Sunday, August 21, 2011

Choosing Between A Fixed-Rate Mortgage (FRM) Or Variable-Rate Mortgage (VRM)

By Adriana Noton


These two types of loans are the main choices a person has when looking for a loan with which to purchase a home. Making the choice of a fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) or variable-rate mortgage (VRM) is not an easy one to make. A lot of money could depend on the choice you make and both are excellent ways of financing a home loan.

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.

Neither option alters the payment itself, but rather the amount of interest you will pay each month and the amount that is applied to the principle. Most know that banks and lending institutions will take their money first. Simply put, the largest amount of the payment is applied to the interest with little going on the principal. Over time the interest drops and the principal payment increases.

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.

Some things should be kept in mind by the borrower when contemplating a VRM. It will take a bit of mathematics but worth the effort. Evaluate if the amount of money saved over the initial period is worth taking the chance that payments will rise due to higher interest. Also, if this is a starter home and you only plan on living there for a short time, the VRM may be what you are looking for.

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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