Monday, May 10, 2010

What is involved in refinancing your home


Before you jump in head first, you should know what is involved in refinancing your home. A home refinance is just about the same as getting the original mortgage. Basically what you are doing is paying off your current loan with a new loan. The reason you do this is to get better terms, whether it be a lower interest rate or a longer term for your loan payment. You want to educate yourself so that you know everything that is involved in refinancing your home.

As I said, a refinance is just like an original mortgage, you will need to fill out an application, verify your income, go through a credit check, house appraisal and more. So why do people go through this again? It depends on the terms of your current mortgage. Most people consider refinancing if interest rates drop 2% or more below what you currently have. Also if your credit has improved, you may stand a chance to get better terms on your mortgage.


But you can't just jump into refinancing with out considering everything that is involved. Just like with an original mortgage there are closing costs. It usually doesn't make sense to refinance if your closing costs are more than the amount of money you would save through refinancing. Some lenders advertise no cost loans. But be aware that the costs are usually incorporated into the loan amount. This means that the loan will be a little higher to add in all of those fees, and this may make your monthly payment higher. Sometimes if you have the money up front it's best to pay and keep a lower principal amount or interest rate.

When you are considering refinancing, you should lay out all of your options and carefully consider which one is best for you and your financial situation. You may also need to enlist the help of other professionals such as a tax preparer or lawyer. For instance if you lower your interest rate you'll have less interest to deduct on your taxes and this may cause you a problem. Perhaps it's better for you to have high closing costs so that you can to deduct those costs during the current tax year. You should not take refinancing lightly because there are so many things involved in refinancing your home that could benefit or harm you.

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