How Much Have I Paid Off My Mortgage

Mortgage Balances Over Time

How I Paid Off My Mortgage in 1 Year | How To Pay Off Your Mortgage EARLY

Mortgage balances accelerate toward zero over time. The root word is mort, or to the death, meaning until the loan dies.

The rate at which your mortgage balance falls will not remain constant. In the early years your payments will primarily be interest and in the later years the payments will be mostly principal creating a natural acceleration over the course of your loan term toward payoff.

Don’t be surprised if you check your mortgage balance early in your loan term and find it hasn’t dropped much. That is natural. This shifts midway through your loan term, with the principal taking the majority of the mortgage payments later in the term.

Remember: The longer you pay your mortgage, the faster your mortgage balance will fall.

Should I Pay Off My Mortgage

One thing Covid-19 highlighted is the importance of cash reserves. But when you pay off a mortgage early you give tens of thousands of dollars to your lender and you lose access to that cash. The only way to get it back is to sell the house or get another loan .

When you get a big mortgage, you minimize the amount of cash needed to buy a house. That lets you keep more of your cash which is thus available to buy food and medicine in a crisis.

Here are 11 reasons you should not pay off your mortgage early:

#1: It doesnt affect your homes value. Your homes value will rise or fall whether or not you pay off a mortgage.

#2: A mortgage wont stop you from building equity in the house. The value of your house is likely to grow over the next 20 years. Youll build equity over time even if your principal balance never declines.

#3: A mortgage is cheap money. Mortgages are one of the cheapest ways you can borrow money.

#4 and #5: A question people often have is Should I pay off my mortgage or invest? But those two choices arent mutually exclusive.

Your mortgage interest is tax-deductible. And mortgage interest is tax-favorable. The interest you pay on loans to buy, build or substantially improve a qualified residence is tax-deductible if you itemize your deductions.

So dont bother trying to make your mortgage go away. Instead, your focus should be to create wealth so that you can comfortably afford the cost of living in and owning your home.

Thoughts On One Thing Left To Do When You Have Paid Off Your Mortgage

Suzannesays:

We recently paid off our mortgage but were advised to NOT clear the title. We were told that it added an extra layer of protection, in that if someone tried to sell the house, purporting to be us when they signed, that having the bank/credit union on title added a safety check, as the bank would first have to have their clients approval. We could sue the bank if they sold it without properly running it by us.but, try to sue land titles if the title is clear and they sell it based on forged signatures.

What do you think about this? Also, technically we were advised we still had a mortgage that was active and, if need be, we could borrow money and just re-add it to the mortgage amount, without going through pre-approvals.

Interesting thanks for weighing in, Suzanne. Fraud isnt something thats captured under the laws we administer, so we wouldnt be able to offer an opinion about any potential risk associated with removing the title. That said, if you have a revolving line of credit thats secured by your home and you think you may want to access that credit again, then itd be best not to clear the title as youd end up paying the fees again when you absolutely needed to clear the title . Hope that helps! Melaina

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Ways To Pay Off Your Mortgage Early

Okay, you probably already know that every dollar you add to your mortgage payment puts a bigger dent in your principal balance. And that means if you add just one extra payment per year, youll knock years off the term of your mortgagenot to mention interest savings!

To get serious about paying off your mortgage faster, here are some ideas to help:

Pay Off Remaining Debts

squareandcircledesign: How Much Faster Will I Pay Off My ...

If you carry other debts such as car loans, credit card balances, student loans or other personal loans, use your freed-up funds to pay these debts as soon as possible. Not only will you save money in the form of reduced paid interest, but you also will increase how much disposable cash you have, which can be directed to your savings goals.

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Help With Our Mortgage Balance Calculator

Using our Mortgage Balance Calculator is really simple and will immediately show you the remaining balance on any repayment mortgage details you enter.

To use it, all you need to do is:

Enter the original Mortgage amount

Enter the monthly payment you make
Enter the annual interest rate
Enter the current payment number you are at – if you are at month 2, enter 2 etc.

