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The Different Types Of Mortgage Rates In Detail – The Best Guide

Different Types of Mortgage Rates In Detail – The Best Guide

Amanda Byford
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Types of Mortgage Rates

If you’re planning on buying a home, a mortgage is needed. Since a mortgage will be the biggest loan you’ve ever taken it has to be the right decision otherwise it can cost you years. Educate yourself to get it right.

Examples of Mortgage Rates

The cost of the mortgage starts with the interest rate that you’re being charged. If you know the going rate you will be able to figure out how much you can afford to borrow and avoid agreeing to a loan that is higher.

The rates may change daily and are can change without notice. 

When you opt for a loan above a certain threshold it may have different loan terms, and products used in each state are not the same.  

Amounts for taxes or insurance premiums are not included in loan rates. Also, individual lenders would have their own terms.

30-Year Mortgage Rate

A 30-year mortgage rate would have different terms and the rates and APR also changes for each term. A 30-year mortgage would have options like –

30-year fixed

It is the most popular home loan. It is a conventional mortgage that is backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. 

The insurance lasts until there’s 20% equity in the home. It is an ideal choice for people who plan on staying in their homes for many years.

30-year fixed FHA

It is government-insured mortgage loans that are available to any borrower who qualifies under FHA lending standards. 

They allow for lower scores even with a 580 FICO score in some cases FHA lenders ok the mortgage. FHA mortgage insurance lasts for fixed 60 months.

30-year fixed VA

It is a government-insured mortgage that is available to eligible military service members, veterans, and surviving spouses. 

It allows a low rate and payment, which does not change over the life of your loan. A minimum FICO score of 640 is common with some VA lenders.

30-year fixed jumbo

It is a home loan with a fixed interest rate that will be paid back in 30 years. 

The amount of a jumbo mortgage goes beyond the present-day Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac loan purchase limit of $548,250 for a single-family home, in all states except Hawaii and Alaska, which have the limit of $822,375.

15-Year Mortgage Rate

Though a 30-year mortgage rate, is an archetype and very common borrowers can also choose 15-year mortgage rate terms. 

Structurally the loans are similar with ‘term’ being the only main difference. 

Even if a 30-year mortgage makes your monthly payments more affordable, in the long run, a 15-year mortgage generally costs less.

A shorter-term loan results in higher monthly payments, but the shorter term also makes the loan cheaper on several fronts. 

In fact, over the full life of a loan, the 15-year option will end up costing less than half of the 30-year mortgage. 

However, at the loan level, there are some price adjustments that exist only on a 30-year and on a 15-year.

Adjustable-Rate Mortgage

ARM is also called a variable rate mortgage or floating mortgages. 

It is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate applied on the outstanding balance keeps varying throughout the life of the loan. the initial interest rate in ARM is fixed, for a period of time. 

Then the interest rate changes periodically, sometimes yearly, and sometimes at monthly intervals. This reset of interest rate is based on a benchmark or index and ARM margin.

For instance, a 2/28 ARM means a fixed rate for two years followed by a floating rate for the balance of 28 years. 

A 5/1 ARM has a fixed rate for five years, then a variable rate that adjusts every year, which is indicated by the number one.

The adjustable-rate mortgage caps are limits set on the level to which the interest rates and/or payments can rise each year or over the lifetime of the loan.

For instance, a common rate cap is 2/1/5, which breaks down like this:

The initial cap is the maximum amount that the interest rate can adjust the first time it’s changed after the fixed period. 

So your interest rate can change only up to 2% the first time it adjusts.

A periodic cap is a limit put on the interest rate increase from one adjustment period to the next. 

The initial cap and the periodic cap could be the same or different. Every change after that is limited to 1% every 6 months. 

A lifetime cap a limit is put on the increase or decrease of interest rate over the life of the loan, and all ARM have a lifetime cap. 

Although they are put for rate increases, it’s important to note that interest rates can also decrease. 

As the margin for the life of the loan remains the same it is added to the index to get the interest rate, the rate will never fall below the margin. 

So for the rest of the loan term, the interest rate can increase or decrease to a maximum of 5% of the fixed rate. 

So, if the initial rate was 3.5%, your interest rate can go up to a maximum of 8.5% during the life of your loan.

Cap structure is a representation of each cap for the loan in a series of three numbers that represent the three caps: initial cap, periodic cap, and lifetime cap.

Conclusion on the Basics of Mortgage Interest Rates

 There are many types of mortgages, interest rates, and mortgage insurance.

The total cost of your mortgage is greatly affected by the interest rate you pay. The most common mortgage term is 30 years. 

Depending on your choice your finances are affected for up to that length of time, so it’s important to understand how interest rates work.

With confusion as to which type of mortgage would make more sense for your situation – A fixed-rate mortgage is secure but will cost more at the beginning than an adjustable-rate mortgage. 

While, if the rates go up, you’ll end up paying more for an adjustable-rate loan.

To figure out whether this is a good time to buy a home, what you are paying for your mortgage will be shaped by different components.

As mortgage rates continuously changing. There are a few indicators to give you a good idea of future rates so you can make better financial decisions.

If you’re thinking about buying, selling, or refinancing your home, mortgage rates will play important role in making financial decisions. 

Don’t jump into a purchase without being sure of your financial goal and your requirements.

Amanda Byford

Amanda Byford has bought and sold many houses in the past fifteen years and is actively managing an income property portfolio consisting of multi-family properties. During the buying and selling of these properties, she has gone through several different mortgage loan transactions. This experience and knowledge have helped her develop an avenue to guide consumers to their best available option by comparing lenders through the Compare Closing business.

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