Should you pay off your mortgage early? If you’ve come through the recent economic crisis in a position to be able to make additional payments on your home loan Middletown, this may sound like an attractive option. It’s a safe, conservative financial strategy that many find appealing after being put through the financial wringer the past few years.
But it still may not be the smart thing to do. True, the practice of making double payments or otherwise paying a extra on one’s mortgage each month was long considered a hallmark of sound financial planning. But that was a different era and today, what made sense in the past may no longer be your best course of action.
The reason for paying down your mortgage early, of course, is to save money. Making bigger payments now reduces the interest you’ll have to pay over the life of the loan, perhaps by tens of thousands of dollars. It also moves up the date you’ll own the home free and clear, and eliminating the monthly mortgage payment from your budget completely.
Mortgage tax benefits reduce effective savings
But how much are you actually saving? If you purchased or refinanced your home in the past few years, probably not much. Because mortgage interest is tax-deductable, it reduces the effective interest rate you’re paying by about one-quarter. So if you’re paying 6 percent interest, your effective rate is likely around 4.5 percent, perhaps lower.
What this means is that any additional money paid toward your mortgage is effectively earning you a return of 4.5 percent – money saved is money earned, literally. If you’re in a higher tax bracket, the figure could be even lower.
The fact is, there are any number of fairly conservative investment approaches where you can earn a better than 4.5 percent return. Although the stock market took a big hit in 2008, the historic rate of return since the 1950s has averaged nearly 11 percent a year, including the recent downturn. Including bonds or investing in funds that include stocks and bonds can help even out the sharp peaks. If you’re looking at an investment period of 20 years or more, investing will nearly always provide a better return.
This wasn’t necessarily the case 20 or 30 years ago, when mortgage rates Middletown were running around 10 percent or even higher. Back then, paying down your mortgage as quickly as possible made much more sense.
Retirement saving, other needs may be more important
One of the other downsides of paying off your mortgage early is that it may distract you from other financial needs, such as saving for retirement. Paying off your mortgage early won’t do you much good if you don’t have a solid income to help you enjoy your home in your golden years – and most people don’t save nearly enough.
An IRA or Roth IRA also offer tax advantages that effectively increase their earning power, just the opposite of what happens with the tax deductions on your mortgage interest, which effectively reduce the return you get on paying off your mortgage early.
Also, you shouldn’t look to accelerate your mortgage payoff Middletown at the cost of personal savings. Most people don’t have nearly enough of an emergency fund held in reserve and you can’t count on being able to tap home equity if you need to in an emergency – such as if you lose your job, which will make your lender suddenly reluctant to extend you credit.
It’s a good idea to have a savings reserve equal to six months’ expenses, or at least three months, to tide you through emergencies. The fund doesn’t even have to be in a savings account, you can have most of it tied up in mutual funds or other equities, provided that you can quickly convert them to cash if need be.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Low Mortgage Rates to Hang Around For Awhile
Midnight has struck. The low-interest coach is turning back into a pumpkin. Borrowers who did not refinance or purchase a home by stroke of twelve have lost forever their opportunity to get a handsome prince of an interest rate.
At least, that’s the popular perception of what’s happening now that the Fed has officially concluded its purchases of mortgage-backed securities. With the Fed out of the picture, the thinking goes, rates must surely rise as far and as fast as they fell when the Fed announced it would buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage securities, sending mortgage rate plummeting to record lows.
Fortunately, that seems to be turning out to be a fairy tale. Although many experts began 2010 convinced that interest rates Middletown would rapidly rise by one-half to a full percentage point once the Fed quit buying securities at the end of March, there’s been no indication of that happening.
In fact, as the deadline approached, 30-year interest rates continued to fluctuate just below the 5 percent mark, as tracked by Freddie Mac, with no sign of moving upward. And analysts are now predicting a much smaller rate increase over the coming months, perhaps around a quarter of a percent.
What happened? For starters, the Fed has been gradually reducing its purchases of mortgage securities as the end of the program neared, rather than simply cutting things off after March 30. That lessened the shock that would have occurred if it had simply pulled out all at once.
Investors moving in to take up slack
For another, by buying up such a huge chunk of the mortgages issued over the past year, the Fed has not only driven interest rates downward, it’s also crowded out many of the private investors who were interested in mortgage securities. These investors are now starting to come back into the market, but the pent-up demand is helping to keep a lid on rates, at least for now.
What does this mean for borrowers? It means you should still be able to get an exceptionally good interest rate on a mortgage Middletown, either to purchase a home or refinance an existing loan, for some time to come. On a historical basis, anything below 5.5 percent for a 30-year loan is unusually good; rates below 5 percent, such as we’ve seen over most of the past year, are nearly unheard of.
