Best Fixed Rate Mortgage

Home Loan Interest Rates

Best Mortgages — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:13:33 +0000

About Home Loan Interest Rates
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage
Thinking of buying or building that perfect home? Before you sign on the dotted line some research into home loan interest rates will be needed. This will give you a much better chance of obtaining some interest rate savings.

To begin finding the best home loan interest rates you will want to study the current rates and rate movements or trends. Home loan interest rates generally reflect the over all picture of interest rates. They basically will follow Wall Street Securities with their rise and fall.

Home loan interest rates combined with your individual financial status would then determine how much you can borrow. This would have an impact on how much house you can buy. Higher interest rates would mean you may have to settle for a bit smaller home than you originally had planned.

One of the things that you may consider to lower home loan interest rates is to consider if you are willing to pay points or not. A point is 1% of the total loan amount. It is the up front fee that would reduce your monthly interest rate and the total amount of interest over the length of the loan. By paying points you are essentially buying your way to a better rate and trading between paying now vs. paying later. Paying points should only be considered if you plan on keeping the loan for at least four years. The reason this is suggested is gives you time to get back the upfront money with the lower monthly payments.

Another factor to consider in regards to home loan interest rates length of loan. A typical 30 year mortgage will have a higher interest rate than that of a 15 year mortgage. The 30 year mortgage will have lower monthly payments but you would pay thousands of dollars more in interest rates over the life of the loan than that of a 15 year mortgage.

Also a higher down payment would have a positive effect on home loan interest rates. This down payment would typically need to 20 percent or more. This would furnish you with more equity in you home giving you a much better interest rate.

Most lenders offer a variety of options to help assist you with home loan interest rates. When shopping around make sure you are looking at comparable points and rates amongst the different lenders.

One of the final things in regards to considering with a home loan interest rates is, do you want a fixed rate mortgage or an adjustable rate mortgage. A fixed rate will allow you more money, is fixed throughout the life of the loan. This kind of loan the interest rate stays the same. The other a variable rate has the possibility of going up or down bed By paying points you are essentially buying your way to a better depending on the current market.

Do your homework on home loan interest rates, choose between one of the many programs offered and then decide on how much a down payment you can afford. In the long run this research will pay off handsomely for you.

Mortgage Rate News

30 Year Home Loans

Best Mortgages — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:11:17 +0000

About 30 Year Home Loans
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage
It used to be the first choice of most borrowers, because since the total payments are spread over a longer period of time with the interest rate set for the entire time of the mortgage. 30 year home loan rates are an industry standard but is it the right choice for you?

The 30 year home loan is an industry standard, but is it the right choice for you? Because the total payments are spread over a longer period of time and the interest rate set for the entire time of the mortgage. This was the first choice of most home owners.

As we mentioned, the plus side for a 30 year home loan is lower monthly payments. This attraction is somewhat dimmed by the fact that you pay thousands extra in interest. But, your interest is 100% tax deductible which does lower your after tax cost. It offers you some flexibility so that if your financial situation changes and you have more money you can pay it off in less than 30 years, this while keeping the low monthly payments. Your payments are smaller so in reality you can purchase a larger roomier home.

To show an example of the interest difference between 30 year home loan rates and one of the other rates. On a 30 year, 100,000 dollar loan using 7% interest rate your monthly payment of interest and principle would be $665.30 dollars. Over the next 30 years you will have paid $139,511.04 in interest alone. Now with a 15 year home loan rate on the same amount you will pay $871.11 per month and over the next 15 years, you would pay $56,799 in interest. This would save you $82,712 dollars.

If you have the will power to invest the savings from the monthly payments, it still could be a good choice to go with the 30 year mortgage. Especially if you can find an investment that the long term payoff matches or exceeds what you would save in a 15 year mortgage. Another factor to consider is how fast you want to accrue equity in your home or to own it out right. 30 year home loan rates take much longer to build equity.

