Rabu, 18 Februari 2009

The Benefit of Fixed Rate Mortgage

If you are offered a deal that appears to be too good to be true than it probably is. Interest rates remain the same throughout the life of the loan for 15 year fixed rate mortgages. There are no hidden costs involved with this type of plan which is great for many people that want a regular monthly payment. My wife and I had already decided to research long term fixed mortgage rates when we started looking at homes for sale.

The monthly payments for 30 year or 15 year fixed mortgages are the main considerations for many people who are looking to buy a home. Buying a home later in life means that many people want to have the mortgage paid off early. Take some time to think about everything carefully before any agreement is signed. Ensuring the repayment remains the same throughout the mortgage term is very important.

Even though it was important for us to pay off our loan at the earliest possible opportunity, we did not want high, unrealistic monthly payments which we would have trouble maintaining. So in consideration of this point we also looked at longer, 30 year fixed rate mortgages as well. The problem was that we were not very happy about having a mortgage close to when we both retired so it was our hope a 15 year fixed mortgage rate would still be available to us. We felt that there was a great deal of emphasis on paying the mortgage off early.

Eventually we decided on a 30 year loan after looking at all the other possibilities. There were many things that lead us into making this choice.Discovering my wife was having a baby was the most important reason. Her regular monthly income would become unreliable because she wanted to be at home raising our child. The problem we could see was the increased financial commitment on a monthly basis if we had opted for the 15 year fixed mortgage rate. For us it just was not feasible as we would just be in over our heads. The monthly payments on a 30 year loan were quite a bit lower.

Making a few additional lump sum payments during the year helps bring down the amount owed. Those few extra payments also help reduce the number of years you have to pay the loan over. It may be easier said than done, but this approach does pay off eventually. Although we would have much preferred a loan with a 15 year fixed mortgage rate we had to take our needs and abilities into consideration. Things worked out well anyway, even though we were unsure about it to start with.

There is always a debate when home buyers have to decide on the merits of 15 or 30 year fixed mortgage rates. No-one wants a mortgage hanging around their neck forever but with homebuyers entering the market later, an early repayment of this loan is important. Take some time to think about everything carefully before any agreement is signed. It is important to make sure that the interest rate does not change over the course of the loan.

It is always wise to avoid agreements that do not appear to have any negative aspects because they invariably have but are hidden. A 15 year fixed rate mortgage means the interest rate remains stable for the life of the loan. This is of great benefit for anyone that does not like surprises. When we were looking to buy a home, my wife and I decided to go for a loan with a 15 year fixed mortgage rate.

Even though it was important for us to pay off our loan at the earliest possible opportunity, we did not want high, unrealistic monthly payments which we would have trouble maintaining. So in consideration of this point we also looked at longer, 30 year fixed rate mortgages as well. The 15 year fixed mortgage rate was the plan we really wanted because neither of us wanted to be still paying a mortgage when we close to retiring. We felt that there was a great deal of emphasis on paying the mortgage off early.

We thought about it long and hard and despite the pressure we decided to go with the 30 year loan plan. Many factors were taken into account when reaching this decision.Finding out my wife was having a baby made making the choice so much easier! My wife was going to raise our child from home so her addition to the monthly income would be restricted. The downside to the 15 year fixed mortgage rate was the higher monthly repayment. For us it just was not feasible as we would just be in over our heads. Despite the trepidation of having a longer term loan, it did reduce the repayments considerably.

We found that if we could make a few extra payments throughout each year then it would gradually reduce the principle sum owed. To our surprise we also discovered that we could knock years off our loan by doing this. This takes some discipline but it is well worth the effort it in the long term. Taking our needs and abilities into account was more important than our desire for a shorter term mortgage plan. All things considered, it all worked out for the best in the end.

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