Fixed versus adjustable loans
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A fixed-rate loan features the same payment for the entire duration of your loan. Your property taxes increase, or rarely, decrease, and so might the homeowner's insurance in your monthly payment. For the most part monthly payments for your fixed-rate loan will be very stable.
Your first few years of payments on a fixed-rate loan go mostly toward interest. That reverses as the loan ages.
You might choose a fixed-rate loan in order to lock in a low interest rate. Borrowers choose these types of loans when interest rates are low and they want to lock in the low rate. If you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) now, refinancing with a fixed-rate loan can offer more monthly payment stability. If you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) now, we can assist you in locking a fixed-rate at the best rate currently available. Call Cosatal Financial Group at (512) 292-3494 for details.
Adjustable Rate Mortgages — ARMs, as we called them above — come in many varieties. ARMs usually adjust twice a year, based on various indexes.
The majority of ARMs are capped, which means they can't increase above a certain amount in a given period of time. Some ARMs can't increase more than two percent per year, regardless of the underlying interest rate. Sometimes an ARM has a "payment cap" that guarantees your payment won't increase beyond a fixed amount over the course of a given year. Most ARMs also cap your interest rate over the duration of the loan period.
ARMs most often feature their lowest rates toward the beginning of the loan. They usually guarantee that rate from a month to ten years. You've probably read about 5/1 or 3/1 ARMs. For these loans, the introductory rate is fixed for three or five years. After this period it adjusts every year. These kinds of loans are fixed for a certain number of years (3 or 5), then adjust. These loans are usually best for borrowers who expect to move in three or five years. These types of ARMs are best for people who plan to move before the initial lock expires.
You might choose an Adjustable Rate Mortgage to get a lower initial interest rate and count on moving, refinancing or absorbing the higher rate after the introductory rate expires. ARMs can be risky when property values decrease and borrowers can't sell their home or refinance.
Have questions about mortgage loans? Call us at (512) 292-3494. It's our job to answer these questions and many others, so we're happy to help!