Finding Out When It Is The Right (financial business coach) Time To Refinance
No commentsBy Dane Pearson
One of the great mysteries of our time concerns the matter of when to refinance. It used to be that borrowers would refinance only when rates fell by 2 full percentage points, a standard which makes no sense in today’s marketplace.
Now you can refinance quickly at almost any time: No less important, refinancing no longer takes a ton of cash.
It was in June 2003 when mortgage rates hit a low not seen in decades: 5.21 percent according to Freddie Mac. In the first quarter of 2006 rates are roughly 1.25 percent higher, a big difference in terms of monthly payments.
Refinancing when rates are falling is easy to understand, but why refinance when rates are rising?
The answer works like this: Some borrowers should refinance in full, some should refinance in part and some should not refinance at all. The trick is to know which option best meets your needs.
If you were fortunate enough to finance or refinance with a fixed-rate mortgage in the summer of 2003 or thereabouts you certainly want to hold onto such debt for as long as it makes sense. However, there are situations where even borrowers with loans at great rates should look at refinancing options.
Cashing-Out
According to the National Association of Realtors, a typical home cost $165,400 in 2003. As of January 2006, that same home was worth $211,000 — an increase of $45,600.
Growing home values tell us two things: First, if you want to refinance you likely have far more equity then even a few years ago. Second, that additional equity means you can get a lot of cash from your home without touching your current loan. This is great news if you have low-rate financing you don’t want to touch.
Go back to that 2003 home. Imagine it was bought with 5 percent down. That means a $165,400 house was financed with $8,270 in cash and a first mortgage worth $157,130. At 5.5 percent interest, two years later the loan balance has been reduced to $152,585. If the house is worth $211,000 today then the available equity is roughly $58,415.
You could get cash out of the house by getting a new loan for $211,000. However, if you refinanced for $211,000 it means the old loan would be paid off and replaced by a new loan at a higher rate. That’s not good.
The better choice is this: Get a fixed-rate second loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC), a form of financing which usually involves an adjustable interest rate. Such additional financing leaves the first loan in place and untouched. By getting a second mortgage you hold on to the old loan and its low rate plus you get additional cash.
The other attraction of second mortgage loans is that they are often available with little or no cash out of pocket. This is not to say such loans are “free” or nearly free, instead what happens is that the lender pays most or all closing costs.
In exchange for closing help the mortgage lender charges a somewhat higher rate. In addition, loans that require little or no cash up front often have a pre-payment penalty. If the loan is refinanced with another lender or the property is sold within two or three years then a penalty may be due. Ask lenders for specifics.
Safeguarding the Future
It may be that your current financing has a low interest rate or a small monthly payment — for the moment. But borrowers with interest-only loans, option or flexible ARMs, or loans that convert from a fixed rate to an adjustable-rate mortgage after three to five years should be checked for potential payment shock.
In other words, a 5/1 ARM may have allowed you to acquire a property that has appreciated in value — a property that could not be financed at the time with a fixed-rate loan. Because you could get the loan you could get the property. In turn, because the value of most homes has risen substantially in the past five years, getting that 5/1 ARM a few years ago has greatly increased your net worth.
But the loan which was terrific a few years ago, the loan that was the right financing at the time, may soon become overly expensive if rates go higher. In such circumstances, refinancing now to a fixed-rate loan can be the smart move to defend your finances.
Consider a $300,000 two-step ARM made a few years ago. There’s a 5.5 percent start rate that lasts for five years then the loan converts into a one-year ARM for the remaining 25 years of the loan term.
The monthly cost for this loan during the first five years is $1,703.37 for principal and interest. In year six, let’s say the new rate is 6.50 percent and the mortgage balance has been reduced to $276,949.78. The new monthly payment for principal and interest will be $1,869.98.
Is the higher monthly cost a problem? If your income has risen over five years, then no. But what if rates go higher than 6.5 percent? At 7.5 percent — not a high rate by the standards of the past 25 years — the monthly payment will be $2,046.63 for principal and interest. Insurance and taxes are extra, of course.
Like cars, loans are bright and shiny when new but they can become outmoded over time. At the very least, it’s appropriate to see if the loan that worked so well a few years ago is the right loan for today — or for tomorrow.
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Offers That May Trigger Your Mortgage Application
By Dane Pearson
If you apply for a mortgage, your inbox, answering machine, and mailbox may fill up quickly with competing offers from other mortgage companies. It’s not that the company you applied to is selling or sharing your information. Rather, it’s that creditors - including mortgage companies - are taking advantage of a federal law that allows them to identify potential customers for the products they offer, and then market to them. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know why your application for a mortgage may trigger competing offers, how you can use them to your benefit, and how to stop getting them if that’s your choice.
The unsolicited calls, emails, and letters about competing offers often are called “prescreened” or “pre-approved” offers of credit. They are based on information in your credit report that suggests you meet criteria set by the creditor making the offer - for example, you live in a certain zip code, you have a certain number of credit cards, or you have a certain credit score. Credit bureaus and other consumer reporting companies sell lists of consumers who meet the criteria to insurance companies, lenders, and other creditors.
