Even one or two extra mortgage payments a year can help you make a much larger dent in your mortgage debt. This not only means you'll get rid of your mortgage faster; it also means you'll get rid of your mortgage more cheaply.
Let's say you currently owe $200,000 on your mortgage and you want to pay it off in 5 years or 60 months. In this case, you'll need to increase your payments to about $3,400 per month.
Making additional principal payments will shorten the length of your mortgage term and allow you to build equity faster. Because your balance is being paid down faster, you'll have fewer total payments to make, in-turn leading to more savings.
Making extra payments of $500/month could save you $60,798 in interest over the life of the loan.
When you make an extra payment or a payment that's larger than the required payment, you can designate that the extra funds be applied to principal. Because interest is calculated against the principal balance, paying down the principal in less time on your mortgage reduces the interest you'll pay.
Making additional principal payments reduces the amount of money you'll pay interest on – before it can accrue. This can knock years off your mortgage term and save you thousands of dollars.
The additional amount will reduce the principal on your mortgage, as well as the total amount of interest you will pay, and the number of payments.
Ideally, you want your extra payments to go towards the principal amount. However, many lenders will apply the extra payments to any interest accrued since your last payment and then apply anything left over to the principal amount. Other times, lenders may apply extra funds to next month's payment.
Cons of 15-year Mortgages
The higher monthly payment may be too much for many people's budget. For example, not including taxes and insurance, in January of 2020, you would pay approximately $1,411 per month for a 15-year, $200,000 loan. A 30-year, $200,000 loan (without insurance and taxes), would be $898 per month.
When you pay an extra $100 on your monthly mortgage payment, that entire amount goes to principal. You'll reduce your total balance much more quickly when you make an extra payment that goes directly to repaying your balance. You could cut around four years off your repayment time with just an extra $100 per month.
Yes, you can pay off your mortgage early. In most cases, you can pay extra to lower your balance faster. Whether you want to pay an extra $20 every month or make a big lump payment, you have multiple strategies to pay off a mortgage faster. Some lenders charge extra should you decide to pay early.
Making an extra payment on your mortgage can help you pay off your mortgage early. It also helps reduce the principal balance quicker which means there is less principal to gain interest. In the long run, your extra payments could help you save money as well as reducing the length of your loan term.
It works like this: Biweekly payments are equal to 13 monthly payments in a year while traditional monthly payments are equal to 12 payments each year. By paying an extra month every year, you're paying extra principal, which shaves six to eight years off the life of the loan over time.
the extra $500 goes towards the principle only and the loan. Gets paid down much faster, your saving a lot of money over the years in interest. Talk to your lender and he will tell u how much you will save and how much faster the loan will be paid off. It is a good thing to do if you can.
Look Into Refinancing
Refinancing your loan into one with a lower interest rate and/or a shorter term can help you pay off your mortgage faster. A shorter term usually comes with a lower interest rate, so you're saving on interest while also paying your mortgage off sooner than 30 years.
The truth is, if you can scrape together the equivalent of one extra payment to put toward your mortgage each year, you'll take — on average — four to six years off your loan. You'll also save tens of thousands of dollars in interest payments.
Many people choose to schedule their mortgage payment on the first of the month to coincide with their monthly paycheck. This can make it easier to budget and ensure that the payment is made on time.
Before paying off a loan ahead of schedule, it's important to read the fine print. Based on the terms of your loan, you could be subject to a prepayment penalty for paying off your mortgage early. Typically, loans older than three years are not subject to this type of penalty.