What to watch for when Refinancing
3 Things to Watch for When Refinancing
Posted by Amanda Green
For many first time homebuyers, the interest rate that they received on their mortgage wasn’t necessarily ideal. Whether it was because of a lack of established credit or poor credit from college days spending habits, they had to take a higher interest rate simply to close the loan. However, with age, many have been able to better establish their credit, and interest rates have dropped considerable making a mortgage refinance seem like a great idea.
While refinancing your home loan can provide lower monthly payments and save your money overall, choosing the wrong refinancing option or choosing to do so too soon can be more detrimental.
Loss of Equity
When you pay off a mortgage, the amount that you have paid off is built up and considered equity. Equity is good to have in a home as it is the amount of a home that you get to claim for yourself and profit from should you choose to sell. However, if you should choose to cut corners while refinancing, you stand to lose a portion of your equity. To avoid losing equity when refinancing, avoid choosing a cash out refinance, not paying closing costs, or extending the duration of your mortgage.
Higher Interest Rates
Opting out of closing costs has more than one detriment. Aside from losing equity, not paying closing costs can result in a higher interest rate. The higher the interest rate on a refinance the less beneficial the whole new transaction will be to you. Instead of skipping the out-of-pocket expenses upfront, pay for closing costs so that you can get the best interest rate possible.
High Closing Costs
When you originally closed on your mortgage you had to pay closing costs, and you will have to pay similarly when you choose to refinance. While closing costs are definitely a must, they can also be very high. So if you plan on refinancing, you need to make sure that you have the finances to cover closing costs. Otherwise, you risk higher interest rates and losing some of your hard earned equity.
The above are definitely risks associated with refinancing, but they aren’t the status quo. Simply refinancing will not result in the loss of equity or having to pay higher interest rates overall. These are simply risks that every home owner need to be aware of prior to refinancing so that they can make the best decision for their situation. If interest rates are low and you can afford the closing costs, a mortgage refinance may actually be the best way to have more money left over each month and to reduce the amount of interest paid over the life of your loan



