30 year home loan rates are certainly attractive and the vast majority of home buyers get 30-year loans because that is the longest home loan available today. Experts agree if they could get a 35- or 40-year loan, they probably would. There are many other options to consider. Probably the biggest question you have to ask yourself when considering a loan is what are your financial goals? What loan plan will help you the most to reach that goal? It is clearly to your advantage to look into other loan options for the best loan available for you and your financial goals. It may surprise you that because of your personal situation there may be other plans more suitable for you.

Home Loan News

Ways to Quickly Increase Your Credit Score

Best Mortgages — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:02:37 +0000

Improving Your Credit Score: Ways to Do It Quickly
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

If you have been denied of a loan or a credit card, it may have something to do with an important number that will determine if you are credit worthy. This number is called your credit score. This number is what creditors, such as banks and credit card companies will look at in order to know if you will possibly pay them back or not.

They get this numbers from credit reporting agencies that also gets information of your credit history from the past creditors you borrowed money from. If you haven’t been able to pay your bills on time, it will lower your credit score. By having a bad credit score or a low credit score, it will lessen your chances of getting the best credit card and loan deals.

It is a fact that many people don’t know that creditors have access to this information. However, you have to realize that this information will act as a security whether you are a person who is credit worthy or not.

Through this information or through this simple three digit number, creditors will decide whether or not to get you approved for the credit card or the loan you are applying for. Sometimes, having a low credit score can get you a credit card or a loan. However, it will usually have higher interest rates because you will be deemed too risky to lend money to.

Because of this, you should try to improve your credit score in order to gain access to the best loan and credit card deals possible. You should also realize the fact that having a bad credit score will also mean that you will have difficulty to access simple technology, such as getting a phone line hooked up in your own home. This is because more and more phone companies and other utility companies today are also taking a look at a person’s credit score to make sure if you will likely pay the monthly bills or not.

So, here are ways on how you can improve your credit score quickly.

If you have an unusually low credit score, ask for a credit report from the three major credit bureaus. By doing this, you can know about your credit history and compare each report and determine if it contains errors that may be hurting your credit score.

For example, if you noticed that a particular report contains an unpaid debt but you previously paid it, you have to correct the error by sending a letter and the proof that you paid the debt in full. Errors like this will lower your credit score. By doing this, you will be able to raise your credit score in matter of thirty days. You should realize the fact that credit bureaus are responsible for correcting any mistakes in your credit report and you should also know that it is in the law that they should.

The next best thing you need to do is pay down the debt you have. For example, if you have a credit card debt, you don’t have to pay all of it at once. The point to all this is to pay down your credit card debt up to the point that it will not have a balance that exceeds 50% of your credit limit.

Lastly, the most important thing you can do in order to raise your credit score is to pay all your bills on time. By doing this, the creditors will not report any negative things about your credit activities. By paying your bills on time, you will be able to raise your credit score. This is the quickest way to improve your credit score.

Credit Score News

Increase Your Credit Score for Better Mortgage Rates

Best Mortgages — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:59:53 +0000

Envision a Better Life by Increasing Your Credit Score and save money by getting better mortgage or loan interest rates.
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

Have you been deprived of getting a loan, mortgage or credit card?

Do you know how you can increase your credit score?

Your credit score can make or break your way of living or lifestyle in a lot of ways. Maintaining or keeping a good credit score, especially in times of economic hardships, is really quite extraordinary.

Most lenders looks into the credit score of those applying for loans, mortgage, or for credit cards. As it is part of the business, they want to know and double check the capability of the debtor to pay for the loan being applied for. The lenders are taking a lot of risk when they give somebody the use of their money.

Here are just some of the helpful guidelines in increasing one’s credit score:

1. Avoid applying for credit much too frequently. Numerous credit applications will mean inquiry of one’s file. A lot of new credit applications can greatly affect and lower the score.

2. Always pay all statement of accounts on time. Paying bills behind of schedule are always recorded in the credit report and can reflect a not so good paying habit. This will definitely lower the credit score.

