Frank W Ellis asked:




Refinancing is nothing more than replacing your existing mortgage loan with a new loan. If interest rates have dropped since you last financed your home, refinancing at a lower rate (even 1 percent) can save you a lot of money.

You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out whether a refinance would save you money. You’ll need to know your total closing costs and your new monthly payment to make an estimate. Let’s assume that your mortgage payment is $1250 and you find a lender that will cut your loan payment by $200 a month. That’s $2400 a year!

But wait… The new loan comes with a price. It’s not unusual for a refinance loan’s closing costs to be in the $4000 neighborhood. That’s a lot of money. But, the next question is. How many months will it take me to recover my costs of getting the new loan? At a monthly payment savings of $200 a month it would take 20 months to get back to a break-even point in this case.

After the break-even point it all depends on how long you stay in your home. If you were to stay in your home for 60 months or (5) years after the break-even point, you would save $12.000. Not a bad deal!

Refinancing a mortgage isn’t cheap and it’s not always easy, but when you consider the possible savings, it could be worth your time and effort. Mortgage interest rates rise and fall all the time. A drop of just 1 percent in mortgage interest rates can be enough to make refinancing worthwhile for you.

Herbert

Carrie Reeder asked:




Not only are your mortgage interest payments tax deductible, but so are your refinancing costs. Points can be deducted over the life of your loan. However, there are some restrictions with this program.

Deducting Refinanced Points

When you originally take out a mortgage, you can deduct the points paid the year you take out the home loan. With refinancing, you have to deduct the points over the course of the loan.

So take the point amount paid and divide by the number of payments for the entire loan. A 30 year loan would have 360 payments. For each payment you make that year, you can deduct that amount off your taxes.

If you cash out part of your equity, you can also deduct the points in full that year in certain cases. For example, home improvements meet the IRS’s requirements.

When you pay off your refinanced mortgage early, you can deduct the remaining point amount from that year’s taxes.

Restrictions to Be Aware Of When Deducting Refinance Costs

As with any IRS program, there are restrictions with deducting refinancing costs. For example, depending on your income level, there are restrictions on how much you can deduct.

Closing costs, such as attorney fees, notary fees, and PMI, are also excluded. When the seller pays the points, they cannot be deducted either.

Paying Points on Refinance Isn’t Always Best

Points are a typical feature of today’s mortgages, but don’t plan on paying several points just for the tax write off.

Points are usually paid to further reduce interest rates on a mortgage. If you are planning to keep the loan for several years, this can save you thousands and may be worth paying the upfront cost. However, if you plan to move in a few years or refinance again, you won’t see a gain from paying the points.

The best thing to do is find the lowest costing loan first. Ask for APR quotes from several lenders to find the optimal rates and fees. That step alone can save you thousands. Next, decide if you can come out ahead by paying additional points. Remember that the tax deduction will only save you pennies on the dollar.

Jeanne

Ernesto Maitim asked:


tend to save money as you deal with your debts, the best way to achieve this is when you refinance mortgage loans. However, when going through the refinancing process, one should be prepared for all the right process to undertake as well as the necessary costs that are needed to be paid. Careful study of the possible options in refinancing should be done to maximize the financial benefits and avoid future problems. When it comes to the costs that go with the process, many are included such as fees of processing and settlement, points, the closing costs. To be aware of such loan beforehand will help the individual become ready to such costs. Once you refinance mortgage loans, these costs must already be considered even before your application; doing this will help in the reduction of interest rates and thereby increase whatever savings you may earn. If you have an adjustable rate loan, the interest rates are bound to increase. Refinancing helps in getting a new loan at a much lower rate. Apart from low rates, one can enjoy such other great benefits like better payment terms, less amount in yearly fees, shorter loan duration and best of all, reduced monthly installment. It is advisable to check if prepayment penalties exist. If so, then the process of refinancing is useless if the penalty exceeds saving, which is likely. Costs when you refinance mortgage loans are quite similar when applying for the original loan. There are the application deposits and the insurance policies. Other fees include those fees and costs for re-appraisal, and the process of transferring from adjustable to fixed rate. Many lending and mortgage services companies are not the same in charging costs accompanying the process of refinancing. It is best to consult your prospective lenders to really clear things up regarding refinancing costs and fees. For more refinance home mortgage and other mortgage and loan articles, do visit us at Refinance Home Mortgage for You blog.

Marion