Should You Use a Bi-Weekly Mortgage or Prepayment to Get Ahead?

So you have decided that you want to buy a house and perhaps have even found the house of your dreams -- now you just need to find the right mortgage to be able to finance it!

If you know how much you need to borrow from a mortgage lender, a mortgage calculator will give you some idea of what the payments are likely to be.

A bi-weekly mortgage allows you to pay your mortgage every two weeks rather than once a month. Check this on a mortgage calculator to see how quickly you will repay your mortgage and save on interest payments.

Although a bi-weekly mortgage may seem a great idea, and the advertisements may seem like you are getting a good deal -- check the figures carefully on a mortgage calculator and read the small print.

It could be that regular payments against your mortgage principal are more financially attractive.

You may have also wondered should I prepay my mortgage? Being in a position to prepay your mortgage is reassuring; however, the penalties and loss of tax breaks, may make it less attractive than opting to invest the money elsewhere.

A prepayment versus investment mortgage calculator can help you start to see where the best alternative may lie.

Karen Kirby has over 25 years' experience in the computer industry, an MS in Computer Science, and a BA in Honors English. She has been helping people with Internet marketing since 1995. For more information on biweekly mortgage calculators see http://mortgage-calculators.eworldrewards.com/biweekly-mortgage-calculator.htm and be sure to get a free copy of the "Internet Marketer's Guide to Free Traffic" at http://www.aimbright.com/ebook/

By: Karen Kirby

Read more...

Fixed and Adjustable Mortgage Interest Rates - Basic Facts

There are many different types of mortgage loans. Various types of loans make the whole process of home-buying quite intimidating.

Mortgage interest rates influence the borrower’s choice of mortgage to a great extent.

There are two most prevalent mortgage interest rates. These are fixed mortgage interest rate and adjustable mortgage interest rate. This article briefly describes the two types.

• Fixed Mortgage Rates:

In case of 'fixed mortgage rates', the principle and the monthly payments for interest do not change throughout the duration of the loan.

As long as the borrower is in a fixed term agreement, the interest rates remain the same.
The advantage of this type of mortgage interest rate is that the borrowers can keep a track of the exact amount of their payments. They can, thus, manage their personal budget easily.

It is advisable to have a fixed-rate mortgage in case the mortgage interest rates are rising. This is because fixed-rate mortgage fixes the current rate and the borrowers need not worry about the future hikes in rates.

Thus, the long-term fixed mortgage rates protect borrowers from any sort of upward fluctuations in mortgage interest rates.

•

Adjustable Mortgage Rates:

The mortgage interest rates that are adjusted from time to time on the basis of an index are termed as the ‘adjustable mortgage rates’.

It is advisable to go for adjustable mortgage rates when there is a downward fluctuation in the interest rates.

These mortgage rates change periodically, that is, every one, three, or five years. Therefore, borrowers can easily capitalize on the new rates that are lower than the previous rates.

http://www.greatloanprograms.com

By: Eshwarya Patel

Read more...