Your Debt Threat

Posts Tagged ‘Cost’

MORTGAGE REFINANCE TIPS

Introduction to Mortgage Refinancing:

A mortgage refinance is the process of taking out a new loan, and using the proceeds to pay off your old one. Generally, you’d do this to make a change in the structure of your debt in order to get more money, a lower monthly payment, or a shorter pay-off schedule.

Why refinance?

You’d trade-up your mortgage for the same reason that you’d trade-up your job, car, or living arrangement-because circumstances change. What you need out of a mortgage today may be different from what you needed five years ago. Refinancing can achieve one or more of the following objectives: 1. Lower your monthly payment. You can reduce your monthly payment by refinancing to a lower interest rate. Have market rates dropped since your old mortgage was funded? Has your credit improved? Has your home increased in value? Any one of these happenings could mean that you’d qualify for a lower rate. 2. Shorten your pay-off term. Paying off your mortgage loan in 15 years rather than in 25 can save you tens of thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan. If you can afford the higher monthly payment and plan to stay in the home indefinitely, it’s well worth it. 3. Optimize your loan structure. Your current loan structure may no longer be suitable for you in the future. Maybe you bought your home with an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) and your initial fixed-interest period is about to expire. Perhaps you have a fixed-rate mortgage, but you’d like to take advantage of the more flexible option ARM. Discuss your objectives with your lender to determine the most appropriate loan structure for you. 4. Consolidate your debt. If you’re carrying a lot of credit card debt, you can lower your monthly repayments through consolidation. To do this, you’d take out a mortgage loan large enough to pay off all the debts on your cards plus the balance on your old mortgage. 5. Fund large, one-time expenses. You can raise the funds you need by doing what’s called a cash-out refinance, where you’d take out a loan that’s larger than your current one. As soon as you pay off the old loan, the excess funds can be used to pay for home improvement projects, college tuition, your daughter’s wedding, long-term care expenses, etc. Essentially, your mortgage is a financial tool that might need occasional sharpening. As life throws you new circumstances, trading up that mortgage may be one way to manage change.

Tax Advantages of Refinancing:

Saving on taxes:

As an existing mortgage borrower, you already know that your mortgage interest is tax deductible. You may also know that you pay far more interest in the early years of a mortgage than you do later on. And the more interest you pay, the higher your deduction. Replacing your current mortgage loan with a refinance might lower your tax liability. And if you intend to use the refinance to consolidate credit card debt, the benefits would be even greater, because you’d be replacing non-deductible credit card interest with tax-deductible mortgage interest.

Tax deductions and refinancing:

The IRS designates two types of mortgage debt: home acquisition debt, and home equity debt. Home acquisition debt is what you paid to buy the house. When you refinance, the amount of the new loan used to pay off the old loan qualifies as home acquisition debt. Any amount over that would be home equity debt. The following example will help clarify the point: • Suppose Jenny owes $200,000 on her mortgage. She takes out a new mortgage for $225,000 and pays off her old mortgage. For tax purposes, $200,000 is home acquisition debt, and the remaining $25,000 is home equity debt.Interest paid on home acquisition debt is generally tax deductible in its entirety. You can also deduct interest paid on the first $100,000 of home equity debt.

Refinance or Second Mortgage?

Understanding your options:

1:Lower your monthly payment
2:Shorten your pay-off term
3:Optimize your loan structure
4:Consolidate your debt
5:Fund large, one-time expenses

The first three can only be accomplished with a refinance. The last two-consolidating debt and funding one-time expenses-can be accomplished with either a refinance or a second mortgage. To decide between a refinance and a second mortgage, compare your mortgage interest rate with current market rates. If you’re paying more than what’s available, a refinance will lower your overall interest costs. If you’re paying less, a second mortgage might be the better option. When the two rates are roughly comparable, many borrowers prefer the efficiency of a refinance-one loan, one monthly payment. It’s also worth noting that refinance loans generally carry lower interest rates than second mortgages. You cannot, unfortunately, take your new debt for a test drive before signing up. Therein lies the importance of making informed decisions; refinancing your mortgage every year, after all, can get expensive. That leads us to the next topic: closing costs.