From the perspective of Spring 2010, a rate of 5.25 percent come July might not sound that attractive, but three years down the road, it may turn out to be a screamingly good deal. And on home loans Middletown, it’s the long term that matters.
At least, that’s the popular perception of what’s happening now that the Fed has officially concluded its purchases of mortgage-backed securities. With the Fed out of the picture, the thinking goes, rates must surely rise as far and as fast as they fell when the Fed announced it would buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage securities, sending mortgage rate plummeting to record lows.
Fortunately, that seems to be turning out to be a fairy tale. Although many experts began 2010 convinced that interest rates Middletown would rapidly rise by one-half to a full percentage point once the Fed quit buying securities at the end of March, there’s been no indication of that happening.
In fact, as the deadline approached, 30-year interest rates continued to fluctuate just below the 5 percent mark, as tracked by Freddie Mac, with no sign of moving upward. And analysts are now predicting a much smaller rate increase over the coming months, perhaps around a quarter of a percent.
What happened? For starters, the Fed has been gradually reducing its purchases of mortgage securities as the end of the program neared, rather than simply cutting things off after March 30. That lessened the shock that would have occurred if it had simply pulled out all at once.
Investors moving in to take up slack
For another, by buying up such a huge chunk of the mortgages issued over the past year, the Fed has not only driven interest rates downward, it’s also crowded out many of the private investors who were interested in mortgage securities. These investors are now starting to come back into the market, but the pent-up demand is helping to keep a lid on rates, at least for now.
What does this mean for borrowers? It means you should still be able to get an exceptionally good interest rate on a mortgage Middletown, either to purchase a home or refinance an existing loan, for some time to come. On a historical basis, anything below 5.5 percent for a 30-year loan is unusually good; rates below 5 percent, such as we’ve seen over most of the past year, are nearly unheard of.
From the perspective of Spring 2010, a rate of 5.25 percent come July might not sound that attractive, but three years down the road, it may turn out to be a screamingly good deal. And on home loans Middletown, it’s the long term that matters.
Can You Still Get an Interest-Only Loan?
There are a few places you may still be able to get an interest-only loan Middletown, despite Fannie and Freddie’s withdrawal from the market. Foremost among these are portfolio lenders who lend out their own money and don’t sell the loans to Fannie or Freddie in the first place. Many of these are also the lenders who underwrite jumbo loans (loans above Fannie and Freddie’s $730,000 maximum), so you may still be able to obtain one there.
Savings and Loan associations also tend to loan their own money and not resell their mortgages, so they may be an option for someone looking for an interest-only loan Middletown. Be aware, though, that you’re going to pay a hefty interest rate and down payment in order to qualify, as well as being able to demonstrate ample fiscal reserves. That way, if the property does lose value, the lender is covered against likely losses.
ARMs as an alternative
One option remains for borrowers seeking to minimize their mortgage payments and that’s an adjustable rate mortgage Middletown (ARM). Although these do involve paying down principal, they are available at considerably lower rates than a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage – possibly three-quarters to a full percent lower. With low rates that lock in for one to 10 years before resetting, these can be a good option for borrowers who don’t plan to occupy a home long-term.
Interest-only loans are a traditional mortgage tool and will likely make a gradual comeback as the housing market stabilizes and conditions return to historical norms. But in the meantime, options for very low-cost loans are limited unless you’re in a position to take advantage of specialty lenders.
Savings and Loan associations also tend to loan their own money and not resell their mortgages, so they may be an option for someone looking for an interest-only loan Middletown. Be aware, though, that you’re going to pay a hefty interest rate and down payment in order to qualify, as well as being able to demonstrate ample fiscal reserves. That way, if the property does lose value, the lender is covered against likely losses.
ARMs as an alternative
One option remains for borrowers seeking to minimize their mortgage payments and that’s an adjustable rate mortgage Middletown (ARM). Although these do involve paying down principal, they are available at considerably lower rates than a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage – possibly three-quarters to a full percent lower. With low rates that lock in for one to 10 years before resetting, these can be a good option for borrowers who don’t plan to occupy a home long-term.
Interest-only loans are a traditional mortgage tool and will likely make a gradual comeback as the housing market stabilizes and conditions return to historical norms. But in the meantime, options for very low-cost loans are limited unless you’re in a position to take advantage of specialty lenders.
Interest-Only Loans Soon to be Extinct
If you’re looking to purchase a home or refinance a mortgage Middletown, your options are getting a bit slimmer.
Interest-only loans, already a rarity after the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, are just about to dry up completely. They won’t totally disappear, but getting one will go from difficult to extremely hard.
