4 Things You Need to Know Before Refinancing Your Mortgage

With the way the economy has gone downhill over the last 10 years, almost everyone in the nation has been under financial stress. Households are readjusting their budgets to make up for less income and higher prices, and frequently, the first thing to be altered is the mortgage. Before you decide to refinance your house payments, here are a few things you need to be aware of.

The advantages

The main advantage of refinancing your home is obviously the lower monthly payments toward your mortgage, potentially saving your hundreds of dollars a year. Many people use refinancing as a means to get a larger sum of money for big purchases such as a new car or the intention to pay off other large debts. Whatever the reasoning for refinancing, it can not only lower your monthly payment but you may also potentially get a lower interest rate as well, also attributing to a gain in money.

The risks

The main disadvantage of refinancing your home is ignorance, or people being uninformed, so do your reading! There are a many penalties that can be in place which people who are buying homes may not realize. Many mortgage contracts state that you may be charged a fee for refinancing, which can sometimes equate up to thousands of dollars.

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The eligibility

People who have had a lot of previous debt; whether it is credit card debt or the like, or otherwise have a bad credit score may have a much more difficult time getting to refinance. If your credit is good and you do decide to refinance, most banks require you to hold your original mortgage for at least 1 year before refinancing. In any case, each of the lenders has different terms and conditions, so it’s important to check up on those before deciding to refinance.

The cost

Although getting lower payments and interest rates can essentially save you money, if you are not careful you can be out of a lot of money as well. There are lots of fees that should be considered. There is oftentimes an application fee, a fee to transfer the title, as well as lender/attorney fees. The key to saving money and not being overcharged is knowing your fees.

As you can see a adjustable rate mortgage of your home is not necessarily an easy process, but it can help you get on top of your household budgeting and potentially lessen some of your financial stress. On top of this list, there are a lot of ins and outs that you should consider before refinancing, so be sure to do your research. Talk to your mortgage company if you are interested in lower payments on your home. Direct Mortgage Loans can answer questions about your refi.

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