3. Avoid high outstanding balance or debit in one’s credit card and other existing credit can drop off the credit score. As much as possible, keep those debts low.

4. Catch up on missed payments. It’s never too late to pay the bill.

5. Avoid closing unused accounts or credit cards. This will not help increase the score.

6. Avoid opening unnecessary accounts with the notion of increasing one’s credit score by having a brand new credit card. This strategy will actually lower the score.

7. Having too few or no loan and credit account in one’s name, is also measured as a credit risk to lenders. Maintaining a small number of credit cards showing a good credit standing, having a reasonable balances and limits, can help increase the credit score.

The rate of credit scores will be the deciding factor in the approval of a loan, the extent or amount of credit that will be offered, and the interest rate that will be added to the loan for the period or duration of the agreement.

Credit scores also significantly affect the rates or charges one will incur for the monthly payments. A low score will mean paying a higher interest rate on the borrowed money.

Also, if one wants to create a difference in applying for insurance premiums and employment, debtors must strive to increase their credit scores.

Some employment agencies, firms and industries check the credit scores of applicants and would-be employees before deciding on whether or not they would hire them. They would also look at credit activities, and employment and payment history.

Recently, most insurance companies do a background check especially on the credit scores of their clienteles. Through this, they will determine the cost of the insurance premiums, housing premiums, auto insurance, and others.

Credit reports can provide insights to employers and insurance agents a run-down summary about the attitude and behavior of a person.

Discipline is an important tool to maintain a good credit score. Increasing one’s credit score takes time. It can’t be quick and instant.

The better the person deals with his or her credit accounts to have a good and high credit score, the more assurance of saving more money in the bank there is.

Mortgage Rate News

Mortgage Loan

Best Mortgages — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:18:19 +0000

About Basic Mortgage Loans
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

In the past decades, it was believed that a mortgage loan is a mortgage loan no matter whichever is chosen. But this theory is not workable anymore because of the many mortgage loan products available in the market. So, before choosing a mortgage loan, it is very important to decide which one is right for you. Finding the right mortgage loan means balancing your mortgage options with your housing requirements and financial picture, now and in the future. Also the right mortgage is not just having the lowest interest rate but much more than that. And this “much more” will be determined by your personal situation. Your personal situation and your limits to pay for monthly mortgage payments can be evaluated by answering the following questions:

• What is your current financial situation (including income, savings, cash reserves and debt-to-cash ratio)?
• How you expect your finances to changeover in the coming years?
• Have you plan to return the mortgage loan before retirement?
• How long you intend to keep your house?
• How comfortable you are with your changing mortgage payment amount?

The answers to these questions will give you the idea of your financial position. Now the next step is to decide two key options:

• mortgage length,
• type of interest rate (fixed interest rate or adjustable interest rate).

The length of mortgage loan can be minimum 15 years; can be 20, or at maximum 30 years. While selecting a fixed or adjustable interest rate you should be aware of the facts that the adjustable interest rate mortgage is more risky because the interest rate will change, while a fixed-rate loan offers more stability because of the locked-in rate. You will be able to pay off a shorter-term loan more quickly, but your monthly payments will be substantially higher. Long-term fixed-rate loans are popular because they offer certainty, and many people find that they are easier to fit into their budget. Although, in long run they will cost you more, but you will have more available capital when you need it, and you will be less likely to default on the loan should an emergency arise.

In the light of above mentioned aspects, it is clear that the key to select the right mortgage loan for your needs should fit comfortably into your entire financial picture, that is having payments within your budget and comfortable level of risk connected to it.

Getting Good Home Loan Terms Despite a Bad Credit Score

Best Mortgages — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:57:59 +0000

So you want home loan with good terms despite a bad credit score?
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

Getting a home loan is just like getting recognition at the end of each academic year in school. Before you are awarded of any recognition, you must comply with the requirements for such recognition. For instance, before you will be given an academic award, you must first satisfy the required general weighted average on each or all subjects. Other awards also follows particular criteria before it would be awarded to deserving students at the end of the school year.

