Saturday 11 June 2011

What You Should Know About Mortgage Rates

By Adriana Noton


If you've been in the market to buy a home, you have probably given a lot of thought to mortgage rates. Obviously, the lower they are, the better off you will be. Many things influence the prevailing rates, and there are things you can do to find the lowest possible one that you qualify for. Like any major purchase, when buying a home you should become informed as to what's available to you in order to make the best possible decision.

Often, we hear on the news that the prevailing interest rate has reached historic highs or lows. It may make you wonder what determines this. There are many factors that influence the prevailing rate. For instance the concept of supply and demand is at play. When more people are buying, the rate tends to increase. When the economy is in trouble, the rates are often lowered to entice more people to buy, which in turn stimulates the economy a bit.

The Federal Reserve bank, which is government-run, changes the rate every six weeks or so. Another factor that goes into determining the rate is the confidence the bank has in the economy. If the economy is good, the rates may increase slightly over time or remain steady. If the situation is getting less favorable, the rate may go down to encourage more purchases. By doing this, the bank can control inflation to an extent.

When you hear about the prevailing rate on the news, this is what the federal reserve is charging individual lenders. So, yours may be different depending on the terms you choose. It is possible to shop around and find lower rates. Over the life of a mortgage, a couple of percentage points off of your interest can translate into thousands of dollars saved.

There are many ways to save money on your interest rates. First, notice trends in the current interest rate. When you hear about the interest rate being very low, there's a good chance that you can get a low rate too. When you go for a home loan, or any type of loan for that matter, you will get the best deal if your credit is good. With good credit, lenders see that you are less of a risk than other customers, so you should be rewarded with a lower rate.

An important thing you can do is to simply shop around for rates. If there is one financial institution you've used for a long time for other loans see what they can offer. Your loyalty may be rewarded because they already know you're financially responsible. There are numerous websites that allow you to input some information and then compare offers among banks.

Another way to save money is to take out a shorter term Winnipeg mortgage. Instead of the traditional thirty year loan, consider one for fifteen years. Your monthly payments might be more, but your interest is lower meaning you will eventually save thousands of dollars. With a lower rate than a traditional term, your payments might not even be that much higher for a shorter term loan.

These tips, among others, are all worth looking into if you are looking to buy a home. If you are willing to do a bit of research it is easy to find a better deal. Planning and preparation will help too. If saving money is important to you, your time and effort will pay off in the end.




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