With the 40 year mortgage becoming increasingly common in states such as California, where high home prices make mortgages less affordable for the average home-buyer, the latest mortgage product has been rolled out-the 50 year mortgage.
During the 1980s, mortgage interest rates in America topped 18%, prompting the introduction of the 40 year mortgage. The 40 year mortgage increased in popularity again in 2005, when Fannie Mae introduced a program to offer these extended-term mortgages. In 2007, approximately five percent of all mortgages are 40 year mortgages, with that figure reaching 25% in high-cost housing markets such as on the West Coast. With the 40 year mortgage becoming a more main-stream product, the 50 year mortgage has been introduced. While this type of mortgage further reduces the monthly cost of loan repayments, there are some definite disadvantages involved.
The Pros
The main advantage of choosing a 50 year mortgage is a fairly obvious one-the extended terms of the mortgage make monthly repayments lower, and it means that owning a home becomes more affordable. There’s not always a huge difference between the monthly repayment on a 40 year mortgage and on a 50 year mortgage, but those few dollars can mean the difference between affording your own home now and having to wait a few more years to save a larger down-payment.
One of the important things to note about the 50 year mortgage is that after the first five years, the interest rate is adjustable. That means after the fixed-rate period is over, your interest rate can increase and decrease along with current market rates. This is one of the aspects of the 50 year mortgage that keeps that initial interest rate so low. If you’re looking for a low-cost mortgage with a view to refinancing within five years, the 50 year mortgage can be a good way of approaching this.
Finally, the 50 year mortgage is typically a safer way of affording a home if you’re unable to afford a conventional 30 year fixed-rate mortgage. Options such as interest only loans or balloon mortgages offer initial lower payments, but these come with some very risky drawbacks. Unlike other low-initial-cost mortgage options such as the interest-only mortgage, there’s no possibility that you’ll end up with negative amortization with a 50 year mortgage. This makes it a much safer way of achieving a lower-cost mortgage.
The Cons
Of course, the 50 year mortgage has some drawbacks of its own. Tacking that extra ten years onto the terms of the loan means you add a big chunk of interest, making the total cost of the loan significantly higher. That 50 year long will reduce the amount you must pay each month, but over the life of the loan it’s going to cost you. In addition, the interest rate on a 50 year mortgage is typically slightly higher than with a 30 year or even a 40 year mortgage. Longer terms mean increased risk for the lender, and you pay for that risk with extra percentage points on your interest rate. It may not be much-less than 1%-but even that adds several thousand dollars to your loan total.
Another disadvantage with the 50 year loan is a result of the way in which mortgage payments are structured. All conventional mortgages are front-loaded with interest, meaning that the first years of repayments are almost all interest, and you don’t start paying off a significant amount of principle immediately. The longer the terms of the mortgage, the longer it takes to build up equity in your home-more than twice as long to build up just 20% equity in comparison to a 30 year mortgage.
A related problem with this very slow build-up of equity occurs in cases where your down-payment is less than 20% of the home’s appraised value. In these cases your lender typically requires you pay for private mortgage insurance until you reach that 20% equity figure. With a 50 year mortgage, it’ll take much longer to reach 20%, so you’ll be paying extra for private mortgage insurance for much longer than with any other type of loan.
What does this mean for Home-Buyers?
For people who find that the 30 or 40 year mortgages aren’t affordable, the 50 year mortgage can make the dream of home-ownership a reality, but these mortgages are best used with a view to refinancing as soon as possible. The 50 year mortgage shouldn’t be considered a long-term loan, simply because those extended terms are so expensive in the long run. As long as you’re planning to refinance within five to ten years, the 50 year mortgage is a good alternative to riskier low-cost products such as the interest-only mortgage.
