Refinancing Your Home: When and Why
With the lowered mortgage rates, you may be wondering if mortgage refinancing or refinancing your home is a smart move to make. Home loan refinancing, or mortgage refinancing, is essentially taking out a new mortgage on your place of residence with new rates and terms to pay off your existing mortgage. Home owners have the choice to refinance with their existing lending institute, a new lender or they could go through a mediator that allows financial institutes to offer quotes to the home owner in order to get the lowest rates and best terms possible.
Reasons for Refinancing
There are many reasons why refinancing your home may be the best financial decision. People generally refinance their home for one or more of these reasons.
Reduces Monthly Mortgage Payment
One reason to finance is to improve your cash flow by lowering the amount paid monthly for your mortgage. There are two ways that this can be achieved. The first way is by refinancing your home at an interest rate lower than your current loan charges and the second way is taking out a loan for a longer-term loan. If you have twelve years left on your mortgage, you may be able to refinance for a twenty or thirty year loan which would significantly reduce the monthly payment.
Lowers the Overall Cost
The majority of home owners will refinance their home loans when interest rates are low. This not only reduces the amount paid per month, but it will reduce the overall cost owed as well. The money saved can be put towards paying directly on the loan’s principle with extra mortgage payments which will also reduce the overall cost and would allow you to pay off your mortgage much faster.
Risk Management
Another reason to look into mortgage refinancing or refinancing your home is risk management. ARMs; adjustable rate mortgages, can be risky. Many people may want to switch from an ARM to a fixed rate mortgage while the interest rates are low in order to protect themselves from higher interest rates later on.
Reduce Mortgage Terms
You may want to reduce the monthly term limit of your mortgage in order to pay off the loan more quickly. If you are making more than you used to or have expanded to more than one income, it can be beneficial to refinance to a shorter-term mortgage. It is generally better to refinance than to prepay as you will, most likely, pay less interest that way.
Need Money
Many people are strapped for cash right now, but do not want to take out another loan and be responsible for yet another monthly payment. Refinancing can be a way to tap into your home’s equity and raise cash. This is known as cash-out refinancing. Cash-out refinancing allows you to borrow more money than what you owe, so that you gain the difference in cash.
When is the Best Time to Refinance?
The best time to refinance is when the current interest rates are lower than your existing mortgage’s interest rates. There are some costs involved with mortgage refinancing or refinancing your home, so the interest rates should be at least one percent lower.
You may also want to reconsider refinancing your home if your credit or FICO score has improved to the point where you would qualify for a better interest rate. If your financial situation has changed significantly, whether for the good or bad, you may want to refinance. If your income has improved, you could refinance your home for a shorter-term loan and pay off your home faster which can only help your finances when it is time to retire. If your income has been significantly reduced, you can try to refinance your home at a lower interest rate or for a longer-term loan in order to reduce the monthly amount owed.
Refinancing your home can make good financial sense if it is done correctly and for the right reasons. However, there are certain things to consider before signing on the dotted line. You must weigh the advantages and benefits against the costs and risks in order to determine if refinancing your home is a good financial decision to make at this time.