May
25
2011
Refinance Options
Author: SamNow that the worst of the recession is past many homeowners are able to breathe more freely. They survived with their home intact and their finances bruised, but not destroyed. They may be considering how to retrench so that they are better prepared for future economic hard times. One way to do this is to consider refinancing their home .
The most basic type of refinance simply renegotiates the current terms of the mortgage. It takes into account the remaining amount due on the original mortgage and applies a new term and mortgage rate. The goal is to get lower monthly payments. In a few cases, borrowers may want to have higher payments, but a shorter mortgage term so that they can pay off their home faster, but this is rare.
A mortgage can also be refinanced in order to pay off other debts. In these cases, the borrower is going to borrow more than the remaining mortgage amount but less than the home is worth. The extra money is applied to specific debts, such as business loans, back taxes, credit card debt, or to pay for home improvements. In these cases the resulting mortgage payment may remain the same, but the term of the loan will definitely be much longer, to pay off the new debt.
Borrowers who are considering refinancing their home for either purpose can use a Refinance Calculator to get estimates on how their payments will change with a new mortgage. This is an essential part of deciding whether refinancing is affordable and whether it is a sound financial plan.