Monday, April 20, 2009

Benefits of Refinancing your Mortgage

 

When you refinance a mortgage, you are converting the mortgage you already have into a new loan. The new loan usually has more favorable terms, such as a lower interest rate, that make refinancing worthwhile. Refinancing can have several important benefits, most of which add up to money saved over the life of the loan.

Refinancing helps you save money

 

Most people who refinance do so because the new mortgage will save money, usually because refinancing will allow them to lock in a lower interest rate than the one they currently have. Refinancing can help you save a significant amount of money over the life of the loan, even if the interest rate reduction is small. If you have a mortgage of several hundred thousand dollars, even a small interest rate reduction can save you thousands of dollars in interest. In fact, reducing your interest rate by just one point could save you around $5,000 on a fifteen year mortgage.

Refinancing can save you money in other ways, too, even if you are not able to lock in a lower interest rate. If your current mortgage is sub-prime because your credit rating was poor when you took out the loan, for example, refinancing could save a considerable amount of money if you’ve built up a better credit rating.


Refinancing can reduce the term of your mortgage

 

The potential to save a significant amount of money is the most obvious advantage of refinancing, but there is another important benefit that is often overlooked. This is the ability to refinance to a mortgage with reduced terms. For example, if you are able to refinance from a 30 year to a 20 or even 15 year mortgage, you’ll own your home outright in much less time.

Don’t forget, however, that reducing the terms of your mortgage mean your monthly payments increase. If you’re refinancing for this reason, it is important that you know your finances will remain secure enough that you can continue to meet the higher monthly repayments. The good news is refinancing for this reason is actually another way you can save money on your mortgage. Even though your monthly repayments are higher, reducing the term means you’ll pay significantly less money in interest over the life of the loan.

Refinancing lets you switch mortgage types

 

One of the main reasons many people refinance is to switch to a different mortgage type, for example from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage. Taking out an adjustable rate mortgage is an attractive option, especially for first time home buyers, since securing a low interest rate means lower repayments. However, many homeowners later feel that they would prefer the security of a fixed rate mortgage. Refinancing means that it’s possible to switch from an adjustable to a fixed interest rate, or vice versa, to ensure you have the mortgage that most benefits you. When is a good time to switch? It depends on many things, including your current financial situation, the state of the economy, and how long you plan to live in the home.

Refinancing can free up equity in your home

 

As you make mortgage payments over the months and years of the loan, you build up equity in your home. Every payment you make means you own a little bit more of the equity, and sometimes, it can be financially beneficial to tap into that equity. If you want to make improvements to increase the value of your home, fund college for your kids, or consolidate debts, for example, equity release can provide the necessary cash.

 

If you can get a lower interest rate when you are accessing the equity, so much the better – this will help compensate for the fact that removing some of the equity extends the life of the loan.

 

Time to Refinance?

 

Most homeowners will refinance a mortgage at least once, and statistics say that the average homeowner refinances their home every four years. That might seem a little high, but given that refinancing has so many benefits, it’s not difficult to see why refinancing is a popular option.

So when is refinancing a good idea? Look to the above list to determine when is the right time to refinance. If you can benefit by lowering your interest rate, reducing the terms of your mortgage, or switching to a more favorable mortgage type, or if you need to access some of the equity you’ve built up in your home, refinancing could be a good option.

These are not the only points to consider, of course, but they are a good starting point to think about if you are wondering whether refinancing will work for you.


About the Author

Rachel Jackson is a freelance writer who writes about financial products pertaining to the mortgage industry such as the lowest mortgage rates.

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Saturday, September 6, 2008

Common Business Card Mistakes - From a Dental Marketing Consultant

business cards, it seems, are neglected, abused, given little if any thought when designed, and are grossly misunderstood when it comes to their real intended use.

A business card, as it turns out, is nothing more than an abbreviated ad and a way for people preferably those that want to spend money with you to contact you.

Nonetheless, anything roughly 99 of each person who has a business card misses is this: the Sales promotion allotment Few staff hold benefit of the affair and use it to generate interest.

I will try to walk you using the dos and donts of creating a business card.

Lets start off along furthermore the heading. Yes, your business card should understanding a title. How as well is a big shot going to appreciate whether or not they should carry the card or even ask you

You experience to give a contribution people a compelling excuse WHY they should take demeanor. A headlines job is to get admonition. At that time, get the reader to studied on... to become proficient at further.

After, dont variety the elementary admonition so adolescent that its impossible to read without one of those old biology variety microscopes. Fill up the card. White area has certainly not baited somebody to do what. In distinctive words, colorless space in any ad, or on any interest card, is cubicle that charges you currency, but fails to bring forth any earnings.

If you meet up with a web page, accommodates it in your contact announcement. Except, by introducing this to your card, you are implying that this is a factual way to get whatsoever you understanding to furnish. Variety definite that your website is for all time functional and up-to-date. If your prices variation, be guaranteed to tell this awareness on your web page. Equally cardinal is the services that you grant. Style definite that your web page informs workers concerning anything you can do. And, if your abilities adjustment grow, class agreed your website reflects those modifies.

Pairing also the web page, a personal electronic message spot is as well a abnormal addition. A lot of recruits sense corresponding to they can get more briefing by way of electronic mail, and it appears less endangering. Although, I must reiterate the "personal" part of this. Dont put infoyourcompany. This makes employees believe reminiscent of their electronic message will probably go off to a few outsourced respondent in India. No, put YOUR electronic mail region - YOUyourcompany.

After deep-seated tip: Use both sides Paper is costly; ink is low-priced. Were flowing back to the pallid shelter-factor. For a couple of possible customers, that 2.5X3" piece of cardstock is the simply craze they can see of yours. Variety it count.

AND, accommodates an assurance or an give... Or, both Have a say themselves an more excuse to hold your card and hold performance.

At long last, present a small, simple map. This is above all intrinsic if you textbook plus a lot of people that are new to your address. Try to add each other a wide-ranging discover of where they can get your hands on you.

So, lets re-cap.

1. Headline - WHY should I yet hold this obsession
2. Effortlessly understood your communiqu� admonition.
3. Website and electronic mail included but, easily if this is a true resource you can offer.
4. Use both sides of the interest card.
5. Grant something to trap them to desire to textbook as well as you.
6. Map.

If you already submit to a affair card, rethink your arrangement and the use of your card. brand agreed that it serves as, not competently a reserve for your communiqu� information, but further as an marketing.

If you experience not yet put your business card as one, or if any individual as well is building your card for you, be agreed to judge all of these key pieces that every professionals affair card should contains. Brand it textbook for you.


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