Avoiding Reverse Mortgage Scams Reverse mortgages are gaining in popularity as more senior's start looking for ways to supplement their retirement incomes. And as the interest in reverse mortgages increase, so are the cases of reverse mortgage fraud and scams. Many seniors are finding ... Bad Credit Auto Loan Refinance - How To Refinance An Auto Loan The majority of people refinance an auto loan to acquire a lower interest rate or shorten the length of a loan. However, if you have bad credit, getting a low rate auto refinance may be challenging. For the most part, lenders only offer prime rates to ... Mortgage Rates and Current Mortgage Rates Current mortgage rates are at an all-time low providing homebuyers many loan options throughout the buyer friendly housing market. Present mortgage rates are very appealing to consumers looking to purchase their first home, move up the ladder to an ...
1st And 2nd Mortgage Refinance Loan - Why Refinance Both Mortgages?
The hassle of making two monthly mortgage payments has prompted many homeowners to consider refinancing their 1st and 2nd mortgages into one loan. While combining both loans into one mortgage is convenient, and may save you money, homeowners should carefully weigh the risks and advantages before choosing to refinance their mortgages.
Benefits Associated with Combining 1st and 2nd Mortgages
Aside from consolidating your mortgages and making one monthly payment, a mortgage consolidation may lower your monthly payments to mortgage lenders. If you acquired your 1st or 2nd mortgage before home loan rates began to decline, you are likely paying an interest rate that is at least two points above current market rates. If so, a refinancing will greatly benefit you. By refinancing both mortgages with a low interest rate, you may save hundreds on your monthly mortgage payment.
Furthermore, if you accepted a 1st and 2nd mortgage with an adjustable mortgage rate, refinancing both loans at a fixed rate may benefit you in the long run. Even if your current rates are low, these rates are not guaranteed to remain low. As market trends fluctuated, your adjustable rate mortgages are free to rise. Higher mortgage rates will cause your mortgage payment to climb considerably. Refinancing both mortgages with a fixed rate will ensure that your mortgage remains predictable.
Disadvantages to Refinancing 1st and 2nd Mortgage
Before choosing to refinance your mortgages, it is imperative to consider the drawbacks of combining both mortgages. To begin, refinancing a mortgage involves the same procedures as applying for the initial mortgage. Thus, you are required to pay closing costs and fees. In this case, refinancing is best for those who plan to live in their homes for a long time.
If your credit score has dropped considerably within recent years, lenders may not approve you for a low rate refinancing. By refinancing and consolidating both mortgages, be prepared to pay a higher interest rate. Before accepting an offer, carefully compare the savings.
Moreover, refinancing your two mortgages may result in you paying private mortgage insurance (PMI). PMI is required for home loans with less than 20% equity. To avoid paying private mortgage insurance, homeowners may consider refinancing both mortgages separately, as opposed to consolidating both mortgage loans.
Freddie Mac report: 30-year mortgage rates are in free-fall - Toledo Blade WASHINGTON - Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to a record level for a fourth straight week, dropping to the lowest mark since Freddie Mac started tracking nearly 38 years ago. Rates have been falling since late November, when the Federal Reserve ...
Is It Time To Refinance Your Mortgage? - Forbes Looking to refinance your mortgage? Do it now. Interest rates for 15- and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are heading south of 5%, where they haven't been since Richard Nixon was president. Average 15-year fixed-rate loans, for example, are 4.67 ...
Don't miss the refinance window - HometownAnnapolis.com CHICAGO - Lured by low mortgage rates, many homeowners have been rushing to refinance. Interest is gaining for good reason: Eligible borrowers can lock in rates that haven't been this attractive in decades. "With interest rates hovering around 5 ...
The rush to refinance - Boston Globe The mortgage interest rates have gone down again. Does that mean that refinancing is the best thing you can do? It’s a dirty little secret that most of the homeowners who are under water got there through refinancing, not by borrowing for their ...
Our Experts Say: Refinance Now - CNBC Right now, mortgage rates are at their lowest level since 1971. Think about that. Twenty-five years ago, we were paying as much as 18% on a 30-year fixed. Today it’s just a little over 5%. Combine that rate with the tax advantages of a mortgage ...
Homeowners Rush to Refinance - KAAL-TV (ABC 6 NEWS) -- Resolve to save money in 2009. Now, you can. Just this week mortgage giant Freddie Mac says the cost of borrowing has slid more than 1 percent from this summer, averaging 5 percent. That's the lowest recorded rate since the survey ...
Prepaying Mortgage May Not Trump Investing - Wall Street Journal Prepaying a mortgage in these uncertain times sounds perfect. It could shorten the term of the loan and offer a stable return when other investments are losing ground. But it's not a slam dunk decision. Interest rates are low, unemployment high and ...
Should you refinance? - Fayetteville Observer Janiece Brewer hasn’t been asked to crunch so many numbers since the housing boom of 2005. But instead of working with potential new homeowners, the inquiries at her mortgage loan company have been about refinancing as interest rates sink to record ...
