Mortgage & Refinancing Information


Refinancing Your Home - Is the Time Right?


Refinancing your home is a major decision not to be takenlightly, even in this era of low interest rates and easymoney. While every mortgage company in town is touting thestrategy of getting a new loan before rates rise again,there are several things you'll want to be mindful of beforeyou go about refinancing your home.

In my view the key to refinancing your home isn't just therate they're offering you: it's the total package looked atnot only in terms of today, but a few years down the road.Many people have taken out new loans that really weren'tquite right for their long term situations, thinking they'dbe able to refinance again in the not-too-distant future.That may or may not prove to be true. No one has a crystalball that'll give you a definitive idea of just where rateswill be even a year from now, so try to approach this with asomewhat more long-termed view. It's very easy to gettempted by the prospect of easy, fast cash, but in the endyou end up giving it all back in terms of higher payments,and worst case, be unable to make your payments and loseyour home. Just look at all the costs associated with thisnew loan, determine what the payments will be in 2, 5 and 10years, or whatever your timeline is, and make an informeddecision unfettered by a mortgage broker's "opinion" what's"best" for you. They have a vested interest in getting youinto a loan, any loan, and WILL NOT, repeat, WILL NOT, haveyour best interests at heart when you go about refinancingyour home.

Some things to consider when refinancing your home would bethe type of loan,(fixed,ARM, etc.) the rate, the term, thecosts associated with the loan, any cash equity you'd liketo take out, and the time and documentation necessary forrefinancing your home. This is a wildly competitive market,and please do yourself a favor and shop around. The sameloan one lender will offer you can vary greatly from anotherjust down the street as far as total costs go. Don't beafraid to say no: they're not doing you a favor by "giving"you this loan. They're reaping many thousands of yourdollars in interest, so make sure you get what you want, notwhat they want to sell you. Remember, you're refinancingyour home, not their summer vacation!

All in all, when refinancing your home, take your time. Shoparound, compare, and you are the customer, and what was thatthey say about the customer always being right? You are, aslong as you do your homework when refinancing your home.

Keith Thompson is a real estate investor and webmaster at Mortgage LoansToday where you can find more information and resourcesfor refinancing your home


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY

Pros and Cons of a Mortgage Refinance
FreeRateUpdate.com
Many homeowners are jumping on the opportunity to save money with a mortgage refinance at the current low mortgage rates. With mortgage rates at historically low levels, some homeowners have refinanced more than once in the past several years which is ...
Who Qualifies for the $26 Billion Foreclosure Settlement?TIME
What $25 billion mortgage settlement will and won't do for homeownersThe Seattle Times

all 3,580 news articles »


Lenders say mortgage refinance deal will bolster Manatee market
Bradenton Herald
By JOSH SALMAN - jsalman@bradenton.com MANATEE -- A new refinance program to help underwater homeowners will uplift the local economy by putting extra cash into the pockets of those who will spend it, area lenders predict. The deal struck with five of ...

and more »


Mortgage-refinance bill a dangerous deal
Arizona Republic
by Robert Robb, columnist - Feb. 10, 2012 12:00 AM State Sen. Michele Reagan wants to help out underwater homeowners in the worst way. And she has succeeded with SB 1451 -- it's hard to imagine a worse bill. Reagan proposes to establish a state agency ...

and more »


Housing Wire

Obama pressures Congress on mortgage refinance program
Fox News
WASHINGTON – President Obama is rallying support for his plan to expand government assistance to homeowners, pressuring Congress to help lower lending rates for millions of strapped homeowners. Obama, in his radio and Internet address Saturday, ...
President Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Just a Bid for VotesYahoo! Contributors Network
Obama Unveils Mortgage Refinance EndeavorsMortgageorb
New Obama mortgage refinance plan to near $10 billionHousing Wire
Go Banking Rates -CBS Moneywatch -MNI News
all 1,239 news articles »


MonitorBankRates.com

Mortgage Refinance Rates: 15 Year Refinance Mortgage Rates at 3.29%
MonitorBankRates.com
Mortgage refinance rates on 30 year conforming home loans are averaging 3.98%, unchanged from yesterday's average 30 year mortgage refinance rate. Mortgage refinance rates today on 15 year home mortgage loans are averaging 3.29%, down from yesterday's ...

and more »


Harney: Reviewing Obama's mortgage refinance plan
The Seattle Times
Though it was pronounced dead-before-arrival by opponents on Capitol Hill, President Obama's new mortgage-refinancing package contained... By Kenneth R. Harney Mortgage refinancing is an outstanding plan particularly as the home mortgage rates are.

and more »


Fox News

Obama Proposes Mortgage-Refinance Plan
Wall Street Journal
By NICK TIMIRAOS President Barack Obama called on Congress during Tuesday's State of the Union address to approve new legislation that would give all homeowners who are current on their mortgages the opportunity to refinance at record low mortgage ...
Will Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Be D.O.A.?U.S. News & World Report
Obama proposes mortgage refinance programPolitico (blog)
Obama proposes new mortgage refinance programHousing Wire
Daily Caller
all 314 news articles »


International Business Times

FOX 11 News Discussion: State of the Union
MyFox Los Angeles
And he aimed a pitch at homeowners, announcing a new mortgage refinance program with "historically low interest rates" that "gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3000 a year on their mortgage." He added, "A small fee on the ...
Winning Words, But Not a WinnerU.S. News & World Report
Obama State of the Union 2012: Mortgage Refinance Changes Face ObstaclesInternational Business Times

all 12,250 news articles »


CBS Local

Six Questions on Obama's Mortgage Refinance Proposal
Wall Street Journal (blog)
By Nick Timiraos President Barack Obama said Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that he would send a plan to Congress to allow all homeowners who are current on their mortgages to refinance. Here's a quick look at the proposal: How is this ...
Obama plan could help refinance Bay Area mortgagesSan Francisco Chronicle

all 19 news articles »


Bloomberg

HARP Refi May Delay PMI Cancellation
NASDAQ
The federal HARP mortgage refinance program can be a huge boon for underwater homeowners. But if you have PMI, there's a little hitch you should know about. While refinancing a mortgage through HARP can cut your interest rate and save you money, ...
New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 MillionMortgageLoan.com

all 56 news articles »

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