10-year mortgage payments are a lot higher than other types. And these loans can be harder to find. But for those who afford the payments, a 10-year mortgage is a great tool to pay off your house faster and save on interest.
Refinancing to a 10-year loan makes sense when you've been paying off your mortgage for many years, or for homeowners who want to get really aggressive with their repayment. Refinancing into a 10-year mortgage can allow you to secure a lower interest rate without extending your repayment term.
One of the first reasons to avoid refinancing is that it takes too much time for you to recoup the new loan's closing costs. This time is known as the break-even period or the number of months to reach the point when you start saving. At the end of the break-even period, you fully offset the costs of refinancing.
A mortgage refinance to a shorter-term loan may work if you have few long-term debts and enough money coming in each month to pay your bills (with extra cash to spare). But if your budget is tight or you're not contributing to other savings, putting more money into your home may not be an optimal long-term strategy.
If you're approaching retirement with a steady income, the 10-year fixed-rate mortgage may be a good choice. This may be ideal for those looking to close out their mortgages sooner rather than later. However, it's vital that anyone considering this loan be prepared for retirement with a healthy retirement fund.
It's usually better to make extra payments when:
If you can't lower your existing mortgage rate, a refinance likely won't make sense. In this case, paying extra on your mortgage is a better way to lower your interest costs and pay off the loan faster. You want to own your home faster.
Compare current 10-year mortgage rates. On Tuesday, July 05, 2022, the national average 10-year fixed mortgage APR is 4.850%. The average 10-year refinance APR is 4.810%, according to Bankrate's latest survey of the nation's largest mortgage lenders.
So when does it make sense to refinance? The typical should-I-refinance-my-mortgage rule of thumb is that if you can reduce your current interest rate by 1% or more, it might make sense because of the money you'll save. Refinancing to a lower interest rate also allows you to build equity in your home more quickly.
Refinancing is usually worth it if you can lower your interest rate enough to save money month-to-month and in the long term. Depending on your current loan, dropping your rate by 1%, 0.5%, or even 0.25% could be enough to make refinancing worth it.
Saving $100 per month, it would take you 40 months — more than 3 years — to recoup your closing costs. So a refinance might be worth it if you plan to stay in the home for 4 years or more. But if not, refinancing would likely cost you more than you'd save.
Refinancing will hurt your credit score a bit initially, but might actually help in the long run. Refinancing can significantly lower your debt amount and/or your monthly payment, and lenders like to see both of those. Your score will typically dip a few points, but it can bounce back within a few months.
One of the best reasons to refinance is to lower the interest rate on your existing loan. Historically, the rule of thumb is that refinancing is a good idea if you can reduce your interest rate by at least 2%. However, many lenders say 1% savings is enough of an incentive to refinance.
For example, if you're spending $4,000 on closing costs and saving $200 a month on your mortgage payment, you'd divide $4,000 by $200 which equals 20 months. If you expect to stay in your home longer than 20 months, you'll save money.
For many homeowners, it's still a good time to refinance. Current mortgage rates are no longer at record lows. But they're still relatively low by historical standards. And, depending on when you closed on your current loan, you may be paying a higher interest rate than what you could lock in today.
The breakeven period is how long it will take you to pay off the costs of closing on a new mortgage and start realizing the savings from a lower rate and lower monthly payments. Andrews said for most people, it's only worthwhile to refinance if your breakeven period is two years or less.
The catch with refinancing comes in the form of “closing costs.” Closing costs are fees collected by mortgage lenders when you take out a loan, and they can be quite significant. Closing costs can run between 3–6 percent of the principal of your loan.
Your home's equity remains intact when you refinance your mortgage with a new loan, but you should be wary of fluctuating home equity value. Several factors impact your home's equity, including unemployment levels, interest rates, crime rates and school rezoning in your area.
When refinancing for a second time, or paying off a loan early, a taxpayer may deduct all the not-yet-deducted points from the first refinancing when that loan is paid off. Other closing costs, such as appraisal fees and processing fees, generally are not deductible.
You can sell your house right after refinancing — unless you have an owner-occupancy clause in your new mortgage contract. An owner-occupancy clause can require you to live in your house for 6-12 months before you sell it or rent it out.
Refinancing doesn't reset the repayment term of your loan, but it does replace your current loan with a new loan. You may be able to choose from different offers for your new loan depending on your goals, including a longer or shorter repayment term.
For example, if you plan to live in your house for eight to 10 years, taking out a 10/1 ARM (where the introductory rate lasts 10 years) is more cost-effective. A 10/1 ARM is usually between 0.25% to 0.5% less expensive than a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.
In our study, Freedom Mortgage had the lowest mortgage rates overall while Rocket Mortgage had the best mortgage rates for a conventional loan.
Expect the 10-year Treasury yield to peak at 3.5% sometime this year, before dipping back to 3.0% by the end of 2022. The rise in the 10-year rate will also push up mortgage rates, from the current average of 5.4% for 30-year fixed-rate loans, to just below 6.0%.