Saturday, December 27, 2008

Home Loan Refinance Guidelines

By John Bear

You might be a good candidate to refinance if you have a home loan, and you think that your property went up by ten percent or more in value, since you took out your current loan. It will help you save money on your mortgage payments, improve your terms, or even both.

The bank uses your home as collateral for the loan when you take out a home loan. So the more expensive the collateral is, the lower will be the bank's risk that you may 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.

A lower interest rate can truly benefit you in several ways. You can just go for a home loan refinance and lower your monthly payments, or have your shorter loan term refinanced so you would be making the same monthly payments, but would be capable of paying off your home sooner.

Before having to home loan refinance, you have to consider the cost of doing it and then compare it to your savings. If it would cost you $5,000 to refinance and you have $25 savings per month then it would surely not be worth it because it will take you over 16 years to just break even. But if you have $250 savings per month or 5 years worth of mortgage payments, then it would be good move to refinance your home loan.

Before you apply for any home loan it is important to request copies of your credit reports and carefully review them for any errors. If you find errors, you will have to dispute the mistakes with each credit agency.

Comparison shopping for a mortgage will really help you find the best home loan offer. The Internet is a useful tool for quickly locating and comparing mortgage offers, and you can easily screen mortgage loans from dozens of lenders with little time and effort.

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. - 16463