Freddie, Fannnie backing out
What’s happening is that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the government-supported secondary lenders who insure most of the mortgages made in the United States, have said they will no longer purchase interest-only loans after Fall 2010. Given the time it takes these developments to work through the system, you can expect that lenders are already starting to shut the pipeline down.
That’s too bad, because interest-only loans Middletown can be an effective financial tool for qualified borrowers who use them correctly. The problem was that, during the housing bubble, they were issued to many borrowers who could never afford them unless housing prices continued to increase. When the economy and housing market soured, many of loans defaulted and continue to do so.
Those losses are why Fannie and Freddie are getting out of the interest-only loan business. Many private lenders have already done so as well.
Advantages of an interest-only loan
At first glance, an interest-only loan may sound like a dumb idea. You take out a mortgage pay only the interest for the first few years, typically five or 10. At that point, the loan resets to a fully amortizing loan, meaning you have to pay off the entire principal, plus the interest, over the remaining 20 to 25 years of the loan. Naturally, that’s going to make your payments go through the roof.
But it can work quite well for some borrowers, particularly in a normal market where prices are stable or gradually appreciate. In particular, it can be a good choice for someone who doesn’t plan to stay in a home more than five or 10 years, and has no desire to ever own the home free and clear.
In that event, an interest-only loan Middletown can allow you to stay in the home for next to nothing – because mortgage interest is tax-deductable. Sophisticated investors sometimes use interest-only mortgages to allow them to invest their money elsewhere, rather than using part of it to pay down mortgage principal on a home they never plan to own outright.
Interest-only loans, already a rarity after the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, are just about to dry up completely. They won’t totally disappear, but getting one will go from difficult to extremely hard.
Freddie, Fannnie backing out
What’s happening is that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the government-supported secondary lenders who insure most of the mortgages made in the United States, have said they will no longer purchase interest-only loans after Fall 2010. Given the time it takes these developments to work through the system, you can expect that lenders are already starting to shut the pipeline down.
That’s too bad, because interest-only loans Middletown can be an effective financial tool for qualified borrowers who use them correctly. The problem was that, during the housing bubble, they were issued to many borrowers who could never afford them unless housing prices continued to increase. When the economy and housing market soured, many of loans defaulted and continue to do so.
Those losses are why Fannie and Freddie are getting out of the interest-only loan business. Many private lenders have already done so as well.
Advantages of an interest-only loan
At first glance, an interest-only loan may sound like a dumb idea. You take out a mortgage pay only the interest for the first few years, typically five or 10. At that point, the loan resets to a fully amortizing loan, meaning you have to pay off the entire principal, plus the interest, over the remaining 20 to 25 years of the loan. Naturally, that’s going to make your payments go through the roof.
But it can work quite well for some borrowers, particularly in a normal market where prices are stable or gradually appreciate. In particular, it can be a good choice for someone who doesn’t plan to stay in a home more than five or 10 years, and has no desire to ever own the home free and clear.
In that event, an interest-only loan Middletown can allow you to stay in the home for next to nothing – because mortgage interest is tax-deductable. Sophisticated investors sometimes use interest-only mortgages to allow them to invest their money elsewhere, rather than using part of it to pay down mortgage principal on a home they never plan to own outright.
More Types of Lenders
Hard Money Lenders
If you can’t qualify through a portfolio lender, a hard money lender may be your option of last resort. Hard money lenders tend to be private individuals with money to lend, though they may be set up as business operations. Interest rates tend to be quite high – 12 percent is not uncommon – and down payments may be 30 percent and above. Hard money lenders are typically used for short-term loans that are expected to be repaid quickly, such as for investment property, rather than long-term amortizing loans Middletown for a home purchase.
Direct Lenders
Another term you may encounter is “direct lender.” A direct lender simply means a lender that originates its own home loans Middletown – either with its own funds or borrowed funds. It can therefore be either a mortgage banker or portfolio lender. It does not, therefore, act as an agent for a wholesale lender. Direct lenders are inevitably retail lenders as well, because they do not involve third parties or middlemen in making loans to consumers.
Correspondent Lenders
A final term you may hear is “correspondent lender.” Whereas some types of lenders are distinguished by the process leading up to the loan, correspondent lenders are defined by what happens after the loan is issued. Correspondent lenders work with an investor, called a sponsor, who purchases any mortgages they make that meet certain criteria.
Correspondent lenders earn their money by collecting a point or two when the mortgage is issued. Immediately selling the loan to a sponsor pretty much guarantees they’ll make money, since the correspondent no longer carries the risk for a default. However, the sponsor may decline the loan if it turns out not to meet the sponsor’s standards, in which case the correspondent must either find another investor or carry the loan itself.
