The Benefits Of A Fixed Rate Mortgage
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007mortgage loan for your home you have a choice
between an adjustable rate mortgage and a fixed rate mortgage.
There are many benefits in a fixed rate mortgage:
The primary difference between the two is that the interest
rate with adjustable rate mortgage has the potential to go up
or down depending on economic factors while the interest rate
for a fixed rate mortgage remains the same throughout the life
of the loan.
What’s Good?
=95 With a fixed rate mortgage monthly payments remain stable
over the course of the loan. Interest rates in the economy can
go up or down, but the interest rate for your fixed rate
mortgage remains the same. This means that your monthly
interest and principal payments will not change as long as you
are paying the loan.
=95 No unexpected increases in monthly payments due to interest
rate increase. Since the interest rate does not change, you are
not subject to increases with your monthly payment as you would
be with an adjustable rate mortgage. With a fixed rate
mortgage, you don’t have to worry about income increases to
ensure you will be able to cover future mortgage payments.
=95 Easier to budget because your monthly payments are stable.
Since you always know what your monthly payments are going to
be, it is easier to budget from year to year when you have a
fixed rate mortgage.
What’s No So Good?
=95 Higher initial monthly payments as compared to an adjustable
rate mortgage. In the first few years of your fixed rate
mortgage, your monthly payments will be higher than if you had
an adjustable rate mortgage.
=95 A higher income is necessary to qualify for a fixed rate
mortgage. This is because the fixed rate mortgage has a higher
interest rate and subsequently a higher monthly payment.
Lenders need extra assurance that you will be able to handle
the monthly payment. Thus, the increased income requirement.
=95 May need to refinance if interest rates drop. If market
interest rates drop and you keep your fixed rate mortgage, you
will end up repaying much more in interest than if you
refinance. Should the time come to refinance, compare the
amount that you would pay in interest over the life of your
loan to the cost of refinancing and the amount you would save.
Repaying in Half the Time
One of the factors that attracts borrowers to the fixed rate
loan is the ability to repay in 15 years instead of 30.
All the characteristics of a 30-year fixed rate mortgage are
present with a 15-year mortgage, but there are some key
differences.
The interest rate with a 15-year fixed rate mortgage will be
lower than that of a 30-year. However, since you are repaying
the loan in a shorter period of time, the monthly payments will
be higher.
Is the decrease in interest rate worth the increase in price?
Usually, a borrower chooses a fixed rate mortgage, not because
of the lower interest rate, but because of the decrease in time
it takes to own the home. With a 15-year fixed rate mortgage,
the homeowner gains home equity quicker than with a 30-year.
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