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30 Year Vs. 15 Year Mortgages
By: Dave Lewis
Discussions of mortgages often focus on interest rates, but there is a much more
basic decision to make. Should you go with a 30 year mortgage term or a 15 year
mortgage term?
30 Year vs. 15 Year Mortgages
Any discussion of mortgages tends to turn on two points. How can you qualify for
the most money with the lowest payment? How can you get the lowest interest rate
for the mortgage? While these are two important issues, there is an addition one
that people fail to consider, resulting in significant wasted money.
The term of a mortgage is extremely critical for a couple of reason. First, it
sets the length of the obligation you are undertaking. Second, it defines the
amount of interest you are going to pay over the life of the loan. These are
huge issues when it comes to building equity.
The longer the loan, the more total interest you are going to pay. The trade
off, of course, is you are going to have smaller monthly payments the farther
you stretch out the obligation. While this may sound like a good goal when you
first get the mortgage, it can backfire on you in the long run.
Most people focus on interest rates as a way to save money on mortgages. This is
a valid approach, but playing with the length of the loan is a better way to
save money. If you can cut the payments in half by going with a shorter loan,
you can save huge amounts on the total interest repaid to a lender.
The decision on the term of the loan is relatively simple, but entirely
dependent upon your personal situation. There is no absolutely correct choice.
First, you need to determine if you can comfortably afford the higher payments
that come with a shorter term loan. In general, a 15 year mortgage will have
payments 20 to 25 percent higher than a 30 year loan. Of course, you will pay
the loan off faster, to wit, be building equity in the home quicker.
The modern mortgage industry has a variety of different term length products.
When applying for a loan, take the time to evaluate the different terms to see
if you can find a loan that is perfect for your situation.
About the Author:
Dan Lewis is with http://www.gwhomeloans.com - a San Diego mortgage brokers
providing San Diego home loans. Visit http://www.gwhomeloans.com/services.html
to learn more about options on San Diego mortgages from a San Diego mortgage
broker company. |