For those of you who are new to mortgages or new to the process of applying for a home loan, this article will be a valuable resource to introduce you to the basic fixed rate mortgage. This is one of the easier mortgages to understand and also relatively easy to calculate. A basic understanding of the fixed rate mortgage will help you understand how other mortgage products may differ from the fixed rate, but also help you to ask intelligent questions when speaking with and evaluating a loan officer you may potentially be working with.
This fixed rate mortgage is one of the more common mortgage products. Typically when people discuss the need to get a home loan or a mortgage, or even a refinance, they're often referring to the fixed rate mortgage. Typically when you hear an advertisement for a mortgage company or other lending institution, you'll most likely hear rates quoted for a 30 year fixed mortgage. There are certain requirements when companies advertise mortgages that are based on a "truth in lending" act sponsored by the federal government. And although not followed directly in each state, when you hear ads for a specific rate, there should be an indication of what type of mortgage product that rate is associated with.
The fixed rate mortgages have a specific time period with them, such as a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. There are also 15 years which are probably the second most common. I have also seen 20 year and 40 year mortgages. Lenders have different programs that will work with what you are looking for. There are enough lenders out there that it would be uncommon to find a loan officer who couldn't give you multiple options with your loan duration.
One of the main benefits to the fixed rate mortgage is that your monthly payment won't change for the duration of the loan. In many companies in the US, you'll also have the advantage of being paid every 2 weeks. If you setup your mortgage to work on this same two week payment schedule, you'll end up making 26 payments per year (52 weeks per year / 2 for every other week) which is the equivalent of 13 months of payments instead of 12 months. Of course this option can be worked out at the time you're applying for your loan as well.
With a fixed rate mortgage, at the end of the term, your home will be paid off completely. Several mortgage products have a balloon payment at the end of the term which means you'll have a larger lump sum, usually a multiple of 10 to 20 times your monthly, or in the event of some interest only products, the principal would be due at the end of only a couple years into the mortgage product which would either require you to pay off the home completely or refinance the balance.
With a fixed rate mortgage, a percentage of your payments each month will go towards the interest and the rest will go towards the principal. This is not an even amount. What I mean is that the the first few years of your mortgage, the majority of the monthly payment goes to pay the interest and the smaller percentage goes towards the principal. Of course you can make extra payments on the principal which means the interest payment will decrease simply because the interest paid is done so on the balance, which if you pay more towards the principal above and beyond the monthly payment, there will be a lower balance due and less interest. This doesn't mean your monthly payment will change, but it will decrease the amount of interest due and increase the percentage of your payment that is applied to paying down the principal.
Getting a fixed rate mortgage is a good program for a large percentage of home owners in today's society. Keep in mind, however, that this is not the only option. But, if you understand the basics of the fixed rate mortgage, you'll better understand the other mortgage products that are available as they are explained to you by your loan officer. It's important to find someone you can trust to work with on your home loan. This will get you most of the way to where you need to be for getting a mortgage or looking into refinancing.
This fixed rate mortgage is one of the more common mortgage products. Typically when people discuss the need to get a home loan or a mortgage, or even a refinance, they're often referring to the fixed rate mortgage. Typically when you hear an advertisement for a mortgage company or other lending institution, you'll most likely hear rates quoted for a 30 year fixed mortgage. There are certain requirements when companies advertise mortgages that are based on a "truth in lending" act sponsored by the federal government. And although not followed directly in each state, when you hear ads for a specific rate, there should be an indication of what type of mortgage product that rate is associated with.
The fixed rate mortgages have a specific time period with them, such as a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. There are also 15 years which are probably the second most common. I have also seen 20 year and 40 year mortgages. Lenders have different programs that will work with what you are looking for. There are enough lenders out there that it would be uncommon to find a loan officer who couldn't give you multiple options with your loan duration.
One of the main benefits to the fixed rate mortgage is that your monthly payment won't change for the duration of the loan. In many companies in the US, you'll also have the advantage of being paid every 2 weeks. If you setup your mortgage to work on this same two week payment schedule, you'll end up making 26 payments per year (52 weeks per year / 2 for every other week) which is the equivalent of 13 months of payments instead of 12 months. Of course this option can be worked out at the time you're applying for your loan as well.
With a fixed rate mortgage, at the end of the term, your home will be paid off completely. Several mortgage products have a balloon payment at the end of the term which means you'll have a larger lump sum, usually a multiple of 10 to 20 times your monthly, or in the event of some interest only products, the principal would be due at the end of only a couple years into the mortgage product which would either require you to pay off the home completely or refinance the balance.
With a fixed rate mortgage, a percentage of your payments each month will go towards the interest and the rest will go towards the principal. This is not an even amount. What I mean is that the the first few years of your mortgage, the majority of the monthly payment goes to pay the interest and the smaller percentage goes towards the principal. Of course you can make extra payments on the principal which means the interest payment will decrease simply because the interest paid is done so on the balance, which if you pay more towards the principal above and beyond the monthly payment, there will be a lower balance due and less interest. This doesn't mean your monthly payment will change, but it will decrease the amount of interest due and increase the percentage of your payment that is applied to paying down the principal.
Getting a fixed rate mortgage is a good program for a large percentage of home owners in today's society. Keep in mind, however, that this is not the only option. But, if you understand the basics of the fixed rate mortgage, you'll better understand the other mortgage products that are available as they are explained to you by your loan officer. It's important to find someone you can trust to work with on your home loan. This will get you most of the way to where you need to be for getting a mortgage or looking into refinancing.
About the Author:
Did you find this article interesting at all? If so, I have a website that is dedicated to mortgages in Utah that covers not only the basics for the state of Utah, but mortgage information in general as well. You can also review additional information about mortgages from Brian's other website about Salt Lake City Mortgages.
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