How to Refinance a Mortgage

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.