Home Refinancing 101

by Robert Pinzhoffer
To Refinance Your Home means getting a new mortgage and using some or all of the proceeds to pay off the old mortgage - even bad credit refinance, poor credit refinance or fair credit refinance. Homeowners may home refinance their mortgage for several reasons:

To take advantage of lower interest rates and lower your monthly payment. If interest rates have gone down since you got your original mortgage, you could save money over the life of your loan, while reducing your monthly mortgage payment.

To switch mortgage types. You may want to switch from a variable to a fixed interest rate, or vice versa. If you have a balloon/reset mortgage, you must either pay the mortgage in full at the end of the 5- or 7- year term, contact your Service Provider (the organization to which you send your monthly mortgage payments) to start procedures to reset your mortgage to a fixed-rate of interest, or refinance with a new mortgage.

To shorten mortgage terms. You may want to refinance to shorten the term of your loan. This would allow you to pay less interest over the life of the loan because the money is borrowed for a shorter period of time, and more quickly builds up equity in your home.

To get "cash out." Some lenders will let you borrow more money than the balance of your original mortgage, based on the equity you have in your home. A portion of the money left after the original mortgage is paid off goes to you to use for things like paying for a child's education or home remodeling. However, remember that you'll have a new mortgage, at a higher amount, that will eventually need to be paid off.

Peak Home Loans can help to mortgage or refinance your home with good credit, fair credit, poor credit, and bad credit. We offer home refinance and mortgages with any credit. Click here to learn how.

Home Refinance Programs:

Fixed Rate Loans - Both interest rate and payment remain the same over the term of the loan. Loans can be amortized over the following terms: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40 years. The advantage of a fixed rate program is that it allows you to get a fixed rate, over a specified period, without being concerned about market fluctuations. This type of financing is recommended for borrowers who intend to stay in their house for a long period of time.

Fixed Rate Balloons - Both interest rate and payment remain the same until the loan is due. Typically, the entire loan amount is due in either 3, 5, or 7 years. The advantage of balloon programs is that they tend to have the lowest rates, due to the fact that the entire balance must be paid off or refinanced at the end of the term. This type of financing is recommended for borrowers who know they will be leaving their current house in either 3, 5, or 7 years.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) - Both interest rate and payment remain the same for a fixed time period, usually 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 years. At the end of that period the rate can rise at fixed intervals. The amount the rate can rise, or margin, is predetermined (normally 1/2% to 2% per rise). The intervals are normally 1, 3, 6, or 12 months. Typically there is a cap on the margin, which determines the highest the rate could ever go. The advantage of an ARM is that it allows you to get a lower rate, for a known period of time, while you watch the market to see if and when fixed rates get better. Some feel that although they may have gotten a better rate with a balloon, an ARM will adjust at the end of the "fixed period", whereas a "Balloon" has to be refinanced or paid in full. ARMs are recommended for those borrowers who intend to stay in their house for a fixed period and have taken the time to factor in the margin, to determine that they would not be better off with a Fixed Balloon or even a Fixed Rate.

Buydown - Both rate and payment remain the same for a fixed period, at the end of which, the rate and payment increase. The rate and payment may increase once, twice, or even three times, depending on whether the Buydown is a 1/1, 2/1, or 3/1. The percentage of increase, as well as number of increases is predetermined. Once all of the increases have occurred the new rate and payment remain fixed for the term of the loan. Also, lenders will typically charge a fee to "buy the rate down" for the first 1, 2, or 3 years of the loan. The advantage to a Buydown is that it offers a lower rate and payment during the first few years of the loan. Buydowns are recommended for those borrowers who are having trouble qualifying for a Fixed Rate Loan or those who need a more affordable payment at present.

Peak Home Loans can help to mortgage or refinance your home with good credit, fair credit, poor credit, and bad credit. We offer home refinancing and mortgages with any credit. Click here to learn how. We specialize in bad credit refinancing, poor credit refinancing, & fair credit refinancing - bad credit refinance, poor credit refinance & fair credit refinance.

Home Refinance Loan Types:

Conforming - Conforming loans refer to loan amounts that conform to government service standards as determined by Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac (the original government agencies, set up in the early 1940's, established to help people finance new homes). Conforming loans range in amount form $1 to $275,000. Although not all conforming loans are serviced by these government agencies, the mortgage industry has adopted the term to express loan amounts in this range.

Jumbo (Non-Conforming) - Jumbo loans refer to those loan amounts outside of the "conforming" range or, above approximately $300,000 (different from state to state.)

Government Loans - Government loans refer to those loans that are guaranteed by one of two federal agencies. The two types of government loans are: Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, and Veterans Administration (VA) loans. The advantage of financing using FHA loans are that they are easier to qualify for and allow a borrower to finance more of the loan amount than non-government loans. Whereas with a Conforming loan a borrower may only be able to finance 80% of the loan amount, a FHA loan allows a borrower to finance 97% of the loan amount. FHA loans are recommended for those borrowers who are first-time buyers, have little money to put down, have a short credit history, or are having trouble qualifying for a Conforming loan. The two main advantages of financing using VA loans are that the VA allows borrowers to finance 100% of the loan amount, and that, the VA only requires proof of veteran status to qualify for the loan. The only drawback to government loans is that mortgage insurance is required at all loan to values (LTV), unlike Conventional and Jumbo loans where payment of mortgage insurance is determined by the amount of equity a borrower has in his home. WE ARE VA AND FHA FRIENDLY! See our FHA and VA Government-Backed Loans page.

