Friday, 19 August 2011

Is A Fixed-Rate Mortgage (FRM) Or Variable-Rate Mortgage (VRM) Best For You

By Adriana Noton


If you are in the market for a home you will have to choose between a fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) or variable-rate mortgage (VRM). They are the two most popular ways of securing funds to buy the residence you will live in. Both offer excellent financing with a few variations in how they are handled.

The bank notes that you choose will be the determining factor in how much money will be paid out in interest over the loans term. Being sure the payment fits well within the homeowners budget also needs to be examined. To go with fixed or variable will depend on a few factors.

The amount you pay for a home is the principal. The money that the bank or financial institution will charge you for using that money is the interest. That is where these two loan types differ. With both, the bank will take their share of the money first. When making a payment more will be applied to the interest than the principal in the first few years. Over time, interest will drop and principal amounts will increase.

When a home purchase is made with the intent of living there for a long time, the fixed amount borrowed may be your best bet. The interest is predetermined and that plus the purchase price is spread out over a period of up to 30 years. Your payment is locked in and can never change.

A variable loan uses the purchase price as a permanent number but the interest can often fluctuate over time. This can either raise or lower your monthly payment. The interest rates can change every year or up to every ten years. Most often the time periods for the variable loan is three to five years. The initial period will offer an extremely low interest, in the hopes the borrower will be enticed by the low payment.

When the borrower is thinking about a VRM, he or she should figure out if the initial savings is enough to warrant the chance of interest going up. If the amount of money saved is substantial, it could easily cover any increase in the payment. Another consideration would be if the borrower considers the home to be a short term investment. Under these circumstance the VRM could really save you a bundle of money.

The VRM can also end up with the payments dropping. The recent economic downtrend has seen most ARM's dropping at a fast rate due to lower prime. Still the applicant must decide that if the payment increases, can their budget handle higher payments.

Do not make a final decision until all your questions have been answered. The present poor economy is making the variable loan more attractive than ever. The variable is also capped and cannot rise anymore than a couple of points at a time. Always look for the most affordable payment that fits within your budget.




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