The same thing also goes in securing a home loan. There are certain requirements that you must meet before you will be able to secure a home loan. One of which is that you must possess a good credit rating.

However, despite the wide availability of home loans, there are still thousands of individuals who failed to secure home loans merely because they possess a bad credit score. They are not fully aware that any delinquency in paying their outstanding loans caused the “stain” in their credit record, thus they would be having a hard time securing a good home loan.

In other words, possessing a bad credit score simply means you are giving the lender reason to get more money from you through giving you home loans with high interest payments. You want to secure a home loan because you do not have enough money to finance the purchase of your new home, and yet you will be given a financial burden if you insist on getting a home loan despite of your bad credit score. That would be a terrible situation for your part.

Fortunately, there are still loan options for you despite your possession of a bad credit score. There are commercial lenders who offer bad credit home loan for individuals who are having a hard time securing a loan to finance the purchase of their new home. However, bear in mind that because of your bad credit standing, you will automatically become a “great risk” to the lender. Thus, expect that they will charge you higher interest rate as an assurance that you will be able to repay your home loans in the agreed period of time.

Bad credit score will really put you in a situation wherein it is you who is on the bottom of the wheel. Thus, you need to strongly convince your preferred lender that you are still worthy of another chance and not be a risk to them. How to do it? Have a look on the following guidelines and make sure that you will follow them.

Research for the best available bad credit home loan offer in the market. You may prefer visiting various commercial lenders and financial institutions in your local area to know their terms and conditions as well as their rate of interest for home loans with bad credit score. In addition, a personal contact inside these financial institutions could be of great help in your credit problem.

Cleanse your credit rating while there is still time for you to do so. If there are incorrect entries posted in your account, it is best that you call the attention of the authority with regards to this matter and have them clear your record of any incorrect rating. You may also ask for some certification from your previous lenders clearing you of any financial obligations. In this way, the recovery of your credit rating will be in place before you can secure another loan.

Getting a home loan with bad credit score could really be a daunting task. But if you manage to clear your rating in the shortest time possible, you will be able to secure a home loan that will not be a financial burden to your part later on.

Bad Credit Score News

When Is It a Mistake to Re-Finance?

Best Mortgages — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:19:56 +0000

When Is It a Mistake to Re-Finance?
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

Many homeowners make the mistake of thinking re-financing is always a viable option. However, this is not true and homeowners can actually make a significant financial mistake by re-financing at an inopportune time. There a couple of classic example of when re-financing is a mistake. This occurs when the homeowner does not stay in the property long enough to recoup the cost of re-financing and when the homeowner has had a credit score which has dropped since the original mortgage loan. Other examples are when the interest rate has not dropped enough to offset the closing costs associated with re-financing.

Recouping the Closing Costs

In determining whether or not re-financing is worthwhile the homeowner should determine how long they would have to retain the property to recoup the closing costs. This is significant especially in the case where the homeowner intends to sell the property in the near future. There are re-financing calculators readily available which will provide homeowners with the amount of time they will have to retain the property to make re-financing worthwhile. These calculators require the user to enter input such as the balance of the existing mortgage, the existing interest rate and the new interest rate and the calculator return results comparing the monthly payments on the old mortgage and the new mortgage and also supplies information about the amount of time required for the homeowner to recoup the closing costs.

When Credit Scores Drop

Most homeowners believe a drop in interest rates should immediately signal that it is time to re-finance the home. However, when these interest rates are combined with a drop in the credit score for the homeowner, the resulting re-financed mortgage may not be favorable to the homeowner. Therefore homeowners should carefully consider their credit score at the present time in comparison to the credit score at the time of the original mortgage. Depending on the amount interest rates have dropped, the homeowner may still benefit from re-financing even with a lower credit score but it is not likely. Homeowners may take advantage of free re-financing quotes to get an approximate understanding of whether or not they will benefit from re-financing.

