Refinancing Your Home Loan - Risks And Benefits
If you are Searching for Refinancing Your Home Loan then here is the Risks And Benefits of Refinancing Your Home Loan.
Risks Of Refinancing
1. Fees:
There may also be exit fees that you’ll have to pay out of pocket, too. These are fees that you may be charged for exiting out of your loan early and if you have a fixed rate home loan, these can be quite high. There may also be upfront fees for your new loan as well. In addition to exit fees there are also upfront fees charged by your new lender, such as application fees and valuation fees.
2. If you have a bad credit rating you might not get a good rate:
Refinancing your home loan can also hurt you if you have bad credit history. If your credit history is less than stellar you may end up with a higher rate when you refinance. This isn’t in your best interest and can hurt your bottom line. A poor credit history can give you a higher interest rate instead of the lower rate that you were hoping for.
3. More features could equal more fees:
A sometimes hidden risk in refinancing comes in additional features that a lender may offer. A lender is always looking for business so they may try to persuade you to refinance by offering you features like a free credit card or an offset account. While these may sound like benefits, they could come with additional fees or tempt you to spend more. If your current home loan doesn’t have additional features it also might not have the additional fees. This will mean that while you’re possible saving in interest, you’ll be paying more money in fees.
4. Longer loan duration:
Refinancing may also lock you into your home for longer than you planned on staying. If you had hopes of moving soon, refinancing your home loan could hurt your efforts. If you move too soon the monthly savings you gained may not have been worth the overall cost of refinancing.
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Benefits Of Refinancing
1. Access equity:
One of the benefits of refinancing is having the chance to access equity you’ve collected in your home loan. This can then be used for things like renovations, investing, purchasing a new car, taking a holiday, or any other pursuit you may be able to think of.
2. Get a better rate:
Another benefit of refinancing your home loan is to get a better interest rate so your repayments will be lower. If you know you qualify for a low rate this could potentially save you a lot of money. This is one of the biggest benefits of refinancing.
3. Security:
By choosing to refinance your home loan you may also be able to switch to a fixed rate loan. This will allow you to benefit from the protection of a locked interest rate which will stay the same for the entire life of the loan and protect you from fluctuations in the market. If you currently have a variable rate home loan refinancing to a fixed rate might benefit you.
4. Increase the length of your mortgage.
This can reduce your repayments by spreading them out across a longer period of time. This may not be the best solution if you’re having trouble making payments. Try to seek the advice of a professional financial counsellor who can help you get out of your repayment rut, as over time you’ll spend a lot more in interest if you opt for this strategy.