Homeowners today don’t give a second thought before refinancing their home loan every time interest rates fall. People while trying to refinance don’t wait to consider if it’s a good or a bad idea. Moreover they always fail to look at the bigger picture. Refinancing home loans is a common practice today and you need to look into each and every detail before you take out another mortgage loan. Before we go any further let us understand what refinancing means:
What is Refinancing?
The original loan secured by a buyer to buy a home is called a purchase-money loan while a refinance loan is taken by a borrower to pay off the amount of the original loan. In case of an individual who continuously refinances his loans every time there is a drop in the interest rates (also called as a Serial Refinancer), the new loan pays off the last loan amount.
Serial Refinancers often go about refinancing their mortgages again and again without realising the fact that every time they refinance, they not only keep on adding more principle toward the end of the loan but also extend the term of the loan.
Kinds of Refinancing
With proper study and research, refinancing home loans can become an easy task. It’s possible to take out a different kind of loan at the time you refinance but is very necessary to understand all that is involved (terms and conditions) in the new loan procedure before you apply for a change. Some common loan types are mentioned below:
Interest Only Mortgage.
Option ARM Mortgage.
Adjustable Rate Mortgage.
FHA Loans.
Reverse Mortgages
Drawbacks of Refinancing
Here are a few:
Costs
Are you paying a certain fees in order to obtain a new loan? Well, fee means money, money which you might not be able to recover through a low interest rate for around a couple of years. Relevant calculations are beyond the scope of this write-up. Go online to refer to specific details.
Longer Amortisation Period
Remember that if you refinance a 20 year long loan with 15 years remaining, with another 20 year loan, then you’ve just turned an original 20 year plan to a 25 year plan. You need to take care of such things!
Benefits of Refinancing
Here are a few:
Lower Monthly Payments
If you are someone who is not into planning too much into the future, refinancing may be a good option as it will insure lower monthly payments, i.e. greater monthly cash inflow.
Cash In Hand
Many people obtain cash so as to invest it for a higher rate than the current interest rate. Hop online to read detailed documents on the procedure of refinancing and make better decisions while getting home loans.
By: Michel Disusa
Posts Tagged ‘Mortgage Fha’
Refinancing Home Loans – An Introduction
April 18th, 2010Refinance FHA Home Loan – Refinancing FHA Loans Info!
January 15th, 2010
Are you looking for ways to save money in this tough economy? One of the first places to look is your mortgage payments if you owned a home. And if your mortgage in an FHA mortgage you may be able to save money with a Refinance FHA Home Loan.
First, an FHA loan is a loan that guarantees your lender that in case you default on your payments, the loan will be taken over by the Federal Housing Administration. In other words, your loan is guaranteed to be repaid and the lender has undertaken less of a risk.
It is not a government loan and no taxpayers’ money goes to fund the loan repayment. It is fully funded by the mortgage insurance premiums paid by the borrowers. It was created by congress in 1934 to provide a stimulus to the housing construction business. In that time it has been able to insure over 34 million home mortgages.
For most people the purchase of a home is the single biggest investment that they will make during their lifetime. Investments are made monthly in the form of mortgage payments and the capital builds in the form of equity.
After a few years there is an appreciable return on the investment and there may be reasons to Refinance FHA Home Loan for things such as college tuition or even a vacation to get away from it all. If you are still in the home as your principal residence you may have the option to Refinance FHA Home Loan.
Refinancing FHA loans have become very popular in the last couple if years because it is easy to do and the interest rates are at decades low. You can get
One of the most popular ways to Refinance FHA Home Loan is through a procedure referred to as cash out refinancing. If you own a home that has appreciated and the principal from your monthly payments has been allowed to accumulate you may own a lot more home than your present mortgage indicates. You would then Refinance FHA Home Loan for the current value and possibly at a lower interest rate. Your old mortgage would be paid off and you would be left with the new one and a cash settlement in your pocket.
If your original home loan is an FHA loan and is in good standing, and you do not want cash back you may be able to qualify for FHA streamlined refinancing. The advantage here is that your monthly payment is reduced so that you have extra cash on a reoccurring basis. Your loan payment time may be extended but there is a chance your interest rates may drop. Check with your loan officer to see if you qualify for streamlined refinancing and if there would be an advantage to you to do this.
Refinancing FHA loans is one of the best options to reduce your mortgage payments. You can get more information by clicking the links below. The ease and the lower interest rates are certainly good reasons to check to see if you can lower your mortgage payments with a Refinance FHA Home Loan!
By: Al Hardy
FHA Refinance Loans and Credit Scores
December 22nd, 2009
One of the current major headline topics concerning mortgage refinance is revolving around the continued tightening by lenders. In fact, underwriting guidelines have become more restrictive by the month in 2008, including credit score qualification standards. The change to tougher lender guidelines is stemming from our national credit liquidity crisis and the continued decline in housing prices. With increased risk on the lender’s part, they are requiring a much cleaner loan application to fund loans.
What many people refinancing do not know, is that the squeeze in home loan qualifications are related to prime conventional home loans. FHA refinancing on the other hand, is a bit different, and guidelines are aimed to help as many homeowners refinance as possible. In years past, one could refinance into a decent interest rate with a 600 credit score and possibly finance 95 percent to 100 percent of their home’s appraised value. Those days are unfortunately gone for homeowners that can really benefit by a current refinance, if they choose to go the prime conventional route for their new mortgage. Fortunately, for many not qualified under a conventional mortgage, FHA refinance loans are filling the void.
An FHA refinance is not credit score driven, but there is a proverbial catch. Most lenders that underwrite and fund FHA refinance loans will require a 580 mid FICO score for eligibility purposes. Now, let’s be honest here, a 580 credit score is a pretty low score for the benefits of FHA refinancing. One of the many FHA loan benefits relate to the low refinance rates qualified for those with low credit scores. FHA interest rates are pretty much in line with equivalent mortgage rates offered to those with excellent credit scores. This is a huge advantage for those with poor credit. Another big benefit relates to how much a homeowner can finance, relative to the value of their home. Most FHA lenders will allow up to a 97 percent loan-to-value ratio. That means if your home is valued at $150,000, you can refinance up to $145,500 and still get low competitive refinance rates. In fact, many borrowers with great credit scores are going the FHA refinance route, as they are finding that interest rates are lower with an FHA loan as compared to the equivalent high loan-to-value conventional loan.
What’s more is that an FHA underwriter will listen to a borrower’s story relating to blips on their credit report. They will accept letters of explanation and supporting documentation aimed toward issuing a loan approval. In a day when is seems that numbers alone dictate a home loan approval or denial, it’s refreshing to see a refinance program that is more directed toward people and their needs.
By: Jim Bisnett