Refinancing your home mortgage can be for a variety of reasons. But firstly, you need to judge your current home mortgage and any other debt that you may have. Refinancing mortgage can be beneficial for your future financial planning needs.
Advantages of Refinancing your Home Mortgage:
- Low payments – your monthly payments can be lowered by refinancing. This is possible by choosing a lower interest rate or by changing the length of the home mortgage loan term.
- Save money – you can save money by lowering the interest rate of your home mortgage loan.
- Produce cash – some of your equity can be cashed out to produce an amount for meeting other expenditures.
During the process of refinancing, you will have to pay out some fees while closing costs are a necessity. Homeowners can pay out of their pockets, or have the amount to be paid included in the mortgage. If the latter option is taken, the total mortgage will increase. However, before applying for refinancing, you must have a good know-how of the closing costs.
Type of Closing Costs:
There are two types of closing costs:
- Recurring costs – this is the amount due at closing, but you will be required to pay it on an annual basis. This fee includes interest, property taxes, and a variety of insurances. The premiums can be included in the mortgage payment, or can be prepaid each year.
- Non-recurring costs – while refinancing, most fees are one-time, which are to be paid at closing. They include discount and origination points, application fees, appraisal fees, title search, credit report, etc.
What you can expect at closing
Homeowners are informed of approximate closing costs before hand, to avoid unforeseen charges. Different lenders charge different fees. It is essential to obtain Good Faith Estimates from three to four lenders. You can save money of prepayment penalties and other fees and by negotiating terms before signing the contract.
There is a loan processing fees for every loan, which may be almost 3-6% of your loan. This amount also varies with the lenders. In a market where property is selling at a fast pace, homebuyers should prepare to pay 3-5% of the home price. As the market cools down, the seller is to pay the closing costs.
Prior to signing the contract with the refinancer, you must do your homework of studying the various types of offers, and check which mortgage rate would suit you. There are the adjustable rate and fixed rate mortgage to select from. Save yourself some cash by refinancing your mortgage. |