Your current balance will be shown – this may be different to a balance you quote from your lender as they may have fees or other charges they apply when giving a settlement figure.

Have a look at our other Mortgages calculators

Mistake #: Not Putting Extra Payments Towards The Loan Principal

Throwing in an extra $500 or $1,000 every month wont necessarily help you pay off your mortgage more quickly. Unless you specify that the additional money youre paying is meant to be applied to your principal balance, the lender may use it to pay down interest for the next scheduled payment.

If youre writing separate checks for extra principal payments, you can make a note of that on the memo line. If you pay your mortgage bill online, you might want to find out whether the lender will let you include a note specifying how additional payments should be used.

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One Thing Left To Do When You Have Paid Off Your Mortgage

Paid off My Mortgage in 7 Years

Posted in Finance, House & home on 2015-02-23by Melaina ::

So the big day has arrived and you have finally paid off your mortgage. Good for you! But there is one more thing you should do to be completely free of your mortgage. You need to clear the title of your house.

You see, most mortgages require that you formally pledge your house to the mortgage company as security . To safeguard this security, the mortgage company will formally register a charge against the title to your home.

Once you have repaid your mortgage, you should have the mortgage removed from the title of your home. The law in BC requires for the mortgage company to provide you with a discharge document when the mortgage is fully repaid and after you request the discharge.

You must pay the mortgage company to prepare this document, called a Release, but the maximum a credit grantor can charge under the law is $75. After you have the Release, you can either file it yourself with the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia, hire a lawyer or notary to do that for you .

Enjoy living mortgage-free!

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Mistakes To Avoid When Paying Off Your Mortgage Early

If you can afford to pay off your mortgage ahead of schedule, youll save some money on your loans interest. In fact, getting rid of your home loan just one or two years early could potentially save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But if youre planning to take that approach, youll need to consider if theres a prepayment penalty, among other possible issues. Below are five mistakes that you should avoid when paying your mortgage off early. A financial advisor can help you figure out your mortgage needs and goals.

How To Pay Off Your Mortgage In 5 Years

Suppose that in your mail today, you received an invitation to a class reunion. It is three months from now and you would love to go. But one of your first thoughts is: I really need to lose 15 pounds before then. So, what do you do?

You set a goal. You select a date as your finish line for reaching your goal.

The same is true for anything that you want to do financially, such as paying off your mortgage early, years in advance. Set a date for five years in the future and display that date prominently on your bathroom mirror or your refrigerator door, somewhere you will see if every day. This will help you stay focused on the goal and motivated to reach it.

As you know, merely setting a goal and being motivated doesnt ensure you reach it. Below you will find 17 actionable ways to pay off your mortgage in record time!

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Should I Accept My Parents Offer To Pay Off My Mortgage And For Me To Pay Them Instead

Thats nice of them! But it depends on many things not least what interest they want to charge and how well you get on with them.

Generally loans from parents are seen as soft loans, and they are a lot more flexible than a mortgage lender .

If they charge less interest than the mortgage company, then clearly you will be better off.

It also can help to keep the money in the family you can often reach a deal where both sides are better off, because your parents will earn more lending to you than they would saving with a bank. So, for example, if you are paying 3% interest to the mortgage company, and they are earning just 1% interest, then if they lend to you at 2%, both you and your parents would be better off. But of course there are potential risks so you both might want to get independent financial advice.

Related guides

Mortgage Payoff Calculator Terms & Definitions

Principal Balance Owed â The remaining amount of money required to pay off your mortgage.
Regular Monthly Payment â The required monthly amount you pay toward your mortgage, in this case, including only principal and interest.
Number of Years to Pay Off Mortgage â The remaining number of years until you want your mortgage paid off.

Principal â The amount of money you borrowed to buy your home.
Annual Interest Rate â The percentage your lender charges on borrowed money.
Mortgage Loan Term â The number of years you are required to pay your mortgage loan.

Mortgage Tax Deduction â A deduction you receive at tax time on the interest you pay toward your mortgage.
Extra Payment Required â The extra amount of money you’ll need to pay toward your mortgage every month to pay off your mortgage in the amount of time you designated.
Interest Savings â How much you’ll save on interest by prepaying your mortgage.

