Refinance Basics

There are some things to look out for when you consider refinancing.

Refinancing Involves Writing a New Mortgage

This means a couple of things. The most important thing to realize is that the lender will not just fork over a new, lower interest rate. You will be asked to bring in income documentation, and your credit score will be checked, just like with your original mortgage. This means, of course, that there will be fees involved. You will have to pay closing costs on this mortgage just as you did initially.

The other important point about writing a new mortgage is the fact that, if your financial situation has changed, you may not qualify for a mortgage, or you may not get a lower interest rate. For example, if at the time of the initial mortgage, you and your spouse both worked full time, and now, one of you has decided to stay home, it does not matter if you are paying the mortgage on time every month, the lender will notice the change in income.

If you are concerned that, due to lower income, you may not qualify for a refinance, you should hop online or talk to a lender in person. If you have lived in your home for a while, you may have paid a good bit down on the principal. Remember, you are refinancing the amount left on the loan, not the original purchase price.

Refinance for Less Monthly Payments or Shorter Term

When you refinance, you are, of course, taking advantage of a lower interest rate to save money. There is, however, more than one way to save money. You can keep the length of the mortgage the same as it currently is and lower your monthly payment amount, or you can keep your payment the same, and shorten the length of your loan. If your financial situation has improved since the original purchase of your home, you may even consider increasing your monthly payment in order to dramatically shorten the term of your loan, saving money in the long run on interest payments.

Whether you choose refinance to lower your monthly payments or refinance to shorten the term of the loan has many determining factors. If you can handle the amount of the monthly payment, shortening the term saves money paid on interest and may allow you to pay off your mortgage in full by a point when the extra money would be valuable, such as retirement, or children going to college.

If your current monthly payments are causing problems, such as limiting the amount you can save toward retirement, or preventing you from replacing a car that is in need of work, you may choose to lower your monthly payments, freeing up some cash for things that you need right now.

• Refinance your Adjustable Rate Mortgage
• Costs of Refinancing your Mortgage