As of a few years ago, the ARM was the best way to buy a home. If you do not have the money to buy your dream home, then you can choose a mortgage with an adjustable rate over a fixed one. In an adjustable rate mortgage, the rate of interest changes every year depending on the market condition. As for a fixed rate of mortgage, the rate of interest is not dependant on the market scenario and remains the same over the term of the loan.
As of just a few years ago, an adjustable rate mortgage was a smarter option among the two main types of mortgages. Each year the rate of interest for the adjustable mortgage was decreasing and hence people had to pay a lesser amount towards their mortgage payment. However, these things are cyclical. Because of rising interest rates in the world market cycle, people have been losing out under an adjustable rate mortgage scheme, as it is dependent on current market scenarios.
The rate in the case of an adjustable mortgage is determined at the beginning of each fiscal year. A fiscal year, for 1 year ARMs starts 1st January and ends on 31st December of the same year. Right at the beginning of the fiscal year, your lender will calculate a rate of lending depending on the index that your mortgage rate is attached to. This rate is calculated based on the index which is influenced by a number of factors like the rate of inflation, rate of lending, credit worthiness, and so on.
Keeping these various factors in mind, the rate of adjustable mortgage is determined. This pre-determined rate of interest is applicable for the rest of the fiscal year, though it can be revised at any time. Depending on the credit cycle, it is seen that the interest rate for adjustable mortgages diminishes or rises with every passing year.
The pitfall is that this rate can increase substantially, and people may find it more and more difficult to make their payments and retain their property. For example, if the interest rate goes up by 1%, people, who earlier had to pay about $500 towards an adjustable rate mortgage payment, may have to shell out as much as $ 570-600 for the same home (depending on the mortgage details).
Any sudden increase in adjustable rate mortgage payments will make it more and more difficult for people to retain their property, especially if their income is either constant or shrinking due to wage cut amidst an increase in the interest payment on their property.
If there are good economic conditions and the credit cycle favors, you may benefit from a reduction in interest rates on your ARM. If you are unsure of how interest rates will behave, the only thing that you can do is opt for a fixed rate of mortgage. On fixed rate mortgages, the rate of interest is fixed at the time of taking the mortgage, and hence, is not dependant on market conditions beyond your control.