Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Home Mortgage Loans - Fixed Rate, Adjustable or Balloon, Which One Is Right For You?


When you're shopping for a new home-especially for the first time-all the terms and expressions may be confusing and difficult to understand. Adjustable rate, fixed rate, balloon payment - how do you decide which is the right type of home mortgage for you if you're not even sure what each of them are?

The name of the mortgage type usually has to do with how you'll pay for your loan - how the interest on the loan is being determined by the bank. The three major types of mortgages are fixed rate, adjustable rate and balloon payment. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Fixed Rate Mortgage

With a fixed rate mortgage, you have a set interest rate for the entire life of the loan. The interest rate that you pay for your loan won't change - which means that you'll pay the same monthly payment for the entire length of the loan. This protects you from unexpected rises in interest rates that would increase your monthly payment. At the same time, should the interest rates drop, you will have the option of refinancing at a lower interest rate. Because the protections are largely on the side of the buyer with a fixed rate mortgage, interest rates on them are generally slightly higher than they would be on other types of mortgages.

A fixed rate mortgage is the safest type. Because the payments are predictable, it's usually considered the most desirable type of mortgage. Always choose a fixed rate mortgage if interest rates are rising.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage

When you choose an adjustable rate mortgage, your monthly payment and interest rate will fluctuate with the current market interest rate. If the interest rate goes up, so will your monthly payment. If it drops, your monthly loan payment will as well. The adjustable rate is tied to an index, which is determined by the lender. Other terms of the mortgage are also determined by the lender. These include how often the interest rate is adjusted - anywhere from every 3-6 months to once a year, how much the interest rate can increase or decrease on any adjustment date, and whether there is a 'cap' on how high the interest rate can rise.

Often, adjustable rate mortgages are advertised with extremely low interest rates, which will be in effect for a short period of time. When the introductory period is over, the mortgage rate will rise to its normal amount.

Choose an adjustable rate mortgage when you have secure income that is likely to increase along with the economy. It's a good mortgage when interest rates are stable, or if the signs suggest that they're about to fall.

Balloon Mortgages

A balloon mortgage is often a last resort for home buyers who can't qualify for more traditional loans. The balloon mortgage has a fixed interest rate and monthly payments for a specific amount of time. At the end of that time, the entire loan comes due - hence the name 'balloon'. In practical terms, a balloon rate will give you a fixed monthly payment for several months. After that, you'll essentially have an adjustable rate mortgage.

Choose a balloon mortgage loan for substantially lower initial rates, or if your credit limits the other types of mortgage that you can apply of qualify for.

Now that you understand your options for mortgage loans, don't forget to shop around! The interest rates and fees can vary wildly from lender to lender, so make sure that you get the best deal that you can!

To view our list of recommended mortgage lenders online, visit this page: Recommended Mortgage Lenders Online

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website about various types of loans. The site has informative articles and the latest finance news.


MORE RESOURCES:

Washington Times

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Forbes, NY - Jan 8, 2009
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Cardoza proposal could aid housing crisis
Stockton Record, CA - 15 hours ago
By Bruce Spence Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, has a plan to reverse the housing crisis and boost the economy: a 4 percent interest rate on fixed-rate, ...


Waco banks seeing a boom in mortgage refinance applications
Waco Tribune Herald, TX - Jan 2, 2009
By Mike Copeland With mortgage rates hitting record lows, Mary Jo Teakell is seeing a growing backlog of refinance applications. “We’re quite busy right now ...
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FayObserver.com, NC - Jan 7, 2009
By Hilary Kraus It depends on your situation. How much do you still owe? How long do you expect to stay in your home? Are lower payments a priority? ...


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Kitchener, Ontario Canada, Canada - Dec 31, 2008
The City of Kitchener is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. ...


St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Mortgage Refinance Online
PWO, France - Dec 17, 2008
If you want to consolidate debt or get cash to pay for home improvements, you can apply for a mortgage refinance online that offers you a cash back option, ...
Video: Record low mortgage rates ReutersVideo
Mortgage Rate Hits 37-Year Low Wall Street Journal
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Bad Credit Mortgage Refinance Loan- 3 Most Important Items to Get ...
CrunchGear, NY - Dec 23, 2008
Ultimately if you are looking to do a bad credit mortgage refinance loan you need to keep several things in mind to ensure that you don’t get taken for a ...


TopNews

Question & Answer on mortgage refinancing
Boston Herald, United States - Jan 1, 2009
By Holden Lewis / Bankrate.Com With mortgage rates at historic lows, lots of homeowners are debating whether to refinance their mortgages these days. ...
Don't miss the mortgage refinance window Barre Montpelier Times Argus
Applications Show Refi Wear-Out? Housing Wire
A toast to low mortgage rates MarketWatch
all 457 news articles


Are points a good buy on refinancings right now?
WalletPop, VA - Jan 5, 2009
During the housing boom, my wife and I probably got at least a dozen solicitations a month from banks wanting us to refinance our mortgage or borrow against ...


ABC News

Falling interest rates create surge
Schenectady Gazette, NY - Dec 24, 2008
By James Schlett (Contact) ROTTERDAM — The past week has been something of a renaissance for Stan Len, a mortgage broker with Adirondack Home Mortgage. ...
Video: Money Minute: Holiday Spending, Mortgages AssociatedPress
Refi madness CNN
Q4 Consumer Spending Could Be Better Than Q3, But Weakness Will ... FXstreet.com The Foreign Exchange Market
Reuters
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Mortgage-Refinance - Google News

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