Archive for February, 2008
The 50 Year Mortgage-pros and Cons
Author:Feb 17
Business Loans Uk: Smoothen Your Way to Success
Author:Feb 2
Since competition in the corporate world is toughening day by day, every business owner needs to pay extra attention to management of financial resources. At the very first step every business needs financial help and only business loans can meet these requirements efficiently. Every businessman wants to expand his business but for making it possible he or she must be financially capable and those, who are not financial capable, get depressed due to unavailability of fund. Handling a business is not an easy task, as it needs commitment and firm financial support of the business owner. As far as financial support is concerned, a business owner can go for business loans to solve his or her monetary hassles. Finding a loans that may fulfill all business requirements is a very critical task and borrowers face many problems in it. Possessing a high valued property helps a lot, as it can be used as collateral against the loan. However, there are loans that do not demand any collateral and provide the borrower with sufficient finance to meet various business requirements. In fact, business loans in UK are for every business owner, who is facing problems in meeting his or her business expenses.
business loans UK enable a business owner to meet all in house and external expenses of the business. The loan amount raised from these loans can be used for various purposes such as purchase of raw material, machinery, equipments, and furniture. Along with manufacturing expenses, these loans can also meet various operational expenses of a business organization. These operational expenses include salary of the employed staff, investment, payment to various coordinators and salary of the management staff. Business loans in UK can speed up the growth pace of a sapling business and can strengthen the position of a well established business.
From the very first day of establishment, every business demands a lot of money to fulfill various requirements. Business loans in UK can prove to be the true companion of every business owner. No matter whether your business organization is small or big, it is for sure that with these loans you will never have to worry about fulfillment any financial requirement of your business. It will take care of each requirement, so that you may better focus on your core business objectives. In fact, these loans smoothen the way to prosperous future.
Usually, business loans in UK are pledged against any high valued collateral but if in any case you are able to keep any asset as collateral against the loan amount, you can go for unsecured business loans. However, a business loan requires good credit score for easy approval but if you are a bad credit borrower, then also you can arrange the desired cash with these special loans. Usually, a typical business loan requires a written loan proposal and personal and financial details of the borrower. Since processing of these details consumes a lot of time, a business owner can go for online business loans, as they provide the borrower with instant finance to run the business smoothly.
How Denver and Colorado Mortgage Lenders Can Help if You’re Looking for a Denver or Colorado
Author:Feb 2
If you are in Denver or Colorado and looking for a home loan there are many options for you, thanks to technology. You can look for a loan from anywhere in the country, but that doesn’t mean you should if you are looking to buy a refinance a Denver or Colorado mortgage.
No one has the knowledge of Denver or Colorado home loans like local Denver mortgage lenders, despite the fact you can shop for a Colorado or Denver mortgage online or fill out a Colorado and Denver application with the press of a button. Those far removed from the unique housing market of the area can really give you the understanding you need for a Denver and Colorado mortgage.
Colorado and Denver Mortgage lenders and their knowledge
The real estate market in Colorado is its own animal. It’s unique and a Colorado mortgage company will know that. Denver mortgage lenders understand that you can find modest single family homes, investment properties, luxury homes and vacation
properties all in the same market. Other markets are very different, with not as many kinds of properties available, so lenders outside the market may try to fit only one type of Denver and Colorado home loans to a lender — without success. Those seeking Denver Colorado home loans and properties will be more successful if they find a Denver mortgage lender who can offer more products specifically targeted to the individual’s needs.
The unique nature of the market means you must have someone working for you with a good knowledge base of Denver and Colorado home loans and a Denver or Colorado mortgage company that can get to a variety of products.
The best Denver mortgage lenders should be able to access many different funding sources for Denver Colorado home loans, jumbo loan products for those seeking larger Denver Colorado home loan and standard Denver Colorado home loans for conforming loans under $417,000.
With these products, Denver mortgage lenders can also provide program flexibility, with the ability to access both fixed and variable rate products for Denver mortgage lenders serving short- and long-term home seekers.
Different buyers have different Denver Colorado home loan needs, including those who want to sell after a few years, those who are looking to refinance and those who want to stay in their homes for a long time and want stable Denver Colorado home loan payments (and preferred fixed rate loans from Denver mortgage lenders).
The bottom line for those looking for a loan is that the needs will differ depending on what kind of loan you want and need. Finding the best rates for your needs means finding a good Denver and Colorado mortgage company which is flexible and experienced enough to provide a good Denver and olorado home loan. Consumer watch groups like the Tom Martino mortgage referral system can help those shopping for Denver Colorado home loans. The system makes looking for a good Denver mortgage lender that much easier. Plus, the added security of a good consumer advocate can be a big boost in finding reliable Denver mortgage lenders.