
With interest rates at an all time low, many people are looking to take advantage of the opportunity to refinance their home mortgage. Before choosing to refinance there are a few questions that one must ask themselves. Here are some questions and tools to guide you in making the best decision.
How long will I be in the home?
This is a very important question that many people over look. When refinancing a home loan there are certain costs and fees that add up. Many times the bank will require a new appraisal, credit report, abstract or title search, title examination, title insurance, a recording fee with the county court house and state mortgage tax (if applicable). In addition to those fees, there are other financing charges that are to be shown on the Truth-in-Lending Disclosure such as an underwriting fee, tax service fee, settlement or escrow fee, and a courier fee. These can be recouped over time but generally not in a short amount of time such as 2-4 years. Thus if you plan on moving in 2-4 years those fees will not be recouped and you would have not saved anything on the refinancing of your home even with a lower interest rate. In fact, you would have lost money with the transaction.
Is my goal to lower my monthly payments?
If your goal is to lower your monthly payments by refinancing your home mortgage with a lower interest rate then you will more than likely achieve your goal if there is at least a one percentage point differential from your original interest rate and your new interest rate. Your monthly mortgage payment in the above statement will only be lower if you remain on the same amortization schedule or re-amortize the note to a conventional 30 year mortgage. Let me explain. If the original mortgage is on a conventional 30 year amortization schedule and you have already been in the house for 5 years you will only have 25 years left until payoff given you stay on the same amortization schedule. On the other hand, if you re-amortize the mortgage on a 30 year conventional mortgage at the time of refinancing you will be starting all over again. Thus you will be paying on the house for 30 years from that point versus 25 years.
If the interest rate spread is greater than 1.50%, you might even lower your monthly payment while converting to a 15 year amortization schedule.
Is my goal to pay the home mortgage off faster regardless of a higher monthly payment?
Given today’s low interest rates on home mortgages, this is a fantastic time to reduce your interest rate and eliminate your home loan faster if you are not concerned about slightly increasing your monthly mortgage payment. Keep in mind that you are going make sure to have stay in the home for at least 2-4 more years in order to recoup the financing charges discussed above. Please read the below example to visually identify how much quicker you can payoff your mortgage with a lower interest rate while slightly raising your monthly mortgage payment.
Original Loan:
Amount: $92,450
Current Balance: $87,125
Term/Amortization: 30 Year Fixed Conventional Home Mortgage
Interest Rate: 5.875%
Monthly payment (principal and interest): $546.88
* The above monthly payment does not include escrow or insurance.
New Loan after refinancing:
Amount: $90,104.58 (This amount has the closing costs and fees wrapped into the loan eliminating any out of pocket expenses for this transaction)
Term/Amortization: 15 Year Fixed Home Mortgage
Interest Rate: 4.375%
Monthly payment (principal and interest): $682.76
* The above monthly payment does not include escrow or insurance.
The home mortgage in the above example would be paid off much faster on a 15 year term/amortization than on a conventional 30 year. That is a big overall savings from the life of the loan for only an additional $135.88 per month.
Find out what Mortgage is Right for you! In addition, it is also helpful to go to your banks website and utilize the calculator tools to help you in this decision.
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