Mortgage Refinance Guide

If you are in the process of refinancing and are considering interest only mortgages, there are several things you should know to reduce your risk. Interest only mortgages are suitable for homeowners that need a low monthly payment for a short period of time; however, these loans are often abused by people who don’t understand how they work. Here are a several tips to help you decide if refinancing with interest only mortgages is right for you.

Adjustable Rate Mortgages 101

Interest only mortgages are a type of Adjustable Rate Mortgage. These loans are called “adjustable” because the lender periodically changes the interest rate to the loan’s index plus their margin. Adjustable Rate Mortgages are based on a number of different indexes ranging from the Federal T-bills to the London Interbank Offered Rate Index. The index that your interest only mortgage is tied to will be specified in your loan contract. Margin is your lender’s markup of the index for a profit; the amount of margin on your loan is determined by your credit and the lender you have chosen. When shopping for any Adjustable Rate Mortgage it is important to compare the margin from one lender to the next because this markup has an impact on your monthly payment amount.

Interest Only Adjustable Rate Mortgages

Interest only mortgages are a special type of Adjustable Rate Mortgage where your payment amount in the beginning is based only on the amount of interest due that month. Because you’re only paying the interest due, during the interest-only period you will not pay down any of your loan balance. What many homeowners don’t realize is that the interest only period does not last forever. Eventually the lender is going to want their money back and when this happens your mortgage payments will go up.

The length of your interest-only period is specified in your loan contract and typically lasts for up to five years. When the lender resets your loan you will have a mortgage payment amortized for the time remaining in your loan contract. Suppose for example that you take out a 30 year, interest only adjustable rate mortgage with a 5 year interest only period. At the end of the interest only period your payments will be based on a repayment period of 25 years. This means your payments will be much higher than a standard 30 year, adjustable rate mortgage.

As long as your budget can support the new, higher payment amount you shouldn’t have a problem when the lender resets your mortgage. Payment shock occurs for homeowners who are not expecting the higher payment because they don’t understand how interest only mortgages work and their budgets cannot support the payments. If you find yourself in this situation you could be facing foreclosure in as little as 120 days if your mortgage payment becomes too much to manage.

Refinancing as an Option

At the end of your interest only period you do have the option of refinancing before your payments go up. By choosing another interest only mortgage or opting for a less risky hybrid adjustable rate mortgage you can minimize your risks of payment shock while taking advantage of the lower rates offered by interest only mortgages.

You can learn more about your mortgage refinancing options, including strategies for minimizing your risk and avoiding lender junk fees by registering for a free video tutorial. These videos were produced by a retired mortgage broker and will show you how to refinance with a wholesale mortgage rate without paying too much. Click here to register for your free mortgage videos.

Many homeowners have a difficult time choosing which type of loan is best when refinancing their homes. Taking out a new 30 year fixed rate cookie cutter mortgage every time you refinance may not be the best move for your situation. Here are several tips to help you make sense of the different mortgage products available and choose the right loan for your situation.

How Long Do You Plan on Keeping Your Home?

The first question you need to answer when deciding to refinance is how long you plan on keeping your home. Because there are expenses involved when taking out a new mortgage loan you will need time to recoup this money. If you sell your home prior to recouping this expense you will lose money by taking out a new loan. You can easily determine your breakeven point by dividing the amount you will pay in fees and closings costs by how much lower your monthly payment will be. This will tell you the number of months it will take to recoup your refinancing expenses with the lower payment amount.

What Interest Rate And Term Length Should You Choose?

Choosing a 30 year fixed rate loan when refinancing is not a good idea for most homeowners. Refinancing your mortgage with a 15 year loan allows you to build equity in your home at a much faster rate. Choosing an adjustable rate loan could allow you to take advantage of lower mortgage rates. Mortgage interest rates are still very low; however, you should weigh your tolerance for financial risk before choosing a mortgage with a variable interest rate.

What Are Your Objectives For The New Mortgage Loan?

Do you need a loan with the lowest possible payment or would you like to pay the mortgage off as quickly as possible? If you can tolerate a fair amount of financial risk and need the lowest possible payment an interest only adjustable rate mortgage could be right for you. Interest only mortgages have payments based only on the amount of interest due in a given month; however, these mortgages do not remain interest only forever. At the end of the interest only period your lender will recast your loan to a standard Adjustable Rate Mortgage amortized for the time remaining in your loan term

Amortized? What Does That Mean?

Amortization is just a fancy word for describing how your mortgage balance is paid down over time. Mortgage loans are front loaded with interest so at the beginning of your loan the majority of your mortgage payment is applied to the finance charges. Over time this reverses as the interest is paid down and more of your payment is applied to the loan balance. Because mortgage loans are front loaded in this manner it is best for you to find the lowest rate possible when refinancing. You can do this by avoiding broker markup of your mortgage rate and other garbage fees.

