| The Option ARM Loan: Turning the American Dream into a Nightmare
At first glance, an Option ARM loan can seem like a great opportunity for someone who is looking to purchase a home with the lowest monthly payments possible. An Option ARM mortgage starts out with low "teaser" interest rates that are only good for a month but are extremely appealing. An Option ARM loan also offers the borrower his choice of payment type: a minimum payment, an interest payment, or an amortizing payment. And the minimum payment can be seductively low, offering a borrower with limited cash flow the chance to buy a larger property than he expected to be able to afford. The problem is that if a borrower makes only the minimum payment on his Option ARM mortgage each month, he will quickly find that he is sliding into debt. As the teaser rate expires and the actual interest rate rises, the borrower's minimum payments will not make a dent in the actual loan principal nor the interest that is rapidly accruing.
Refinancing Your Mortgage 101
Editors Note: There are several things you should consider before you refinance your home. Here is an article concerning this subject: Practically everyone has refinanced or thought about it at one point in time. We've seen the dozens of commercials that urge us to do it. With rates at record lows over the past few years, refinancing has helped many borrowers lower their monthly payments. Refinancing your mortgage can be a very hard and confusing experience. When you're making your decision, there are several things to keep in mind. First, even a small rate cut can pay off quickly. Second, if you are planning to stay in your home for at least three to five years, it may make sense to pay "points" (a point equals 1% of the loan amount) and closing costs to get the lowest available rate.
Mortgage fixed rates start to fall
Denise Blake, mortgage analyst at Moneyfacts.co.uk, comments: “Following the shock base rate rise in January, fixed rate mortgages flew off the shelves as consumers rushed to get their hands on existing fixed rate deals before they were pulled. But with base rate remaining unchanged now for the last two months, some level of stability has returned.
“With swap rates starting to fall back, Moneyfacts.co.uk has seen eight lenders reduce their fixed rate mortgages over the last 10 days, some by as much as 0.40%.
“Figures released yesterday from the Council of Mortgage Lenders showed that 85% of first time buyers and just over 70% of home movers chose a fixed rate mortgage in January, which illustrates the popularity of such deals in the current financial climate.
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