Americans in recent years, seeking to get benefited by low rates of interest, have assembled to refinance mortgages. According to the US Mortgage Bankers Association, in 2003, refinancing was very high, and it remained high in the year 2004 and 2005.
It is true that refinancing helps you to reduce the costs that are linked with borrowing money in order to have a home; however, it’s not essentially a strategy which is sensible for every person in every circumstance. Thus, before making a commitment for refinancing your mortgage, it is very important to complete your homework and decide if this is the right move for you.
According to an old rule of thumb, a refinance simply seems sensible if you can decrease your rate of interest by a minimum of two percentage points, lowering it from 9% to 7% for instance. It is very important to ensure that you are comfortable with and understand the time taken for all of your savings in order to pay for the refinancing cost.
Making a mistake to choose a mortgage based on the agreed annual percentage rate (APR) only, can be disastrous because a variety of other key variables are there that should be considered, such as:
The mortgage terms – The terms of the mortgage describe the time taken to pay off principal amount of the loan and the interest. Though short-term mortgages normally offer interest rates that are lower than the long-term mortgages, they typically require higher monthly payments. Conversely, they can bring about a significant reduction in the interest costs in due course.
The variability of the rate of interest – Basically, mortgages are of two types: the first type includes the ones in which the interest rates are fixed and the other type comprises the ones in which the interest rates vary. In case of variable interest rates, after the expiry of the predetermined amount of time which could be one or five years, the rate of interest changes. Although usually, an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) offers an introductory rate which is lower than a mortgage with fixed-rate having a similar term; the ARM’s rate might go up in the future with the rise in the rates of interest. Opting for the security and predictability of an unchangeable rate would be sensible for a person who plans to stay in his/her house for long, whereas an ARM may seem right when planning to put the house for sale before allowing its rate to go up.
Points – Points are also called “discount fees” or “origination fees”. Points are the amount which you give to a broker or lender at the time of closing your deal. Although a “zero points” or “no-cost” mortgage doesn’t carry the up-front fee, it could turn out to be pricier if rate of interest charged by the lender is higher. Therefore, you will be required to find out whether savings from a rate which is lower justify the additional costs of disbursing points.
(One point is equivalent to one percent of the value of the loan.)
Lastly, remember that your present lender might make refinancing cheaper and easier for you than a new lender, as it is probable that your present lender already has all of your financial information at hand, reducing the resources and time that are essential for processing your application. In order to make an intelligent decision, you will have to consider a number of possibilities.