Closing Costs and Refinance Risks:

1:Application Fee
2:Loan Origination Fee
3:Discount Points
4:Appraisal Fee
5:Title Search Fee
6:Title Insurance Fee
7:Prepayment Penalty on Existing Mortgage

The first three listed above are within your lender’s control; the others are not. If you have great credit, you might be able to negotiate lower application fees, loan fees, and discount points. Be cautious if a lender offers to cover your closing costs; this may mean you’ll be charged a higher interest rate. Closing costs have been known to change at the last possible moment. Your best protection against unpleasant surprises is to request a written estimate. Also find out what the lender’s policy is on closing cost changes; some lenders guarantee their estimated costs, and others don’t. If you’re refinancing just to save money, be sure to weigh the closing costs against your monthly savings. If the new loan saves you $50 monthly, but you have to shell out $1,200 in closing costs, it will be two years before you break even.


Risky business:

Are there risks involved with refinancing? The short answer is yes. But there are also risks involved in relocating, like noisy neighbors, a house that’s a potential money pit, and schools for the kids. Just like these examples, refinancing risks can be managed-if you’re prepared. Here are the most common to watch out for: 1. Taking on too much debt. Reputable lenders are trained to find you a mortgage loan program that you can afford. Trust that they know what they’re doing, and be honest about your financial situation. Over-burdening yourself with debt could put you on the fast track to bankruptcy. 2. Putting your home at risk of foreclosure. This should be a consideration if you want to consolidate credit card debt into your mortgage. When you consolidate such obligations with a mortgage refinance, your home becomes collateral for debt that was previously unsecured. 3. Increasing your total interest costs. If your old loan has 25 years left until its maturity and you replace it with a new 30-year loan, you’ll be incurring interest costs for an extra five years. In the end, you’ll have to evaluate the risks and advantages of refinancing relative to your situation. Since you already have the basic knowledge in your back pocket, that evaluation process should be pretty straightforward. Just stay focused n one goal: a financially stronger you! for mortgage calulator visit http://mortgagerefinanceidea.blogspot.com/

Mortgage is the most widespread industry that offered to loan
borrowers with real estate as collateral. Mortgage has so many
innovations and opportunities that a loan borrower can exploit
them for their own benefit. You must have heard and read it
elsewhere that mortgage rates are at an all time low. That is
true. With growing competition in the mortgage industry getting
lowest rates for mortgage in UK is not that difficult.

Yes that is true, but how does one find lowest mortgage rates in
UK. Many borrowers are practically clueless the criteria to
decide on whether the mortgage rates are lowest or not. When you
are looking for Lowest mortgage rates
in UK, you will see that there is not any one single rate. There
is a list of rates. And when you go to different loan lenders
for rates, they will give to you several mortgage rates list,
sometimes identical sometimes different. “What is going on”? -
You think in your mind. Is there any thing as lowest mortgage
rates in UK? Yes, there is.

You will come across this message everywhere – ‘go look around
lowest mortgage rates’. Look around how? – nobody tells you
that. It is like standing on the start line not knowing this way
you have to run. Calling loan lenders and asking for lowest
interest will be practically useless. Also calling for lowest
mortgage rates at different days will give you different rates
for mortgage rates are changing everyday.

Who is responsible for getting you lowest rate for your mortgage
in UK? Economy? President? Government? Inflation? Discard all
the high words! It is you and you are one of the most
fundamental factor responsible for finding lowest interest rate
on your mortgage. With mortgage borrowers absolutely flooding
the market place, mortgage lenders are lowering the mortgage
rates to attract more and more customers. How can one attract
customers for mortgage? By offering lowest interest rates.

However, it is not that easy. Every homeowner wants lowest
interest rates for its mortgage in UK. Lowest rates on mortgage
in UK are subject to a borrower’s personal financial condition.
Therefore, different mortgage borrowers will have different
lowest rate for mortgage. One way to figure it out is to apply
for mortgage quotes at different loan lenders. But are these
quotes really consistent keeping in mind the fact that mortgage
rates are continually changing. Most loan lenders will give you
a correct quote for mortgage. A mortgage borrower looking for
lowest rate should use APR to compare rates. APR will enable you
to know true interest rates on mortgage including the interest,
discounts, mortgage insurance and other related fees. This will
enable you to get a true quote without any hidden fee which the
lender might be concealing behind the lowest mortgage rate
claim.

