Federal Housing Administration Streamline
A Federal Housing Administration Streamline refinance is designed for homeowners who already have an FHA mortgage. Its goal is to provide a new FHA mortgage with better terms that will lower the homeowners monthly payment. The process is supposed to be quick and easy, requiring no new documentation of your financial situation and no new income qualification.
This type of refinancing does not require a home appraisal, termite inspection, or credit report. One possible drawback for some homeowners is that an FHA streamline refinance does not allow cash out.
Mortgage lending discrimination is illegal. If you think you’ve been discriminated against based on race, religion, sex, marital status, use of public assistance, national origin, disability, or age, there are steps you can take. One such step is to file a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development .
What Is A Refinance
Refinancing means that you take out a new loan to pay off your old loan. Its a way for homeowners to access lower rates or lower payments by taking out a new loan to pay for the existing loan. When interest rates are low, refinancing can save significant money over the long run.
Many people also refinance to change the terms of their loan, by switching to either a fixed-rate loan or an adjustable-rate loan. Increasing or decreasing the amount of time on the loan is also possible. Depending on your unique financial situation, these actions may reduce your monthly payment.
What Are The Tax Implications Of Cash
Because the money you take out with cash-out refinancing is a loan, the IRS doesnt view it as income. This means you dont have to report it when you file your taxes. However, doing so might get you a beneficial tax deduction.
Some, or possibly all, of the interest you pay on your mortgage might be deductible. Speak to a tax professional to understand your mortgage interest tax deduction options.
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Can I Refinance My Mortgage With Only 10 Percent Of My Loan Paid Out
A mortgage refinance requires analysis to determine whether the potential benefits outweigh the cost and hassle involved. A refinance transaction pays off a previous loan with proceeds from a new loan. Your ability to refinance with only 10 percent of your loan paid out depends on how much of your home’s value the lender is willing to finance, the property type and the type of refinance program you choose.
Invest In Home Improvements
You could increase your home value by making significant improvements, such as remodeling your kitchen or fixing the roof. Just ask yourself which will save you more money in the long run: Paying for improvements to secure a better deal on refinancing, or paying more to refinance now?
Understanding your LTV ratio can prepare you for the refinancing process, and hopefully get the best deal possible.
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How Do I Get The Best Refinance Loan Rates
Try to go through the mortgage pre-approval process with at least three lenders to find out your real rate and make sure you are getting the best deal. Freddie Mac has found that borrowers save an average of $1,500 over the life of the loan by getting one additional rate quote and an average of about $3,000 if they get five quotes.
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Calculate Your Mortgage Refinancing Savings
To calculate your monthly savings from refinancing, use a mortgage calculator to enter these numbers and get your new monthly payment:
- Amount to refinance
- New interest rate
- New loan term
Compare your new monthly payment to your old monthly payment. The table below shows how grabbing a lower interest rate could save you $204 per month, or $2,448 per year.
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Change Your Term Or Get A Different Mortgage
Sometimes your needs change and you may have to pay off your mortgage faster or switch your mortgage type. If you get a bonus at work and want to put it towards your mortgage, consider refinancing into a term with more prepayment privileges, such as an open mortgage. Or, if interest rates have dropped, and you plan to stay in your home for the long haul, you can refinance to a fixed-rate mortgage to lock in the lower rates.
How Much Money Can I Get From Cash
Most lenders require you to retain at least 20% equity in your home, so the most you can get is 80% of your homes total value, minus whatever you still owe on your mortgage.
For example, if you have a home worth $300,000 and owe $100,000 on your mortgage, you have $200,000 in equity. If thats the case, the maximum you can borrow with a cash-out refinance loan is $240,000 $100,000 to pay off your existing loan plus $140,000 in cash out.
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The Cost Of Refinancing Your House
In general, refinancing includes the following closing costs outlined below:
Application fee. Lenders impose this charge to cover the cost of checking a borrowers credit report, and the initial cost to process the loan request.
Title insurance and title search. This charge covers the cost of a policy, which is usually issued by the title insurance company, and insures the policy holder for a specific amount, covering any loss caused by discrepancies found in the property’s title. It also covers the cost to review public records to verify ownership of the property.
Lender’s attorney review fees. The company or lawyer who conducts the closing will charge the lender for fees incurred, and in turn, the lender will charge those fees to the borrower. Settlements are conducted by attorneys representing the buyer and seller, real estate brokers, escrow companies, title insurance companies and lending institutions. In most situations, the individual conducting the settlement is providing their services to the lender. Borrowers may be required to pay for other legal fees and services related to their loan, which is then provided to the lender. They may want to retain their own attorney for representation in the settlement, and all other stages of the transaction.
