Death and taxes - two things you know are for certain in life. However, there is a thirdthat is almost nearly as certain as those two - fluctuating interest rates. With a homemortgage being one of the largest purchases you will ever make, even the slightestdecrease in the rate that you pay on the loan can save you thousands. For many of you, nowmay be the perfect time to refinance your mortgage and put thousands of dollars back intoyour pocket.
In the past decade the mortgage industry has become a highly competitive field. Withrecent events in both the mortgage industry and the U.S. economy, rates are changingrapidly. For many of us, we may be paying for more than we should on our mortgage and noteven realize it. Indeed, many people never think about their mortgage over their years - amistake that can cost them serious money. They just sign the papers and pay the monthlypayment. However, during the 20-40 years that mortgage runs, interest rates will rise andfall - and the smart consumer knows to take advantage of these fluctuations.
Maybe you are thinking that it is too much hassle to refinance and not worth the time.Just think about this: If you took out your 30-year mortgage 5 years ago at 6.1 %, thatsame mortgage may now be available to you for 5.45 %. Although it may seem like only asmall amount, 0.65 % to be exact, that 0.65 % adds up to over $3,400 you can put back intoyour pocket over the life of the loan. Ask yourself this; is 4-8 hours of your time worth$3,400? For most of us the answer is a resounding yes! If your average monthly payment is$600, this means you will chop an entire half-year off your repayment!
Another reason you may want to refinance is to get your mortgage handled by a differentcompany than you are with now. Sometimes, for various reasons, our current mortgage lenderdoesn't meet our needs or provides below par customer service. You may wish to move yourbusiness to a local lender, or one that offers more options for repayment.
Some people find themselves refinancing to get rid of adjustable rate mortgages and otherballoon payments. Thanks to the competitive market out there for mortgage notes, theaverage homeowner with decent credit will have no problem finding a mortgager who willrefinance them at terms they can both agree on.
So as you sit down to pay your monthly mortgage bill as yourself these questions:
" Am I getting the best interest rate available for someone with my credit?
" Am I happy with the level of service my current mortgage holder provides?
" Do I have a mortgage payment that will go up in later years that I can refinance now tolock in a lower payment?
Each of these questions is good reasons to evaluate your current mortgage and considerrefinancing. In the end, you may not only save a lot of money on your total housepayments, but you may also end up getting better service with lower payments - somethingwe can all enjoy!
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