Like so many people you may be deciding if mortgage refinancing is for you at this time. There are several factors to decide on. And you need also to get some objective help in your decision. You will also want to determine the pros and cons before deciding to do it.
And you have to also keep in mind that your credit score is the determining factor in what interest rate you will get. And with these economic times a great credit score years ago may only be an average score now. You will want to get a copy of your credit score to make sure there are no errors on it that you can change before you apply for a loan.
You will also want to ask yourself if you want a variable loan or a fixed loan. You might only be able to qualify for a variable loan given your work income and your credit score. This is what gets some people in trouble.
The variable is attractive because it has a lower initial rate and lower monthly payment. But it will go up make certain of that. And this is where some people have gotten in trouble. They think that they will have more money when it does go up. But you cannot count on a raise every year in this economy.
But you have to be realistic. You do not want to later on find it difficult if not impossible to pay the higher monthly payment down the road. If you are refinancing your fixed rate loan now that is let us say a thirty year fixed loan realize that you are starting all over again.
And if you take money out with the refinance you are taking the equity out of the home and spending it. This is plain and simple and should be a sobering thought for you. Some people thought that their home would continue to grow in value but instead their home went down in value. This is where so many people got in trouble.
They thought they could actually refinance later and get even more money out of their homes. Using your home as a cash register or ATM is not the prudent thing to do. No one can predict the housing market. Yes real estate goes up typically but there is nothing typical about the current market.
What you do with the money you take out of the refinance is up to you. But if you are thinking of refinancing it is a good idea to consult with an independent financial advisor to go over all of your options. The more you understand your choices and the results of your choices the better.
In addition to having less debt by refinancing a mortgage, also look at GIC rates to get higher fixed income returns. Mortgage rates vary from lender to lender so ask around.