Retiring A Mortgage With Extra Payments

Many homeowners invest in home security systems to protect their property and personal assets. However, a security system will not protect the homeowner against financial disaster or bankruptcy. Making additional mortgage payments will shrink the total amount of interest paid over the life of the loan, and the borrower will pay off the debt more quickly. In addition, the home equity will grow at a faster pace when extra payments are applied to the loan. This provides for a margin of protection by lowering the interest costs. This method gives the property owner a home free and clear of debt. More payments on the principal of the loan equate to assets earning interest at the same rate as the interest rate on the loan.

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Early Mortgage Payoff Calculator

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Get On Top Of Your Finances

How I Paid Off My $86,000 Mortgage in 2 Years | 6 Steps to Follow

Ifyou have any debts, especially expensive debt such as on a credit card, then nows the time to use that extra money to clear them.

You should also consider topping up your savings as you suggest they arent that big. The recommended amount for an emergency pot is a few months salary in an easy-access savings account. Its essential to give you peace of mind should you be made redundant or the car breaks down.

Find out more: 20 simple ways to save moneyand What to do with your lockdown savings

Also Check: How To Take Out 2nd Mortgage

Tips For Buying A Home

A financial advisor can guide you through major financial decisions, like the purchase of a home. SmartAssets free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors in your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If youre ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Securing a mortgage can be a stressful and confusing process. For starters, you need to figure out what term is best for you, whether you want a fixed or variable interest rate and where to get the best mortgage rates.

The Biggest Downside To Paying Off Your Mortgage Early

There are several studies citing the psychological benefits of paying off debt early, such as emotional relief and the strength to avoid slipping back into debt.

All of that is true. But the biggest downside that no one talks about is the complete loss of motivation to take on calculated risks and to work as hard as you can to grow your wealth.

After being mortgage-free, my and wife and I lived comfortably off the severance checks that we negotiated when we quit our six-figure jobs in finance , and the $150,000 in annual passive income mostly from real estate, dividend stocks and bonds.

But my entire attitude slowly changed once I sent that final mortgage check. I stopped aggressively looking for new freelance consulting work. I went from taking on three contracts per month to just one. So instead of working 60 hours, I was only working 20 hours. At around $10,000 per contract, I was losing out on $20,000 of monthly income.

To reward ourselves for paying off the mortgage, my wife and I also took a month-long trip to Asia. We visited friends overseas and saw the Ruins of Angkor in Cambodia, then spent weeks camping in Yosemite. After that, we flew to New York for two weeks to watch the U.S. Open. We spent more than $10,000 on the entire trip.

It was a lot of time off so much, in fact, that I was behind by $50,000 on my goal to reach $200,000 in annual passive income. The plan was to grow our money so we could feel financially secure by the time we had a baby.

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How Much Extra Should You Pay To Payoff Your Mortgage Early

You dream of paying off your mortgage early.

You long for the day when you are debt free.

But how do you do it?

How much must you pay each month to be out of debt by a certain date?

What if you wanted to pay off your mortgage in 15 years instead of 30? How much would you save?

The good news is this mortgage payoff calculator makes figuring out your required extra payment easy.

You choose how quickly you’d like to pay off your mortgage, and the calculator will tell you the required extra monthly payment to get it done. It will also tell you how much interest you’ll save!

However, before you start making your extra payments, there are a few factors you’ll want to consider first . . . .

Cut Back On Your Other Spending

If youâre putting more money into your mortgage, you will have less to spend on other things. So help yourself by limiting other monthly expenses. For example, if you subscribe to five streaming services, maybe you can cut that back to three. Look for subscriptions you donât use anymore or donât use regularly.

Here are 25 ways to cut back on your spending right now.

Cutting costs also doesnât have to be a permanent thing, either. Once youâve paid off your mortgage, you can decide to go back to spending money on the things you cut. This is just a temporary measure to help you focus on paying your mortgage.

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