Investment Properties (Non-Owner Occupied) - These types of homes are normally acquired specifically for investment purposes or are owned as a result of moving to a new house without selling or being able to sell the old house. Financing for investment properties can be achieved using any of the above described programs. Typically, the rates for financing on investment properties are higher than owner occupied homes and the LTV's allowed are lower, due to the fact that default rates tend to be higher on these types of loans.

B, C, D Credit - Just because your credit isn't perfect does not mean you can't obtain financing. Most, if not all of the above described programs can be utilized even if a borrower does not have perfect credit. In these cases the rates will be higher and LTV's allowed will be lower. Most lenders have special divisions specifically created for the marketing and sales of sub-prime products. Also, most lenders will offer special limited programs as incentives, when they recognize an area where there is a need.

No Document or Low Document Loans - In certain situations it is either difficult or impossible for potential borrowers to show a lender their income on paper. In these instances any of the above described programs can be used, but under circumstances called NIV or No Income Verification. All of the other program parameters must be met, however, in the case of income, a borrower may only be required to show a operating license or business license and/or limited income information. With this type of financing, rates offered tend to be slightly higher. This type of financing is recommended for self-employed borrowers or borrowers who have difficulty showing their income on paper, for one reason or another.

Cash-Out Refinances - Occasionally, when refinancing a first trust, a borrower wants to "cash out" some of the equity that has been built into the loan. Under specific conditions, established by the lender, a borrower can actually receive a check for an amount of money that meets those conditions. Cashing-Out is not normally limited to any type of loan program, it can be done with most of the described programs.

Peak Home Loans specializes in bad credit refinancing, poor credit refinancing, & fair credit refinancing - bad credit refinance, poor credit refinance & fair credit refinance. Click here to learn how.

Credit Not So Great? Poor Credit? Bad Credit? No Problem for Peak Home Loans, We Can Help!

Why let past credit problems or uncontrolled debt prevent you from getting the home loan you really want? Have you been continually turned away from banks and lenders because you have made previous credit mistakes? We can help find anyone, regardless of their past credit history, or lack of credit history, own a home of their own, get a home equity loan, or refinance their existing home. Don't worry if you haven't had the best luck in keeping your credit clean. We understand that things happen. We will still get you the loan you want the most with rock-bottom rates. Please click here for bad credit solutions.

Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Refinancing Their Home

1. Choosing a home loan lender for the wrong reason (i.e., the lowest rate, your existing lender.)

People choose home loan lenders for all the wrong reasons. Getting a low rate is important, but it's not the only consideration. Lenders may offer the lowest rate but charge extra fees (loan fees, origination fees, copy fees) so that in the end you'll pay more for the refinanced home loan even though your rate may be lower. The only way to protect yourself is to wait for the Good-Faith Estimate (GFE) which should list all the closing costs. Compare the GFE's from a number of home loan lenders.

But comparing GFE's is not the only story when you want to refinance your home. If time is important, you want to choose a mortgage company that is capable of acting quickly. Ask each company to give you their average closing time for loans similar to yours.

Ask around among your trusted friends. Find out who refinanced lately and ask them what they thought of the company. Don't assume that your existing home loan lender is any better than a new lender. Since most home loans are sold in the secondary market, everyone has to meet certain criteria, and your existing lender will probably require the same documentation as a new lender. However, once you have a commitment from a new lender, it doesn't hurt to ask your existing lender to beat it. Often times they will. We will get you the best rate available.

2. Not getting everything in writing about refinancing your home loan.

Get everything in writing. No matter what the Loan Officer tells you, ask him to confirm it in writing. Don't believe someone when they tell you that your refinance rate is guaranteed. Get it in writing.

3. Not knowing the appraised value of your home.

Many people go ahead and try to refinance their home without knowing the true value. There are many places you can get an estimate of the true value of your home for purposes of refinancing. Many realtor sites have home value estimators on their site. For the price of listening to a mortgage company try to sell you a mortgage, you can get an approximate value for your home.

Check the recent sales in your neighborhood and try to find a comparable house in a comparable location. Or you can ask the appraiser to do a drive by and give you a verbal estimate of the value of your home. If it's in the right ballpark, you can order a thorough appraisal. Know the value of your home before you seek to refinance your home loan.

4. Not doing the math when refinancing your home loan.

Do the math. Refinancing your home has a cost. You need to see what the cost is, and then determine how long you are going to stay in your home. For example, if you are going to stay in your home for 5 more years, and the cost of refinancing your home is $5000, you need to save at least $1000 a year in order for the deal to make sense. If you only save $50 a month as a result of refinancing (that's $600 a year), you'll be loosing money.

5. Not considering a 2nd Mortgage.

When you refinance your home, you are refinancing the total amount. Suppose you have a home that is now worth $400,000, and you only owe $250,000 on the home and you want to take out $50,000. If you refinance and take out $50,000 in cash your new loan may be for $310,000, ($250,000 owed + $50,000 cash out + a total refinance cost of 3% or $10,000). It may be better to take out a 2nd mortgage for $50,000 and pay a slightly higher interest rate and slightly higher points, but only have a basis of $50,000 instead of the $310,000.
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