Have the Interest Rates Dropped Enough?

Another common mistake homeowners often make in regard to re-financing is re-financing whenever there is a significant drop in interest rates. This can be a mistake because the homeowner must first carefully evaluate whether or not the interest rate has dropped enough to result in an overall cost savings for the homeowners. Homeowners often make this mistake because they neglect to consider the closing costs associated with re-financing the home. These costs may include application fees, origination fees, appraisal fees and a variety of other closing costs. These costs can add up quite quickly and may eat into the savings generated by the lower interest rate. In some cases the closing costs may even exceed the savings resulting from lower interest rates.

Re-Financing Can Be Beneficial Even When It is a “Mistake”

In reality re-financing is not always the ideal solution, but some homeowners may still opt for re-financing even when it is technically a mistake to do so. This classic example of this type of situation is when a homeowner re-finances to gain the benefit of lower interest rates even though the homeowner winds up paying more in the long run for this re-financing option. This may occur when either the interest rates drop slightly but not enough to result in an overall savings or when a homeowner consolidates a considerable amount of short term debt into a long term mortgage re-finance. Although most financial advisors may warn against this type of financial approach to re-financing, homeowners sometimes go against conventional wisdom to make a change which may increase their monthly cash flow by reducing their mortgage payments. In this situation the homeowner is making the best possible decision for his personal needs.

Re-Finance Mortgage Rate News

What Might Happen If You Don’t Make Your Personal Loan Payments

Best Mortgages — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:19:01 +0000

What Might Happen If You Don’t Make Your Personal Loan Payments

It is very easy for the average person to get a personal loan to get them out of a bad
financial situation, but it isn’t always easy to make those required monthly payments on
time, no matter how good your intentions may be. Sure, when you got your loan, you had
every intention of making each and every payment in full and on time, but now that
something has happened, you have lost your job, or you have gotten married, etc., those
payments are getting harder and harder to come by. You need to pay your utility bills,
mortgage payments, credit card payments, student loan payments, car payments, and
insurance installments, and it is quite easy to put your personal loan on the back burner,
or to ignore it altogether when these situations occur. But, you would be surprised at the
legal remedies lenders have available to them when it comes to collecting the money that
you owe them.

First off, you should know that if money starts to get really tight, you should talk to your
personal loan lender, and all of your creditors, and let them know what is going on, how
long you expect the hardship to last, and what you are doing to rectify the situation. In
most instances, your creditors would much rather try to work out a more suitable
arrangement with you, than to try to go through the collections process, which costs them
time and money they don’t want to spend. You may even be allowed to sign a new loan
contract, allowing you to defer a few payments, or lower your minimum payment
amount, making it possible for you to stretch your budget farther. If you have over-
extended yourself, you may be able to refinance your loan, taking out enough money to
payoff some of the more bothersome debts you have, saving you money both now, and in
the long term in interest rates and fees, especially if your problem is with credit card
debts. There are many options available to you, even in financial hardship. That being
said talk with your creditors, don’t try to avoid them, and see what you might be able to
work out, in the end you will save a lot of money, and maybe your credit score as well.

Each lender follows their own collection guidelines, but is still bound by both state and
federal laws. If you have a secured personal loan debt, you should make every effort to
make your payments or a satisfactory arrangement, or be prepared to lose your collateral,
it is just that simple. That is why the collateral is there, so that if you don’t pay, the lender
doesn’t lose a lot of money to a bad debt.

Likewise, if you had to have someone co-sign for you on your personal loan, you should
know that if you don’t make the payments, you are not only ruining your own credit, but
theirs as well. The lender will not only come after you, but also the co-signer. They don’t
really care how they get their money, or from which party, as long as they get it. If your
co-signer can’t make the payments, and you refuse to handle the situation, then in all
likelihood, you both will end up being hauled into court, together. At the very least, you
can expect the account to be turned over to an outside office for collection, usually a not-
so-nice collection agency, that will put massive amounts of pressure on both parties until
payments are made, not only for the balance remaining, but any fees the lender feels like
assessing as well.