Prequalification is a way of discovering whether for mortgage
will also enable you to know whether you are getting lowest
interest rates or not. A lender will see your present current
income, debt and basic credit history situation in order to
qualify you for a maximum mortgage amount. When you find lowest
interest rate for mortgage in UK, you can lock in your interest
rate. A lock means the lender will lock in the lowest interest
rate and points for a specific period of time that is usually
the time during which the loan application is processed.

Lowest interest rates in UK are possible if you have good credit
history. A good credit history has innumerable benefits in the
loan market. Also lowest interest rates are possible adjustable
rate mortgage. Adjustable interest rate mortgage in UK have
interest rates lower than traditional mortgage. Also loan term
of a mortgage should be lesser. A 15 year mortgage will mean
lower rate of interest than a 30 year mortgage. A shorter loan
term will always save money.

No other single factor has so much effect on your mortgage as
mortgage rates. Getting a mortgage in UK at lowest rates will
mean that you have agreed to all those who asked you to get the
“best mortgage deal”. A little decrease in interest rates would
mean big in terms of savings. There is loads of information
available on internet to know how the market is currently
fairing. Don’t settle for the first mortgage rate you stumble
upon because they seem lowest. Go to different mortgage lenders.
And then decide. Lowest rate for mortgage is not the only factor
to look out while mortgaging for but it certainly is one of the
deciding factors.

So while you are jumping frantically from one site to another in
order to get lowest interest rate, you forget that it will need
some patience and hard work. Like all good things it won’t come
easily. Lowest rates for mortgage in UK won’t be served on a
platter. No way. If you had enjoyed doing homework in school,
looking for lowest interest rate won’t be a problem. Look
around, study research, read and you will find mortgage rates
not only lowest but surpassing your own mortgage rate
arithmetic.

If finding the right loan was easy, Aileen Woul would not have
been writing articles. Read her articles to take advantage of
her expertise for your advantage.He works for mortgage web site
cheapest mortgage uk.To find a cheapest mortgage,adverse credit
mortgage,residential mortgage that best suits your need please
visit

http://www.cheapestmortgageuk.co.uk

If you look at the most stressful events in a person’s life, buying a home is on the top ten list. After all, it’s a big decision – both emotionally and financially. Many home buyers go through an anxious period after they’ve arranged for their mortgage and get ready to move into their new home. Knowing you’ll get a pocketful of cash would sure help, wouldn’t it?

That’s a big part of the attraction of cash-back mortgages. A plump cheque is a psychological boost to home buyers who have just made one of the biggest financial commitments of their lives. As mortgage brokers, we like to work with our clients to ensure that they look beyond the temporary “feel good” of the cash, and weigh their options wisely.

Remember that the cash-back option comes with a trade-off: if you choose not to take the cash back, you can get a lower interest rate. Over time, you could see substantial savings in interest payments.

So, start with the most important question: What will the cash be used for? Is this purchase a priority, and is it worth the difference in the rate? Perhaps you have a plan to take advantage of the cash-back to purchase the household appliances for your new home. The extra $3,000 for new kitchen or laundry appliances may be an urgent immediate need and a higher priority overall than the lower interest rate for your mortgage term.

But here is the second question to discuss with your mortgage broker: What will be the impact of the rate difference over time? You’ll need real-life figures to work out the details for your personal situation, but let’s look at an example*:

Let’s say that your cash-back option pays 1% of the mortgage amount on a two-year deal, 3% on five years, and 5% cash back on a ten-year closed mortgage. And let’s assume that you’re looking at borrowing $100,000 for a 5-year term, amortized over 25 years. Not long ago, you might be looking at the difference between cash back and a rate of 6.60%, or a discounted interest rate of 5.29%.

So what’s the bottom line? Your cash-back option would give you $3,000 up-front, but over your 5-year term, you would pay a little over $6,300 more in interest costs than you would have with the discounted rate. The exact cost of the cash-back option in this example is $3,330.44 – paid out over 5 years.

Is that a good deal? It depends. Did you get the much-needed appliances for your home… or use the funds to manage a high-priority expense? Then you probably got good value from the option. If – five years later – you can’t remember where the money went, then perhaps you didn’t make the best trade-off.