Thursday 6 October 2011

When Is Remortgage Advisable?

By Erin Song


Remortgage is an option that is usually resorted to by homeowners in the hope that the new mortgage agreement will give them better terms and easier to meet monthly payments.

Times change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, but any change in the mortgagors circumstances almost always will cause him to entertain the thought of renegotiating his mortgage. Another reason for a remortgage is due to the escalating interest rates as specified and in accordance with mortgage stipulations. While a remortgage will bring about softer terms for the borrower, there are some issues that he should be wary of.

Charges

Some mortgages have a penalty clause for premature payment. In that event, you have to compute if the penalty payments can be compensated by interest savings under the remortgage.

Fees

Taking out a new mortgage means paying for the usual fees and expenses like the legal fees, appraisal or valuation expenses, taxes, insurance, commissions, etc. The lenders will under certain condition offer cash to defray costs or 'fee-free services, but still you have to compute whether or not it is worthwhile to change the mortgage.

Features

The mortgage business has undergone some changes and some of the new mortgage schemes will allow the mortgagor flexibility in their payments; a current account mortgage deal that uses the combined savings and current account balance to reduce the debt on which the interest is based. Offset mortgages are similar, but accounts are still held separately. The separate accounts will allow the borrower to move funds from one account to another, but the current account will not show a large overdraft.

Equity Release

If your home has increased in value after you have taken in the mortgage, you have the option to get a second mortgage over the higher equity in the property and get the cash equivalent of the equity. How much you can borrow will be based on your regular income as well as the property value. A feature of the equity release loan is that it allows a retiree to obtain a certain amount of money using the value of his property. This scheme will allow the retired citizen to keep on using the house for as long as he wishes with the loan provider acquiring rights over the home. Home reversion, home income plan and roll-up schemes are all under the equity release arrangement.




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