| Refinancing:
The Right Move? Unless you've been cast
away on an island, à la Tom Hanks with a FedEx box or two, you know that
our very own Fed in Washington has been slashing interest rates. In June, 2003,
it cut fund rates (the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans) from
1.25 percent to 1 percent—a 45-year low. This makes
refinancing tempting, especially if you bought your home when rates were much
higher. But refinancing isn't for everyone: It's not a one-size-fits-all situation,
nor is it a free process. The word "refinancing"
itself is somewhat confusing. It implies that you will simply be fussing around
with and ultimately changing your current mortgage. Not true. When you refinance,
you actually pay off your old mortgage and then replace it with a new one. Refinancing
also involves many of the same expenses incurred when you took out your original
mortgage. The only difference: This time you don't have to move. Caution:
If your current mortgage contains a prepayment penalty, refinancing may not be
viable—the penalty could offset any savings you would gain. Why
refinance? Key reasons to consider refinancing: A
lower rate. You want to get out of a high-interest-rate loan and take advantage
of lower rates. A fixed rate. You have an adjustable-rate mortgage
(ARM) and you want a fixed-rate loan so you'll know exactly what your payments
will be for the life of the loan. Better terms. You have an
ARM but want one that has a better rate and more favorable payment caps. Equity
build-up. You want to increase the equity in your home more rapidly by converting
to a shorter term loan. Perhaps you're making more money now
and can handle a 15-year instead of a 30-year mortgage. Although the monthly payments
will be higher, over the long term your interest costs will be much lower—a
wise move to make as you near retirement so you can be mortgage-free when you
stop working.
Access to cash. If you've substantially reduced the outstanding
principal on your loan, you could trade in your old mortgage for a new one with
a larger balance. Then, you can use the cash to pay off a higher interest rate
debt, fix up your house, pay for college, start a business and so on. It's called
cash-out refinancing. Article continued at http://houseandhome.msn.com/Financing/Experts/RefinancingtheRightMove.aspx
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