How to Refinance a Mortgage

If you’re considering a “no cost” or “no fee” mortgage loan for your home loan there are several things you need to know about these loans to avoid paying too much. Whenever lenders talk about “no fee” mortgage loans they are always trading off a higher mortgage rate in exchange for lender fees paid at closing. Here are several tips to help you avoid falling for the “no closing cost” lie with your home mortgage loan.

What are no cost mortgage loans? No closing costs loans are simply a gimmick to get your business. There will always be third party closing costs that cannot be waived…if your lender is “waiving” these costs they may be paying them for you; however, they will mark up your mortgage rate to cover the cost.

When you take out a mortgage the person arranging your loan typically slips .50 to .75 percent markup of your interest rate to get a commission. If you take out a no cost mortgage you will have this markup plus as much as a full point markup from the lender. This higher mortgage interest rate can result in paying hundreds of dollars extra each month that you keep the loan. This is true of both the mortgage lenders and banks you see offering “no closing cost mortgages” as well as the “flat fee” loans.

Suppose you take out a $350,000 mortgage to purchase your home. The mortgage rate you qualify for paying your closing costs is 6%; however you elect to take a 6.75% mortgage to avoid paying closing costs. Your monthly mortgage payment at 6.75% on a 30 year fixed rate loan will be $2,270 per month. If you paid the closing costs upfront your monthly payment at 6% would have only been $2098. That’s an extra $2,064 you’ll pay every year you keep the loan.

In five years this “no fee” mortgage has cost you a whopping $10,320…money you’d still have in your pocket had you elected to pay your closing costs up front. You can learn more about saving money on you home loan while avoiding unnecessary markup of your mortgage rate and garbage fees with my free video tutorial.