One of the best reasons to refinance is to lower the interest rate on your existing loan. Historically, the rule of thumb is that refinancing is a good idea if you can reduce your interest rate by at least 2%. However, many lenders say 1% savings is enough of an incentive to refinance.
Experts often say refinancing isn't worth it unless you drop your interest rate by at least 0.50 to 1 percent. But that may not be true for everyone. “Say you are refinancing from an adjustable rate to a 0.25 percent lower fixed rate. ... A quarter-point rate drop may also benefit someone with a large principal borrowed.
Mortgage refinancing is not always the best idea, even when mortgage rates are low and friends and colleagues are talking about who snagged the lowest interest rate. This is because refinancing a mortgage can be time-consuming, expensive at closing, and will result in the lender pulling your credit score.
Costs of Refinancing Your Mortgage
Closing payments, prepayment penalties and a longer break-even point can all outweigh the potential benefits of taking out a new mortgage. New closing costs and fees: Before you can finalize your new loan, you will be responsible for paying for several refinancing costs.
Saving $100 per month, it would take you 40 months — more than 3 years — to recoup your closing costs. So a refinance might be worth it if you plan to stay in the home for 4 years or more. But if not, refinancing would likely cost you more than you'd save. ... Negotiate with your lender a no closing cost refinance.
Taking on new debt typically causes your credit score to dip, but because refinancing replaces an existing loan with another of roughly the same amount, its impact on your credit score is minimal.
The mortgage rates trend continued to decline until rates dropped to 3.31% in November 2012 — the lowest level in the history of mortgage rates.
Refinancing doesn't reset the repayment term of your loan, but it does replace your current loan with a new loan. You may be able to choose from different offers for your new loan depending on your goals, including a longer or shorter repayment term.
Generally, the cost of a mortgage point is $1,000 for every $100,000 of your loan (or 1% of your total mortgage amount). Each point you purchase lowers your APR by 0.25%. For example, if your rate is 4% and you buy one point, your APR rate would go down to 3.75% for the life of the loan.
If you're looking to lower your monthly mortgage payment, refinancing with your current lender could save you the hassle of switching financial institutions, filling out extra paperwork and learning a new payment system.
9 Things to Know Before You Refinance Your Mortgage
As a general rule, it doesn't make sense to refinance a mortgage loan if you're planning to move and sell the home in a couple of years. The reason is that the money you spend up front in closing costs will exceed what little amount you save over the next 24 – 36 months (with the lower rate and payments).
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