It’s time for a new mortgage match-up. Since paying down the mortgage early seems to be so en vogue these days, it makes sense to compare “20-year mortgages vs. 30-year mortgages.” The most common type of mortgage is the 30-year fixed. It amortizes over 30-years and the mortgage rate never changes during that time. Each [&hellip

The post 20-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgages: Get a Lower Rate? first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

With mortgage rates at or near all-time record lows, you’ve likely pondered a refinance if you’re an existing homeowner. But you probably have a lot of questions too, especially if it’s your first time refinancing a home loan. Let’s clear up some of the confusion by tackling some of the most common refinance questions out [&hellip

The post The Top 15 Refinance Questions Answered first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

We’re all looking for an angle, especially if it’ll save us some money. Whether it’s a stock market trend, a home price trend, or a mortgage rate trend, someone always claims to have unlocked the code. Unfortunately, it’s usually all nonsense, or predicated on the belief that what happened in the past will occur again [&hellip

The post When Are Mortgage Rates Lowest? first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

If and when you take out a mortgage, you’ll be faced with an important choice. To pay or not pay mortgage points. In short, those who pay points should hypothetically secure a lower interest rate than those who do not pay points, all else being equal. That’s because mortgage points, at least the ones that [&hellip

The post An Alternative to Paying Mortgage Points first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

Mortgage Q&A: “Does a refinance require an appraisal?” A reader recently asked if they needed an appraisal to refinance their existing mortgage, knowing they can often add weeks to the loan process. As with anything in the mortgage realm, the answer is it depends. Mainly, it depends on the type of loan you plan to [&hellip

The post Does a Refinance Require an Appraisal? first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

It’s been a while since I last posted a mortgage match-up, so without further ado, here’s the latest installment: “Prepay the mortgage or invest instead?” There are likely thousands of articles that deal with this very subject, all with plenty of differing opinions, but we are in unprecedented times. Mortgage rates have never been lower [&hellip

The post Should You Prepay the Mortgage or Invest Instead? first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

With mortgage rates at or near record lows, a lot of existing homeowners are probably asking themselves, “Is refinancing worth it?” The problem is there’s no absolute right or wrong answer to this question, though with interest rates a lot lower than they were a year or two ago, the answer to this question will [&hellip

The post Is Refinancing Worth It? first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

Everyone likes a discount, right, even if it’s on a small one-time purchase that equates to a nominal amount. For one reason or another, it just feels like a win. It’s obviously even sweeter if you get a discount on a big-ticket item, as the savings will be much larger. Better yet, how about a [&hellip

The post 10 Mortgage Lenders to Consider for the Best Mortgage Rates (and Fees!) first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

If you’ve yet to enter the housing market, but are thinking of buying a home in 2021, there’s a lot you need to know. As I once pointed out, this isn’t your older sibling’s housing market. Not just anyone can get a mortgage these days. You actually have to qualify. But we’ll get to that [&hellip

The post Buying a Home in 2021? 11 Tips to Get It Done! first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

If you’ve been researching mortgages, or are in the process of taking out a home loan, you’ve probably come across the term “impounds” or “escrows.” When you hear these seemingly scary words, the loan officer or mortgage broker is referring to an impound account, also known as an escrow account. You may even be told [&hellip

The post Mortgage Impounds vs. Paying Taxes and Insurance Yourself first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.