You will have to pay your own legal fees, and yes, even the poor soul who co-signed for
you, will also need legal representation. You will also be required to pay court costs,
which can be quite expensive as well. The actions of the court vary greatly, some will
require that you pay an obscene amount of money each month, or be placed into legal
custody, while others will garnish your wages, which will make it that much harder for
you to pay your other bills and living expenses. They will usually garnish or demand that
you pay at least twice the amount of your normal monthly payment every month, which
can put you in tremendous financial strain.

Some people make the mistake of thinking that if their personal loan is a secured loan,
that once the lender takes possession of the collateral, they are free from the debt, but that
rarely is the case. There will usually be a balance owing, meaning that collection efforts
will continue until the remaining balance is paid in full. So not only have you lost your
collateral, you are being hounded by collections agents for the remainder of the balance
on the loan. Again, this could end up in court, or with garnished wages, even on a small
balance.

There are some ways to keep all of this from happening to you, the most obvious being to
pay your monthly payments on time. When you do take out a personal loan, make certain
that you only borrow just enough money to see you through, and never borrow more than
you can comfortably repay. If you get extra money, such as income tax refunds, etc.,
think about putting it towards your personal loan balance, so that you can get your debt
paid down as quickly as possible. That way, if something unexpected does occur, such as
job loss, or illness, you won’t have as much outstanding debt to try and juggle.

Lenders don’t want to use the court system to get their money, due to the fees, and the
time involved. But, in the end, they will get their money, one way or the other, and you
should be very aware of that if you have personal loan debt.

Personal Loan News

What is a Cash Out Re-Finance?

Best Mortgages — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:17:43 +0000

What is a Cash Out Re-Finance?
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

A cash out re-finance basically enables the homeowner to re-finance their home for an amount greater than the balance of the exiting mortgage. The homeowners than repay the existing balance plus the additional amount over the course of the loan period and are given a check for the amount above and beyond the balance of the exiting mortgage. The homeowners can use this check for any purpose they choose now and repay the debt along with the rest of re-financed amount.

When is a Cash Out Re-Finance possible?

A cash out option is available when there is existing equity in the home. This is important because the lender is able to justify the practice of offering increased funds to the homeowner due to the value of the property. This is because the lender feels as though the security of having the home for collateral does not put them at a high risk for the homeowner defaulting on the loan.

Homeowners who wish to take advantage of a cash out re-finance offered by a lender should inquire as to whether or not the lender offers this type of re-financing. This is important because not all lenders offer this option. It should actually be one of the first questions the homeowner asks when inquiring about re-financing programs. Doing so will save homeowners, who are seeking a cash out re-finance, a great deal of time.

How Can the Cash be Used?

For many homeowners the most appealing aspect of cash out re-financing is that the additional funds can be used for any purpose desired by the homeowner. The homeowner does not even have to offer the lender an explanation of how the additional funds will be used. This is important because once the lender writes the check for the additional funds, he has no concern for how the money is used. This is because the amount of the additional funds is rolled into the re-financed mortgage. The lender simply focuses on the homeowner’s ability to repay the mortgage and is not concerned with how the homeowner uses the funds which are released in the cash out.

While the purpose of a cash out re-finance does not have to be disclosed to the lender, the homeowner would be wise to use these funds in a judicious manner. This is because the homeowner will be responsible for repaying these funds to the lender. Some of the popular uses for funds collected from cash out re-financing include:
* Undertaking home improvement projects
* Purchasing items for the home
* Taking a dream vacation
* Putting money in a child’s tuition fund or

* Purchasing a vehicle
* Starting a small business

All of the reasons listed above are excellent uses of a cash out re-finance option. Homeowners who are considering this type of a re-financing option should also consider whether or not the deductions are tax deductible. Using the cash out option to make home improvements is jus one example of a situation where the funds can be tax deductible. Homeowners should consult their tax attorney on the matter to determine whether or not they are able to deduct the interest from the repayment of their re-financing loan.

