Due to the low interest rates we’ve had in the last couple of years, many homeowners have seen benefit and refinanced their homes. If you have a home and are considering a Florida refinance or a home refinance anywhere else, doing so may be of benefit for you as well. However, before making that choice, ask your self “Should I refinance my Florida home?”, as there may also be a downside to refinancing, no matter where you live.
When Is Refinancing A Good Idea?
When You Qualify For Interest Rates A Few Points Lower Than Your Present Mortgage: It’s a good idea to consider a Florida refinance, if your present mortgage is several points higher than current interest rates, because you can save a considerable amount on your monthly housing expense. If it has been awhile since you bought your home, chances are that interest rates have dropped a few points and you should consider a Florida refinance. Consider “rolling the difference” of your monthly payment to pay down your mortgage principal and you can cut the term of your mortgage from 30 years to 15 years in a short amount of time.
You’ve Got An Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Now, And You Want To Move Into A Fixed-Rate Mortgage: It’s also a good idea, in general, to refinance if you’ve currently got an adjustable rate mortgage that’s about to skyrocket upward in interest, and you want to get into a fixed-rate mortgage. A fixed-rate mortgage is almost always a better deal than an adjustable-rate mortgage, unless you don’t plan to be in your home for more than about five years. By exchanging your adjustable rate mortgage for a fixed-rate mortgage, you’re guaranteed that interest rate for the life of your loan. And that is usually a huge money saver for you.
When Might Refinancing Not Be A Good Idea?
You’re Almost Done Paying For Your House: It’s not a good idea to refinance your home (even if interest rates are really good) if you’re almost done paying off your home. You lose all your equity if you do a FL refinance, and have to start all over. That’s because every year you pay off your mortgage, less of your payments go toward interest, and more of them go toward the principal. So stay with your current mortgage if you’re almost done paying for your house.
Extra Cash On Hand: It is not a good idea to do a Florida refinance just because you see it as a way of getting some “free money”. It really is not “free money” and you can get yourself into a bind if you are not careful. Keep in mind that when you do a Florida refinance it is going to cost you at least a couple of thousand dollars in closing costs. In addition to that, like was previously stated, your mortgage will be starting all over again, so the majority of your payment will be applied to the interest and not the principal. The only time that isn’t a bad thing is if the new interest rate you are getting is going to save you a lot of money as well as shorten the repayment time. Just keep in mind that refinancing is not something that should be done lightly, or just so you have some extra money in pocket.
Your Credit Standing Is Worse Now Than It Was When You Bought The House: Finally, if your credit standing is worse now than it was when you bought the house, stay with what you’ve got. Any refinancing you try to do is only going to hurt you in the long run, because you are a poorer risk now than you were previously. You’ll likely pay more for a refinancing, it’s not worth the hassle, and you may not get a favorable interest-rate anyway. So, stay with what you’ve got if you’re in this situation.
Monika B. Grashoff writes about refinancing. To learn more about FL refinance, stop by www.Fl-Refinance.biz where you can find out all about savings with a florida refi.
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