Beginners Guide To Refinancing Your Mortgage

What You Should Know Before Refinancing

Getting a new mortgage to replace the original is called refinancing. Refinancing is done to allow a borrower to obtain a better interest term and rate. The first loan is paid off, allowing the second loan to be created, instead of simply making a new mortgage and throwing out the original mortgage. For borrowers with a perfect credit history, refinancing can be a good way to convert a variable loan rate to a fixed, and obtain a lower interest rate. Borrowers with less than perfect, or even bad credit, or too much debt, refinancing can be risky.

In any economic climate, it can be difficult to make the payments on a home mortgage. Between possible high interest rates and an unstable economy, making mortgage payments may become tougher than you ever expected. Should you find yourself in this situation, it might be time to consider refinancing. The danger in refinancing lies in ignorance. Without the right knowledge it can actually hurt you to refinance, increasing your interest rate rather than lowering it. Below you will find some of this basic knowledge written in order to help you reach your best deal. For comparative purposes, here is a rate table highlighting current rates in your area.

What Is Refinancing?

Refinancing is the process of obtaining a new mortgage in an effort to reduce monthly payments, lower your interest rates, take cash out of your home for large purchases, or change mortgage companies. Most people refinance when they have equity on their home, which is the difference between the amount owed to the mortgage company and the worth of the home.

• Tips for Consumers Refinancing their Homes – Some things to think about before deciding to refinance.
• Is it Time to Refinance? – How you can tell you are in the best position to refinance.
• When Should We Refinance? – How refinancing at the right time can help you increase equity and pay lower interest rates.
• Home Mortgage Refinancing while in Bankruptcy – When filing for bankruptcy, refinancing a home mortgage loan can ease your burden.

What Are The Advantages Of Refinancing?

One of the main advantages of refinancing regardless of equity is reducing an interest rate. Often, as people work through their careers and continue to make more money they are able to pay all their bills on time and thus increase their credit score. With this increase in credit comes the ability to procure loans at lower rates, and therefore many people refinance with their mortgage companies for this reason. A lower interest rate can have a profound effect on monthly payments, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars a year.