Re: Mortgage Refinancing
The Fed rate cut will have more effect on short term money (credit cards, auto loans) than it will on long term mortgage loans. It could help control the rising costs of ARM's that are tied to variable rates, at least in the short term. As far as when is the best time to refinance? The same as when is the best time to buy a stock...when it is at it's lowest point. Knowing that point, has always been elusive!
The first thing to ask is how long are you going to hold the property, does the variable rate have a cap, how often could it adjust, and so on. Next you must ask what will it cost to refinance, what will be the fixed rate, what will be the total of payments and interest paid in each scenerio, and what will the total costs add up to. Run the numbers on both plans to see the bottom line. I have heard loan guys advertising "no-fee loans" (they make it up in higher rates and penalties) say it is about 5 years to recapture the costs with their system.
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