mortgage company, NC North Carolinamortgage company - NC North Carolina: mortgages, loans of any type, refinancing, quick easy online quotes, home equity loans, See if you could save on your mortgage today. Step 1 - Reasons to refinance You may want to refinance your mortgage for a variety of reasons. Many people refinance to lower their interest rate, shorten their term, eliminate PMI or Private Mortgage Insurance, or change from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate. Other reasons for refinancing can include lengthening the term for lower monthly payments and/or obtaining cash from the available equity.The standard rule used for many years by financial advisors was that a homeowner should look to refinance whenever the current rate available is at least 2% lower than the interest rate on the present mortgage. This is less true today since the average home prices have increased significantly. A 1% or 1.5% decrease in the note rate can mean substantial savings at higher loan amounts. Likewise, it is not uncommon that a borrower can refinance to a rate of less than 2% lower than their current rate and coincidentally eliminate the Private Mortgage Insurance that they are paying. The elimination of PMI can, on average, equate to a .5% decrease in interest rate. The best rule for when to refinance is to calculate the savings versus the costs. If the savings in monthly payments recoup the costs associated with the new loan within approximately two years then it is a good time to refinance. Now that I found my home, should I lock in the rate or let it float? Ready to sign a contract? If youre afraid rates are headed up, protect your buying power by locking in the rate at the time you apply for your loan. What price can I afford? The most you will be able to borrow is based on a multiple of your annual income and is usually: 3 to 3.25 times your earnings if you buy on your own; 3 to 3.25 times the main income plus 1 times the second income if youre buying with someone else; or 2.5 to 2.75 times the total of your joint earnings if youre buying with someone else. But remember that interest rates could always go up, so its better not to go right up to these limits. Q. Should I refinance if I plan on moving soon? A. Most lenders will charge fees to refinance a loan. If you plan to stay in the property for less than a couple of years, your monthly savings may not get a chance to accumulate and recoup these costs. Lets say a lender charged $1,000 to refinance your loan, but it resulted in a monthly savings of $50. It would take 20 months (1,000 divided 50) to recoup the initial costs before you start to realize some savings. Some lenders will charge a slightly higher than average interest rate on refinance loans, but waive all costs associated with the loan. The attractiveness of these loans will depend on the interest rate you are being charged on your current loan. Fixer-Upper -- Buying a fixer-upper is a good way to own a home that you ordinarily wouldnt be able to afford. If youre a handyman or a handywoman, or you know someone who is, this could be the home for you. The real estate industry has placed an annoying little word on the difference between the improved homes value and the price you paid plus the repairs -- sweat equity. For instance, if the improved house is worth $150,000 and you paid $130,000 for the house and $10,000 in repairs, your sweat equity (arghhh) is $10,000. Again, you should definitely have a home inspection with this house, and have a contractor give you an estimate on repair costs. Also, ask your lender about special loans with which you can build the repair costs into your mortgage. On a weekend day, take a drive around the area. Whats it like? Take our checklist with you and make a note of your observations. Then do it again after work one weekday evening. Calculators Calculate everything from how much home you can afford to your approximate closing costs. We help millions of people a year buy homes. And we can help you. Click a title on the left for a look at the topics available. Then click a topic to go to the information. The cash back is attractive because many buyers use this as a down payment, or to increase their down payment Here are three important questions to answer when deciding whether to choose an ARM or fixed-rate mortgage: How long do you plan on staying in the home? When you prepay a part of the loan, the lender gives you two options - reduction of EMI or reduction in tenure. Always choose for reduction in tenure because a longer tenure means more interest payment. A monthly reducing balance is better than an annual reducing balance. In the monthly reducing, principal repayments are credited at the end of every month and interest is calculated on the outstanding principal at the end of every month. In the annual reducing, interest is calculated on an annual basis on the outstanding, at the beginning of the year. Pay down high balances on unsecured revolving debt like credit cards. High outstanding debt can affect a score. In addition to mortgage advice and information, many online mortgage lenders offer you free quotes, yours for filling out a short online application form. The information you enter is kept confidential, so we recommend you take advantage of these offers when you are ready to get a mortgage to ensure you are getting the best interest rates and terms possible. Choosing the Right Loan Purchasing a home is the single largest expenditure you will make. Therefore, the financing of your home should be managed with great consideration. There are many different loan products available today and it is often difficult to pick the one best suited toward your financial goals. By answering the following questions, youll get a feel for the best loan for your financial situation. A mortgage is a document signed by a borrower when a home loan is made that gives the lender a right to take possession of the property if the borrower fails to pay off on the loan. Useful tools at your fingertips like mortgage lender rates, points and programs that are updated continuously as well as informative articles on mortgages and mortgage terms are readily available for your convenience. In addition, commentaries from the market on mortgages should prove to be constructive. Plus, if you’d like to begin the process of requesting a loan it may be initiated online. Know how interest rates affect your payment The interest rate on a loan is used to calculate your monthly payment. The higher the interest rate, the higher your monthly payment. The lower the interest rate, the lower your monthly payment. Simple? Yes, but abstract until you see it applied to your loan. See our monthly payment calculator for a demonstration of how this works. Mortgage Refinancing made easy on the Internet! When you search online for a mortgage refinancing resource you can find a number of useful listings. Examples include a government published booklet/guide on refinancing to getting a free mortgage refinancing quote. With a 15-year mortgage you could get an interest rate that is typically one-quarter to one-half percent lower than a 30-year mortgage. The shorter the term, generally the lower the interest. Yet, the main advantage is the fortune in interest you will be saving during the life of the loan. Check out the latest bankrate.com survey of interest rates on 15-year fixed mortgages. |