Cash Out Re-Financing Example

The process of a cash out refinancing option is fairly easy to illustrate with a simple example. Consider a homeowner who purchases a $150,000 with a 7% interest. Now consider the homeowner has already repaid $50000 of the loan and would like to borrow an additional $20,000 to make a rather large purchase or invest in a small business. With this additional funding available the homeowners have the opportunity to use the equity in their home to make their dreams come true. In the example above the homeowner may refinance for a total of $120,000 at a lower interest rate such as 6.25%. This process allow the homeowner to take advantage of the existing equity in their home and also allows the homeowner to qualify for a substantial loan at a rate typically reserved for re-financing or home loans.

Understanding Re-Financing

Best Mortgages — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:16:33 +0000

Understanding Re-Financing
By Best Rate Fixed Mortgage

Understanding the process of re-financing can be quite dizzying. Homeowners who are considering re-financing might initially be overwhelmed by the number of options available to them. However, after taking some time to educate themselves about the process, they will likely find the process is not nearly as daunting as they had imagined. This article will discuss some of the options available to those interested in re-financing as well as some of the important factors to consider in order to determine whether or not refinancing is worthwhile.

Consider the Options

Homeowners have quite a few options available to them when they are considering the possibility of re-financing their home. The most significant decision is the type of loan they will choose. Fixed rate mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) are the two main types of mortgages the homeowners will likely encounter. Additionally there are hybrid loan options available.

As the name implies, a fixed rate mortgage is one in which the interest rate remains constant throughout the duration of the loan period. This is an especially favorable type of loan when the homeowner has credit which is sufficient enough to lock in a low interest rate.

ARMs are mortgages where the interest rate varies during the course of the loan period. The interest rate is usually tied to an index such as the prime index and is subject to rises and falls in accordance with this index. This is considered a riskier type of loan and is therefore often offered to homeowners who have less favorable credit scores.

Although ARMs are considered somewhat risky there is usually a certain degree of protection written into the loan agreement. This may come in the form of a clause which limits the amount the interest rate can increase, in terms of percentage points, over a fixed period of time. This can protect the homeowner from sharp increases in the interest rates which would otherwise considerably raise the amount of their monthly payments.

Hybrid loans are mortgages which combine a fixed element with an adjustable element. An example of this type of loan is a situation where the lender may offer a fixed interest rate for the first five years of the loan and a variable interest rate for the remainder of the loan. Lenders typically offer a lower introductory interest rate for the fixed period to make the mortgage seem more enticing.

Consider the Closing Costs

The closing costs associated with re-financing should be carefully considered when deciding whether or not to re-finance the home. This is significant because when homeowners re-finance their home they are often subject to many of the same closing costs as when they originally purchased the home. These costs may include, but are not limited to appraisal fees, application fees, loan origination fees and a host of other expenses. These costs can be quite significant. The closing costs will be significant when the homeowner considers the overall savings associated with re-financing.

Consider the Overall Savings

When deciding whether or not to re-finance, the overall savings is one factor the homeowners should carefully consider. This is important because re-financing is typically not considered worthwhile unless it results in a financial savings. Although some homeowners refinance to lower monthly costs and are not concerned with the overall picture, most homeowners consider whether or not they will be saving money by refinancing.

The amount of money the homeowner will save when re-financing is largely dependent on the new interest rate in relation to the old interest rate. Other factors come into play such as the remaining balance of the existing loan as well as the amount of time the homeowner intends to stay in the home before selling the property. It is important to note that the amount of money saved by negotiating a lower interest rate is not equal to the entire savings. The homeowner must determine the closing costs associated with re-financing and subtract this sum from the potential savings. A negative number would indicate the new interest rate is not low enough to offset the closing costs. Conversely a positive number indicates an overall savings. With this information the homeowner can decide whether or not he wishes to re-finance.