Should I Pay Points For A Lower Rate?
Paying points for a lower interest rate is a trade off between paying money now versus paying money later. A point - equaling 1% of the total loan amount - is an upfront fee that reduces your monthly interest rate and total interest due over the life of a loan. Use our calculator to figure out the cost and effective saving of loan points as well as the minimum amount of time it will take to recover your loan points.
Popular Mortgage Questions
Popular Mortgage Glossary Terms
Points paid by a lender for a loan with a rate above the rate on a zero point loan. For example, a lender might quote the following prices: 8%/0 points, 7.5%/3 points, 8.75%/-2.5 points. ...
A mortgage lender or mortgage broker. ...
Limit on the size of payment change on an adjustable rate mortgage. ...
A mortgage that does not meet the purchase requirements of the two federal agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, because it is too large or for other reasons, such as poor credit or ...
A reduction in the mortgage payment made by a homebuyer in the early years of the loan in exchange for an upfront cash deposit provided by the buyer, the seller, or both. How Temporary ...
An upfront cash payment required by the lender as part of the charge for the loan, expressed as a percent of the loan amount; e.g., '3 points' means a charge equal to 3% of the loan ...
An agreement between a mortgage borrower in distress and the lender that allows the borrower to sell the house and remit the proceeds to the lender. A short sale is an alternative to ...
The house in which the borrower will live most of the time, as distinct from a second home or an investor property that will be rented. ...
An independent contractor who offers the loan products of multiple lenders, called wholesalers. Mortgage brokers do not lend. They counsel borrowers on any problems involved in qualifying ...
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