Again, these terms are not always exclusive, but instead generally describe types of mortgage functions that various lenders may perform, sometimes at the same time. But understanding what each of these does can be a great help in understanding how the mortgage process Middletown works and form a basis for evaluating mortgage offers.
If you can’t qualify through a portfolio lender, a hard money lender may be your option of last resort. Hard money lenders tend to be private individuals with money to lend, though they may be set up as business operations. Interest rates tend to be quite high – 12 percent is not uncommon – and down payments may be 30 percent and above. Hard money lenders are typically used for short-term loans that are expected to be repaid quickly, such as for investment property, rather than long-term amortizing loans Middletown for a home purchase.
Direct Lenders
Another term you may encounter is “direct lender.” A direct lender simply means a lender that originates its own home loans Middletown – either with its own funds or borrowed funds. It can therefore be either a mortgage banker or portfolio lender. It does not, therefore, act as an agent for a wholesale lender. Direct lenders are inevitably retail lenders as well, because they do not involve third parties or middlemen in making loans to consumers.
Correspondent Lenders
A final term you may hear is “correspondent lender.” Whereas some types of lenders are distinguished by the process leading up to the loan, correspondent lenders are defined by what happens after the loan is issued. Correspondent lenders work with an investor, called a sponsor, who purchases any mortgages they make that meet certain criteria.
Correspondent lenders earn their money by collecting a point or two when the mortgage is issued. Immediately selling the loan to a sponsor pretty much guarantees they’ll make money, since the correspondent no longer carries the risk for a default. However, the sponsor may decline the loan if it turns out not to meet the sponsor’s standards, in which case the correspondent must either find another investor or carry the loan itself.
Again, these terms are not always exclusive, but instead generally describe types of mortgage functions that various lenders may perform, sometimes at the same time. But understanding what each of these does can be a great help in understanding how the mortgage process Middletown works and form a basis for evaluating mortgage offers.
Different Types of Lenders
Wholesale and Retail Lenders
Wholesale lenders are banks or other institutions that do not deal directly with consumers, but offer their loans through third parties such as mortgage brokers, credit unions, other banks, etc. Often, these are large banks that also have retail operations that work with consumers directly. Many large banks, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have both wholesale and retail operations.
In this type of lending, the wholesale lender is the one that is actually making the loan and whose name typically appears on loan documents. The third party – bank, credit union, or mortgage broker – in most cases is simply acting as an agent in return for a fee.
Retail lenders are exactly what they sound like, lenders who issue mortgages directly to individual consumers. They may either lend their own money or may act as an agent for Again, retail lending may simply be one function offered by a larger financial institution, which may also offer commercial, institutional and wholesale lending, as well as a range of other financial services.
Warehouse Lenders
Somewhat similar to wholesale lenders are warehouse lenders. The key difference here is that, instead of providing loans through intermediaries, they lend money to banks or other mortgage lenders Middletown with which to issue their own loans, on their own terms. The warehouse lender is repaid when the mortgage lender sells the loan to investors.
Mortgage Bankers
Another distinction is between portfolio lenders and mortgage bankers. The vast majority of U.S. mortgage lenders Middletown are mortgage bankers, who don’t lend their own money, but borrow funds at short-term rates from warehouse lenders (see above) to cover the mortgages they issue. Once the mortgage is made, they sell it to investors and repay the short-term note. Those mortgages are usually sold through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which allows those agencies to set the minimum underwriting standards for most mortgages issue in the United States.
Portfolio Lenders
Portfolio lenders, on the other hand, use their own money when making home loans Middletown, which they typically maintain on their own books, or “portfolio.” Because they don’t have to satisfy the demands of outside investors, they can set their own terms for the loans they issue.
This makes portfolio lenders a good choice for “niche” borrowers who don’t fit the typical lender profile – perhaps because they’re seeking a jumbo loan, are considering a unique property, have flawed credit but strong finances, or may be looking at investment property. You may pay higher rates for this service, but not always – because portfolio lenders tend to be very careful who they lend to, their rates are sometimes quite low.
Wholesale lenders are banks or other institutions that do not deal directly with consumers, but offer their loans through third parties such as mortgage brokers, credit unions, other banks, etc. Often, these are large banks that also have retail operations that work with consumers directly. Many large banks, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have both wholesale and retail operations.
In this type of lending, the wholesale lender is the one that is actually making the loan and whose name typically appears on loan documents. The third party – bank, credit union, or mortgage broker – in most cases is simply acting as an agent in return for a fee.
