Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Home Loans and Mortgages - The Selection Can Be Bewildering


For years, when someone wanted to purchase or refinance a home, the choices were simple. The buyer chose either a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage or a 30 year fixed-rate mortgage. That was it. Of course, those were also the days of twenty percent down payments, which seriously hindered the ability of many Americans to obtain the loan necessary to buy their own home. In recent years, more flexible loan types have become available and down payment requirements have been relaxed. There are now far more choices of loan types available for the borrower than ever before. That can be a mixed blessing, however, as prospective borrowers now have to do a tremendous amount of homework in order to determine which type of loan might be the best choice. The selection of loan types that are currently available can be quite bewildering, and the wrong choice could cost the prospective borrower thousands of dollars over the term of the loan.

The standard 15-year and 30-year mortgages are still quite popular. Each provides the stability of a fixed interest rate and a payment that will remain the same throughout the duration of the life of the mortgage. When interest rates are near historic lows, as they are today, these traditional choices work well for most buyers. Buyers who find a 15-year or 30-year mortgage to be within their means would probably benefit from obtaining such a mortgage now.

In recent years, as home prices have increased faster than wages, the lending industry has created more flexible types of mortgages designed to help buyers who may have trouble with traditional loans obtain financing. These types of loans tend to have adjustable interest rates:

  • The Adjustable Rate Mortgage, or ARM, has a rate that adjusts over time as spelled out in the mortgage agreement. Typically, the rate at the time of singing the loan is lower than that of a traditional mortgage, perhaps by one percent or so. The difference is that the rate can adjust over time as the market changes. The loan agreement will spell out how often the rate may change and how much the rate may change at one time. The agreement may also indicate a maximum interest rate that may be charged over the life of the loan. These types of loans are ideal for buyers who do not intend to stay in their home for more than a few years, or buyers who are purchasing in times of high interest rates, when there is an expectation that rates will drop over time.
  • Convertible mortgages are ARMs that offer the buyer an opportunity to "convert" the adjustable rate loan to a fixed rate loan after a certain period of time that is spelled out in the loan agreement. There is a fee charged for converting the mortgage, but the fee is typically less than the fees associated with refinancing the mortgage altogether.
  • Two Step mortgages offer an initial rate that is lower than the rate for fixed-rate mortgages for the first few years of the loan. After a set period of time, the rate increases to a fixed rate. This allows buyers to pay less during the early years of their loan, when they may earn less or need extra cash for home furnishings. The disadvantage of this type of loan is that the increase in the interest rate can be substantial, and may make the payments unaffordable for some buyers..
  • These are just a few of the types of loans that are currently available in the market. There are probably dozens of variations on ARM loans, and prospective buyers should study their options carefully before agreeing to a loan. Making the right choice could save buyers thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Making the wrong choice could leave buyers with a loan that they cannot afford to pay. A little time spent on research is time well spent.

    ©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing.

    Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on home equity loans.


    MORE RESOURCES:

    BBC News

    Is It Time To Refinance Your Mortgage?
    Forbes, NY - Jan 8, 2009
    Falling rates and a friendly Fed mean good things for homeowners. But there's a catch. Looking to refinance your mortgage? Do it now. ...
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    Refinancing suddenly booms Honolulu Advertiser
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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 ...
    Borrowers seeking to refinance may face challenges WTOP
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    Situations determine refinancing
    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? ...


    Mortgage Refinance Loans
    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
    all 497 news articles

    Mortgage-Refinance - Google News

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