Bankers Dont Want You to Know That You Pay for Your No Cost Home Loan Forever

With mortgage rates continuing on a downward trend, the competition in the business is fierce. A day never passes that I don't hear some crazy advertisement about a new loan program that XYZ mortgage company has and no one else offers. One of the oldest programs remains steadfast in both its high profile and its duplicity. This program is the No Cost Home Loan -- the one bankers say is free, but you actually pay for as long as you have the loan.

The no closing cost home loan is virtually everywhere. It is advertised in the mail, on radio and on TV all the time. "Hey, refinance your loan today, and there will be no closing costs," the ads scream. Wow, a free loan. Imagine the money you'll save. So, if you are in the market for a refinance loan or home equity line, which you probably should be, with rates at all-time lows, you might consider running to XYZ mortgage company, who is now offering free mortgage loans.

Just be careful you don't go bankrupt, along the way. Remember, the old cliche, Nothing in life is free, because it makes a lot of sense. You actually can get a mortgage with little or no closing costs. What bankers don't tell you (one of their great secrets) is that you pay a higher interest rate than you really qualify for, when you get your loan for "free." So, you might save $2,000 or $3,000 in closing costs, but your monthly payment could be $100 to $300 higher than it would have been if you had actually paid the costs.

Imagine taking this loan and saving $2,000 in total closing costs. Perhaps you borrow $200,000. Now, if you simply pay all the costs and tell the banker you want the best rate available, let's say it is 6% for this example, you would have a monthly payment of $1,199. Now, let's assume the wiley banker convinces you to pay no closing costs and take an in terest rate of 7%. He might say, "Now, your interest rate will be a bit higher, but you'll save $2,000 in closing costs." Sounds great, you might think.

What he doesn't do, though, is spell out the difference in the 6% rate you could qualify for, versus the 7% rate you choose to take for your "free" loan. If you borrow $200,000 at 7% interest, your monthly payment is $1,330. This is $131.00 more each month than you will pay on the same loan at 6% interest.

If you choose to pay the closing costs and save $131.00 monthly, it will take you 15 months to get your $2,000 in closing costs back. Now, if you keep this loan for five years beyond that first 15 months, you will save an additional $7,860 at the 6% interest rate. If you listen to the crafty banker, selling the No Cost Loan, you'll allow nearly eight thousand dollars to drift right up your home's chimney.

Unless the difference in the interest rate on your no closing cost loan and the loan with costs is a tiny amount, say .125%, you are almost always better off paying the costs. Be sure to ask what the difference in the rates is. Then learn exactly what the total closing costs will be. Calculate the difference in the two monthly payments (one with closing costs and one without). If that amount will pay back your closing costs in two years or less, and you intend to remain in your loan for at least five years, pay the costs and take the better rate.

Use this method, and you'll never go wrong.

Mark Barnes is author of the wealth-building system, Winning the Mortgage Game and other investment real estate books. He is also a suspense novelist, and his new novel, The League, will thrill both suspense and sports fans. Learn about Mark's wealth-building system and get his free home loan course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com. Learn more about The League and read an excerpt at http://www.sportsnovels.com

In The News:


Los Angeles Times

Bitter lessons learned from refinancing
Los Angeles Times, CA - Jul 4, 2008
Miller said she was persuaded to refinance her mortgage twice into sub-prime loans she didn't really understand, along with taking out a second mortgage. ...

Single mom should refinance her mortgage
Globe and Mail, Canada - Jul 5, 2008
She also has a $114000 mortgage. Finally, she expects an $82000 repayment of a personal loan that is due to her in a year. Karen should make as much of her ...

I want to refinance my mortgage, but the value of my house has fallen
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,  United States - 44 minutes ago
I really want to refinance my mortgage, which I got about three years ago, but I think my house price has declined. What can I do? ...

THE DEBT ADVISER: Ignored debt grows and damages many parts of ...
Quad City Times, IA - 5 hours ago
Second, your mortgage-refinance issue is just the tip of the iceberg. Many people don’t know that a negative credit history will also hurt you if you have ...

CNBC

UPDATE 1-US mortgage refinance applications plunge -MBA
Reuters - Jun 18, 2008
... rates choked off refinancing opportunities and soured the housing outlook, an industry group said on Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association said ...
US MBA's Mortgage Applications Index Fell 8.8% Last Week Bloomberg
Mortgage applications down 8.7% last week: MBA MarketWatch
Weekly mortgage applications fall 8.7% as rates rise BloggingStocks
Housing Wire - WFMJall 61 news articles

Tips on obtaining money through refinancing
Fall River Herald News,  USA - Jul 3, 2008
Here are a couple of pointers for those considering mortgage refinance to take cash out of their home: The traditional way of judging the market value of a ...

New York Times

Mortgage Brokers as Naysayers
New York Times, United States - 11 hours ago
During the recent real estate bubble, some borrowers who chose loans with skyrocketing interest rates emerged unscathed because they were able to refinance ...

With the loan bar higher, the rules are different now
MiamiHerald.com, FL - 2 hours ago
Homeowners who currently have an adjustable mortgage can refinance into a fixed-rate mortgage so they don't have to worry about rising mortgage costs after ...

Arizona rate increases to peak in July
Arizona Republic, AZ - 4 hours ago
Most borrowers awaiting initial loan resets have accrued no equity because of plummeting land values, making it virtually impossible to refinance. ...

Best Syndication

Low Credit Score Home Mortgage Loan Refinancing
Best Syndication, CA - Jun 30, 2008
In any case, what you need to do is make sure that the terms of the mortgage refinance loans that you are being offered match your needs and will produce ...
Avoid Financial Mistakes When Young And Have a Successful Future Best Syndication
all 9 news articles
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