You can learn more about how to refinance a mortgage by registering for our free video tutorial. The videos are yours free and will show you how to save thousands of dollars refinancing your home with a wholesale mortgage rate while avoiding garbage fees.

If you used an adjustable rate mortgage to purchase your home or are considering refinancing your existing loan with an Adjustable Rate Mortgage, there are several things you need to know to protect yourself from economic uncertainty. Many homeowners view Adjustable Rate Mortgages as an unnecessary financial risk and avoid them completely. Here are several tips to help you make an informed decision as to which type of loan is right for you before refinancing your home mortgage.

While it’s true that no one can predict or control mortgage interest rates there are steps you can take to protect yourself from uncertain times. This is true if you already have a mortgage with an adjustable interest rate or need to refinance with one to get the lowest possible payment amount.

Many homeowners initially choose Adjustable Rate Mortgages because they need the lowest possible payment. Problems generally arise when the lender begins resetting the loan and the interest rate and payment amount go up. When using an Adjustable Rate Mortgage you always run the risk of payment shock after your loan resets. Payment shock is the risk of waking up one day to find that your loan has reset and the new payment amount is now several hundred dollars higher.

If you are concerned that payment shock could happen with your existing Adjustable Rate Mortgage or the new loan you are considering, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. This allows you to take advantage of the lower introductory mortgage rate while limiting your risk of experiencing payment shock.

Understanding Teaser Rates

Teaser mortgage rates are frequently used as a marketing tactic to attract borrowers. While teaser rates are not necessarily a bad thing as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into, it is important to understand that the teaser rate is not your contract rate. Your contract mortgage rate is the initial interest rate your loan is based on once the teaser expires. When the teaser expires your payment will go up based on this contract interest rate.

Some teaser rates are only valid for 30 or 60 days while others may last for as long as six months. Homeowners who don’t understand how teasers work often find themselves in trouble when the lender resets their loans to this contract mortgage rate. After your teaser expires your loan should remain at the initial contracted rate until your first regularly scheduled reset.

Protecting Yourself When Refinancing

Hybrid Adjustable Rate Mortgages are a special type of mortgage loan that combines the savings of an adjustable rate loan with the stability of a fixed rate mortgage. Hybrid mortgages offer an initial fixed rate period that lasts anywhere from three to ten years and may include an unusually low teaser rate. During this initial period your mortgage rate remains fixed and the payment will not go up. Mortgage rates on hybrid loans are typically lower than traditional 30-year, fixed rate loans without the risk of a standard, Adjustable Rate Mortgage loan.

Homeowners who financed their homes with ultra risky interest-only or option Adjustable Rate Mortgages can take advantage of the Hybrid loan’s fixed rate period to avoid their lenders reset without taking a large jump in their payment amount refinancing with a conventional fixed-rate mortgage loan.

Are All Indexes Created Equal?

Many homeowners obsess over the index their Adjustable Rate Mortgage is based. Every Adjustable Rate Mortgage and Hybrid loan is tied to a financial index that the mortgage interest rate is based on. While it is true that some indexes can experience more volatility than others there isn’t necessarily one index that is better than the others. Common indexes include the Treasure one, two, and three year indexes, the Bank Prime Rate, and the LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate).

Many homeowners are surprised to find their mortgages tied to the LIBOR Index; however, the LIBOR is popular because many lenders that sell their loans to European investors. The bottom line when choosing an index for your Adjustable Rate or Hybrid mortgage is that there is no “best” index; you should concentrate on making your decision based on loan terms and interest rates rather than worrying about which index you are getting when shopping for an Adjustable Rate Mortgage.

What About Loan Caps?

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If you are in the market to refinance your mortgage there are several expensive pitfall you’ll want to avoid. Mortgage refinancing can save you thousands of dollars if you go about it the right way. Here are several tips to help you refinance your mortgage without paying too much to your broker or lender. Finding the right lender makes the difference between getting a great mortgage loan and making an expensive mistake. There are several types of lenders you can choose from when refinancing. You have the option of refinancing your mortgage with your bank or credit union, a mortgage broker, internet lender, or a broker-bank.

Types of Mortgage Lenders

Each type of mortgage lender has advantages and disadvantages. Refinancing your mortgage with a bank or credit union can be a fast and convenient method of securing a new mortgage; however, if you refinance with your bank you’re guaranteed to overpay for that loan. The reason for this is that your bank is exempt from the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act; this legislation protects homeowners in the United States from abusive lending practices by requiring lenders to disclose their markup and profit margin on your loan.

The Banking Lobby spent millions of dollars ensuring that your Bank doesn’t have to play by the rules. Banks routinely markup mortgage interest rates to boost their profits when the loan is sold to investors on the secondary market. This markup of your mortgage interest rate is called Service Release Premium and because the bank is exempt from the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the bank is the only one that will ever know how much you’re being overcharged.

