Thursday, 12 July 2018

What You Need To Know About The Process Of Refinancing Real Estate Loans

By George Gray


Popular opinion suggests that financing a property is the hardest part of home ownership. As it turns out, however, this doesn't always hold true. Most real estate loans Brooklyn New York remain fixed to a large extent, but the same can't be said of borrowers' needs. If that sounds familiar, it's well guaranteed that you'll need to reassess your financial situation going forward. This could involve refinancing your mortgage, a process that can be packaged in 2 ways:

Rate-and-term Refinance: Here, the original loan is usually paid off and replaced with one carrying a lower interest rate and/or a new set of terms. However, the loan balance stays unchanged, save for when the lender agrees to add transaction costs to the same. Whatever the case, don't expect to walk away with more money than you started with.

Cash-Out Refinancing: This involves converting a fraction of one's equity into cash, resulting in a higher mortgage balance. From a statistical standpoint, this kind of divestment raises their likelihood of defaulting on their debt. Cash-out mortgages are thus priced higher to reflect the increase in risk.

Industry opinion suggests that refinancing only makes sense if there's a potential to lower one's interest rate by at least two percentage points. Other than that, it usually takes about 3 years to realize fully the savings resulting from this reduction, given the cost of taking out a refinance. Be sure to weigh these factors when figuring out your next move. That aside, the process will be easier when you know what steps you'll need to take:

Review Your Credit Status: This is part of what lenders will use to determine your eligibility for refinancing. As such, it makes sense to review your credit report early on, of course checking to see if there are any errors in the same. Make sure to limit these inquiries to a two-week window to avoid lowering your score.

Contact Multiple Lenders: Much as you may be tempted to go with your current lender, it's quite likely that there's a better package available out there. It's therefore worth taking the trouble to consult multiple institutions and see what they have to offer. Feel free to ask lots of questions during your consultations.

Apply for Refinancing: It's not until you find the best loan package that you can start filling out application forms. This will of course involve providing lots of financial information supported by appropriate documents. A high level of preparation in advance will translate to a smoother application process.

Lock in Your Rate: Most applications take 30-60 days to go from processing to approval. For this reason, experts recommend acting quickly to lock in your terms while they're still available. Otherwise, your rate will remain exposed to market shifts throughout this period.

The decision of whether or not to refinance all boils down to its potential to improve your situation. With that in mind, you'll want to identify your goals and see if there's a practical possibility of achieving them under the prevailing market conditions. And as with any other investment, it's very important that you know what you're getting into before proceeding.




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