Can You Change Loan Types When Refinancing
If your scores were lower when you purchased the house, it might be a good opportunity to change your loan from a FHA to a Conventional Loan. If you did refinance from a FHA to a Conventional Loan, the Private Mortgage Insurance could be reduced or removed which would increase the savings. In this scenario, this would definitely make it worthwhile to refinance. Additionally, most people have fixed loans but if an individual has an Adjustable Rate Mortgage , it would definitely be worthwhile to see if a refinance would allow you to switch loans to a fixed rate mortgage.
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How To Refinance A Second Mortgage
If youre ready to refinance your second mortgage maybe by refinancing a HELOC into a fixed-rate loan the first step is to shop for a mortgage lender. You can refinance with your current lender, either the one that originated your primary mortgage or the one behind your second. But you dont have to. You can refinance with any lender licensed to do business in your state.
How Can You Lower Your Mortgage Payment Without Refinancing
There are a few ways to potentially reduce your monthly housing costs without spending a lot of money refinancing, such as:
- Recasting your mortgage. In this situation, your lender can recalculate your payments based on what you currently owe. To be eligible for recasting, youll typically need to pay a large amount toward your principal and pay a feeusually a few hundred dollars.
- Getting rid of mortgage insurance. If you put down less than 20% of your loan amount on a conventional loan, youre required to get private mortgage insurance . But if youre able to pay down your principal to 80% of your homes original price, you can request for your lender to remove your PMI.
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Reasons To Refinance Your Mortgage
Though it isn’t right for everyone, there are many great reasons you might consider refinancing an existing mortgage loan. Here are a few:
1. You may be able to reduce your interest rate. The interest rate on your mortgage loan dictates how much your loan will cost you in the end. Even the difference of a single APR point can mean tens of thousands of dollars in savings over the years.
If market interest rates have dropped and/or your credit score has improved enough that you qualify for a notably lower interest rate, consider refinancing. It’s important to do the math here to ensure that your savings will make up for any closing costs on your new loan if you can save 1% or more, it’s typically worthwhile.
There are several online tools that can help you determine what interest rates you could possibly qualify for based on your current situation.
2. You can adjust a monthly payment. Refinancing allows you to change any and all of your home mortgage terms. If you are struggling and need a lower monthly payment, for instance, a refi can extend your loan term and give you a lower monthly payment requirement, even if your interest rate doesn’t improve.
3. You can use it to pull equity out of your home. If your property is worth considerably more than you owe on it, a cash-out refinance allows you to withdraw some of that equity in cash. You can then use that cash to pay off debt, purchase a new property, cover big expenses or just have a cash safety net.
Improve Your Credit Score
The better your credit score, the lower the interest rate a lender will likely grant you, and the better chances you will have to refinance. To boost your score, first, get a copy of your credit reports from all three credit bureaus , and correct any errors you see on these reports that might be lowering your score.
Going forward, pay all of your bills on time , dont take out several new credit lines at one time, and pay down your total debt load, especially if youve nearly maxed out all your lines of credit.
If you have extremely bad credit, you may not be able to get a credit card, which means youll have trouble showing lenders that going forward, you can pay your bills on time. In this case, consider getting a secured credit card. With these cards, you can only charge the amount you have deposited in a specified account. You dont have to pay the card off in full each month, but if you dont, you will be charged interest.
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Overpaying On Interest Because You Want No Closing Costs
A refinance may not require any cash to close. One way lenders make up for this expense is to give you a higher interest rate. Lets say you have two options: a $200,000 refinance with zero closing costs and a 5% fixed interest rate for 30 years, or a $200,000 refinance with $6,000 in closing costs and a 4.75% fixed interest rate for 30 years.
Assuming you keep the loan for its entire term, in scenario A, youll pay a total of $386,511. In scenario B, youll pay $381,586. Having no closing costs ends up costing you $4,925 over the life of the loan.
Cons Of Reverse Mortgages
The biggest drawback of a reverse mortgage is depleting your equity with every monthly payment. If you have no plans for your home for the long run, this may not be a significant concern. If you want to leave your home to your children as an inheritance, then youll be gutting the value of the gift.
When comparing the costs of each tool, reverse mortgages also tend to be more expensive. Since they are non-recourse loans, the FHA requires up-front mortgage insurance premiums of 2% of the total borrowed and an additional 0.5% mortgage insurance premium each year. This 0.5% is based on the amount borrowed. If there is adequate equity for a home being refinanced, then mortgage insurance isnt necessary.