Retail lenders are exactly what they sound like, lenders who issue mortgages directly to individual consumers. They may either lend their own money or may act as an agent for Again, retail lending may simply be one function offered by a larger financial institution, which may also offer commercial, institutional and wholesale lending, as well as a range of other financial services.
Warehouse Lenders
Somewhat similar to wholesale lenders are warehouse lenders. The key difference here is that, instead of providing loans through intermediaries, they lend money to banks or other mortgage lenders Middletown with which to issue their own loans, on their own terms. The warehouse lender is repaid when the mortgage lender sells the loan to investors.
Mortgage Bankers
Another distinction is between portfolio lenders and mortgage bankers. The vast majority of U.S. mortgage lenders Middletown are mortgage bankers, who don’t lend their own money, but borrow funds at short-term rates from warehouse lenders (see above) to cover the mortgages they issue. Once the mortgage is made, they sell it to investors and repay the short-term note. Those mortgages are usually sold through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which allows those agencies to set the minimum underwriting standards for most mortgages issue in the United States.
Portfolio Lenders
Portfolio lenders, on the other hand, use their own money when making home loans Middletown, which they typically maintain on their own books, or “portfolio.” Because they don’t have to satisfy the demands of outside investors, they can set their own terms for the loans they issue.
This makes portfolio lenders a good choice for “niche” borrowers who don’t fit the typical lender profile – perhaps because they’re seeking a jumbo loan, are considering a unique property, have flawed credit but strong finances, or may be looking at investment property. You may pay higher rates for this service, but not always – because portfolio lenders tend to be very careful who they lend to, their rates are sometimes quite low.
Mortgage Brokers vs Mortgage Lenders
One of the most confusing parts of the mortgage process Middletown can be figuring out all the different kinds of lenders that deal in home loans and refinancing. There are direct lenders, retail lenders, mortgage brokers, portfolio lenders, correspondent lenders, wholesale lenders and others.
Many borrowers simply head right into the process and look for what appear to be reasonable terms without worrying about what kind of lender they’re dealing with. But if you want to be sure of getting the best deal, or are looking for a jumbo loan or have other special circumstances to address, understanding the different types of lenders involved can be a big help.
Explanations of some of the main types are provided below. These are not necessarily mutually exclusive - there is a fair amount of overlap among the various categories. For example, most portfolio lenders tend to be direct lenders as well. And many lenders are involved in more than one type of lending – such as a large bank that has both wholesale and retail lending operations.
Mortgage Lenders vs. Mortgage Brokers
A good place to start is with the difference between mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers.
Mortgage lenders Middletown are exactly that, the lenders that actually make the loan and provide the money used to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage. They have certain criteria you have to meet in terms of creditworthiness and financial resources in order to qualify for a loan, and set their mortgage interest rates and other loan terms accordingly.
Mortgage brokers Middletown, on the other hand, don’t actually make loans. What they do is work with multiple lenders to find the one that will offer you the best rate and terms. When you take out the loan, you’re borrowing from the lender, not the broker, who simply acts as an agent.
Often, these are wholesale lenders (see below) who discount the rates they offer through brokers compared to what you’d get if you approached them directly as a retail customer. However, the broker then tacks on his or her own fee, which may equal the discount – where the customer usually saves money is by getting the best deal relative to other lenders.
Many borrowers simply head right into the process and look for what appear to be reasonable terms without worrying about what kind of lender they’re dealing with. But if you want to be sure of getting the best deal, or are looking for a jumbo loan or have other special circumstances to address, understanding the different types of lenders involved can be a big help.
Explanations of some of the main types are provided below. These are not necessarily mutually exclusive - there is a fair amount of overlap among the various categories. For example, most portfolio lenders tend to be direct lenders as well. And many lenders are involved in more than one type of lending – such as a large bank that has both wholesale and retail lending operations.
Mortgage Lenders vs. Mortgage Brokers
A good place to start is with the difference between mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers.
Mortgage lenders Middletown are exactly that, the lenders that actually make the loan and provide the money used to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage. They have certain criteria you have to meet in terms of creditworthiness and financial resources in order to qualify for a loan, and set their mortgage interest rates and other loan terms accordingly.
Mortgage brokers Middletown, on the other hand, don’t actually make loans. What they do is work with multiple lenders to find the one that will offer you the best rate and terms. When you take out the loan, you’re borrowing from the lender, not the broker, who simply acts as an agent.
Often, these are wholesale lenders (see below) who discount the rates they offer through brokers compared to what you’d get if you approached them directly as a retail customer. However, the broker then tacks on his or her own fee, which may equal the discount – where the customer usually saves money is by getting the best deal relative to other lenders.
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