Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Types of Financing for Your Mortgage


When financing a home purchase, the kind of mortgage you choose determines your monthly payment and the interest rate you get on your loan. There are four main ways of financing the mortgage for your home: 30-year fixed rate, 15-year fixed rate, adjustable rate, and interest only. Each of these mortgage financing options has its pros and cons, your credit union can help you find the right financing for your situation.

30-year fixed rate. This is a mortgage that is made as a 30-year loan. The rate is fixed, meaning that the interest rate does not go up or down with fluctuations in the market. And because the interest does not fluctuate, the payments remain fixed as well (although you may have to pay more in property taxes as they increase, or as the home appreciates in value). Most buyers choose this long term financing option because the monthly payments are lower than they would be with a short term loan. The main disadvantage is that the interest rate is often a little higher than it would be for a 15-year loan, and this results in more money paid in interest over the life of the loan. Also, the house gains equity at a slower rate. If interest rates drop, the rate of the loan does not change, but it is usually possible to refinance to the lower rate.

15-year fixed rate. Like the 30-year loan, this rate is also fixed. The main difference is that you pay of the loan in 15 years instead of 30 years. This means that your payments are much higher than they would be if you had a long term loan. However, because you pay it off faster, the home gains equity more rapidly and you save a large amount of money in interest. Additionally, most lenders offer lower interest rates if you opt for a 15-year loan. Your tax deduction for interest will be smaller with a 15-year than with a 30-year, however, because you are paying less interest.

Adjustable rate mortgage. Contrary to the fixed rate mortgage, the adjustable rate mortgage changes when the interest rates changes. Most adjustable rate financing does have a fixed rate and payment for a period at the start of the loan. Depending on the length of the total loan period, this can be anywhere from five to 10 years. However, after the initial period, the rate is variable. This means that you may start out with a very low rate at first, but your rate (and your payments) may increase substantially as the market fluctuates. Because of the nature of the loan (low payments at first), the borrower may qualify for a larger loan than he or she would otherwise qualify for if the rates were fixed.

Interest only loan. This is a loan relatively new to the world of mortgage financing. It is basically a type of adjustable rate mortgage, although a very few lenders offer them at fixed rates. Despite its name, an interest only loan is not exactly that. The borrower pays only the interest payments on the loan for the first five to 10 years (seven to nine years is common). This means that the borrower may be able to qualify for a larger loan. Additionally, someone who might not be able to afford a house payment can do so when he or she is only paying the interest. The downside comes when the initial payment period ends. After the first several years, you begin paying on the principal as well, resulting in a balloon payment. This is a loan that comes with a great deal of risk, especially if you are unsure of whether or not you will earn enough down the road to cover the sudden payment increase.

Again, it is a good idea to consult with your credit union to explore the risks of each option in relation to your circumstance. Contact your credit union about rates, terms and benefits for each of these financing options.

For additional information, please contact a local Credit Union

Nicole Soltau is the President and Founder of CreditUnionRate.com.
The Leading Credit Union Directory.
Search, Find, Join.
http://CreditUnionRate.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Examiner.com

Beware of mortgage refinance ripoffs
Examiner.com - 7 hours ago
by Tom Mackinnon, Dallas Personal Finance Examiner With mortgage interest rates at all-time lows (my company has 30 year fixed rates as low as 4.25% at the ...


Washington Times

Is It Time To Refinance Your Mortgage?
Forbes, NY - 21 hours ago
Falling rates and a friendly Fed mean good things for homeowners. But there's a catch. Looking to refinance your mortgage? Do it now. ...
Mortgage Rates At 37- Year Low WHIZ
Refinancing suddenly booms Honolulu Advertiser
all 29 news articles


Cardoza proposal could aid housing crisis
Stockton Record, CA - 12 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
all 15 news articles


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
all 864 news articles


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 ...


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 ...

Mortgage-Refinance - Google News

home | site map
© 2006