A mortgage is a loan that is taken for buying a house or a property by using the same property as collateral. Home mortgages are very common in many countries, and are generally used for buying a house. Taking a mortgage allows the borrower to defer the payment of the house for a few years. The borrower has to pay a part of the principal and some amount as interest every month to the lender. Home mortgage refinancing is an option where the borrower exchanges one loan for another. He can sell off the loan, or a part of the loan, and take another loan at a lower rate of interest. This is an effective way to reduce the burden from existing loans.
Home mortgage refinancing is ideal when the current interest rates are lower than the rate of interest on the existing loan. With increasing real estate prices and more options for mortgage loans at lower prices, refinancing is increasingly being considered as an option by many borrowers. There are several advantages to home mortgage refinance loans apart from the lower interest rates: lower monthly payments, conversion of an adjustable rate mortgage into a fixed rate mortgage or a long-term mortgage into a short-term mortgage, consolidation of debt and generation of additional cash that can be used for home improvement, which would increase the value of the house. With refinancing, the borrower can save hundreds of dollars every month.
Refinancing can be ideally considered when the current interest rates are at least 2% less than the rates on the loan. However, even a 1% difference can mean significant savings. There are certain aspects to be contemplated while considering home mortgage refinancing: the value of the house may actually come down, instead of going up, thus making repayment difficult; there could be additional costs of refinancing; or you may have to move out of the house sooner than expected. Home mortgage refinance costs include application costs, appraisal costs, and legal fees. Nevertheless, with increasing competition, most lenders are offering low-cost and no-cost refinance options for home mortgages. However, waiver of these costs may mean accepting a slightly higher interest rate.
Home mortgage refinance loan rates are different in different states and range between 5.875% and 6.375% or higher, depending on the kind of loan.
By: Marcus Peterson
Posts Tagged ‘Fixed Rate Mortgage’
Refinance Loan Financial Solutions
February 28th, 2010
Before finalizing on any particular Refinance loan it is important to have a clear financial objective in mind. This means that you have to learn about everything from when you should refinance to how you can increase the value of your home. All these things will make you more aware and confident to choose the most appropriate loan. Ultimately, the decision is up to you to decide which the best refinance loan option for you.
There are multiple ways with which you can opt for your refinance loan. These are -
Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) to a fixed rate Mortgage
This means that if you have an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), it may adjust to a rate that is higher than a fixed-rate mortgage. If the situation is unsuitable then it might be an excellent time to consider refinancing to a fixed-rate loan.
It is essential for everyone that before taking any refinance loan to consider the amount of time he or she plans on being in his or her home. If one is just going to be in the said home for a few more years, it may make sense not to refinance out of your ARM. If one is going to stay in there for a long period of time (at least seven years), then it might be a smart move to refinance to a fixed-rate mortgage.
Fixed Rate Mortgage to an ARM
You have to first decide how long you plan on being in your home. Many people move within nine years so it becomes meaningless to pay a higher interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage because you’re not going to stay in the home that long. Doing so may be costing you more money than you can afford. Consider refinancing to an ARM instead – you’ll get a lower rate and lower your monthly mortgage payment.
Easy ways to reduce your monthly payment with a refinance loan -
-You can simply refinance to a lower interest rate. A lower rate generally means a lower monthly payment.
- By changing the term of your mortgage you can reduce your monthly payment. For example, if you take a 20-year mortgage, you can lengthen the term to 40 years.
- Although, if you have a 40-year mortgage and one of your financial goals is long-term savings, you may want to consider shortening your term to 25 or even 20 years. Your payment will be higher, but you will pay much less in interest over the life of the loan, saving you thousands of dollars in the long run.
- You can always refinance to an interest-only loan.
For most people who want to save or reduce monthly payments there is also the option of interest only loan. This kind of refinance loan is very popular, easy to manage and useful. An interest-only loan gives you the option of paying just the interest and as much principal as you want in any given month.
Refinancing to an interest-only loan is a good choice for anyone looking to make his or her money work harder for him or her. Here one can get the opportunity to use the money saved from the refinance loan for another purpose.
-One can pay down high-interest credit card debt
-Save it for your children’s college tuition.
-You can buy a car for your family.
-Use it for your home improvement
By: Martin Lukac
Cash Out Refinance Loans At 16-Year High
February 9th, 2010
Homeowners continue to prefer cash out refinance loans to other forms of borrowing. Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, says,
“Mortgage borrowers continue to refinance their mortgages at a higher frequency than historically would have occurred given the rise in mortgage rates over this year. But the wide proliferation of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) originated in the past few years that are nearing their first interest-rate adjustment provides borrowers an incentive to refinance into a lower-cost ARM or fixed-rate mortgage. In addition, borrowers who might have considered a prime rate home equity loan for a home improvement or other need are turning to cash out refinance options now that the prime rate is above 8 percent.”
Beyond just converting an adjustable-rate loan to a fixed-rate loan, borrowers are also cashing out their equity. Almost 90 percent of Freddie Mac refinance loans are for amounts at least 5 percent higher than the original mortgage. The most recent Cash Out Refinance Report from the mortgage giant shows that homes refinanced during the third quarter of 2006 had experienced a median price appreciation of 33 percent since the original loan was made. The median age of the original loan was 3.4 years.
It is this accrued equity that homeowners are tapping into to pay off high-interest credit cards, to fund home improvement projects, or to finance their children’s college education. An added benefit is that interest paid on a mortgage is tax deductible (usually up to $100,000 for taxpayers filing jointly).
Since a cash out refinance loan results in a new mortgage, it incurs closing costs, filing and legal fees, and other expenses that can add up to thousands of dollars. This makes refinancing unwise for people planning to move in the next few years as they will not have time to recoup their refinancing costs.
Bad Credit Refinancing
For borrowers with less than perfect credit, a refinance loan is the smartest way to get needed cash. Bad credit usually means a FICO score below 620. This FICO number reflects credit-worthiness based on borrowing habits, payment history and other financial factors. Creditors use it when deciding whether to make a loan and what interest rate to charge. The lower the credit score, the higher the risk for the lender. But since a refinance loan is secured by real property, the risk is minimized and the interest rate is better.
According to Steven Frank, Senior Vice President at FlexPoint Funding,
“A ‘subprime’ borrower can expect to pay between 1.5 percent and 2 percent higher interest for a mortgage, but there is no shortage of money in the subprime loan market. Most subprime borrowers won’t qualify for a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit. They will have to refinance their first mortgage if they want to cash out some of their equity. Depending on their personal situation, a homeowner may be able to borrow up to 95 percent LTV (loan to value). More likely, it will be in the 80 percent range.”
You can learn more about bad credit refinancing and get a free loan quote at sites like Simple Mortgage Refinancing [http://www.simple-mortgage-refinancing.com] and Bad Credit Mortgage Refinancing Now.
By: Mike Hamel