Home Mortgages: Does a No-closing-cost Loan Make Sense for You?
I have heard a number of radio ads and have seen many newspaper ads offering "no closing cost" home mortgages. These ads will tell you that you can get a new mortgage or refinance your existing mortgage at absolutely with absolutely no closing costs.. There are no points, no charges for an appraisal, no charge for title insurance, no costs, period.
On the face of it, this sounds like a great deal and no-cost mortgages are especially popular with people who are refinancing an existing mortgage.
How does this work? Normally, a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, would have closing costs in the neighborhood of $2,000 to $3,000 or even more, depending on whether or not you pay points upfront. In fact, we talked to one mortgage broker two weeks ago about a mortgage on an investment property we own in another state and the closing costs were quoted as $7,000 - outrageous but at least not typical.
You've probably heard the old adage, "there is no such thing as a free lunch," and these no-cost mortgages are yet another testimonial to the truth of this.
The way that no closing cost mortgages work is the lender gives the mortgage broker a rebate at closing which the broker then uses to to pay the settlement costs. The way the lender gets its money back is by charging a higher interest rate. For example, for a $230,000, 30-year fixed rate mortgage with no upfront fees, your interest rate would most likely be a least 0.35% higher that if you paid one point and the customary closing costs.
Here's an example of what this means. As of this writing, there were mortgages available at 5.250 %, plus one point. As you probably know, one point equals one percent of the mortgage so one point on a $150,000 mortgage would be $1,500.
The monthly payment fo this loan, excluding taxes and insurance is $826.00. The closing costs would be $1,500 plus the normal settlement costs of, say, $1,500,A for a total of $3,000.
Let's compare this with a no-cost mortgage. Assuming the interest rate is 0.35% higher as quoted earlier, the interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage would be 5.725%, yielding a monthly payment of $872.98 or about $46.00 per month vs. the loan where you would pay one point and the normal settlement costs.
Given a savings of $46.00 per month, it would take you about 65 months - or 5.5 years to make up for the $3,000 you paid in closing costs. This means that you need to determine how long you will stay in that house before deciding on a mortgage loan or a refi. If you intend to stay in that home and not refinance your mortgage for more than six years, it might make sense for you to pay the point and the normal settlement costs. On the other hand, if you believe you will sell that house or refinance it in less than five years, a no-cost mortgage might be better.
Just make sure you look at all the various alternatives and their long-term costs before you leap into a new mortgage.
For FREE help with debt and credit, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter "8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief" at http://www.all-in-one-info.com
Latest News
Interest rate drop opens door to refinancing Austin American-Statesman, TX - By Shonda Novak, MS Taboada The recent sharp drop in mortgage interest rates is creating a window for homeowners nationwide to refinance and providing an ... Looking to refinance? Now might be the time |
 FinFacts Ireland | Ben Bernanke: Fresh Attack on Mortgage Rates U.S. News & World Report, DC - Lower rates will enable some borrowers to refinance out of adjustable and into fixed-rate loans. But those who need to refinance the most have homes with ... Long Bond Returns Most Since 1995 as Rosenberg Sees ‘Bubble’ Treasury Yields Hit Record Lows, But Will it Last? REFILE-TREASURIES-Bonds rally, helped by weakening economy |
Self-Employed Are Frozen Out of Mortgages Wall Street Journal - He's been unable to find a lender willing to refinance the $900000 adjustable-rate mortgage on his primary residence, which he says is worth around $1.1 ... |
Md. sees drop in loss of homes Baltimore Sun, United States - Many borrowers took on mortgages at the height of the housing boom, believing they could eventually refinance to a lower loan rate or sell their homes if ... |
Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Begins Development of Hope for ... MarketWatch - For borrowers who refinance under H4H, lenders are required to "write down" the mortgage to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-provided ... |
 Straits Times | Mortgage rates fall, but many borrowers will have trouble qualifying Los Angeles Times, CA - Jeff Lazerson, a Laguna Niguel mortgage broker, said all the customer calls he received Tuesday were from people seeking to refinance, not buy homes. ... Mortgage-market revival: Try, try again Last Call for Smart Homeowners US move cuts mortgages to lowest rate since February |
New mortgage crisis looming, experts caution San Bernardino Sun, CA - And since investors no longer want to buy commercial mortgages, banks are reluctant to write new loans to refinance those facing foreclosure. ... |
Good time to refinance your mortgage? WKTV, NY - By GARY LIBERATORE (WKTV) - If you are in the market to buy a home, it's a really good time, but if you're selling, it's not so good. ... |
A recession Q&A Newsday, NY - ... take measures that will result in lower mortgage rates, "so people can afford to buy up housing inventory and refinance mortgages at affordable rates. ... |
Great Wolf continues mortgage negotiations Wisconsin State Journal, WI - Because of the economy, refinancing arrangements are taking longer and are structured differently than in the past, he said. The resort continues to operate ... BRIEF: Great Wolf still talking with lenders |
Resources
-
bad credit home loan, Refinance Mortgage loan, cash loan, cash advance loan, california home loan, p
Online bad credit home loan, Refinance Mortgage loan, cash loan, cash advance loan, personal loan, debt consolidation loan, payday loan, bad credit loan, home improvement loan, second Mortgage loan, online loan, unsecured personal loan Search.