If you have a home loan and your property went up in a ten percent or more value since you took out your current loan, you might make a good candidate for refinancing. It cannot only save you money on your mortgage payments, but it can also improve your terms, or both.
When you take out a home loan, your home will be used by the bank as collateral for the loan. The more expensive the collateral, the lower will be the risk of the bank that you will default on the loan and walk away from that collateral.
If the collateral grows in value over the years and the bank's risk is reduced, then you are able to qualify for a lower rate. And if your home went up in value by ten percent or more, banks will have to consider your home loan to be a less risky investment and would offer you a lower rate. This is, of course, assuming that you have the same job and income, made all payments on time, and your market interest rates are the same or lower.
Lower interest rate can indeed benefit you in several ways. You can either go for a home loan refinance and lower your monthly payments, or refinance into a shorter loan term, which means you would be making the same monthly payment, but you would pay off your home sooner.
Before having to home loan refinance, you will need to consider the cost of doing the refinance and then compare it to the savings. If it will be costing you $5,000 to refinance and your savings are only $25 per month, it will not be worth it, as it would take you over 16 years to just break even. But if your savings run at $250 per month, or 5 years worth of mortgage payments, then it would be a good idea to refinance your home loan.
Keep in mind though that before you apply for any home loan, it is essential to request copies of your credit reports and carefully review them for errors. If you do find errors, you will need to dispute the mistakes with each of the credit agencies prior to refinancing.
Comparison shopping for a mortgage, on the other hand, will help you find the best home loan offer. The internet proves to be a very useful tool for quickly locating and comparing mortgage offers, and you can even easily screen mortgage loans from dozens of lenders with little effort and time.
The one too common mistake homeowners make when having to home loan refinance is rushing through and accepting the first promising offer they receive. But if you take the time to learn mortgage terminology, you will be able to understand the home loan offers you consider. Just remember, don't rush your financial decisions and you can save yourself money and future financial problems.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
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