Refinancing your house means clearing off your existing mortgage and creating a fresh mortgage on it. The two pertinent questions that you face are: Why should one refinance a house? When should one refinance a house? We’ll explain the ins and outs of house refinancing in the following paragraphs, so stay tuned!
There are two common reasons to take a fresh mortgage on your house. Your current mortgage is an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) where the interest you pay varies according to the market rate, and the interest rate on real estate is showing an upward inclination. If this is the case, then you should refinance your house with a fixed rate mortgage where the rate is less than or near about your current rate of interest. The other common reason is that you need a loan real soon. Look to refinance your house with a mortgage that allows you a cash component.
Look at the market rates. Is your current rate above the going market rate? Yes? Then go in for refinancing. Remember that you have to pay a special fee when you close the mortgage earlier than planned. You’ll have to offset this amount when you compute the savings you’ll make with the lower rate loan.
Find out the penalty that you’ll have to pay if you foreclose your mortgage. If you have plans on the horizon of moving house, then this is not a suitable time to refinance. Because you’ll have to make one penalty payment now to refinance the house, and a second one when you move.
The penalty amount is often called a pre-payment penalty. This helps the mortgager to recover some of the costs he’s incurred under the existing mortgage. The lower end of the pre-payment penalty is two years’ interest. The higher end can go up to five years of interest! These are significant amounts we’re talking of here, so be careful that you take them into account when computing your net savings.
If you are not moving and if the interest rate is favorable, then you are better off taking a fresh mortgage on your house. Even a small difference in the interest rates will add up to an appreciable amount at the end of the new refinance term.
If you are taking a top-up mortgage, that is taking a fresh mortgage to clear off the current one plus a cash component over and above that, you must expect to pay a bigger installment. Check what this is going to be and make sure that you can handle the payments comfortably.
You can earn a hefty saving by refinancing your house provided you time it right, which is when the interest rates are low. Just make sure of two things: that you can handle the payments comfortably, and that the mortgager is trustworthy.
