Reasons Why Home Refinancing May Be for You

If you financed your home some time ago, you may have realized that interest rates have dropped significantly in the interim. In this case, it really does not make much financial sense in most circumstances to continue paying a high interest rate when you can refinance for a lower interest rate. This will allow you to take advantage of a lower monthly mortgage payment and pocket more money each month. Usually, the only good reason for not refinancing when interest rates have dropped considerably is when you know you will not remain in the home long enough for the cost of the home refinancing to be offset by the savings.

Another good reason to consider home refinancing is to take advantage of the opportunity to change from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage. In the event that you financed your home with an adjustable rate mortgage and then realized later that your APR had increased, a fixed rate mortgage can provide you with security and stability. This can be quite important if you value the security in knowing that your mortgage payment will remain the same from one month to another with no changes.
Many homeowners are also considering home refinancing as a way to fund a home improvement or in some cases to fund some other purchase or cost. In the event you have accumulated quite a bit of equity in your home since you purchased it, either through the home appreciating or through paying down the mortgage, you may wish to refinance and cash out some of the equity in order to pay for a home improvement project.
Another option would be to refinance and use the cash you obtain from cashing out your equity to pay for the purchase of a new vehicle or something else. This home refinancing option makes good financial sense when the interest rate you are able to obtain on the refinance is lower than what you would be able to obtain by obtaining a new loan to cover the cost of the purchase.

The same is also true of refinancing your home to pay for college education or medical costs. Many parents have recognized that it is far easier and cheaper to refinance their home and use the cash they receive from the equity to fund the cost of their children's educations rather than taking out a higher cost parent-student loan.
Regardless of why you choose to refinance your home, it is important to keep in mind that there are costs associated with home refinancing. These costs are usually quite similar to the closing costs you paid when you obtained your first mortgage and may include application fees, a title search, filing fees, etc. Today many lenders make it available to obtain what is known as a no-cost refinancing. This usually means that you can roll the cost of the refinance in with the new loan. If you are short on cash for closing costs, this can be a good option if you have decided that refinancing is for you.

By Alan Lim