For most people, purchasing a home is one of the biggest investments they will ever make. Buying a house or apartment usually involves a lot of money, especially if it is mortgaged. The key to saving money on your mortgage lies in getting the best available one for yourself. Although that may sound like an obvious solution, essentially it is about utilizing available avenues that will help you save quite a lot of money, especially if you make your monthly payments on time. While everyone wants to pay off their mortgage as soon as possible, it requires considerable amount of planning to transform wishes into reality.
There are several methods to help you save money on your mortgage:
Seller financing: This allows you to pay the amount directly to the seller over a period of time, rather than borrowing money and paying all of it at once. It enables you to negotiate a better rate of interest, and avoid the numerous administrative fees charged by lending institutions. Moreover, it saves you from the frightful mortgage insurance. It also provides you with a secure source of income and returns, without having to pay capital gains tax. The seller holds the house as a collateral that can be taken back, if the buyer defaults.
Debt Consolidation: When you reimburse your mortgage, you often pay off a number of unsecured debts such as credit cards, charge cards, personal loans and the like. The rates of interest on home loans are relatively lower than those on unsecured debts. Therefore, debt consolidation would help you to bring down your monthly payments. In other words, you would be paying an interest rate that applies to home loans on all your unsecured debts.
Bi-weekly payments: This enables you to make your mortgage payments at a faster rate. You do this by paying half of the monthly payments every two weeks. Hence, you will have paid 13 monthly payments by the end of the year, instead of 12. Thus, by using this method, you could save a lot of money on the interest of your mortgage.
Refinancing: It is one of the best ways to save money on your mortgage. It not only helps you reduce the term of the loan, but saves a lot on the interest, and even lets you get back your home sooner. You should opt for getting a loan at a fixed rate, which would protect you from having to make very high monthly payments because of increased interest rates, provided you have an adjustable rate of mortgage. Refinancing would prove to be the best available option to get a better mortgage, especially if the value of your home has increased since you bought it.
Pay off the interest as soon as possible: It might prove to be advantageous to pay off the interest or principal, comparatively sooner than what you would have, in the normal course. This depends upon the mortgage you have, your financial strength, and the rate of interest.
Fixed mortgage: This is the safest way to save money on your mortgage. With a fixed rate of interest, you will always know the status of your monthly payment. Hence, there would be no scope for uncertainties, and even if the interest rate drops, you can easily refinance to a lower rate of mortgage.
Since paying off the mortgage is one of the necessities of life for most people, you need to opt for ways that ease the burden. It is important not to take the published interest rates of a mortgage lender as the final word. Gather information on all the available rates of interest, and various mortgage features, from lenders in your area. Assess the pros and cons of each, and decide on the one that meets your requirements. You should be able to negotiate the interest rates effectively, and not hesitate asking for better terms. Therefore, keeping the above-mentioned methods in mind, you will be able to save a considerable amount of money on your mortgage.
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