When you apply for a mortgage, the lender usually gets a copy of your credit report. At that point, an “inquiry” appears on your report showing that the lender has looked at it. The inquiry indicates you’re in the market for a loan. That’s why mortgage companies buy lists of consumers who have a recent inquiry from a mortgage company on their credit report. Federal law allows this practice if the offer of credit meets certain legal requirements.
Clearly, some mortgage companies benefit from the practice. Consumers can benefit, too: prescreened offers can highlight other available products and make it easier to compare costs while you carefully check out the terms and conditions of any offers you might consider.
Still, some people may prefer not to receive prescreened offers of credit and insurance at all. Here’s how to stop them:
Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) and you will be asked to provide certain personal information, including your home telephone number, name, Social Security number, and date of birth. The information you provide is confidential, and will be used only to process your request to opt out.
Opting out of prescreened offers does not affect your ability to apply for credit or to get it. Your opt out request will be processed within five days, but it may take up to 60 days before the prescreened offers stop coming. If you have a joint mortgage, both parties need to opt out to stop the prescreened offers. If or when you want to opt back in, use the same telephone number.
Put your phone number on the federal government’s National Do Not Call Registry to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register your phone number or to get information about the registry call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register. You will get fewer telemarketing calls within 31 days of registering your number. Your number stays on the registry for five years, until it is disconnected, or until you take it off the registry.
Many companies use other tools to identify marketing prospects, and that the Do Not Call Registry won’t shield you from all telemarketers - for example, those with which you have a business relationship. Even if you opt out of prescreened offers and put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, you can expect some unsolicited offers.
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Choosing An Adjustable Rate Mortgage
By Dane Pearson
Adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) are appealing to many homebuyers, but what are the risks?
An adjustable rate mortgage is one in which the rate changes based on the market interest rates. The rate will adjust on a specific schedule, say once a year, after an initial fixed period. Fixed periods range from six months to five years. Some may have even longer fixed periods.
The risk in an ARM comes from having a payment that can change significantly. When you have a fixed rate mortgage, you know that your payment will be the same now, ten years and twenty years later. The payment doesn’t change because the interest rate is fixed.
When you choose an adjustable rate mortgage, you accept the risk of a rising payment in return for a lower initial interest rate. This rate is usually much lower than the market rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. The more risk you accept, the lower your initial interest rate. The more adjustments the loan will go through, the more risk. The traditional thinking is that even after a loan adjustment, the rates will be lower than those offered to new borrowers for 30-year fixed mortgages. However, it does happen where this gap closes, especially in periods of rising interest rates.
The best time to get an ARM is when interest rates are on the decline. Despite the risk, an ARM can be beneficial to certain borrowers. While most advisors will tell you that a fixed-mortgage is the way to go in every situation, there are times when you should consider an adjustable rate.
1. The borrower needs extra cash for a while.
A lower initial fixed rate gives you more money in your pocket early in your loan term. For example, a one-year ARM with a 30-year term and a rate which adjusts once a year on the anniversary of the loan date comes with zero points and an initial rate of 5.625%. Let’s compare that to a 30-year fixed rate mortgage with no points and a fixed rate of 7.625%.
If you take out a $240,000 mortgage, the 30-year fixed rate payment would be $1,698.70 each month. The one-year ARM would have a monthly payment of $1,381.58. That’s a difference of $317 a month.
You could use that extra $317 to pay off your credit cards, make improvements to the home or save for retirement. But you want to make sure that you will maintain a lifestyle that can afford for your payment to increase. You don’t want to find that you cannot afford a higher mortgage payment when the rate adjusts upwards.
2. Buy more home.
Because of the lower initial interest rate, you can qualify for a larger mortgage amount and a more expensive home. Many homebuyers secure a one-year ARM with the purpose of refinancing them later. The low rate allows a more costly home, but a low mortgage payment. But remember that refinancing comes with closing costs. Do the math to see if you are really saving any money.
3. It all depends on the future.
If you plan to move or upgrade in the next few years, an ARM is a wise decision. You can benefit from a lower rate mortgage and simply sell the home and buy another before the rate adjusts. For example, if you plan to move in three years, why not go in for a five-year adjustable mortgage. You get a lower rate that won’t adjust while you own the home, as long as you sell during the initial rate period.
Make sure that the loan comes with no prepayment penalties. Make sure that you do some math. If interest rates go up drastically in those three years, when you buy a new home, you will be facing the higher interest rates. This could mean that you are unable to really upgrade to a larger or more expensive home.
Adjustable-rate mortgages are basically all about weighing the risk. You are getting a lower interest rate and payment for taking the risk of having to pay a lot more in the future. Some homeowners are experiencing this right now as foreclosures are on the rise. Many homeowners failed to calculate how much their mortgages could adjust to. Some have seen large increases that they are unable to afford. Do all of the math and always prepare for the worst case scenario when considering an adjustable rate mortgage.
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