Never refinance your home mortgage with a bank or a broker-bank. Broker-banks are simply banks pretending to be mortgage brokers. How can you tell if the company you’re considering for mortgage refinancing is really a bank or broker-bank? Ask your loan representative if they close in the name of their own company or the name of the wholesale lender. If the answer is that your mortgage is closed in the broker or mortgage company’s name you’re actually dealing with a bank pretending to be a mortgage broker.

Refinancing With a Mortgage Broker

Mortgage brokers have the advantage of accessing wholesale interest rates for their customers. The problem with refinancing your mortgage with a mortgage broker is that these individuals are paid by commission and the more they mark up that wholesale interest rate the higher their commission will be. The difference between the wholesale mortgage rate your lender approves you and the rate you close with is called Yield Spread Premium.

Avoid Yield Spread Premium and Get a Wholesale Mortgage Rate

Homeowners who learn to recognize the unnecessary markup of their mortgage interest rate can refinance with wholesale rates and save thousands of dollars. This is true if you are refinancing with a local mortgage broker or one you contact on the Internet. Because you’re already paying a perfectly reasonable origination fee for the broker services, any amount of Yield Spread Premium charged by the broker is not only unnecessary but is completely taking advantage of you.

Be Careful With Internet Mortgage Sites

You might be tempted to visit one of the big mortgage sites you see advertising on television like Lending Tree. Many homeowners are surprised to discover that sites like Lending Tree have absolutely nothing to do with mortgages and make money by selling leads to lenders and brokers. While there’s nothing wrong with sites involved with lead generation, RefiAdvisor for example is funded by lead generation, sites like Lending Tree take advantage of their users by charging them a ridiculous “Computerized Loan Origination Fee.”

If you visit Lending Tree’s website and click on their “Licenses & Disclosure Statement” you’ll find that lending tree receives a fee of up to $1,300 for their part in “arranging” your loan. This fee appears on your Good Faith Estimate and you’ll be required to pay it when closing on your loan. What does lending tree do for $1,300? Aside from collecting your personal information and selling it to the highest bidders in their network, Lending Tree does absolutely nothing.

You can learn more mortgage refinancing tips to help save you money and avoid being taken advantage of by your lender with my free mortgage toolkit. You can get started today free with no obligation by registering using the link at the top of this page.

Most homeowners focus solely on finding the lowest mortgage rate when refinancing their home loans. While qualifying for the lowest refinancing mortgage rate will get you a lower payment and save you money, there are a number of other fees you should not overlook. Here are several tips to help you get the best refinancing mortgage rate without overpaying lender junk fees.

If you are looking at refinancing mortgage rates online, you’ll want to be careful to avoid computerized loan origination fees. This fee is often tacked onto your loan by the mortgage website you visited to fill out a contact form. The most notorious example of the computerized loan origination fee gone wrong is Lending Tree.

When Lenders Compete, You Lose

Mortgage lead generation sites like lending tree actually have nothing to do with mortgage loans whatsoever. Surprising? These websites have huge advertising budgets and put up a flashy website to trick homeowners into filling out their contact forms without reading the fine print. Check out the fine print on Lending Tree’s website; you’ll find it under Licenses and Disclosures.

Read this disclosure statement carefully and you’ll find that Lending Tree receives a fee of up to $1,300 for their part in “arranging” your loan. Lending Tree simply sells your information to the highest bidder on it’s “network” of mortgage lenders and collects their fee. This is a fee that appears on your Good Faith Estimate and is paid out of your pocket just because you filled out a contact form on Lending Tree’s website. The bottom line when shopping for the lowest refinancing mortgage rate online is to always read the fine print.

Avoiding YSP Can Get You A Wholesale Mortgage Rate

Another problem with finding the best refinancing mortgage rate is that most homeowners don’t know their interest rate has been marked up to give the broker a commission. Mortgage loans are considered retail products and the interest rate is what makes your mortgage “retail.” When you were approved for your refinancing mortgage rate your loan originator was given a specific interest rate for your loan; however, this person overcharges you to get a bonus form that lender.

That’s right, for every quarter percent you agree to overpay for your refinancing mortgage rate, that person gets a bonus of one percent of your mortgage amount from the lender. This bonus is paid in addition to the fees you’re already paying for their services. How can you avoid this ridiculous markup of your refinancing mortgage rate?

The difference between the refinancing mortgage rate you were approved and the one you close with is called Yield Spread Premium or YSP. If you’re upfront with your mortgage broker when comparison shopping and tell them you understand how YSP works and will not tolerate this lender paid compensation, you can negotiate for a wholesale interest rate. You can learn more about finding the perfect refinancing mortgage rate without paying lender junk fees with our free mortgage toolkit. Sign up today by clicking the DVD image at the top of this page.