Posts Tagged ‘Home Equity’

Home Equity Refinancing – VA Loan Refinancing

January 25th, 2010



Opting to go with a VA loan to refinance your home mortgage can be great for your budget. It is possible to get cash when you need it. If you need to consolidate your high interest debt or pay for a child’s tuition a VA loan can be beneficial.

VA refinancing loans can be great. If you need you can find cash in little to no time at all. It can be a great tool to utilize.

What a VA loan transaction requires is repayment of the estate debt. The loan must be for the same property and also the same borrower. What this is called is “Cash Out Refinance.” This “Cash Out Refinance” is considered the principle residence of the homeowner.

In general the rule for the owner is that their homes can be refinanced for up to 90% of its appraised value. However, this option is not available in every state so check whether you are in a state that offers this option. The closing cost must be at par with the ratio of the homes value.

It does not matter how long the home have been owned, it is not a requirement for this loan. However, the minimum requirement is that the homeowners pay the loan on time on a consistent basis.

Most often people are not aware whether their rates are adjustable. This is a big concern because most people budget their income to accommodate the payment that they currently have. Fixed VA loans are great because it allows the borrower to know exactly how much they need allow for their payments every month.

This however is up to the lender to decide. The other option would be the VA loan that with an adjustable rate. On average the interest on the loan is adjusted by 1% every year. The duration of this is usually around five years and would typically reach 5%.

The only person that knows what is best for you is yourself; never take the first offer that is given to you. It is a common mistake people make, jumping on the very first offer because they are worried or not exactly sure of what to do or what they can do.

Do some research and find a plan that best fits you and your situation. It is recommended to speak with a consultant and look at their calculations. Look at how differently you make have to make the payments, depending on whether you choose to go with an adjustable VA loan or a VA loan that has a fixed rate. Make sure you are absolutely comfortable with the plan that is offered.

Once you have the numbers, think whether you would be able and comfortable with your monthly payments and go from there.

By: Michael Petrone

California Cash Out Refinance Mortgage Loans

January 3rd, 2010



Are you looking to pull some extra cash from your home? If you’ve built up equity in your home then you can most likely refinance and get cash out when you need it.

With a new cash out refinance mortgage loan, you can turn your home equity into cash for just about any purpose.

Here’s how a cash out refinancing loan works. Let’s say your home is worth $300.000 and you still owe $200.000 on the existing mortgage. The difference of $100.000 is the home equity available to you.

It’s up to you to do whatever you want with the money from your home refinance. A good way to use it is to consolidate any high interest debt you might have. The interest rate on a cash out refinance loan can be as low as 6%, and you’ll get tax benefits too because the debt is part of your home mortgage.

In most cases, a California homeowner can refinance up to 100% of their home value. You may be able to keep your monthly payments the same or even lower them. The length of your loan payback period will determine your monthly payment amount.

Even if you have bad credit you can still qualify for a refinance loan, since your home is used as collateral. But don’t forget that you could wind up losing your home if don’t make your payments.

Cash out refinancing can be a smart thing to do. You can pay off debt, improve your home, pay for education, or even start a home business with the money you get from your home.

By: Frank W Ellis

Refinance Loans

January 2nd, 2010



The most common reason that people refinance is to save money, but there are many other reasons why you should refinance.

1. What about refinancing to lower payment on a current loan:

You may be able to refinance your current loan at a much lower interest rate thus reducing your loan payments monthly. With interest rates at their lowest in years, you might be able to find some lower rates – sometimes far much better than what you are currently paying for your mortgage. Refinancing your mortgage or loan when rates are down could save you lots of money over the life of your mortgage loan.

2. Refinancing and Consolidating Debts:

Some choose to consolidate debts and refinance to replace loans of high-interest with a low-rate loan. Most loans being consolidated and or refinanced may include higher student loans, home loans and those “bad” credit cards. So, by refinancing and consolidating you will clear all your current loans and replace them with one low monthly payment with a better interest rate. Example of this would be on a 3,000 loan some homeowners can save in excess of $60 a month which is a big saving. A debt consolidation loan is one of the best solutions for anyone who has several monthly payments. Refinance loans will allows you to repay your existing loans from the money of a new loan .

3. Refinancing to Reduce the life of the Loan:

Reducing the term or life of your loan can help you save money over the loan duration. Example might be refinancing from a 9-year loan to a 5-year loan will result in higher monthly payment, however your total of the payments made on the loan can be reduced significantly. Also keep in mind that by doing this you will be able to build up your home equity much faster. A refinance loan often will save you thousands in interest charges over the term of the loan.

4. Refinancing your Variable to Fixed Rates:

Some people will often refinance in order to change their loan from a variable rate to a fixed rate . This will help you to achieve stability and the security of a fixed loan. Your Fixed loans are most popular when interest rates are low, and variable rates tend to be more popular when rates on the higher side. Rates that are low will allow you to refinance to lock in the low rates. When rates are high, you might prefer the short term discounted variable rates on a loan to obtain a lower payment. One of the biggest benefits to refinancing is having the ability to lock a low interest rate for the life of your loan.

When considering to refinance you should carefully look at all of your options so that the savings you make by refinancing out weigh the costs and penalties. Most homeowners can refinance, but the point is to find a loan that will better the existing loan or mortgage.

By: Troy Francis