Thinking About Refinancing Your Mortgage? 4 Ways to Ensure It’s Worth Your Time

Thinking About Refinancing Your Mortgage? 4 Ways to Ensure It's Worth Your TimeIf you’re familiar with the real estate market, you’ve likely heard the term ‘refinancing’ and may be wondering what this can mean for your mortgage and your financial well-being. While refinancing can be a great benefit for those who are looking for a lower interest rate or a different mortgage type, here are the details on what it can offer and whether or not it will work for you.

Acquiring A Lower Interest Rate

The most common reason people consider refinancing their home is to take advantage of a lowered interest rate. While it might seem like a minimal savings each month, a lower interest rate can add up to considerable savings over time and help you pay off your home loan more quickly. It’s just important to ensure that you’re aware of all the associated costs with refinancing before pursuing this option.

Limiting Your Loan Term

Refinancing also offers homeowners the opportunity to change the term of their loan, which can offer improved financial stability much sooner than expected. Many homeowners may avoid this option because it can bump up their monthly payment, but the difference in cost can be relatively insignificant while still offering financial freedom in less time.

Changing Your Mortgage Type

There are benefits and drawbacks of adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgages, and that’s why many people make the decision to refinance and opt out of their rate profile. While fixed-rate mortgages offer stability since you’ll know what you’re paying, an adjustable-rate will move with the market and can actually mean more savings at the end of the day. The option that will work best for you is dependent upon how comfortable you feel with the market.

Consolidating Your Debt

For homeowners who have a high debt load, refinancing can be a means of paying less in order to pay down debt at a more rapid rate. However, it’s important before choosing this option to determine a budget plan you can stick with, as refinancing to consolidate your debt does not necessarily mean you’ll be successful at paying it down. Ensure you weigh your options and potential savings carefully before making a decision.

Refinancing may seem like a good financial decision, but there are costs that go along with this mortgage option so it’s important to crunch the numbers to ensure it will work in your favor. If you’re currently considering refinancing, contact one of our mortgage professionals for more information.

3 Mortgage Scams to Be Aware of and How to Protect Yourself From Them

3 Mortgage Scams to Be Aware of and How to Protect Yourself From ThemIt’s easy to be enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of home ownership, but it’s important to be aware that there are many ways potential buyers can be taken advantage of. From courses for homeowners to companies trying to make a quick buck, there are many things to avoid. If you’re on the market for a home and are trying to find the mortgage that will best benefit you, here are some of the tricks you may want to be wary of.

Forgetting About The Finances

The amount of home you can afford and will be approved for largely comes down to your debt-to-income ratio and your credit history, so if you’re not getting the tough questions about money, this may be a bad sign. While it’s not the lender’s job to make a budget for you and decide your month-to-month expenses, if they’re embellishing your financial well-being and presuming you can take on more house, you may want to look into another lender.

High Loan Costs

Since a mortgage generally requires the homebuyer to borrow money, there is an associated interest rate on the loan that is a percentage of the total price. While this is the cost of doing business, rates that exceed more than 5% should be questioned to determine what they’re made up of. While there can be a legitimate reason for a higher cost, it’s important to understand your options and costs with a variety of lenders so you can make an informed, financially-wise decision.

Mortgage Offers For Everyone

For those who have a poor credit history and do not have any savings, the idea of home ownership can seem like a pipe dream. Unfortunately, there are lenders that are willing to capitalize on this hope and will feed people – particularly those at high risk – the idea that they have the ability to buy. Instead of relying on a company that may take advantage and charge high interest rates, research the lender you’re dealing with to ensure they’re known on the market and have your best interests in mind.

The ultimate dream for many people is to own a home of their own, but it’s important to be aware of your mortgage options and your financial stability so you can avoid a bad experience. If you’re currently on the market for a home, you may want to contact one of our mortgage professionals for more information.

If Your Home Is Destroyed in a Natural Disaster, What Happens to Your Mortgage?

If Your Home Is Destroyed in a Natural Disaster, What Happens to Your Mortgage? When you’ve been in your home for a while and have established a certain amount of equity, it can be a good feeling to know that you have an investment you can count on. However, with changing weather patterns you may be afraid of a natural disaster striking and what it could mean for your financial well-being. If you’re curious about how this can impact your mortgage, here are a few things to consider.

Determine Your Protection

The thought of having your home adversely impacted by a natural disaster is bad, but it can be even worse if the proper precautions haven’t been taken to insure your house against its wrath. While there are certain calamities that will be less likely in your area and may be difficult to get insurance for, if you live in an area prone to floods or earthquakes, you should have protection against their occurrence. In all likelihood, if you’ve taken the proper precautions when taking on home insurance, your home should be prepared for what nature unleashes.

Contact Your Insurance Company

Whether you’re certain that your home is covered in the event of a natural disaster or not, it’s important to contact your insurance company as soon as disaster occurs so that you can make the necessary claim. This means that you’ll need to be able to explain what happened, the extent of the damage and provide photographic evidence of your claim so that you have the evidence to back it up. Once the worst has occurred, you’ll want to file a claim with the company as soon as you can to ensure you’ll get back what you’ve invested.

What Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover?

Generally speaking, there are a number of natural disasters that are included under homeowner’s insurance including tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires. Insurance for disasters like earthquakes, floods and tsunamis can be purchased separately, while the occurrence of landslides and avalanches may be covered separately. It’s important when purchasing a home that you are covered against natural disasters that can occur in the area so your biggest investment is not at risk.

The occurrence of a natural disaster is stressful enough without having to worry about the possibility of your insurance not covering the damage. If you are currently looking into homeowner’s insurance and are considering a home purchase, contact your trusted mortgage professionals for more information.