don’t plan on keeping your home for much longer, paying points on your Ohio refinance loan can be a serious waste of money. Points come with an initial upfront cost. You will need to stay in the home for a certain amount of time for the interest savings to be worthwhile.
By: Jane A. Hale
Posts Tagged ‘Closing Costs’
Ohio Refinance Loans – Should You Pay Points on Your Refinance?
March 26th, 2010Refinance Loan – What Are The Necessary Documents To Refinance
March 12th, 2010
The decision to refinance your home should be based on whether you will be in a better financial position because of the refinance than before it. This is not always straight forward to work out. If, for example, you can roll the debt from a high interest credit card into the new refinance, you may be paying more on your mortgage than before the refinance. However, this will be off set by the savings you make on having paid off the high interest credit card. A refinance loan is like any other loan, or even your first mortgage, in terms of the documents you will need for the application to run smoothly and be successful. This article will discuss the documents necessary to refinance.
The aim of the documents you provide for a home refinance application are to prove your current financial situation and the relevant information about your existing mortgage.
Thus you will have to provide your credit history and credit score. You will not have to physically provide these reports, as the lender or broker will request the reports from the major credit reporting companies. They will probably add the associated costs to the fees or closing costs of the refinance.
You will also have to show your pay slips and bank statements for the past couple of months. You will have to give details of your employment and have to provide your last tax return.
In terms of the existing mortgage, you will have to get a current appraisal of your home. This will establish the current value of the property (the cost of the appraisal will be added to the processing fees).
You will also have to provide the current amount that is outstanding on the existing mortgage. You will have to provide the current interest rate and the terms and conditions of the mortgage.
All these documents are to establish that you can afford the refinance based on your current financial situation. They are needed by the lender to assess your case in terms of risk. It covers the lending institution (and you) should the circumstances change in the economy. These are the documents that have to be provided for a standard refinance product, however there are other products that do not require this type of scrutiny but you often have to pay for this with higher interest rates or stricter terms and conditions.
By: Adrian Whittle
Refinance Mortgage Loan – Shorten Your Loan Term
March 7th, 2010
A 15-year loan term has many advantages, although it may appear to be expensive because of the higher monthly amortization. However, a shorter loan term assures you that you’ll be free from this burden before or at the time of retirement and save thousands of dollars. Consider having your loan restructured to a shorter loan term.
Benefits of a Shorter Loan Term
The prospect of spending 30 years paying back a mortgage is discouraging. If you have 20 years remaining on your loan, the option to shorten your loan term to 15 can be tempting. Taking away 5 years from a 20-year loan means a higher monthly bill, but freedom from the mortgage after 15 years instead of 20 is definitely more appealing. But if it’s only a matter of a few hundred dollars more, why not? Never mind if you’ll be paying a higher monthly bill.
You’ll be saving thousands of dollars from interests alone with the five years knocked off from the 20-year loan term. Another benefit is building your home equity faster. A refinance mortgage loan offers the chance to restructure your terms.
What’s Involved
For a home mortgage, the lender will pull your credit record to check if you’ve been paying your debts on time. You’ll also be paying the fees involved before, during, and after your loan is processed.
The lender will assess all the information to evaluate if you are a good risk for a shorter loan term. If you’re dealing with the same lender, the process won’t be as rigorous and as lengthy like it would be if you go to a new lender.
It’s a fact that lenders prefer long-term mortgages because it rakes in more profits. To counter loss in future profits, lenders penalize borrowers for paying their mortgage ahead of term. This is why prospective borrowers should always inquire if the lender charges prepayment penalties.
Assuming that your lender does not charge penalties on prepayment, you have to contend instead with the closing costs for your refinance mortgage loan.
Others get a refinance mortgage loan to switch to a short term interest only loan. They are banking on the equity of the house and intend to sell it in the near future. The proceeds of the sale will go to the interest and they can still have extra money from the profit. In your case, you’re looking at the full ownership of your home in a shorter time.
For a new loan, you can decide if you want a fixed rate mortgage or an ARM. An online calculator can compute how much you’re going to pay the monthly bill in 15 years’ time. From the calculations, you’ll be able to determine the feasibility of a short term ARM or fixed rate refinance mortgage loan.
Short Term or Long Term?
A short term, or traditional loan, will always depend on your financial situation and future plans. A short-term refi is ideal now that interest rates are low. You’ll be surprised that you’ll be paying the same monthly fee as your first mortgage, so there’s not much of a change in the monthly bills. The prospect of paying off your loan in 15 years, however, is imminent. For those who feel secure with the stability of the traditional 30-year loan term, switching from an ARM to a fixed rate refinance mortgage loan is recommended.
By: Rony Walker