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Can You Refinance With Your Equity
With mortgage rates once again near historic lows, you might be one of the many homeowners who would like to refinance their mortgage. The question is, do you have enough home equity to do it?
Your home equity is the #1 factor in determining whether or not you can refinance your mortgage. In the current market, lenders just aren’t willing to offer you a new loan unless you have at least some equity in the property.
Pros Of Reverse Mortgages
Many seniors consider reverse mortgages as a way to add cash flow to their monthly budget. If this is the case, then a reverse mortgage has more potential. While a refinance may lower your monthly costs, it may not lower your payment enough to impact your monthly budget significantly.
Reverse mortgages also offer the ability to take money in a lump sum, which can be very useful for home repairs or consolidating other debt. A traditional refinance will only lower the amount that you pay monthly or change the loan term. A cash-out refinance would be necessary to receive actual cash to use as you please.
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Home Equity Line Of Credit
You can also take out a home equity line of credit, better known as a HELOC. The amount you can borrow through a HELOC is again based on your homes equity. But a HELOC acts more like a credit card with a maximum credit limit based on this equity amount. Say you have $80,000 of equity. You can take out a HELOC with a borrowing limit of $60,000. You then pay back only what you borrow. You might only borrow $30,000. Youd then have to pay this back, with interest, in monthly installments.
When Should You Refinance Your Mortgage
If you’re considering a mortgage refinance, it’s important to consider whether the savings and other benefits outweigh the cost.
- For many homeowners, it can be wise to at least crunch the refi numbers if:
- Your credit score improves – this can unlock lower rates and better loan terms
- You need to pull cash out of your home’s equity
There is no magical timeframe: mortgage refinancing is right for different homeowners at different times and for different reasons. Refinancing too soon after purchasing the home can have some implications – such as reducing your credit score further or introducing lender wariness – but in general, if the numbers are right, refinancing can be a great way to adjust your mortgage loan to suit you even better. Just make sure you get quotes from lenders first.
Before refinancing, it’s important to consider how long you’ll live in the home and how much your new loan will save you. Be sure to note how long it’ll take for your refi’s savings to surpass the new loan’s costs.
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Mortgage Refinancing: Everything You Need To Know
Home mortgage loans represent one of the most common types of debt for Americans – with more than $1.6 trillion in new mortgage loans originating in 2021 alone. Fannie Mae expects that number will continue to climb this year. Across the country, Americans now hold around $17.6 trillion in total mortgage debt and, according to Experian, an average home loan balance of $220,380. If you’re among those who fall into this category, you’re clearly not alone.
Many of these mortgage loans have repayment terms as long as 30 years. Whether you have a short or long-term loan, it’s important to know you can make changes.
You may not be in the same financial situation as when you first bought your home and the loan you took out may no longer be your best option a decade or two from now. That’s where a mortgage refinance comes into play. But before moving ahead with a refinance, make sure to shop around for a lender that fits your needs – and will save you money in the long run.
Can I Buy A Car While Refinancing
Mortgage professionals often advise avoiding anything that affects your debts, income, or credit during the weeks or even months when your refinancing application is being assessed. Dropping even a single point on your credit score can make a huge impact on the cost of your mortgage. Auto loans are assessed as part of your DTI ratio calculation when lenders analyze your mortgage application.
If your auto loan means that youll have higher monthly payments, then your DTI ratio will rise, all other things remaining equal. In general, its better to hold off on this kind of purchase until your application is complete.
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How Much Money You Can Get From A Cash
A cash-out refinance is a loan option that allows buyers to replace an active home mortgage with a new mortgage that has a value higher than the outstanding mortgage balance. The cash difference between the former mortgage and the new one is then withdrawn and can be used for any other major projects that the homeowner wishes. Cash-out refinances are very good ways to utilize the equity that has been built up over the term of the previous mortgage.
The amount of money that can be gotten from a cash-out refinance varies depending on the type of mortgage and your credit score. Most lenders permit homeowners to borrow up to 80 percent of the value of their home. That number could rise to 85 percent for lenders offering mortgages that have been insured by the Federal Housing Administration . All you have to do is find out the current value of your home and the percentage of your home equity that your lender allows you to borrow.
Cash-out refinances are useful for several reasons, but the most notable ones have to do with interest rates. However, they are not always the ideal option for you. According to financial analyst Gregg McBride, “Cash-out refinancing is beneficial if you can reduce the interest rate on your primary mortgage and make good use of the funds you take out.”
